Feeling a little restless and itchy for some sort of solo travel adventure, I found myself hankering after a last minute holiday – a European getaway – a mini-break of some sorts. I eyed up my calendar, looking for a free weekend with a city-break shaped hole in it. Settling on the 4th weekend in January, to give myself a nice window to do a Friday morning to Sunday evening trip (2-night / 3-days), I started searching the internet for 2-night holidays.

A friend of mine had recently recommended the Lucky Trip app as a way of finding great holiday deals, and it’s easy to see why this particular travel app works. It is fantastic for the indecisive or time-poor amongst us. The app conjures up random holiday destinations and ideas to suit a wide range of budgets and holiday types. For example, you can find city breaks for under £100pp for a couple of nights away, including flights AND accommodation. Seeing prices that cheap almost feels like travelling pre-covid times… Ah! Those were the days…

Anyway… back to my search… With a handful of potential places in mind ­(Rome, Florence for Italy and Marrakesh, Morocco…) and great deals to other destinations now popping up too, I carried on searching until something tickled my fancy!

Decisions… Decisions… Where to go?

I started toying with the idea of Rome… How very ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ of me – the divorced or previously heartbroken amongst you may be thinking. Fans of films like ‘Gladiator’, ‘Roman Holiday’, ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’, ‘Roma’, ‘Angels & Demons’, ‘To Rome With Love’, ‘When in Rome’, ‘Caligula’, ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E’, ‘The Godfather Part III’, ‘Mr & Mrs Smith’, ‘The English Patient’, and TV shows like ‘House of Gucci’, ‘The Flight Attendant’, ‘Gossip Girl’, HBO’s ‘Rome’ (2005-2007) will be no stranger to this archeologically rich city.

So how did I arrive at Rome? Well, I put a question up on my Instagram stories asking for Rome city break recommendations and they started coming in thick and fast! I was amazed at how much love people had for this historic Italian jewel – and having now spent 2-nights in the city myself, it is very easy to see why.

Book a Taxi to the airport or drive myself and pay for airport parking?

I pre-booked my T2 airport parking online and found it super convenient to be able to park in the T2 East Multi-Story car park, which was just a few minutes walk away from the Departure lounge. It cost me approx. £66 for T2 Manchester Airport parking for 2-nights (Friday to Sunday), and worked out about half the cost of what a taxi to the airport would have cost for a return journey. Being able to drive myself to the airport was really handy too, as I had decided to book an early flight (08:35am) on the Friday morning from Manchester airport flying with Jet 2 to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport.

Landing in Rome at 12:35pm in the afternoon, my plan was to check into my accommodation first, drop my bags off and then explore Rome later in the afternoon/evening at my own pace - starting with a good old art gallery. My airport transfers were booked through the Lastminute.com website and cost approx. £70 return and were an absolute doddle.

I was greeted at FCO airport by a friendly Italian lady holding a sign with my name on it, and then took a minibus from the airport into Rome itself, dropping off a few other passengers on our way.

A friend of mine, who lives in Rome, had recommended the rather bohemian-looking neighbourhood of Trastevere, a great place to stay with tons of amazing restaurants, heaps of Roman charm, decently priced accommodation and well within walking distance of Rome’s most must-see historic sights. 

I booked a gorgeous little apartment via Lastminute.com. To be honest, I could have booked much cheaper accommodation – from around £100 a night, with return flights from Manchester to Rome from £158 pp – but I really loved the look of this place in Trastevere and so decided to splash out and book something a little different.

