Rome on a Budget: La Dolce Vita for Under £200

Where to Stay: Trastevere Over Termini

The hotels around Termini station look convenient but the area is grim after dark. Better options:

• Trastevere: The Yellow Hostel alternative — Hotel San Francesco from €65/night with a rooftop terrace overlooking Rome. Or try Arco del Lauro B&B (from €55) on a quiet cobbled street
• Monti: Rome's coolest neighbourhood. The Beehive (eco-hostel from €30/dorm, €80/private) near Termini but in the far nicer direction. Organic breakfast included
• Testaccio: The real Roman neighbourhood tourists miss. Budget B&Bs from €50/night, and you're steps from Rome's best food

Eating Like a Roman on €15/Day

Rome has the best cheap food in Europe. The tourist menus near the Trevi Fountain are a scam — walk 5 minutes and eat twice as well for half the price.

• Breakfast: Stand at the bar (sitting costs double!) for a cornetto and cappuccino — €2.50 total at any neighbourhood bar. Roscioli Caffè near Campo de' Fiori is worth the extra euro
• Supplì: Rome's best snack — fried rice balls with mozzarella. €2 at Supplizio (Via dei Banchi Vecchi) or €1.50 at any neighbourhood pizza al taglio shop
• Pizza al taglio: Sold by weight. Point, they cut, they weigh, you pay. A filling lunch costs €3-5. Bonci Pizzarium (near Vatican) is the king — Gabriele Bonci is Rome's pizza genius
• Trapizzino: The invention of Stefano Callegari — a triangular pizza pocket stuffed with Roman classics like pollo alla cacciatora. €3.50 each at Trapizzino in Testaccio or Ponte Milvio
• Dinner splurge: Da Enzo al 29 in Trastevere — a tiny Roman trattoria with the best cacio e pepe (€9) in the city. Queue from 7pm (no reservations). Tonnarello next door is equally good if Da Enzo is full

Free Rome

The best thing about Rome: the most impressive stuff is outside.

• Pantheon: Free entry. 2,000 years old and still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. Go at noon when the sun beam hits the floor
• Roman Forum viewpoint: The paid entry (€16 combo with Colosseum) is worth it, but the view from Via dei Fori Imperiali is free and spectacular
• Trastevere at night: The most atmospheric neighbourhood in Europe. Free to wander, incredible people-watching
• Vatican on last Sunday of month: Vatican Museums are FREE (9am-2pm). Arrive by 8am — the queue gets serious fast
• Churches: Rome has 900+ churches, almost all free. Santa Maria in Trastevere (golden mosaics), San Luigi dei Francesi (three Caravaggio paintings, free!) and Sant'Ignazio (mind-bending ceiling illusion)
• Gianicolo Hill: Best free panoramic view of Rome. Walk up from Trastevere at sunset

Budget Breakdown (Weekend)

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