Rome Revelations: Lessons of the Eternal City
- Little Luxe Family Travel
- May 11, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 25
Things I learned on my trip to Rome:
Jetlag is real and the best thing to do when you arrive on an overnight flight to Rome is to stay busy and awake. I kept seeing a recommendation to book a Golf Cart tour the day of arrival and it was the best advice, so I’m returning the favor. It really helps you get acquainted with the city and you will learn so much in a short period of time! In addition to the staples (Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, etc.) we were educated on the city’s history, architecture, Churches etc. We were able to pop in/out of several Churches that we would have not seen if it wasn’t on this tour. Also, it was super easy to get around the city on the golf cart and we never sat in traffic. The cart was able to get right up to sites which was nice as we were traveling with 2 kids. Another bonus, our tour guide took pictures that I was ACTUALLY in! Moms you know what I'm talking about!
We stopped at our guide’s favorite gelato place (Fatamorgana Gelato) and also stopped for some adult beverages (when in Rome!) At the end our guide made a call and got us into his favorite restaurant which was one of our best meals on our trip! We were a family of 4 and splurged on the private tour so we could choose exactly where we wanted to go. But Livtours also offers two semi-private tours which I bet would be just as good.
Depending upon your budget and how many people (private will be more) here are some golf cart options.
This is the exact tour we took because we wanted the flexibility to choose where to go and when to stop. You also have more flexibilty with times. Check out my full write up: https://www.littleluxetravel.com/post/zoom-zoom-our-golf-cart-chariot-through-rome
🔗Golf Cart Tour Semi-private (Max 6)
This would be a great tour to save a little bit of money but be able to see all the sites. Only drawback is there is only a 9:30am start time.
Golf cart tour of rome AND drinks. Win/win! Start time is 6:00pm so excellent choice for first day of arrival!
Ask your guide for recommendations! Every tour (and Uber ride) we went on, we asked our guide for their favorite food & gelato recommendations. By doing this it helped us stay away from the tourist traps. And Romans know their food!
There are several ways to get around Rome, and before I left I downloaded several apps. I kept going back to using Uber. I was familiar and when I priced it out, they were always the same or a little bit less. They contract with local taxis so you can either choose a taxi or spend a few euros more for a black car (which usually always ended up being a Mercedes sprinter.)
If you can, splurge a little on the guided tours, DO IT! I personally am not a huge history fan, but I have to say that I was all-in on the tours. Our travel agent recommended some tours for us but they were extremely expensive. I did my own research (and recommendations from FB) and went with a company for our Colosseum and Vatican tour and couldn’t have been happier! They offer semi-private tours with max 6 people. These tours felt very private without the price tag.
Colosseum tour— do NOT freak out if you can’t get an Underground Tour. Having freaked out myself, I get it, but it will be okay! Having done both, you are not missing out on much. If you have access to the Arena Floor, you will be able to see down to the underground. With that being said, if you have a chance to do the night tour directly with the colosseum, this was a great experience for us. But depending on the time of year they may not offer it. The underground part was maybe 15 minutes and you do get to walk through the tunnels. But you can also just see them. The night tour was so cool because you felt like you had the colosseum to yourself and we took some great family pics! **There are tons of changes going on with their tour bookings, so the best advice I can offer is to go with a reputable tour company that will always do the right thing. If you see that a company is not currently offering Underground, it means that no one else should be either.
This is the tour we took and it was awesome. Check out my full write-up: https://www.littleluxetravel.com/post/the-best-of-colosseum-ancient-rome-with-exclusive-arena-access-semi-private-livtours-review
Short on time? Or not sure your kids can get through a 3 hour tour? Try the Express tour! Everything you need to know about the Colosseum and tickets to Roman Forum and Palatine Hill to explore at your leisure.
Vatican Tour— HIGHLY recommend getting the earliest tour time you possibly can. Our tour guide was able to get us into the museum first (even though were weren’t first in line) and the museum was empty the entire time. I heard horror stories from other people who were in the museum shoulder to shoulder the entire time.
This was one of my all time favorite tours. I felt like a VIP. I also wrote a seprate blog post about this tour-- https://www.littleluxetravel.com/post/unlocking-vatican-city-insider-travel-tips-for-an-unforgettable-journey
If a shared tour is not for you, then check out the 🔗LivTours Private Early Morning Vatican Tour
Restaurant Reservations— don’t sweat it if you won’t make them ahead of time. We went during a very busy time and never had a problem finding something to eat. As stated above, ask your guides and/or locals for recommendations. If you have a restaurant that you HAVE to get into, these are the ones you want to make reservations at. NEVER eat at a place where someone is standing outside calling you in. These are tourist traps! Check out my blog post for a full list of places we visited and loved!
NEW! 6 Cooking Classes that will leave you STUFFED and SMILING!
There are so many great places to stay in Rome in the city center to be close to it all. We stayed at the Hotel Indigo St. George and it was perfect. Check it out here!
Lastly, go with the flow! We tried to get as much done as we could in the morning, headed back to the hotel to relax (and sometimes nap) and then headed back out late afternoon/early evening to explore. Book your tours, but give yourself some time to explore and relax.
Whatever you decide to do in Rome, you will have a FABULOUS time!
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