My Travel Itinerary for Rome: 2-nights / 3-days

• Destination: Rome, Italy

• Dates of travel: Friday 20 January 2023 to Sunday 22 January 2023 (2-nights)

• Who: Solo Trip (little old me - 1 x solo female traveller)

• Luxury level: More indulgent than budget

Costs

• Airport parking: £66 - Manchester Airport Parking, T2 East multi-story

• Travel (flights + transfers) & Accommodation: iFlat Luxury and SPA*, Address: 16 Via del Politeama, Trastevere, 00153 Rome, Italy - booked through Lastminute.com as a package - £623

• Food + Drink: approx. £150 - 200

• Sightseeing & Activities: approx. £100 - £170 (Day 1: La Galleria Nazionale art gallery and then Wine + Food Tasting Experience at Rimessa Roscioli, Day 2: Vatican Museums, Day 3: Colosseum Gladiator entrance tour + Roman Forum and Palatine Hill)

• Ubers getting around Rome in the rain: approx. £55 (64.86 EUR in total, split across 4 uber rides)

Total: £978 approx

(Yep, I know this is not a cheap trip. Single woman, no kids, no partner, etc. Gotta be some upside to that situation eh? But you can do it much much cheaper if you book flights and accommodation separately and aren’t as boujie as I was with fine-dining, eating out and tours etc.)

Day 1 in rome (Friday)

Parking: Manchester Airport, UK

• Travel: Flights & Airport Transfers – Jet 2

• Accommodation: iFlat Luxury and SPA*, Address: 16 Via del Politeama, Trastevere, 00153 Rome, Italy (available to book via Booking.com / Airbnb / located in the heart of Trastevere, this is a stunning studio apartment with luxurious high arched ceilings and walk in sauna/shower. Perfectly placed for walking to and from your favourite historic Rome landmarks and eateries. (Please note: *when it says ‘spa’, it actually means a super duper large walk-in bathroom with sauna setting.

• Sights: La Galleria Nazionale, Address: Viale delle Belle Arti, 131, 00197 Roma RM, Italy

• An evening of culture and creativity exploring Rome’s National Art Gallery, followed by a glass of Aperol and nibbles in the Caffè delle Arti.

  Total cost: 11 EUR (approx. £9.50 for a full price ticket, at time of writing) Note: they offer free admission on the first Sunday of the month, and offered at reduced cost for tickets for people holding certain memberships, students, U18, journalists etc.

  Book La Galleria Nazionale tickets + find out more info here

• Travel (Taxi): Ubers are readily available in the city and super convenient to book using the app. Rome weather in January is likely to be a little bit wet and on the cold side, so I made the most of hopping into an Uber when travelling alone at night, for both comfort and safety, whilst getting used to my new surroundings. But I’ve gotta say, Rome is super walkable, and felt very safe at night as a solo woman. I would of course advise not to be daft and start waving your phone about, take all the usual precautions etc. But as far as cities go, Rome felt rather friendly.

• Dinner: 8pm - Wine + Food Tasting Dinner Experience at Rimessa Roscioli, Address: Via del Conservatorio, 58, 00186 Roma RM, Italy.

  Now, this was an experience recommended to me by a friend on Instagram, who had responded to a question I put up on my Instagram stories about where would be good to eat in Rome. And I am so so so glad I was able to book it for myself. At first I felt a bit nervous about turning up on my own, but I was soon put at ease by my fellow diners. I had so much fun and met some great people. If you are travelling solo and would love to do something like this, I wholeheartedly urge you to book! A night to remember, for sure. Plus plenty of yummy Roman food and a wine tour of Italy to tickle your tastebuds too.

  This experience at Rimessa Roscioli is available to book everyday at 5pm & 8pm. Thoroughly recommended. Enjoy yourselves! The young Sommelier we had was fantastic and super charismatic. Expect to see singles, couples, the newly engaged, the not-so-recently divorced, and many more lovely people. Arrive as strangers, leave as friends. Taste 6 wines, try 10 paired foods, enjoy a traditional Roman plate of pasta and a small homemade dessert. Rimessa Roscioli also have a wine club, shop, food tour and cookery classes.

