Transport in Rome

Public transport in Rome

Buses

It is the most popular kind of transport in Rome. The buses run regularly; there are a lot of routes throughout the city. In the streets, you can see yellow or red conventional buses and green expresses. The expresses go faster and stop rarely. Ticket prices for all the routes are the same. We’ll talk about this below.

Rome buses run every 10 minutes, from 5.30 a.m to 12.00 p.m.

Angela Corrias shares the most popular bus routes on the Rome Actually:

Among the most popular buses around the city center are the 64, connecting Termini with San Pietro train station, the 81, connecting Piazza Venezia with Prati neighborhood, Via Cola di Rienzo shopping street and Piazza Risorgimento near St. Peter’s Basilica, and 492, stopping in places such as Piazza Fiume, Corso Rinascimento near Piazza Navona and Pantheon, and the 70 connecting Termini station to Piazzale Clodio in Prati area.

At the Rome bus stops you’ll see such plates:

It means:
U – urbana – urban buses of yellow or red color
X – espressa – green express buses which skip some stops
Keep in mind: ‘feriale’ means week-day routes, ‘festivo’ – days off.

If you see ‘M’ beside the stop name, it means you can change to the subway there.

If there is no crowd at the bus stop, wave your hand when seeing the bus, and the driver picks you up. To exit, press the button on the handrail.

Watch out for pickpockets.

gives advice:

If you’re on a metro or bus that’s packed to the gills and someone forces their way on – despite there being clearly no room at all on the bus – that could be a trick. Of course, lots of people try to shove on. But if you see someone squeeze on and then continue to work their way through the bus, despite the crowd, that’s a sign of something fishy.

In the night

Night buses run every 30 minutes from 12.30 p.m to 5.30 a.m. The last stops of route are the Termini Station and the Venice Square. All the stops are marked with dark-blue signs with a yellow owl. Tickets can be bought from the driver.

Minibuses

These are electric or diesel fuel minibuses, which go from 6.00 a.m to 10.00 p.m.

Trams

There are 6 routes in the city. The trams go like buses – from 5.30 a.m to 12.00 p.m. The central areas are not covered with them.

Travel blogger Elizabeth Heath writes on the TripSavvy:

Trams have a certain old-school charm. Tram stops are usually on raised platforms in the middle of busy streets, so be sure to use marked pedestrian crosswalks to get to or from these platforms. They’re a bit nicer and cleaner than buses.

Look around carefully not to skip your stop. The names of the stops are not announced and are not highlighted on the display.

If you are not afraid to ‘go the wrong way’, just go far from the city center to ride the vintage trams like in Fellini films.

Trolleybuses

The only one route runs around Rome – N90. In the central area, from the Pia Port to the Termini Station, it goes without trolley poles, only in the battery-power mode. The wires are removed from the streets to make the image of the city better:

Metro in Rome

Rome metro is opened from 5.30 a.m to 11.30 p.m, on Fridays and Saturdays – to 1.30 a.m. The trains run every 7-10 minutes.
There are three subway lines in Rome – it is prohibited to build more because of archaeological remains.

Nevertheless, there are some troubles even on these 60 km. Emma Law tells on the Culture Trip:

Tourists may wish to avoid travelling during rush hour if they can, as carriages quickly fill up with commuters. Some trains servicing metro B are also older and lack air conditioning, a particular discomfort in the summer months.

How to save time en route

ATAC company controls all public transport in Rome. You can find any information about ticket costs, download maps and make a route on the official website of the company.

For example, if you need to get from the Spain Square (Piazza de Spagna) to your hotel, the planner can show you the route:

The site is available in English and Italian.

❗There is an ATAC information office on the Cinquecento square, in front of the Termini Station. If you stand with your back to the train station, you’ll see the information office on the right. Here you’ll get needed facts about transport and see the route maps.

Tickets

The most popular tickets in Rome:

• BIT – single-use ticket. It costs 1,50 Euro. This card is available within 100 minutes for buses, trams, and trolleybuses. For the metro – only 1 journey.
• ROMA 24H hour Ticket – integrated one-day ticket. It costs 7 Euro.
• ROMA 48H hour Ticket – integrated ticket for two days. It costs 12,50 Euro.
• ROMA 72H hour Ticket – integrated ticket for three days. It costs 18 Euro.
• CIS – Integrated Weekly Ticket – integrated ticket for one week. It costs 24 Euro.

These tickets are valid for all modes of public transport, except for the Cotral buses and the Trenitalia electric trains, which run to Fiumicino Airport.

Where to buy?

