12 Mistakes To Avoid When Visiting Rome for the First Time

Accepting gifts from strangers and not pre-booking tickets for the Colosseum are two mistakes to avoid when visiting Rome for the first time.

This breathtaking city is best known for its rich history and iconic landmarks, such as the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. However, planning the perfect getaway requires learning more about what can damage your trip.

Avoiding common mistakes in Rome can save you money, time, and unnecessary stress in one of the world’s most visited cities. Each year, millions of tourists flock to the Eternal City, yet many make avoidable blunders.

To help you navigate Rome like a pro, we created this list of 12 key mistakes to avoid, using traveler insights, expert recommendations, and local knowledge.

Table of Contents

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Eating In the Tourist Hot Spots 1/5

Not To Do When Visiting Italy Don’t Touch or Get in the Water at the Trevi Fountain

Not Waking Up Early 2/5

Mistakes_To_Avoid_When_Visiting Rome for the First Time Not Packing Sunscreen Colosseum

Not Packing Sunscreen 3/5

Not To Do When Visiting Italy Sit Down on the Spanish Steps

Accepting Gifts From Strangers 4/5

Ruins in Europe The Colosseum Italy Frederic Prochasson Adobe Stock Photo 125291157 - 12 Things NOT To Do in Rome on Your First Visit

Not Pre-Booking Tickets for the Colosseum 5/5

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Accepting Gifts From Strangers

One of the easiest mistakes to make in Rome when visiting for the first time is accepting gifts from strangers. A popular scam in the Italian capital sees seemingly friendly people approach tourists with gifts. These scammers typically start conversing with their target before offering them a gift.

This gift is usually a bracelet or a rose. Whatever you do, don’t accept the gift because there’s a catch. When you take the gift, the person will immediately ask you for money in return.

The idea is to play on your kindness by making you feel obligated to give them money. This scam is common around tourist hot spots like the Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, and Spanish Steps.

Not Pre-Booking Tickets for the Colosseum

One of the biggest mistakes tourists make in Rome is not pre-booking their tickets for the Colosseum. Constructed between 69 and 79 AD, the Colosseum is one of Europe’s most famous tourist attractions. Over seven million people visit the ancient site annually.

Therefore, purchasing tickets in advance is essential to avoid long queues or the disappointment of not being allowed inside. This is particularly important during peak tourist season (April to September) when the Colosseum is busiest.

I visited the Colosseum in May and had to wait outside for 30 minutes because I didn’t buy my tickets in advance. I was lucky it wasn’t busier at the time. You can buy your Colosseum tickets on Get Your Guide.

Eating In the Tourist Hot Spots

One of the costliest mistakes tourists make when visiting Rome for the first time is overpaying for food and drink in the tourist hot spots. The thought of eating fresh pasta and drinking Aperol Spritz overlooking the Trevi Fountain is delightful, but you’ll pay more for the privilege.

Bars and restaurants surrounding popular tourist attractions are almost always more expensive. You can often expect to spend double for a meal in a prime tourist spot compared to in a local neighborhood. Some of the most expensive places to eat and drink in Rome are near the Roman Forum, the Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, and Piazza Navona.

You can save money by eating in more affordable places like Trastevere and Pigna.

Not Waking Up Early

If you want to experience Rome at its best, start your day early. That means you should avoid sleeping in too late. To fully appreciate the impressive beauty of Rome’s magnificent landmarks, you’ll want to visit them before the streets fill up with tourists.

The best way to beat the crowds is to arrive earlier than them. Places like the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps get busy fast, so the earlier you can visit, the better. We personally recommend starting your adventure before 8:30 am.

At this time, you’ll encounter fewer, if any, crowds at the city’s most famous sights. When I visited Rome, I found that most attractions started getting busy at approximately 9:00 am.

Not Packing Sunscreen

Not packing sunscreen is a big mistake you can make if you’re visiting Rome for the first time in the summer. Rome isn’t considered a summer getaway destination, but that doesn’t mean the city doesn’t experience hot and sunny weather. In fact, Rome experiences fantastic weather for several months a year, particularly in summer.

In July and August, temperatures in Rome hit an impressive 90°F (32°C). As you can likely imagine, burning is easy in temperatures like that. Luckily, you can avoid nasty burns by remembering to pack a bottle of sunscreen.