  Total cost: 75 EUR pp (approx. £65 pp)

Please note: the Wine + Food Tasting at Rimessa Roscioli is a very popular experience for people visiting Rome, so it is advisable to book in advance, instead of just winging it like I did and calling to see whether they had one seat left at the table on a busy Friday night. Lasts approx. 2 hours.  Group tasting is in English (French, Italian or Spanish by request - please email to confirm). The 5pm tasting has a strict end time of 7:30 to prepare for the 8pm seating.  For children or a quieter tasting, we highly recommend the 5pm time.

Book here | Email | Website | Telephone: +39 06 68803914 (not during dinner service) | WhatsApp: +39 3281751235 (Messages only, please) | 

• Drinks: Alcazar Live, Address: Via Cardinale Merry del Val, 14, 00153 Roma RM, Italy
  – Live music, cocktails & dancing (Instagram @Alcazar_Live)

• Night tour of Rome, by my friend Fran - a Rome native. I felt like I was in a film as he whizzed us around the streets in his little car.

Day 2 in rome (Saturday)

• Breakfast: Emergency Banana from B&B fruit bowl

• Lunch: 1 x espresso and a life-saving Pepperoni Pizza slice to takeaway from Ristorante Da Paolo, Address: Viale Vaticano, 104, 00165 Roma RM, Italy (located directly opposite the Vatican).

  Total cost: 13.50 EUR (approx. £11.86) Note: I did not stay to dine in or try any of the other dishes on the menu (google reviews look a bit mixed, and as it is so close to the Vatican, I would be wary of anywhere serving astronomically priced food etc, but my hangover can definitely vouch for the pizza slice to takeaway. Lovely espresso too. 

• Travel mode - Walk: From Trastevere to the Vatican Museums (36-min walk / 10-min car)

• Sights: Riverbank views, Roman souvenirs and street art, historic monuments and architecture, Pope merch.

• 2pm – 5pm approx. Vatican Museums Tour, Address: 00120 Vatican City (I booked my guided tour directly through the Vatican Museums website, make sure you take a bottle of water with you and wear comfortable shoes - no food allowed inside, but they do have a cafe.) Note: I would not advise to do the Vatican tour on a raging Roman hangover…

  Total cost: 35 EUR (approx. £30 a ticket) 

• Dinner: È Passata la Moretta, Regola, Address:Vicolo della Moretta, 6, 00186 Roma RM

  My new friend MJ who I’d met the night before at the Rimessa Rosciolo Wine + food tasting asked if I would like to go for dinner with her the following evening. She too was travelling alone, and staying in Rome for 3-weeks. MJ recommended this gorgeous little Roman Trattoria that was by where she was staying called È Passata la Moretta. It’s a traditional Italian family-run restaurant in a fancy little area called Regola. Definitely advisable to book a table, this place gets super busy and it is easy to see why with their mouthwatering homemade pasta dishes costing from just 10 EUR a pop! So so delicious!

• What we ate: To start we had Bruschette Pomodoro and Burratina and for our mains we chose the Spaghettoni alla Carbonara (for me) and Fettuccine Pomodoro e Basilico  for MJ). Continuing on our previous evening’s foray into Italian wine, we ordered a bottle of Italian white wine - Paladino, Fiano de Avellino DOCG Riserva (gorgeous! Buy a bottle here to try yourself) and 1 x bottle of sparkling water, as you do.

Total cost: 66 EUR for 2 people (approx. £30pp for 2-courses plus wine - very reasonable!)

• Drinks in Piazza del Fico. We ended the evening, my new friend MJ and I, with one more glass of wine @Drink Art Gallery. Yep, you are right, it is an odd little place, felt a bit like we were sitting with the local Maffia, but it was great for people watching. We didn’t realise until after we left that this place is opposite one of Rome’s most famous bars – Bar del Fico - note to self: we will go there next time!