• at the ticket office and via machines at the metro stations;
• on the bus;

• in the cigar stalls or newspaper shops;

• via the SIM card of the local operator. You’ll need to send the SMS ‘BIT’ to the number 48299.
• via the MyCicero Apps or the Tabnet Apps. To activate the e-ticket, wave your phone with QR code over the transport terminal. Read more on the official ATAC website.

❗All tickets need to be activated. The few-days ticket must be punched every journey.

Travel writer Natalie on her blog An American in Rome warns:

Do validate your ticket once you get on the bus. There is a machine near each door. An unvalidated ticket is the same as having no ticket at all and could land you some serious fines.

Individual transport

Taxi or transfer in Rome

Rome’s licensed taxi has a white color. There should be a meter in each car, on the doors – stickers with the license number, on the roof – the plate ‘Servizio pubblico’. To get a car, you can go to the official parking or call by phone.

 gives few taxi rules:

If you don’t take a white city taxi, with a meter, you risk being charged exhorbitant rates. If you do call a taxi, or use an app to get one, the driver turns on the meter from the time he answers the call. Do not hand the driver any cash at all until you are out of the cab, and have all your luggage and are prepared to handle the transaction all in one moment. Hold out the money in your hand and if the driver needs to make change, wait for him to make change before giving the bill to him/her. This way they cannot “pretend” you only gave them a 5 when you gave a 50, for example.

If you don’t want to wait for a car or shove yourself in the public transport, book a transfer in Rome.

It is suitable for those who:

• go to Rome for the first time;
• don’t speak Italian or English;
• travel with little kids;
• arrive at or depart from Fiumicino Airport in the night time.

Car or moped rental

One of the ways to move around Rome is a car hire. Many companies offer such service, but the most convenient thing is a scooter rent. For mopeds with engines up to 125 sm³, you’ll need the driving license of B category, for more powerful scooters – of A or B category.

notes:

With extensive public transportation, driving in the city is pretty unnecessary and wildly aggresive; unless you have a specific reason for needing a personal car, forgo driving. Traffic is very fast, very heavy, and plays by no rules – don’t expect streets signs or traffic lights to guide you, because there aren’t many.

Parking areas

• ZTL (zona a traffico limitato). These areas of limited movement include historic city center and surrounding sites.
• Paid underground parking. These areas are located near big business centers or shopping malls. Pay for a spot via the parking meters.
• Free parking. These spots have white markings. Here you can leave the car for 3 hours, but not more. Take a piece of paper, write the current time, and put this under the windshield.

Federica Rustico from Rome’s English Magazine Romeing talks:

Everyone knows that Sundays are considered festive days in Italy. Which means that we ain’t got to pay for the parking spot. How good does it feel to park on strisce blu – for hours and hours – without having to pay? It feels good.

Rent a car with a driver

If you’d like to see a lot of attractions, but dislike the idea of car hire or use of public transport, just rent a car with a driver.

Special transport

Tourist coaches

• City Sightseeing Tour. It runs on a hop-on hop-off basis. You can get off at any moment, look at the attractions and get on the next bus. The main thing is not to lose the ticket.
  The buses depart from the Termini Station from 9.00 a.m to 6.00 p.m. The cost – from 11 Euro. You can buy a ticket online. Free wi-fi is available on the bus.

Sachin Kumar on the blog.headout notes:

For tourists visiting Rome for the first time, hop on hop off tours are perfect for you. Not only is the getting around sorted, you also get to enjoy free commentary.

• Rome Christian Open Bus. It runs from 9.00 a.m to 6.00 p.m (from 9.00 a.m to 5.00 p.m in winter). The bus departs from the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and from the Termini Station and goes around the main Christian shrines.

• Green Lines. It takes off from the Termini Station from 9.00 a.m to 6.30 p.m every 15-20 minutes and runs throughout the Coliseum and the main squares of Rome.

• Gray Line I Love Rome. The place of departure is invariable – the Termini Station. You will definitely recognize these buses because of their nice pink color. The standard route includes the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, and other famous places.

• Big Bus Tours Rome. There are four routes: a one-day standard, a two-days premium, a three-days deluxe, and a night tour. The cost – from 32 Euro. Online tickets will be cheaper. The place of departure is usual – the Termini Station.

Transport hubs

The central railway station Termini located at the Cinquecento Square. The major bus terminal is the Tiburtina. From these points, you can go to any city of Italy and neighboring countries as well as to Rome airports Fiumicino and Ciampino.

There are two air hubs in Rome:

• Fiumicino airport. The airport serves international and domestic flights. How to get from the air terminal to the city you’ll find out here.
• Ciampino airport. This air hub serves domestic and charter flights.

Few words more

It’s nice to get lost in Rome. It can be something like a little Italian adventure. But if you like planning all the details, then build routes using the official website, hire a car or book a transfer in advance.