How To Visit Rome On A Budget: What To Know Before You Go
I had high hopes that the hefty price to be a tourist in Rome would be worth it in the form of life-changing, carb heavy meals that could be added to my list of favorite foods ever; romantic days spent meandering through history freeze-dried by artists; and streets that charmed me by their mere constitution and chiseled details. Finally there and willing to splurge on Italian food — because, hey! I was in Rome! — I was left staring at my $35 meal that was sup-par, wondering to myself: Could Rome be done on a budget? Surely there was amazing food that was much cheaper than this.
Could the same mentality be applied to our whole stay in Rome? For the next few days my partner and I, avid budget travelers at heart (and by all accounts of our wallets), committed ourselves to seeing some of Rome’s most renowned highlights as economically as possible. Here’s what we learned about food, accommodations, and things to do in Rome on a budget.
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Is Rome Expensive To Visit? Yes, But A Budget Trip Is Possible
First things first: Rome is NOT naturally a budget backer destination. It’s such a hotspot of a place that tourist prices are charged at whim and at first glance everything can seem expensive. However, it can be done on a budget with a little bit of planning. (For those who have almost $0, check out my complete guide to extreme budget travel!)
How Much I Spent In Rome
For reference, I spent $290.63 in Rome, split between four days, which comes out to $72.65 a day. This price includes the train from the airport to Termini, metro rides, a few nights at the monastery, three proper meals out to eat, groceries, and a last minute ticket to the Sistine Chapel. In hindsight, I could have knocked that price down to around $60.15 a day by eating one less meal out and getting my attraction tickets ahead of time. And if I was traveling around with barely any money like I used to do, I could have skirted by on less than $10 a day.
If there are specific things that you’re going to Rome, Italy to see, purchase your entrance tickets, accommodation, and trains in advance. I usually fly by the seat of my pants booking things as I go, but travel mistakes are expensive in Rome. We visited during the off-season so we assumed that there would be lots of options left when we went to book things a couple weeks before our trip, but oh how we were wrong. I’ll explain more about booking in advance for each topic in this blogpost as we go along.
Do They Speak English In Rome?
Rome is incredibly English friendly, much like other sought-after cities in Europe, thanks to the endless supply of tourists. But understanding the local language, even at a basic level, can save you money in the long run by being able to ask questions and read menus. Pimsler is a great language learning tool that I’ve been using for years. Practicing with the app, which teaches pronunciation and relevant conversational skills, is a smart way to gear up for time in Rome.
Visit Rome In The Off-Season To Save Money
Rome was packed, crammed, and filled to the max with tourists from all over the world when we visited, which shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. We were there during January; didn’t most people want to have their romantic Rome vacations in the summer months? Gelato isn’t as pleasant when your fingers are starting to go numb. Rome has to be packed year round, but it is less packed in the winter. If you’re able to visit while there’s a chill in the air you’ll spend less time in never-ending lines, less time fighting crowds, and less time playing shoulder bumper cars with tourists in every attraction. And just as important, you’ll pay lower prices overall.
I’ve heard that visiting in the sweltering heat of the summer mixed with the agitated crowds can leave tourists with an ugly taste in their mouths. Going in the winter may require a jacket and hat, but things will be cheaper and you’ll be able to (somewhat) breathe in the city.
The Off Season In Rome, Italy
MamaLovesRome writes: “The real low season in Rome comprises a handful of weeks: usually a few weeks in November (after All Saints 1st November and before the start of the Christmas festivities, 8th December) and then again in January, specifically after the end of the Christmas holidays (6th of January, the epiphany) and the end of the month.” Additionally, she shares that on the first Sunday of every month, many attractions are free, including the Colosseum, the Roman forum, and more. Planning your trips around these seasons and the first Sunday of every month can save you big in Rome.
Where To Stay In Rome On A Budget
The free way to crash in Rome is by utilizing Couchsurfing; I’ve used it countless times over the years and write about it extensively in The Art of Unruly Travel on A Budget. (For LGBTQ+ travelers, don’t overlook the queer version of Couchsurfing called Quouch!) I imagine that Rome, like most big cities in the world, has all types of folks to stay with that are happy to house travelers.