 Day 3 in Rome (Sunday)

• 10am - Check out of accommodation

• Dropped hand luggage and bags off at a nearby luggage store, located in a small convenience store/dry. cleaners in Trastevere (To be fair, there are lots available in other locations around Rome too, and the one I went to was a bit on the sketchy side in terms of secure storage, but I risked it. Do your research if you are looking to store valuables etc.)

• Breakfast: Kinder Bueno Chocolate Bar and a bottle of water

• Sights: Special Access Colosseum Arena Floor Tour through the Gladiator's Gate includes Roman Forum and Palatine Hill – The Tour Guy.

  Wow! Wow! Wow! What can I say?! If you do any guided tour in Rome, please make it this one! My group was super small, which means I didn’t feel like I was on a school trip and our tour guide Lia C. was one of the best tour guides I have ever had the delight of meeting. I had been given the heads up in advance that guided tours and tickets for Rome’s top historic sights get booked up super quick. Therefore, you cannot just wing it and book when you get there as things sell out/book up and you are likely to be disappointed. Rome is a city where doing a little bit of forward planning will go a long long way! I had done a bit of research beforehand and was overwhelmed at the sheer amount of choice available when it comes to booking different tours and experiences in Rome.

  In the end, I settled for The Tour Guide, I liked their website, it was easy to use and the price looked very reasonable for the length and content of the tour being offered. I have spoken to other family and friends who did the cheaper self-guided tour of the Colosseum, and yes, they enjoyed it… BUT they agreed that they definitely didn’t get as much out of it as I did by having my tour guide Lia C. bring Rome’s history to life. She really was able to paint a picture of what Rome would’ve been like back in the day. I was in absolute awe! It was like being transported back in time. Leah was incredibly fun and engaging, and I know the tour wouldn’t have been half as interesting without her personal knowledge and passion for the topic. 5-star rating from me!

Cost: $67.19 (approx. £52.60 or 61.15 EUR) approx. 2.5 - 3-hours in duration. Wear comfortable shoes and take a water bottle and snacks. Rome is HOT HOT HOT in summer too, so be sure to wear the right clothing, take a hat etc.

After my trip to the Colosseum and Roman Forum, it was time to head back to Trastevere to collect my luggage. Before getting picked up for my transfer back to the airport, I stopped off for one final solo lunch… I sat there, thinking to myself, how I really should’ve booked more than 2-nights in this gorgeous city! There is just too much to see/eat/drink and do in 2-nights / 3-days. But eh?Like all good things in life, isn’t it better to be left wanting more of a place and knowing full well that you’ll just have to book another trip very soon!

• Lunch: Vecchia Trastevere – Italian Restaurant & Cocktail Bar, Address: Via del Moro, 24/26, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

 What I ate:

To Start: Bread / Service – 1.50 EUR, Selezione di formaggi miele e noci (Mix of cheese, honey & walnuts) – 10 EUR

Main: Strozzapreti con Pomodoro, nduja di spilinga e spolverata di pecorino romano (fresh pasta with tomato, Calabria chilli pepper (Nduja) and pecorino cheese – 10 EUR

What I drank: A big fat glass of juicy Italian full-bodied velvety red wine, Chianti Reserva 2018, Le Ginestre DOCG – 7 EUR

Cost: 28.50 EUR (approx. £25 for two courses with a large glass of wine and bread basket)

Other places our guide Lia C. recommended making a point of seeing on your trip to Rome, include:

• The Wedding Cake building aka the Victor Emanuelle II Monument Building - Lia C. says: “book a ticket, take in the fires burning with real soldiers and Nike statues, hop in the elevator to the top and enjoy the views!”

• If you have the possibility visit the Borghese Gallery & Gardens. It is a very special place in a beautiful garden and the garden is free for everybody where you can enjoy peace and stunning views of Rome.

  She also shared this list of nice restaurants in Rome:

• Osteria Da Fortunata, Address: Via del Pellegrino, 11/12, 00186 Roma RM, Italy where the homemade pasta is delicious!

