A little bit of an inside scoop is always beneficial when trying to save your money, so here is a list of some of the free things you can enjoy while strolling through the eternal city:

Roma' n' Bike

• Roma’n Bike: a bike sharing service that has stations scattered throughout the city. With spots in multiple places including Via Nazionale, Piazza di Spagna, and Termini station, it is quite easy to find a place to grab a bike. The first 30 minutes are free and any additional time comes with a small charge.

• Tours: while you could take those overly expensive tours with non-native English speakers, it makes a lot more sense to do a free tour. Rome Free Tours offers at guide of the famous spots in the city starting at 5pm in Piazza di Spagna by the fountain every day – rain or shine. The guides are professional and very informative. Angels Tours also offers a free tour that focuses on the Pantheon. The guides show the group around the inside of the Pantheon (with the exception of Sundays) and give lots of tidbits of information that really brings this building to life. However, for these guides, a small tip is generally appreciated.
• Sites: sure, some of the sight entrance fees come with a hefty price tag, but there are also lots of free things to do. Dedicate one morning to a walk through Rome and you can see a myriad of important spots:

Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona, Campo di Fiori, the Spanish Steps, Piazza di Popolo, Bocca della Verita, St. Peter’s Basilica, San Clemente, Villa Borghese, Gianicolo, the list goes on. Always keep your eyes open as you walk because the streets are filled with unique statues and hidden artistic beauties. Street artists are also incredibly talented whether they are creating spray paint art or replicating a famous painting using chalk on the sidewalk.
• Famous keyhole view of the Vatican: St. Peter’s can be seen across the city. However, if you are looking for a unique way to see the basilica, head up to Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta in the Aventino height and peek through the keyhole to get a great view. A little difficult to get to but worth the trek.

Fontanella Romana "IL NASONE"

• Water: while I would usually drop dead from thirst before sipping out of a city tap, the Rome fountains are famous for their cleanliness and great water. Just carry around an empty bottle (not recommended to use the wine bottle from last night though!) and you will be able to quench your thirst without opening your wallet all day long.
• If you are feeling super fit, you can walk everywhere, but everyone has their lazy days, so the public transport is always a good option if you want to see everything without dropping dead from exhaustion. The metro, buses, and trams, while not free, are dirt cheap (1 euro=1trip, 4 euros=1 day, 16 euros=1 week, 30 euros=1 month) and a great way to get around.

And while you are walking the city, be sure to take advantage of the free Italian practice. While you can learn a lot of grammar in class, the best way to build fluency is by talking to real Italians, developing an accent, observing how they form sentences, and understanding the general gist of their conversations. Don’t be worried about making a fool of yourself – you probably won’t see them again!

So good luck all you penny pinchers, and may all your free pursuits be successful ones!

Torre di Babele students at Appia Antica

Pebble stone roads, birds chirping, grass blowing in the wind, ancient ruins standing off in the distance of a massive field. Via Appia Antica is truly the ideal escape from the noise of a city and easily accessible in under ten minutes using public transport.

This previous weekend a group of students from the school and I were fortunate enough to experience this part of Rome through the Saturday cultural activity offered through Torre di Babele. With a tour guide arranged for us, all we had to do was show up and follow! The guide was really helpful as she was able to cater to all the different levels of Italian. As the group had several really advanced students and then me (level 1, baby!!), it was impressive that she kept the upper level students engaged while still ensuring that I understood the general gist of the story. The tour was varied with a stop at the basilica, the ruins, a visit of the field where the movie Ben Hur was filmed (cool, huh?!) and a lot of fun facts about all the little things we passed as we walked along the “via.”

It was also a really economical trip as we got tour guide and entrance fees to everything for under 10 euros. With the advantage of a British passport (always carry a copy with me!) and a student ID, I am able to get discounts to a lot of places around the city, and Appia Antica wasn’t any different. Being young does have significant advantages in the city!

After a good day of strolling around ancient Rome, I am definitely looking forward to the upcoming tours of regions of the city offered through the school – next week we are going to Rione Colonna which should be cool! We’ll get to see the Pantheon and other awesome things in that neighborhood.

Meike wrote:
Hallo… I’m Meike from Köln, Germany. Me and boyfriend are considering the possibility of spending two weeks in Rome. However, I must confess, we are on a tight budged. I was wondering whether it would be a good thing to visit Rome on a budget, or shall we wait for a while until we have a enough?

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Hi Meike…

Honestly – I also came to Rome on a very tight budget… wait, let me rephrase that, an acutely tight budget! I asked a friend of mine the same question. Here is her answer…. hopefully this will shed some light on your question.

Hey Carlie…

If you plan to do a lot of sightseeing in a few days, then it’s definitely worth buying a Rome Tourist Pass which is valid for 3 days. The Rome Tourist Pass grants you entry into all the attractions (except the Vatican Museum) as well as bus, train and metro.

Also keep in mind that some sites offer free entry at certain times of the month (i.e. the Vatican Museum offersFree Entry on the last Sunday of each month). However, you might get in for free, but so will hundreds of other people, so be prepared for crowds!

Don’t forget that some of the best things in life are free – and wandering the streets of Rome, day or night, can be a wonderful experience and doesn’t cost a thing.

The line in her email, “Don’t forget that some of the best things in life are free” made me re-think my whole position of coming to Rome. I realized that almost 90% of the real attractions in Rome are for free. The Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, the Roman Forum, The Gianicolo, Trastevere and its churches, The Pantheon… just a few of the many open air attractions which are for free… so I set my budget for my language course and daily living expenses, and came over with lots of energy to wander around. Believe me, in two weeks you won’t have the time to see everything Rome has to offer – it’s an extraordinary city!

I hope this has changed your position and you make it to Rome. It really is possible to see Rome on a budget. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see ancient works of art in a cosmopolitan city which has lots to offer… you and your boyfriend won’t regret it, I promise!!

Carlie

P.S. @ Everyone! As usual… please comment on any monuments or attractions which one can visit for free in Rome.