Tight-arse guide to Rome: A full day for less than $50

It may be one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, but a visit to Rome doesn’t have to leave your bank account in ruins.

Rome is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations with more than 10 million visitors per year (before the pandemic).

And as we all know, cities that are popular with tourists often mean one thing … they’re bloody expensive.

But guess what? A visit to Rome doesn’t have to leave your bank account in ruins.

Here’s how you can spend a full day in the Italian capital during the European summer for less than $50 Aussie dollars (33 euros).

Getting to Rome

Before I get to my ‘tight-arse guide to Rome’, I think it’s worth mentioning that it’s never been easier to visit the Eternal City.

Qantas has just started flying direct to Rome from Sydney (via Perth) with three flights per week until October 6.

The new route will return next year between June to October with flights for 2023 to go on sale in just a few weeks.

Return fares start from $1785.

Qantas has direct flights from Australia to Rome.

Breakfast

As the saying goes: when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and according to local tour guide Alessandra from Art and Food in Rome, that means a simple but classic breakfast.

“An Italian breakfast is cheap because it’s composed of a cappuccino and a croissant,” Alessandra said. “On average that should cost about two to three euros ($3 to $4.50 AUD).”

And here’s a thrifty tip: you should definitely consume your breakfast like the locals do, standing up.

“There’s a big difference between standing and sitting,” Alessandra said. “Some restaurants apply a surcharge for sitting (table service) which can be double or triple of the normal price, so a coffee and a croissant can easily go up to seven euros ($10 AUD) if you choose to sit.”

Locals have their coffee and croissants standing up.

Lunch

Lunchtime means one thing: pizza.

“There’s a lot of pizza-to-go places in Rome,” Alessandra said. “And they charge by the weight, not by the slice.

“They can serve you three or four different types of pizza, so you can have a little bit of Margherita, maybe mushroom, they have white pizza … and they put it in a little tray for you and that will cost you maybe five euros ($7.50 AUD).”

Another lunch option is a panini (sandwich) which you can have with a variety of fillings including roast pork, mozzarella, tomato and basil.

These will only set you back a few euros as well.

PIzza in Rome.

A panini with roast pork, tomato, basil and mozzarella.

Afternoon snack

Summer in Rome is HOT with temperatures reaching 40 degrees.

A tasty way to cool down is by visiting one of the many gelato stores in the city.

A cone with two scoops will only set you back about 3 euros ($4.50 AUD).

If it’s a hot day though, your best bet is to get the gelato in a cup rather than a cone because it will melt in an instant and you’ll not only be sticky but also pissed off that you just wasted a few bucks.

Gelato in Rome.

Dinner

For a dinner suggestion, I spoke to renowned Australian chef Neil Perry who is also Qantas’ Creative Director of Food, Beverage and Service.

The man knows his food and has been to Rome several times over the years.

“You’ve got to hit up one of the many trattorias (an Italian-style eating establishment that is generally much less formal than a restaurant) and have a bowl of one of the very Roman pastas, so an Amatriciana or cacio e pepe or alla gricia,” he said.

A trattoria around the corner from the Trevi Fountain.

According to Alessandra from Art and Food in Rome, a good bowl of pasta will typically set you back about 20 euros ($30 AUD), but you can find some cheaper deals.

“Of course it depends where you are,” she said. “If you’re in a very touristy area they try to overcharge you, but if you go down the side streets you can find restaurants which are a little bit more ‘regular’ in their price.”

Activities

OK, so we’ve covered what foods you should have, but what should you actually get up to between meals?

Well, the best thing about Rome is that it’s a sightseer’s dream and because a bunch of the most famous landmarks are all within walking distance of each other, it means you can tick off a huge number of them in one day AND you’ll work off all those carbs in the process.

You could start by checking out the Spanish Steps which were built in the early 1700s.

The Spanish Steps.

A small tip – whatever you do, don’t try and sit down on one of the steps. Sitting is against the rules and there are plenty of guards around the place who will blow their whistle and angrily gesture for you to stand up if they catch you having a rest.

Next you could visit the iconic Trevi Fountain, which is just a 10 minute walk away.

Make sure you bring a coin with you to throw over your left shoulder into the fountain. According to local lore, tossing a coin into the fountain means you’ll return to Rome one day in the future.

Don't forget to bring a coin to the Trevi Fountain.

A 10-minute walk from the Trevi Fountain is the stunning Pantheon, which is almost 1900 years old.

Just think about that for a second … 1900 years old. It’s actually hard to fathom, isn’t it?

There’s often a queue to get into the Pantheon, which is one of the best preserved of all Ancient Roman buildings, but the line moves very quickly and entry is free.

The Pantheon will take your breath away.

A five-minute walk from the Pantheon is Piazza Navona, a spectacular open space which features several fountains including the impressive Fountain of the Four Rivers.

The piazza is built on top of the ruins of a sports stadium which was built way back in 86AD.

Piazza Navona, Rome.

A 25-minute walk from Piazza Navona is the iconic Colosseum.

Entry to the amphitheatre, which dates back to 80AD, requires a ticket (starting from 18 euros / $27 AUD) and the queues are long.

Obviously buying a ticket would blow your budget right out the window if you’re trying to stick to $50 AUD for the day, so for the purpose of this article I’m going to recommend just walking around the Colosseum and taking in its beauty from the outside.

There’s one other major tourist attraction which I haven’t mentioned yet, and that’s because Alessandra from Art and Food in Rome made it clear it wasn’t exactly tourist friendly.

“Do not go to the Vatican!” she laughed. “Of course people have to go but it’s super busy, so hot, so crowded.

“Come in the winter when it’s summer for you (in Australia) and you can go to the Vatican, but for now avoid it.”

Extra tips

Water: Given you’ll be doing a lot of walking, you’ll want to have plenty of water throughout the day. A little tip is to fill up your water bottle at the Fontana della Barcaccia, which is the boat-shaped fountain at the bottom of the Spanish Steps (don’t worry, the water is safe to drink).

There’s also many free fountains throughout the city which are known as ‘nasoni’ fountains, ‘nasoni’ meaning ‘big nose’.

The fountain at the bottom of the Spanish Steps.

Booze: If you want to have a drink or two in Rome, it’s a good idea to take advantage of the ‘Happy Hour’ deals that most places offer between 6-8pm. You can get an Aperol Spritz for less than 7 euros ($10 AUD), which I certainly did on many occasions (a local barman told me: “Aperol is for women, Campari is for men” … I tried a Campari spritz but it wasn’t for me, so I guess that makes me a woman!)

This writer was a guest on Qantas’ inaugural direct flight from Australia to Rome