You know the drill - it's been way to many months since you've seen the sun and if you look at one more amazing Instagram, you're going to cry (or is that just me!?).
I spent countless hours googling cheap winter getaways, with the majority of searches listing the snowy, in-season, and not to mention expensive, top spots or some fab places that I've already visited; such as Paris, Amsterdam, Prague etc. Finally, 7364 flight searches in I decided on Rome, which turns out to be a great (yet unexpected) winter getaway! Here's why...
1. Less tourists
This is definitely the biggest selling point. Rome has tourists all year around, as you'd expect, however being in Rome in January was so care free. I've heard the stories and seen photos of peak season and every street is jam packed with tourists, especially around the coliseum and Trevy fountain. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a ghost town, but we walked freely around the whole city and didn't have a second thought about other tourists getting in our way.
2. Better photos
My partner and I absolutely love photography, so visiting Rome when the sites and streets are emptier was a massive perk. It's bliss taking a photo that's not blurred after being barged into the road mid pic and getting a clear shot of the coliseum, without Aunt Sandra, from Glasgow's mug shot in front of the frame, spoiling your beautiful candid.
3. Smaller queues/No pre-booking
Without spending a summer in Rome, I couldn't say how long you have to wait in line for the biggest sites or if you ever need to book (from what i've heard, it's a long old wait), but on our first day we ended up at the coliseum and just 5-10 minutes later we were inside. We actually ended up doing a guided tour, which was not planned but was amazing - I will go into this more in my travel diary which is coming soon. Less time queuing = more time eating.
4. It's the perfect temperature
I personally love being hot and in the sun, but when theres no beach nearby and you're walking around all day, surrounded by people, it's not all it's cracked up to be. We were very lucky with the weather! We went at the end of January and every day was sunny, with temps of around 12°C. Half the time I didn't even need a coat and could dress for (English) Autumn. Even if it's not so warm, It will still likely be above freezing and you can snuggle up in your winter bests and maybe even see a bit of snow, if you're lucky!
5. It's cheaper
It goes without saying that off peak is a whole lot cheaper. When I first checked out the flights for January, prices were just £40 return! (To get these deals make sure you check out Sky Scanner to find the cheapest airline, preferably book on a weekday, and make sure you delete your cookies before finally booking). It's not just the flights though, of course all tourist operators are slightly desperate, so you can easily haggle yourself a good bargin (leaving you with more money for pizza, yay!).
6. It's easier to book last minute and get some amazing accommodation
Rolling on from the last point, accommodation is obviously a lot cheaper, so you can grab yourself a bit of luxury for your money. We had a look around and Air B&B was by far our best bet (first experience with them was amazing, I feel like i'm becoming an ambassador). There were so many options, but we finally chose an little arty apartment, that couldn't be more central to everything! (Although everything is walking distance, so being central isn't essential) Best of all, we booked this less that 2 weeks in advance! (Under £100 each for 3 nights).
7. Outside dining
One (out of an ongoing list) thing I love about traveling around Europe is eating - but not just because of the food. Almost everywhere has outside dining, so you can soak up the beautiful scenery and architecture whilst you slurpe up your carbonara. The reason this has made my list, is almost every restaurant was complete with outside heaters. So you don't miss out on the atmosphere and not to mention, you get that natural light - got to get a good food pic for your Insta. When in rome, ay.
8. You'll eat and drink more!
Some may not call this a perk, but it's definitely making my list. When it reaches the cooler months, all I tend to think about is food and drink! Italian is one of my favourite types of food and I absolutely LOVE a glass of Italian white wine. Everyday I looked forward to warming myself up by going face first into a pizza. In my eyes, getting to make the most out of more amazing dishes should be my number 1 travel tip!
Budget tip - we made eggs on toast every morning in our apartment, to save money for a luxurious lunch, dinner and not to forget, endless gelato!
9. Hot chocolate
Final one, I discovered near the end of the trip (sadly), that Italian hot chocolate is amazing! Forget your typical watery, 19 cal machine cuppa, every mug I drank was almost pure melted chocolate - So thick and creamy! You can't enjoy mug after mug of this when it's 30°C outside.
All in all, Rome would be incredible all year round, so why not enjoy the out of season perks! So, what are you waiting for?! Don't sit inside with the winter blues, book yourself a flight, grab a buddy and get going!
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