The major changes Brit holidaymakers need to know before travelling to Rome this year - including €2 Trevi Fountain charge
If you are heading to Rome on holiday this year there are major changes you need to be aware of.
Firstly, tourists hoping to get close to the Trevi Fountain will have to pay €2 as the city of Rome works to control crowds at one of the world’s most celebrated sites. It’s all part of the Eternal City’s efforts to manage tourist flows in a particularly congested part of town, improve the experience and offset the maintenance costs of preserving all of Rome’s cultural heritage.
The city decided to impose the Trevi Fountain fee after seeing positive results already from a year-long experiment to stagger and limit the number of visitors who can reach the front edge of the basin by imposing lines and pathways for entrance and exit. The fee is charged to tourists during the daytime only from 9am to 9pm. After dark, you can see the Fountain for free.
There will also be a €2 for some of the city’s museums. This includes Villa di Massenzio, Museo Napoloenico, Museo Barracco, Museo Carlo Bilotti and Museo Pietro Canonica.
However, on the first Sunday of every month you can get into museums for free including the Colosseum and National Roman Museum. But you’ll need to go early and book reservations as places will fill up fast.
Another change to be aware of is that tram services in the city resumed in December last year, but ongoing upgrades may affect your routes. If your hotel says it is ‘steps from the tram’ or tram services then you will need to verify this, just in case!
On the flip side, two ‘archaeo-stations’ opened at the end of last year on the partially completed (and driverless) Metro C line. One of the new stations is designed to serve the Colosseum, the magnificent Roman-era amphitheatre built to host public spectacles and gladiatorial contests.
This means you can get to Rome’s most popular attractions more easily.