How to plan a trip to Rome on a budget

Check out how to plan a trip to Rome on a budget. See how to save on everything from travel insurance to sightseeing.

1. Choose the low season months in Rome

First of all, to travel cheaply to Rome, the main tip is to choose the low season months. This is because this choice influences practically all the costs of the trip, from tickets to accommodation. The high season months in Rome are June, July and August. In addition to the end-of-year months, when everything gets more expensive not only in Rome, but also throughout Italy.

2. Save money by renting a car in Rome

It’s quite common for people to opt for car rental when they go to any destination. This is because you end up having more freedom and don’t need public transport or cabs. Renting a car in Rome guarantees you comfort and freedom to explore more places, shop with peace of mind and save money. So take a look at the tips below and make the most of it.

Book your car in advance

Make your reservation online as soon as possible, because another tip on how to plan a trip to Rome on a budget, and get a cheap car, is to book as far in advance as possible and online. The earlier you book, the cheaper you’ll pay. It’s well worth it and you’ll save a lot with promotions, paying much less than renting a car on the spot.

Don’t rent a GPS in Rome

Another good tip is not to rent a car with a GPS, as it costs a lot per day. Instead, you can buy a good chip, like the one we listed above, unblocked for international calls and with unlimited Internet. That way, you’ll be able to use the map and location apps with your own cell phone.

Use this incredible price comparator

There are some car rental price comparators in Rome (and throughout Italy and all Europe) that are sensational and search all the main car rental companies there, finding the best prices and excellent deals.

We recommend one that you can use by going to the website and entering the date of your trip. It then searches for all the best car rental companies in Italy.

If you want to do the search, click here on Car Rental Comparator. In just a few seconds, you’ll have all the options for renting a car in Rome from the best companies on your screen, and you can choose the cheapest one. You really will save a lot.

More tips: prefer larger and reliable rental companies, such as Europcar, Budget and Avis. Take out basic insurance when booking, which is super important and is usually included in the price. But don’t fall for the companies who, when you pick up the car, try to push extra insurance that isn’t worth it.

3. Save on transportation from the airport to your hotel with a transfer in Rome

If you’re not going to hire a car, another great way to get from the airport to the hotel, and vice versa, is by transfer. It’s cheaper than a cab, it’s much safer and you don’t have to wait in queues and risk wasting time looking for one. With a transfer, you book and pay for everything in advance.

And using a transfer is very practical: when you land at the airport in your destination country, there will already be a driver waiting for you. They usually carry a little sign with your name on it for easy identification.

The main advantage of using a transfer in Rome is that when you leave the airport you can be sure that you’ll have reliable transportation to take you to your hotel. This way you don’t have to pay more with variable taxi fares, for example.

We have a reliable website to find the best transfer prices in all destinations in Rome. It gives you the price, the journey time and all the information. We found it much cheaper than taking a cab from the airport and everything was always very quick and easy. It’s very worthwhile if you’re not going to rent a car. It’s also an excellent place to buy the tickets and tours in Italy.

4. Save a lot with travel insurance for Rome

Not only for Rome, but anywhere else in the world, it is essential that you have International Travel Insurance, as it includes medical and dental assistance, reimbursement for lost or misplaced luggage and other various coverages that will guarantee peace of mind for your trip.

Plus, it ensures that you can travel to Rome on a budget and avoid emergency medical bills. So, the main tip for getting the best travel insurance for Rome is to search for it on this incredible travel insurance price comparison website. It’s much better and cheaper than going straight to the insurance companies or travel agencies.

And to use it, simply enter your destination and the number of days you’ll be there. In just a few seconds, it will show you quotes from the biggest and best insurance companies in the world. It’s much more practical and we always find the cheapest prices on this comparator.

Is travel insurance mandatory for Rome?

Travel insurance is mandatory for almost all of Europe, including all of Italy, as it is part of the Scengen Treaty. Therefore, before you travel, you must have International Travel Insurance with a minimum coverage value of 30,000 euros in medical assistance.