• Osteria Nannarella in Trastevere, Address: Piazza di S. Calisto, 7/a, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

• Baghetto Milky restaurant in the jewish ghetto, Address: Via del Portico d'Ottavia, 2/A, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

• Osteria Cacio e Pepe in Trastevere, Address: Vicolo del Cinque, 15, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

• Tonnarello in Trastevere, Address: Via della Paglia, 1/2/3, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

• A Fancy restaurants is: Ristorante al Santa Lucia, Address: Largo Febo, 12, 00186 Roma RM, Italy where some scenes of the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" with Julia Roberts were shot😉

• Lia C. adds: “I suggest reservations everywhere except for Da Fortunata because they do not take them!”

• Trattoria Luzzi by the Colosseum, Address: Via Celimontana, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy

• Mimì e Cocò by Piazza Navona the best gelato in Rome is by Giolitti but also gelateria Riva Reno, Address: Via del Governo Vecchio, 72, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

  Note to self: I’m going to make a point to start ticking them off on my next visits - yes, I did say. visits. Rome is a city that I feel I could return to time and time again. It’s stunning and even more romantic than Paris, IMHO.

Content of this travel blog post about my trip Rome

• Why to visit Rome? It’s steeped in history, super-romantic and very affordable. (Yep, it would be a great spot to propose to your lover…)

• When to visit Rome? Off-season - less crowds!

• Where to stay in Rome? Trastevere - young and hip, but rustic and perfectly located to walk to all the places you’ll want to visit.

• How much to budget in Rome? For food & activities you would be advised to budget approx. £75 - £150+ pp per day. For accommodation, anything from £150 per night upwards, depending on the area, type of stay and level of luxury you are after.

• When should you book your tickets for Rome attractions and tours? Book all the major tours, museums and experiences BEFORE you travel

• How many attractions can I see on my Rome city break? Aim for 1-2 main attractions per day, plan ahead, but allow yourself enough flexibility to just enjoy the city and its beauty without feeling too rushed. And… - as a friend advised me - allow Rome to unfurl itself for you and just see where it takes you!

• What not to do in Rome - As mentioned above, don’t forget to book all major attractions in advance, take a bottle of water with you where you can and wear shoes you can walk in comfortably. Keep some space in your day for spontaneity!

• The best places to eat in Rome - see the list I’ve shared above my Lia C. and also the places I got to try too.

• The best places to see in Rome - You are really spoilt for choice when it comes to rome. Top places to see are definitely The Colosseum and the Vatican Museums, the rest you can stumble across as you walk around the city. It really depends what kind of trip or city break experience you are looking to have. Class yourself as a Foodie? Book onto a Food tour and eat your way around Rome’s famous culinary hot spot - the Jewish Ghetto.

• How to find a good tour guide - ask friends for recommendations and read reviews of guides before you book. I booked direct with Vatican Museums, but then decided to go with The Tour Guy for the Colosseum tour, which was ace!

• What to pack for a Rome city break - Pack a hat, suncream and blisters plasters. Ooh! And don’t forget to pack your condoms and lube for any singles looking to mingle in the city. Romans are big on dating apps like FEELD (The dating app for open-minded individuals) - perfect for casual or kink, Hinge and Bumble, so don’t be surprised if your dating game suddenly takes on a life of its own when you land in Rome. Italian guys love to woo you and will use all their looks, charm and local knowledge to do so!

Looking for more info on Rome’s must-see historic landmarks? Check out these other blog posts I found when researching top things to see in Rome:

• Rome in 48 hours City Break Guide

• 15 Top Places to Visit in Rome - Hand-Luggage Only

Get in touch! Got Rome tips of your own to share? Drop a comment below and share the love! Thanks for reading. Do let me know if you found this travel blog and suggested itinerary useful. Would love to hear whether you got to try any of the tours or Roman restaurants for yourselves.

Words + Photography copyright ~Lucie Kerley