Public Transportation
Public Buses
There are hundreds of bus lines running from 5:30 AM until midnight. Public buses stop at carefully marked places called Fermata. These are large yellow and white signs attached to poles along the sidewalk. The signs list every stop that the bus will make. Check to see if your destination, a stop close to your destination, or a stop that allows you to change buses is listed. Express buses are marked with the letter X. Exact lines that cover short distances and leave at specific times are marked with a red E. Night buses begin at midnight and are marked with the letter N and an owl sits atop their Fermata sign. Some bus stops now have helpful digital signs listing the exact arrival times for the next bus.
Two cell phone apps that can be useful showing bus arrivals at your Fermata are Moovit and Roma Bus. These are free apps for your phone.
A combination Bus and Metro (subway) ticket may be bought from ATAC/COTRAL windows as well as tobacco shops, newsstands and vending machines. Some buses have ticket machines on board but not all. The BIT standard ticket costs €1.50 and is valid for 100 minutes of multiple bus rides and one ride on the metro. It is wise to buy a number of bus tickets at one time to use. Fines are high if caught without a ticket. Stamp your ticket in the machines after boarding the bus.
If the machine will not time stamp your ticket, take out a pen and write the time, date and bus number yourself.
The BIG or Roma24H ticket costs €7.00 and allows unlimited travel on metro, bus and train within Rome. Also available are the Roma48H pass for €12.50, the Roma72H pass for €18.00 and the CIS weekly pass for €24.00. Validate these tickets the first time you use them and they will start their countdown.
Passholders board at the front of the bus. Italians usually do not show their ‘tessera’, but you should be ready to do so if asked. Ticket holders board from the rear of the bus and all exit from the middle door. Never ride a bus without your ticket or pass. Inspectors are common and the fine for riding without a ticket is €50 plus the cost of the ticket and it is payable immediately! Contested tickets or delayed payment raises the fine to over €100. Children under the age of 10 ride free when accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. All necessary information may be found in English at www.atac.roma.it.
City Tour Buses
Rome offers many open top double-decker buses that allow passengers to Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) for a 24 hour (or 48 or 72 hour) period. This can be a good overview tour of the layout of the city before exploring on foot. Some offer specialized tours of Christian or Archaeological sites.
There are 6 companies offering HOHO buses offering different itineraries. The website www.rometoolkit.com compares the six companies for you.
COTRAL Buses to Destinations Outside of Rome
Blue buses traveling outside of Rome may be taken from Termini or other major train stations. Trips usually involve buses and trains with a few changes. This service is useful for trips to Castel Gandolfo (the Pope’s summer residence), Subiaco, Tivoli and Hadrian’s Villa. For a trip planner go to www.cotralspa.it . The site is in Italian. .
Subway or Metro
The subway or Metropolitana runs from 5:30 AM until 11:30 PM. On Saturday evenings, the metro runs until 3:00 AM. Insert your ticket in the turnstile to enter the metro and carry it with you until you exit at your destination. The last train leaves the capolinea at 11:30 PM. The Rome Metro Underground train system at the moment has three lines named A, B and C.
Lines A and B intersect at Rome Termini Station, the main public transport hub in Rome. Line C is a new line gradually being opened in stages.
The BIT ticket (€1.50) only allows one ride on the metro and multiple rides on a bus in a 100-minute period.
Drivers
If you are looking for car services to and from the airports of Rome, for services to and from the port of Civitavecchia and for other services with a private car and driver with departure or arrival from and to Rome, please contact Tony Mancini. We have confidently recommended Tony’s good services for many years. It is always preferable to ask for information and to book services in advance, especially during the high tourist season and the Jubilee Year 2025. Credit Card Payments are Welcome. You can email Tony : driveromacarservice@gmail.com or emmetoni8@gmail.com His telephone number is : (+39) 339.458-4206. You can also use Whatsapp or SMS as well.
Just remember to always confirm right before you are departing, and to get the name of the driver and a cell phone number.
Airport Train
A direct train, the Leonardo Express, between Fiumicino Airport (Leonardo Da Vinci) and the main Train Station (Stazione Termini) is available everyday from 5:50 AM to 22:50 PM with departures every 30 minutes. The trip takes 30 minutes and leaves from Track 25, the farthest track to your right. The one way ticket is €14 and may be purchased at booths near the track where the train departs or printed online www.trenitalia.com. Children under 12 travel free with an adult.
There is also a night bus for after-hour travelers that leaves Fiumicino Airport hourly after 1:15 AM. The bus goes to Tiburtina Station but makes an intermediate stop at Termini train station.
A direct train between Fiumicino Airport (Leonardo Da Vinci) and the Main Train Station (Stazione Termini) is available everyday. The one way ticket is €9.50 and may be purchased at booths near the track where the train departs.
Taxicabs
Always use a white licensed taxi with an identification number and a taxi-meter. Never use an unmarked cab or you will be overcharged and cheated. Cabs are usually found at marked Taxi Stands with bright orange signs. In Rome you do NOT hail taxis on the street like in the U.S. At the airport, be sure to go out to the curbside to the TAXI STAND for the organized line of taxis. DO NOT take cabs offered by drivers in the building.
Taxis to and from Fiumicino have a fixed rate of €48.00. The rate for Ciampino is €30.00. A small tip of 1 or 2 euro is appropriate.
Taxis in Rome start at a base price of €2.80 (7 AM to 10 PM) when you enter the cab and then the charge is €1.22 per kilometer. Supplements may be added. Sunday and holiday travel meters begin at €4.00, night travel after 10 PM meters begin at €5.80.
You may also telephone for a cab, but be aware that the meter begins the minute the cab starts its journey to where you are located, so expect to see more than €2.80 on the meter. Your hotel concierge or restaurant can call a cab or you can telephone yourself at 06.3570, 06.6645, 06.4994, 06.8822 or 06.5551. (There is also a central number: 06.0609). It is always best to have your restaurant call a cab for you late in the evening. Also when it rains, it is difficult to find a taxi at a taxi stand so it is best to call one.
Airport Bus Shuttles
There are a number of bus shuttles that travel between Termini and the two airports in Rome.
The SIT Bus shuttle serving Fiumicino Airport has a stop at Termini as well as a Vatican area stop near Piazza Cavour. The trip takes about an hour and costs €7.00 one way, €6.50 roundtrip. A bus is also available from Termini to Ciampino (40 minutes). Children under 4 travel free and free wifi is offered. www.sitbusshuttle.com/en
Terravision Rome Airport bus is another choice. The journey takes 55 minutes and the cost one way is €4.00. Children under 5 ride free. www.terravision.eu.