If you forget, pick up a bottle from a local shop when you arrive in Rome. It might cost more than at home, but it’s essential.

Forgetting to Cover Up In Sacred Spaces

An easy mistake to make when visiting Rome for the first time is forgetting to cover up inside sacred spaces. Rome is home to hundreds of holy buildings, many of which boast an individual architectural and artistic style. As such, you’ll want to spend time visiting some of the most famous places, including Vatican City.

However, before you visit places like the Sistine Chapel, you must cover up your shoulders and knees. People are encouraged to wear modest clothing to show respect for the sacred spaces.

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If you’re not covered, you risk not being let inside. For context, I wasn’t allowed to enter the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Victor Emmanuel II Monument because I wore shorts.

Not Being Attentive In Busy Areas

Avoid These 12 Tourist Traps in Italy for an Authentic Experience — © Stanley Kalvan / Shutterstock

While Rome is considered a safe tourist destination, criminal activity exists everywhere. One of the most common forms of criminal activity against tourists in Rome is pickpocketing. Often, unattentive travelers are the perfect targets for petty criminals.

That said, staying vigilant and keeping your belongings safe is essential, especially in busy areas. Pickpockets tend to target areas with high footfall. For example, the crowds congregating outside the Pantheon and the Colosseum are prime areas for pickpockets.

It’s also common for criminals to target the crowds at busy train and bus stations. The best way to avoid pickpockets is to keep your belongings secure, carry your bag in front of you, and keep expensive belongings hidden.

Only Visiting the Most Famous Attractions

One of the most common mistakes travelers make when visiting Rome for the first time is only visiting the most famous attractions. While sticking to Rome’s most iconic attractions can be tempting, there is much more to see and do. Therefore, make sure you include some of the city’s hidden gems in your itinerary, too.

By visiting some of Rome’s lesser-known delights, you can broaden your horizons and see places other tourists never knew existed. Sounds fun, right? Admittedly, you might need to plan a longer trip to ensure you see it all, but you won’t regret it.

Here are some of Rome’s best-hidden gems:

Catacombe di San Callisto
Knights of Malta Keyhole
Via Margutta
Appian Way

Buying Bottled Water

Rome might not be cheap, but water is always free and readily available. There are over 2,500 free-to-use water fountains in the Italian capital, so you don’t need to waste money and plastic by buying bottled water. In fact, drinking from the water fountains is a step back in time.

The water fountains in Rome are fed by the historic Roman aqueducts built by the ancient emperors to provide residents with free water. Aqua Appia, built in 312 BC, was the first aqueduct constructed in the city.

The water from the fountains is available 24/7. It’s clean, cold, and safe to drink. The Waidy app can help you find the nearest water point.

Not Validating Transport Tickets

Another costly mistake you can make in Rome is not validating transport tickets. Rome has a reliable public transport system that you can use to get across the city quickly. However, you could be fined €50 ($52) if caught onboard without a validated ticket.

Boarding a train with a validated ticket is easy because you must scan your ticket at a turnstile to access the platforms. However, if you plan to travel around the city by bus or tram, you must remember to scan your ticket at one of the machines as soon as you board.

If you buy your transport tickets digitally, again, make sure you validate them in advance.

Trying to Hail a Taxi

Sticking to the transport theme, don’t try to hail a taxi in Rome. Hailing a taxi might be standard practice in many major cities, like New York and London, but it’s not in Rome. In the Italian capital, taxi drivers don’t usually drive around looking for customers.

Instead, they tend to drive to a taxi stand to pick people up. Therefore, don’t be surprised if nobody stops for you if you try to hail a taxi when you see one driving past. The best way to get a taxi in Rome is to walk to the nearest taxi stand or use an app.

You’ll find taxi stands near most major tourist sites, so finding a ride shouldn’t be difficult. Regarding apps, you can easily book a taxi on itTaxi, which most drivers use.

Missing the Local Cuisine

One of the worst mistakes food enthusiasts can make in Rome is missing the local cuisine. Most travelers visiting Rome stick to classic Italian foods like pasta and pizza. While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, there are various unique food items you must try.

For example, opt for a Roman-style square pizza instead of a traditional Italian pizza. You could also choose a pasta dish originating in Rome, such as pasta cacio e pepe, with black pepper and Pecorino cheese. To put you in the mood for delicious Italian food, here are some other must-haves for your Rome city break: