Just booked a trip to Rome for a week arriving on New Year's Eve in Rome. Feeling very spoiled and excited because we just got back (October) from our dream trip of 14 days to Rome, Naples, Amalfi Coast but this time we are bringing our college age daughter who has never been to Europe. As this is last minute, wonder if anyone can recommend some restaurants where we could get NYE dinner and the best activities for the new year celebration. We fly in at 7:30 am local time on 12/31 (NYE day) so suspect we will be very tired from the overnight flight and probably will want something in place rather than roaming that particular night. We are staying in Trastevere so close to hotel is probably a good idea too. Read that you can see fireworks from Tiber but any recs on specific locations and other NYE activities? Weather will be much different than October, which was glorious, but we are hardy New Englanders. All tips and recs welcome. Thank you!
Posted by
Bay Area SF & Uppsala Sweden
1038 posts
Hi there, what fun! I can recommend the bar on top of the Smeraldo Hotel for viewing fireworks, they have a small, not cheap menu. (This is not in Trastevere, about a 30-minute walk.) Most restaurants have large, set courses on NYE that are quite pricey, and it sounds like you're going to be wiped out! We had a great lunch here - Ditirambo- near Campo di Fiori, you can make reservations on line and it opens early for dinner, which was a plus for us. REALLY fun waitress, blue hair, fluent English. Great Roman classic menu. www.ditiramboristorante.it/). And just had pizza by the slice for dinner.
We found NY day lunch on our trip in 2019 to be more difficult for finding restaurants open, Trastevere especially. I'd look into activities & meals ahead of time for that day, when many more things are closed.
Here's our TR from last NYE. On this trip on NY day we found the underground Stadium of Diocletian was open from 3PM (around the corner from Piazza Navona). Hope you have a great trip!! https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/rome-was-jammed-over-ny-but-still-fun
Posted by
1 posts
Thanks for sharing the experience. I also a tourist.
Posted by
Massachusetts
1118 posts
Here are a couple of posts about NYE in Rome that my be useful as you plan your visit.
https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/rome-new-years-eve-what-to-do-and-where-to-go.html