Getting around · Rome · Italy
Getting around Rome
Public transport, passes, airport connections and when a car makes sense.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
Central Rome is compact and best explored on foot; most major sights lie within about 3 km of each other. Metro lines A and B cross at Termini but skirt the historic centre, so buses and trams fill the gaps. The standard 100-minute BIT ticket covers buses and trams plus one Metro ride. No.
Key facts
- Main way around
- Walking
- Airports
- FCO, CIA
- Need a car?
- No
- Travel pass
- BIT 100-minute ticket
Ways to get around
Walking
Walking is the best way to see Rome: the Colosseum to the Pantheon is about 25 minutes, and the Pantheon to St Peter's about 25 minutes more across the Tiber.
Metro
Line A links Termini with the Spanish Steps (Spagna) and the Vatican (Ottaviano), and line B serves the Colosseum, Circus Maximus and Piramide for Testaccio. Contactless bank cards can be tapped at the gates.
Line A trains around Termini and Spagna are a pickpocket hotspot; keep bags zipped and in front of you.
Bus
Buses reach the historic centre where the Metro does not; routes 40 and 64 link Termini with Largo di Torre Argentina and the Vatican area. Validate paper tickets on board or tap a contactless card on the reader.
Routes 40 and 64 are crowded and notorious for pickpockets.
Tram
Rome has few tram lines, but line 8 connects the centre near Largo di Torre Argentina with Trastevere and is a handy way across the river.
Taxi
Licensed white taxis wait at ranks and can be booked by phone or app; fares from Fiumicino and Ciampino to addresses inside the Aurelian Walls are fixed.
Ignore drivers soliciting fares inside the airport or station and use the official rank.
Tickets and passes
BIT 100-minute ticket
A single ticket valid for 100 minutes on buses and trams, including one Metro journey.
24-, 48- and 72-hour tickets
Unlimited travel on ATAC Metro, buses and trams for the period, worthwhile if you take several rides a day.
Roma Pass
A 48- or 72-hour city card with free entry to one or two museums or sites, discounts on others and unlimited public transport.
From the airport
From Fiumicino, the non-stop Leonardo Express train reaches Termini in about 32 minutes, and regional FL1 trains serve Trastevere, Ostiense and Tiburtina. Ciampino has no rail link of its own: buses run to Termini in about 40 minutes, or a shuttle connects with trains at Ciampino station. Taxis charge fixed fares to the historic centre from both airports.
Do you need a car?
No. The historic centre is a limited-traffic zone (ZTL) where unauthorised cars are fined automatically by camera, and parking is scarce. Rent a car only for countryside trips beyond the day trips.
Reaching the day trips
| Destination | Travel time | How |
|---|---|---|
| Ostia Antica | About 40 minutes by train | Roma–Lido train from Piramide to Ostia Antica |
| Tivoli | About 1 hour by train or bus | Regional train from Tiburtina, or Cotral bus from Ponte Mammolo |
| Orvieto | About 1 hour 15 minutes by train | Regional train from Termini, then the funicular up to the town |
| Florence | About 1 hour 30 minutes by high-speed train | Frecciarossa or Italo from Termini to Santa Maria Novella |
| Pompeii via Naples | About 2 hours each way by train | High-speed train to Naples, then the Circumvesuviana to Pompei Scavi |
| Frascati | About 30 minutes by train | Regional train from Termini to Frascati |
Questions travellers ask
+Do you need a car in Rome?
No. The historic centre is a limited-traffic zone (ZTL) where unauthorised cars are fined automatically by camera, and parking is scarce. Rent a car only for countryside trips beyond the day trips.
+How do you get from the airport to Rome?
From Fiumicino, the non-stop Leonardo Express train reaches Termini in about 32 minutes, and regional FL1 trains serve Trastevere, Ostiense and Tiburtina. Ciampino has no rail link of its own: buses run to Termini in about 40 minutes, or a shuttle connects with trains at Ciampino station. Taxis charge fixed fares to the historic centre from both airports.
+What is the best way to get around Rome?
Walking: Walking is the best way to see Rome: the Colosseum to the Pantheon is about 25 minutes, and the Pantheon to St Peter's about 25 minutes more across the Tiber.