For those willing to put some money down for private accommodation, book something as far in advance as possible. At the end of 2024 my partner and I went to book a place a few weeks out and realized that almost everything had been scooped up by others exploring Rome on a budget. I recommend comparing places on booking.com you’re looking for more traditional stays. If you like to liven things up a bit, you can browse through more budget-friendly hostels on hostelworld.com or consider staying at a monastery like we did.
Stay At A Monastery In Rome
We used monasterystays.com to find a place that was about a 20 minute subway ride outside of the city for €76 a night, devided between two people. To my delight it put us in a quieter area, and we were easily able to walk to the subway each morning to start our adventure. The monastery that we stayed at was simple yet clean with a watchful nun around every corner. The monasteries are a little bit stricter than other places, with quiet hours starting around 11 PM and check-in ending at 8 PM, but once you’re settled they’ll likely give you a key to come and go as you please.
The downside to monasteries for social travelers is that there isn’t much of a mingling scene. As you can imagine, there is no flip-cup being played in multiple languages or drunk backpackers dancing on bar tops into the wee hours of the morning. In the monastery the only real chance to socialize is at breakfast, and you’re not likely to see many travelers under 50 years old.
Cheap Transportation In Rome
When we first arrived to Rome to took the train from the airport to the main station for around €14 per person. From the Termini train station you can walk, catch a bus, or hop on a metro to your accommodation. After discovering TrainLine we used it to book all of our trains; it’s an easy way to compare prices and purchase tickets. Be sure to avoid taxis — they’re the most expensive form of transportation that you could possibly find.
As mentioned above, my partner and I took the metro to and from the tourist heart of Rome each day. The metro was an easy 8 minute walk from our monastery, and the subway ride was a meager 20 minutes each way. Despite not speaking Italian, we found the metro straightforward and easy to use. When the metro wasn’t available we ended up taking the local busses that had similar prices. For both the metro and the busses you can use your credit card to simply tap for payment.
When you’re ready to take to the streets, it can be easy to walk from place to place and fun to stumble upon ruins and detailed archetichal gems along the way. We didn’t have an e-sim for Rome but we used wifi to pull up Google maps to get us from place to place and it worked well. You can also explore Rome on a budget via bike, tour bus, guided tours.
Affordable Food In Rome On A Budget
Before touching down in Italy I had grand fantasies of eating mind-blowing pizza and pasta in the place where it all started. To my disappointment, I wasn’t blown away by the food. In fact, I was underwhelmed by it. We splurged on some pricier meals thinking that this was the place to do it, but nothing we ate really seemed worth it.
With that being said, I suggest browsing through the options on HappyCow before heading to Rome and setting aside just a couple places that you’re willing to spend money on. Other than that, consider utilizing the kitchen in your accommodation to cook simple meals like pasta with frozen veggies. If I was to visit Rome again I would eat fruits from the fruit stalls for breakfast, find a well-researched place for lunch, and then cook something easy for dinner. I would also bring snacks from home to have on hand for long days in the city so that you’re not left buying expensive small eats out of hanger. Lastly, don’t forget your reusable water bottle as there are free clean water fountains all over Rome!
Overall, the best food that I ate when exploring the rest of Italy was always at the local, cheaper places. No surprise there though! Other things to remember when dining in Rome:
- It’s not normal or necessary to leave a tip. While it may feel rude if you come from a tipping culture, it’s just not expected. Leaving a euro or two on the table means that the place really went above and beyond to give you a life-changing dining experience.
- Ask to see a menu and get fixed prices before ordering. People may just list the menu to you verbally, but you’ll want to know how much each thing actually costs before ordering.
- Check your credit card charges after paying. Although it never happened to me, a friend of mine’s sibling who visited Rome was charged over $100 for a simple meal when he went to pay by card. He believed that it was done on purpose, but there’s no way of knowing. Check before you pay.
Best Things To Do In Rome On A Budget
The best things to do in Rome are the things that you have your heart set on. It’s such an expensive destination to begin with, so if you’re traveling across the world to get there don’t leave your bucket list behind in the name of pinching a penny (trust me, it’s my natural inclination). While many of the attractions that draw tourists are not free, there are cheaper ways to experience them, and that’s when planning comes in handy.
