Rome in Feb

Quick Summary

So after a baby-break, we had our next vacation. The baby changes a lot but with some planning and adjustments you can still "rome" around.  This trip was an 5 day city break in Rome. Some things that went into the planning.

• We added the extra day to the trip with the idea that we should keep it relaxed with a 7 month old. 
• Picked a place in center of all attractions which made it easier to walk
• Picked an apartment/suite as opposed to an hotel
• Avoided most evenings as the little one slept earlier

When 

End of February. This is not peak season but there is still busy. Weather was good during the day (around 18 deg C). This time does have some rain and so you may get a few days of that. Nights do get colder and it drops to 10 deg C

Itinerary

Day 1 (Thu) - Arrive late afternoon and walk to the Basicilica
Day 2 (Fri) - Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Pantheon & Piazza Navona
Day 3 (Sat) - Castel San Angelo & Vatican Museums
Day 4 (Sun) - Colosseum,  Roman Forums & Trevi Fountain
Day 5 (Mon) - St Peter's Basilica,  Piazza Venezia & Shopping
Day 6 (Tue) - Breakfast and flights home

Where we stayed

Charmsuite Roma Raffaello

We decided to stay in center of Rome and walk to most attractions. This helps with the baby as well and you can come back to the hotel mid-day for a quick break.  The rooms were nice and there is a small kitchen with fridge and microwave.  There are also restaurants right below. The only gotcha was the elevator which seemed to be flaky. It was only one floor and you could work around it.

Transportation

We decided not to rent a car and that worked out fine. Driving in central Rome does not look like fun. We walked to most places and used Taxi/Uber for longer distances.

Food

There are lots of places around the center.  If you are a vegetarian, the choices are limited but there is enough to get by. You can also order on foodora.it if you are in center of Rome. If you live in an apartment like we did, you also have the option to cook small meals.

Day 1

We landed in Rome around noon and took a taxi to our hotel. The airport is quite far from the center city and so be prepared for a 30-45 min ride and a 45 Euro bill. The route is interesting as you start with a conventional sprawling city and the scenery slowly but surely changes to lovely Roman architecture and roads of cobbled stones. We settled into our apartment and our surroundings. We did a few walks nearby and ended the day with some shopping for baby items and groceries.

Day 2

Day started as a rainy day and so we want to do something indoors. However, as the day progressed it was less rainy than predicted.  We did a quick tour of Museo di Roma in Trastevere which we would not recommend as it was not worth the time and money.  Next up, we visited the Pantheon which is a must see. There are quite a few restaurants in front of the Pantheon and so we ended up having lunch there. In more busier seasons, it is probably hard to get a table but in Feb, it was fine.  We then walked to Piazza Navona, had some coffee and retired to our apartments.  Dinner was a takeaway from a Kebab house nearby.

Day 3

Day 3 was the busiest and started with a trip to Castel San Angelo which is the Mausoleum of Hadrian. It is quite a nice structure with lots of old construction still preserved.  There are lots of stairs here and so it advised to not bring a baby stroller. We used a baby carrier and it worked out fine. The roof top is a must see and it gives some spectacular views of the city. We the went to the Vatican Museums which we pre-booked on the Internet. This is highly advised as the lines can be very long. Pre-booking saves about 2 hours on most days. We took the baby stroller with us but generally these places are crowded and so avoid them if you can.  We started from the Sistine Chapel which in hindsight was not a great place to start as you end up walking all over the museum.  If you follow the normal route, you go through galleries and end up in the chapel.  This museum is quite large and has lots of different collections. Depending on your appetite for such stuff, you can spend lot of time here.  We ended the day by having an awesome dinner and wine at the local restaurant.

Day 4

Day 4 was spent mostly in the colosseum and the Roman Forum. Both are spectacular in their own rights. The colosseum is not stroller friendly but there isn't much to walk.  There are few stairs if you want to go to level 2.  The Roman Forum has lots of areas to walk and roam. You can easily spend half a day here and bring a lunch picnic or something.  On hotter days, this can be tiring and so come prepared with hydration. There are some vending machines inside but no cafe. Evening was then spent walking to Trevi fountain which is a lovely and newer architecture. The place around Trevi is quite crowded and be prepared for that.  There is no shortage of gellato or coffee shops around it and do give them a visit.

Day 5

We had planned on visiting the St Peter's Basilica in the hope that it would be less crowded but there was a really long line. We decided to skip it and take it easy. We roamed around several of the streets and visited several of the shops.  Coffee, gelato & Pizza were all part of the day :-)

General Tips

• Language is not a big problem as most places do speak some English. 
• In Feb/March, be prepared for rain.
• Some streets look isolated and residential but don't be fooled by it. Often one turn and you have suddenly landed in a street with cafes and restaurants
• Be careful on the side streets as traffic is rare but can be a mix of taxis and fast two wheelers 
• Baby Tips
• Most places are stroller friendly but few tips. Vatican museums allow it but it can be crowded, and, best to avoid it. St Peter's Basicila does not allow strollers and so you will need to leave it outside. The roads are cobbled stones and so will be bumpy but this actually puts the baby to sleep easily
• Some restaurants had a high chair but not all did