Rome Hotel Reviews

Rome like any other city is crowded and in high summer very very hot and humid, the historical attractions are well documented but a word of warning that there is a high crime rate of muggings and pick pockets mostly attributed to Eastern European immigrants, all you will get from the police is sympathy and little else.Attractions are free to over 65s,under 18s or students but you must provide proof of age, a UK bus pass is not acceptable as proof, it must be passport or driving licence. Local transport is very good and cheap but you MUST purchase a valid ticket from a kiosk before boarding and you MUST validate the ticket on boarding the bus in the on board machine, failure to do so is an on the spot 100 euro fine. the best way is to buy a full day / three day / or a seven day ticket for 16 euros, this only needs validating once on first use, tickets are valid on all buses / trams and metro and are excellent value. Most buses run until midnight.There is a good street market at the former olympic village which is now low cost social housing. Rome is not a cheap holiday destination and the cost of living is high, be prepared to pay 4 euro for a coke, 8e for a half litre of beer and on average 90e for a decent meal with wine for two. To live "on the cheap" use the Spar supermarkets, great value but be warned there has been a crackdown on street snacking especially at the tourist attractions. Tipping is expected even tho it is added to the service charge at 8% of the bill.