For example, out of all of the touristy things to do we wanted to experience the Vatican museum. When I looked on their website a few weeks out there were no tickets left, so I checked GetYourGuide and had no luck there either. What would have costed us €20 euros per person on the official website ended up costing us €50 day of. We found these costly tickets by entering the Vatican City and realizing that we didn’t have enough time in the day to purchase the regular tickets and spend a few hours waiting inline. An outside tour company approached us and offered us “skip the line” tickets for more than double the price, so we paid in the name of actually being able to see what we wanted to see and poor planning.
Moral of the story: check for attraction tickets when planning your trip and try to secure them as soon as possible. Booking through the official sites is the cheapest way to get them, but if you’re late to the punch it’s worth checking the GetYourGuide website to see what they have. They offer lots of “skip the line” passes that could save you hours upon hours of waiting.
Free Things To Do In Rome
In between your highlights consider doing some free things in Rome. I’m not a local and certainly didn’t spend enough time there to scope them all out, but this person has put together a list of 50 Free Things To Do In Rome that’s worth checking out.
One of the highlights of Rome for me was visiting the parks along the Appian Way, and if I ever returned I would spend a whole day plus just wandering from park to park. Some of them quietly house ancient aqueducts while others offer quaint fields of flowers between large stretches of grassy open fields. Although not free, we took a guided bike tour of the Appian Way and explored four different parks, including Parco degli Acquedotti and Parco della Caffarella. The guided tour ticket also included entrance to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus which shouldn’t be missed, and a traditional Italian lunch (they were easily able to accommodate us with a vegan meal). Visiting each park with journal and book in hand is now something that I daydream about. Additionally, visiting some of these more curated parks in Rome should be on your radar too.
Plan Ahead To Enjoy Visiting Rome On A Budget
As I mentioned, flying by the seat of your pants can unfortunately lead to costly mistakes in Rome. You’ve already heard about the expensive Vatican museum tickets, but we also paid around €50 per person for a train ticket that could have costed €8. When it was time for us to leave Rome in pursuit of other adventures in Italy, we made the rookie mistake of waiting until day-of to purchase train tickets in the station. We expected them to cost less than a cheap meal in Rome, so we almost fell over when we learned that collectively we’d be dropping over €100.
That day we learned an important lesson for budget travelers: plan your movement between cities around the train schedule. If you book even days in advance, you’ll find a wide selection of affordable tickets and flexible time.
And another tip for taking the trains from Termini: be sure to show up at least 45 minutes in advance! Once you reach smaller towns the experience is much more relaxed, but the main station is chaotic and confusing. We thought that arriving 30 minutes early would be plenty, only to find ourselves nervous sweating as we jumped on the train moments before it lurched out of the station. Give yourself enough time to get lost, ask for help, and double check that you’re on the train that’s going where you need to go. Booking attractions and accommodation in addition to trains ahead of time can save you hundreds of euros.
Rome On A Budget Packing List
While many people write about what clothes to pack for your days in Rome, consider this the most important part of your packing list.
Here’s what to bring if you’re looking to save some money:
- Reusable water bottle to fill up in Rome
- Reusable to-go container to take leftover dinner with you for the next day’s lunch or store for later
- Credit card with no international fees — I used this credit card while traveling (sign up for a $100 bonus!), dodging withdrawal and foreign transaction fees
- Lightweight backpack and clothing — the lighter you pack, the more willing you’ll be to walk from place to place vs paying for transportation. Some of my go-to items are the Barrage Technical Shell and the Trailhead Pants by CoalaTree.
- Download Google Maps or Maps.me for free offline maps to navigate Rome
- For those who want to use internet internationally, I highly recommend purchasing an eSim over roaming with your regular provider. It’s easy to use and a big money saver.
- Travel insurance. This felt optional for me in Italy; it didn’t seem as high risk as many other countries that I’ve been to. But anyone can step off a sidewalk wrong and twist an ankle or spend the night hugging the toilet thanks to food poisoning, so if you don’t want to risk hospital bills in another country compare travel insurance via InsureMyTrip.
While Rome may not be the budget backpacker’s best friend, it can be a mystical lover that you’re lucky to encounter just once in your life. Planning ahead of time, packing right, and remaining flexible will ensure an otherworldly experience in the Eternal City.
