• Rome is devided by the Tiber river. In the eastern part there is the historic Center and the seven hills on which the city was originally built. In the western part you will find Vatican City and Trastevere, amongst other districts.
• You could argue that the Pantheon is exactely in the center of Rome and thereby reference point for orientation. Almost everything that is interesting for visitors lays in a 1-mile-radius from the Pantheons.
• The Tiber river itself is not very wide and is crossed by many historic bridges. Between Centro Storico and Trastevere there is a picturesque island in the river.
• Few cities have as many systems as Rome for naming and organising their districts and neighbourhoods. The official district names for example are not really part of every day's life, instead centuries old nomenclature for quarters are still in use. There are also dozens of opinions on what belongs to the "historic center" in a city almost 3,000 years old.

Rome has two airports: Rome-Fiumicino (also called "Leonardo da Vinci", FCO) and Rome-Ciampino (also "Giovan Battista Pastine", CIA)

Rome-Fiumicino (FCO) is by far the bigger airport and 20 miles away from the city.

• If you prefer to take the train you can either take the "Leonardo Express" or the trains of the line FR1. Leonardo Express will take you to Stazione Termini in about 35 mins for 14 € per person. The trains go every 30 mins. If you need to go to Trastevere, the FR1 line is the better choice, getting you there for 8 € (but not to Termini).
• The budget alternative are the Terravision buses that get you to Termini Station for only 5.80 € but take almost an hour for it.
• A taxi ride from FCO to the city costs a flat fee of 48 €.
• The Car-Sharing service ShareNow (formerly Car2Go or DriveNow) is operational in Rome and recently there are also cars available at the airport (Terminal 1). For journeys from the airport to the city an extra 10 € is charged. Furthermore, a ShareNow car is one of the best ways to tackle the last mile to your hotel or apartment, e.g. if you arrive by train in Termini!

Rome-Ciampino (CIA) is nearer to the city (10 miles) but not a lot of airlines fly to CIA.

• The Terravision buses get you to Termini Station in about 45 minutes for 5.80 €. The interval is 20 to 45 mins. There are other bus companies as wells, such as CoTral, Atral or Schiaffini, that offer basically the same.
• Taking a taxi from CIA to the city will cost you a flat fee of 30 €.

Rome has an average european security level and is thereby considered pretty safe. You should be aware of pickpockets and scammers though, especially if you are near one of the big sights (such as Trevi Fountain, Spanish Stairs, etc.) or near Termini train station. Important: never cross the street without looking for scooters, especially in the first two or three days of your visit. There is a certain learning effect after that time.

• You are visiting Rome at the wrong time, namely in summer (July/August), when it is brutally hot, many places are closed and there are actually only tourists in the city. Or at Easter and Whitsun, unless you come to Rome especially for these holidays. Then the city of the Pope is also full of (catholic) visitors.
• You want to see ALL the sights. Forget that. There are just too many of them in Rome and the stress of sightseeing will only ruin your stay. Better pick out a few things you really want to see and spend the rest of the time walking through the streets and markets, drinking espresso and having a good time. At some point you will come back to Rome anyways.
• You go to St. Peter's Square or the Vatican on Wednesday of all days. If you are not here especially for the public papal audience, it just means endless crowds of people, eternal waiting and ungodly stress.
• You queue up for hours at sights. In my experience, it's never worth the trouble. If you come to the Vatican Museums or the Colosseum after 4 hours of queuing - how much will you get out of this visit? Better come another time or get tickets online where possible.
• You go to the Circus Maximus and are surprised that this is not much more than a meadow with a below average level of cleanliness.

• Let's be honest, you will walk a lot in Rome. That's due to the fact that both public transport and driving a car is a bit difficult here. Also the distances between the most interesting spots for visitors are not that big, so walking often is the best alternative.
• Bringing your own car might not be the best idea in Rome. Driving can be quite stressful for foreigners not used to the loose interpretation of rules by most local drivers. Let alone finding parking space, which sometimes is nearly a mission impossible. The average Roman car is pretty damaged as a consequence.
• The car sharing service ShareNow (formerly Car2Go) might be the better alternative. Why? Because the small Smart cars are easier to park and also easier to navigate through the borderline chaotic traffic of Rome.
• There is no Metro in the inner city of Rome, so that option does not exist in many areas of the city relevant for visitors. There are many bus lines available, but those are not the most comfortable alternatives at least in the hot months of the year.
• Officially licensed taxis (white with a TAXI sign on the roof and the city's crest on the doors) are reliable. But there are numerous unlicensed Taxis as well where the chances you might get overcharged are quite high.
• Uber works in Rome. Apart from that there is a fun new service working in a similar way, just that you get picked up by a Roman scooter (Scooterino).

Opening hours of shops in Rome are quite mediterranean: They rarely open before 9am but stay open until 8pm or longer. Between 1pm and 3pm some shops that are not directly in the city center close their gates. While most shops are open also on saturday afternoons, most shops not located in the city center stay closed on sundays.

Restaurants usually serve food between 11am and 2pm and then again from 7pm to 11pm. In the afternoon on the other hand it can be hard to find places that are open sometimes.

Many museums close their gates on mondays.

• The best months to visit Rome are the transition times between the seasons: April and May, September and October. In these months it's warm but not too hot. But try not to come here exactely at Easter time or Pentecost: the Pope's city is crowded with visitors then.
  
• Beginning in June it starts to get really hot in Rome, and prices are also on the rise. This increases throughout July and August, where it feels like only tourists trying to get from one shadow to the other are the only ones left in the city. Many restaurants and institutions close for August. Therefore you should probably avoid the summer months.
  
• An interesting off-season alternative: November and December (apart from the Christmas holidays): It's still pleasantly warm in Rome then, there are less tourists and the prices are a bit lower. Plus: You can observe the millions of birds building their spectacular formations in the sky.
  
• January and February are not wetter than the autumn months, but they are much cooler. For fans only.
  

In Rome there are two special items on restaurant and bar bills that are often confused with a "forced" tip, but which actually have nothing to do with it:

• On the one hand, the "coperto", a kind of basic fee of 1-3€ per person, which is charged for place settings, bread etc. in restaurants regardless of your consumption. But coperto does not end up in the waiter's purse.
• On the other hand "servicio", a service fee, which is charged in bars and cafes where you also have the possibility to consume your snacks and drinks directly at the bar without service. Servicio is also not handed down to the waiters.

So if you were satisfied with the service and would like to tip, that is welcome (around 10%), but is not expected. Italians themselves tend to tip less in international comparison. It's best to leave your tip on the same tray as the bill and your change after you've received it.

• React stressed if a waiter doesn't bring the bill to the table by himself, although you have already finished eating (in Italy this would be rude from the waiter). You must ask for the bill.
• Order a cappuccino in the afternoon. This will at least immediately expose you as a tourist, Italians only drink milk coffee in the morning.
• Ask for something like Pizza Hawaii, or ask for Parmesan with seafood pasta. Also eating spaghetti with fork AND spoon will reveal you as a beginner, cutting pasta as highly uncultivated.