Rome Transportation 101

Unlike some of the great cities in the world, where the tourist attractions are all concentrated in one or two specific and compact areas so that - if you feel like it - you can hoof it from one sight to the next without ever having to figure out the public transportation system, Rome is spread out. It’s so spread out, in fact, that if you don’t get used to using the bus and metro you’ll miss out on half the things there are to do and see in Rome.

Okay, yes - you could walk everywhere in Rome, too, resolutely avoiding learning which bus to take where, but you’d wear yourself out in no time and just might end up not having a very good time in The Eternal City. So, here’s a quick guide to Rome’s public transportation system.

Your Transportation Options in Rome

There are several ways to get your body around Rome to see the sights, not to mention getting to and from your hotel or hostel. They vary in terms of cost and speed, so you’ll have to figure out which one balances the two to your satisfaction.

taxis Taxi - There are almost as many taxis in Rome as there are tourists, so you’ll have no trouble finding one if that’s your style (at the right, that’s not a parking lot for white cars - it’s a small army of taxis waiting outside St. Peter’s Square - and they moved through the lines pretty darn quickly). Rome’s traffic can be horrible, however, so taking a taxi isn’t necessarily the fastest option from Point A to Point B. It’s often the most hassle-free option when you just arrive in the city, either by train or plane, because you’re tired and disoriented and not interested in mastering the bus system just yet - and there are taxi queues at both Fiumicino Airport and Termini Station just waiting for you. But unless your hotel or hostel is way off the public transport beaten track or you’ve got an allergy to buses, taking taxis on a daily basis probably isn’t the smartest choice.

Shelley of At Home in Rome once published an excellent guide to help you not get ripped off by taxis in Rome, which, if you’re planning to take a cab (especially from an airport or the train station) I highly recommend you read.

Metro - If you dig four feet underground nearly anywhere in Rome you run into Roman ruins, so it’s no surprise that Rome’s subway consists of only two lines. (They started building a new line, but the construction site quickly became an archaeological dig, so there’s no telling how long it’ll be before the Rome Metro is more than its current two limited lines.) Unless where you are staying is right near a Metro line, chances are you may not find the Metro all that useful. Many of Rome’s tourist attractions aren’t anywhere near a Metro stop, so even if you’re taking the Metro for part of your journey you’ll either have to walk the rest or use another form of transportation. The Metro stops you’re most likely to use include the one at Termini Station, the one at the Colosseo and the one closest to the Vatican.

Rome’s Metro stops are marked by signs with a big white M on a red square background. Basic Metro tickets cost €1, and you can buy them at Metro stops, tabacchi and news stands. In addition to the basic Metro tickets, there are also daily passes (€4), what are called “Integrated Tourist Tickets” (a BTI in Italian) which is €11 for three days, and weekly passes (a CIS in Italian) for €16. All these options are good on all public transport within Rome.

When riding the Rome Metro, especially when it’s busy and crowded, you’re well-advised to keep a close eye on your belongings - from your purse to your camera to your wallet. Of course, this is something you should do regardless, whenever you’re in a crowded and unfamiliar place, but it bears repeating for the subway in Rome.

Bus - Rome’s bus network is intricate and extremely handy for getting around the city. It takes a bit more to figure it out than the incredibly simple Metro, but once you get the hang of it you’ll feel like you’ve got a special pass to see the city. Not all maps of Rome include the bus routes, so be sure that if yours doesn’t that you pick up one that does. Most news stands sell them (they’re decent Rome maps anyway, but I mainly use mine for the bus information), but the tourist information booth I visited said they didn’t have them. I’m not sure if that’s true at all TIs, but it seems odd to me if that’s the case.

romebus Bus stops are marked by signposts topped with large placards bearing the numbers of the buses that stop there (like the one pictured at right), the names of the stops each bus makes, and (usually) with the name of that stop highlighted by a red box. The name of the stop is also usually indicated at the top of the placard itself. Next to the list of the bus stop names you’ll see an arrow pointing down, which tells you which direction the bus is going. If you’re heading for Termini, for instance, you’ve got to make sure the Termini stop is listed further down the arrow than the stop you’re at. If it isn’t, you’ve got to find the equivalent bus stop on the other side of the street.

Basic bus tickets in Rome cost €1 per ride, and they last 75 minutes. You can buy bus tickets at most news stands and some tobacco shops, as well as at machines on the bus islands in front of Termini Station. When you board your bus you’ve got to validate your ticket - there are usually machines near the front and near the back of the bus - by inserting the ticket into the slot with the arrow pointing down. Cleverly, the validation stamp not only indicates what time you got on the bus, it also tells you when that ticket expires (the end of your 75 minutes), so if you’re a law-abiding citizen you know exactly how long you have to ride buses in Rome on that ticket. Of course, lots of people don’t bother validating their bus tickets, let alone buying any in the first place. I’m the kind of person who lives in constant fear of getting caught doing something wrong, so I buy my tickets and I validate them, too. Well, I validate them unless the bus is so crowded that the doors can barely close, and I can’t move an inch in either direction, so I can’t make it to a validation machine…

In addition to the basic bus tickets, there are also daily passes (€4), what are called “Integrated Tourist Tickets” (a BTI in Italian) which is €11 for three days, and weekly passes (a CIS in Italian) for €16. All these options are good on all public transport within Rome.

The same safety warning about riding Rome’s Metro also goes for the buses, especially the tourist routes and especially at busy times.

For more information, check the official site of the Rome transportation company, ATAC.