Six tips for visiting Rome - from a local

Rome has a lot to offer, especially for first-time visitors. Be sure to spend at least three days in the Eternal City to savour all the best views and the most delicious meals.

If you stay for less, you might find yourself rushing from place to place without enough time to fully enjoy all the gorgeous ancient monuments and sights.

Moreover, some attractions (such as the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums) can easily take up more than half of your day each. Three days is the minimum; more is better!

Rome is pretty much always filled with tourists, even in the winter (the low season). So, it’s important to book entrance tickets to popular attractions before arriving in person.

The Colosseum and the Vatican Museums are two of the most visited attractions in the world. Tickets to the Colosseum, Roman Forum or Palatine Hill (a combined ticket) need to booked in advance online or by phone and unless you're familiar with the sites, it's worth considering a guided tour.

Tickets for the Vatican Museums also need to be booked in advance either through the official website (which can be a bit confusing) or a travel company (easier, but a bit more expensive). If you can, consider taking a tour to get more insight into the history and meaning of the art.

Be sure to visit their respective websites to reserve your spot because otherwise, you can easily spend hours and hours waiting in line. In the scorching hot summer, this is especially unpleasant.

There’s a 48-hour or 72-hour Roma Pass that will allow you to get into a certain number of museums or archaeological sites for free.

The 72-hour pass, for example, gives you two free skip-the-line admissions to museums (or ancient sites like the Colosseum). It also gives you discounted ticket prices for all other museums that you visit afterwards!

Just be aware that you do need to book entry to some sites in advance, including the Colosseum, and there may be a small booking fee (usually only a couple of euros).

While the centro storico (historic center) has lots of good restaurants, the best food in town is in the foodie neighbourhood of Trastevere.

This area is great for a stroll before dinner; the streets are less touristy, and the atmosphere is calmer, too.

When you’re ready to eat, Nannarella and Tonnarello are some great options. There are also some excellent food tours in the area.

This is perhaps the most important travel tip for Rome: the pickpockets in town are extremely skilled at what they do.

Rome is, in fact, the second most pickpocketed city in Europe (the first one being Barcelona). Having spent 14 years in Rome, I personally don’t know anyone who hasn’t gotten pickpocketed at least once here (including myself and my family).

Be especially careful when visiting popular attractions, or when taking the metro and buses. Always, always keep your bags within sight, and never leave a bag hanging off a chair at a restaurant.

You cannot buy bus tickets when you get on the bus in Rome. Instead, you can buy one at any of the tabacchi (a tobacco shop) or edicole (newsstands) around the city.

A ticket costs €1.50 and is valid for 75 minutes on any public transport, including the metro and trams. You can also buy passes for 24, 48 or 72 hours.

In many cases, you’ll find that you can use the metro to get to where you want to go. If that’s the case, it’s definitely a faster and more convenient option. However, there are only three metro lines in Rome, so you might need to use a bus or tram instead.