5. Save money with a SIM card to use your cell phone in Rome

Being able to use your cell phone in Rome, Italy, all Europe and anywhere else in the world is great because it comes in very handy. You can use the apps for tourist attractions, parks and museums, which are great, as well as discount coupon apps. Plus, if you’re renting a car, you’ll save a few euros by not needing to rent a GPS, as you can use the one on your cell phone.

But using your international roaming abroad is usually the worst option and ends up being much more expensive. And sometimes, in order to use the Wi-Fi, most hotels charge a very expensive daily fee and you can only use your cell phone inside the hotel.

So, for us, after all these years of testing different SIM cards and traveling all over the world, the one we like best and recommend to our readers is this one. It has a good price, compared to the others, and the main difference for us was the coverage: our cell phone’s Internet worked with great speed in all the cities we visited, even the most distant and smallest ones.

6. Cheap train tickets in Rome and throughout Italy

A very interesting alternative to traveling cheaply in Rome is to use the trains. This tip applies to this destination as well as to other European cities. In general, European trains are very good, comfortable and fast. The main ones are the Italo line, which is well known there.

This is a good way to save a lot on your trip, especially as train tickets can be cheaper than airline tickets. So, our top tip is to use this European Train Finder, which is very reliable and very practical to use, as well as being one of the biggest shopping sites in this field and guaranteeing good value.

Just click on the link above and you’ll be redirected. The site is very simple to use and there are always offers of cheaper tickets available.

7. Choosing the best accommodation in Rome

Another costly expense on your trip is accommodation. That’s why it’s important that you follow these tips to travel cheaply to Rome and save a lot of money.

Use the hotel finder: the tip for finding good hotels at incredible prices and saving a lot on accommodation is to use this amazing Rome Hotel Finder. Every time we’ve used it, we’ve always found good deals. Plus, you can check out the opinions of guests who have already stayed in the hotels, which helps a lot when evaluating each one.

Bonus tip: the earlier you book, the more you’ll save. So you can already book your hotel through the search engine, in case something happens there’s a free cancellation option with almost all hotels, which is good security for those who want a safe and economical trip.

8. Save money on food in Rome

There are plenty of good value restaurants, especially for those who like pizza. In Rome, establishments often have the menu open at the entrance to the restaurant so you can see the dishes. So make sure you look at all the prices and dishes on offer so you don’t get caught by surprise. It’s also best to always order the house wine, as it’s usually the cheapest.

9. Cheap and free tours in Rome

To travel even more cheaply to Rome, we recommend local tours and sights, because they are free and very interesting. One of the best-known and most visited sites is the Trevi Fountain, a baroque building leaning against the façade of Palazzo Poli.

There are also museums, squares, famous monuments and many other places to visit. Our tip is to always take water, cookies and a cereal bar with you so that you can visit these places even more cheaply, as food is often more expensive at tourist attractions.

As Rome also has several paid tours (the Colosseum, the Vatican Museum…) we also recommend that you plan and book your tickets in advance, so as not to run the risk of not being able to get in (and also to pay a better price).

To save time and money, buying travel tickets online is always the best option, in our opinion. We’ve traveled a lot and, after a lot of research, testing and getting to know each other, we discovered the company that offers the best tours in Rome, at very good prices.

So, the great tip is to go to the Tickets for Rome website and check out the best options for tours along with their prices, in the order of the best sellers. The platform is very safe and well known, and sells the main tickets so you don’t waste time on your trip with long queues, or run the risk of having tickets sold out.

Main tickets sold for Rome:

• Tickets for the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Arena of the gladiators
• Free tour of Rome
• Guided tour of the Vatican
• Underground Colosseum and Arena Forum and Palatine Hill
• Illuminated Rome night tour

10. Save on shopping and souvenirs in Rome

Of course, when you go to a new destination, you always want to buy at least one souvenir. One tip for traveling cheaply to Rome and saving money is to go to the stores furthest away from the tourist attractions.

This is because the prices in these places can actually be cheaper, since most tourists end up buying souvenirs inside the busiest places (and end up paying twice as much for them).