Italiano
Scott House Hotel Roma
Demetra Hotel Rome
X

Rome Guide

1290681998_rome-guide.gif


Guide Index :

General Information
Transportation
Money
Consulates
The sights
Daytrips

Rome Guide - Transportation

BY AIR

FIUMICINO AIRPORT (Leonardo da Vinci)

Rome's main airport is well-connected to the center of town during the day by an express train and other, slower, trains.
The express train between Fiumicino Airport and Termini statin costs € 8.78 and takes approximately 30 minutes. This train departs from and arrives at track 27 at Termini station, Rome's train station.

Tickets can be purchased:
•At any tobacco shop and newsstand inside the train station.
•At vending machines at both Termini and Fiumicino.
•At the Alitalia office near track 22 at Termini (9am-7:30pm daily).
•At the ticket window by the platform at Fiumicino.

The following schedule is applicable from June 10, 2001, through January 26, 2002; the winter schedule may vary by a few minutes.

Fiumicino to Roma Termini:
6:37am - 7:07am - 7:37am -8:07am - 8:37am - 9:07am - 9:37am - 10:07am - 10:37am - 11:07pm - 11:37pm - 12:07pm - 12:37pm - 1:07pm - 1:37pm - 2:07pm - 2:37pm - 3:07pm - 3:37pm - 4:07pm - 4:37pm - 5:07pm - 5:37pm - 6:07pm - 6:37pm - 7:07pm - 7:37pm - 8:07pm - 8:37pm - 9:07pm - 9:37pm - 10:07pm - 10:37pm - 11:07pm - 11:37pm.
Roma Termini to Fiumicino:
5:51am - 6:21am - 6:51am - 7:21am - 7:51am - 8:21am - 8:51am - 9:21am - 9:51am - 10:21am - 10:51am - 11:21pm - 11:51pm - 12:21pm - 12:51pm - 1:21pm - 1:51pm - 2:21pm - 2:51pm - 3:21pm - 3:51pm - 4:21pm - 4:51pm - 5:21pm - 5:51pm - 6:21pm - 6:51pm - 7:21pm - 7:51pm - 8:21pm - 8:51pm - 9:21pm - 9:51pm - 10:21pm - 10:51pm.

There is another train that connects Fiumicino Airport to central Rome, and while it is slower than the express train, it does cost less. When you are at the airport tran station, look for the train with the destination Orte or Fara Sabina. It stops at some smaller local stations on the way into Rome, but does NOT stop at Termini. Get off at the Tiburtina station to access central Rome (Metro Line B and many buses connect Tiburtina with the center of town). These trains leave approximately every 20 minutes (every hour on Sundays) and cost L9,000. The trip from the airport to Tiburtina station takes about 45 minutes.

Fiumicino Airport - Trastevere Station - Ostiense Station - Tiburtina Station
From 6:27am to 11:27pm.
Tiburtina Station - Ostiense Station - Trastevere Station - Fiumicino Airport
From 5:04am to 10:34pm.

To reach Termini from:
•Ostiense: take Metro Line B or bus 175.
•Tiburtina: take Metro Line B or bus 649 or bus 492.
•Trastevere: Tram 8 to Largo Argentina and bus 40 or bus 64.

For arrivals and departures between 11:30pm and 5am, there is a night bus running between Fiumicino airport and Tiburtina station. It stops at Termini station along the way, across the street from Palazzo Massimo.
from Fiumicino: 1:15am - 2:15am - 3:30am - 5am.
from Tiburtina: 12:30am - 1:15am - 2:30am - 3:45am.

CIAMPINO AIRPORT

Ciampino is Rome's smaller airport, used mostly by budget airlines and charter flights. To get to the center of Rome from Ciampino, take the COTRAL bus (€ 1.23) to Metro A:Anagnina, and then take the Metro (€ 0.92) to Termini. COTRAL buses run ever half-hour. Buses connecting Ciampino Airport with the center of Rome stop running at 11pm; the only way to get into town late at night is by taxi.

Taxis from the airports
The average fare for a taxi ride from Fiumicino or Ciampino to central Rome is 41.32 during the day, more expensive at night. After exiting the arrival halls at Fiumicino, you'll find the taxi stand. For further information on taxis in Rome, click here.
Note: You may be approached by illegal taxi drivers in the stations and at the airports. If you need a taxi, look for the official yellow or white metered taxis. There are taxi stands at both Fiumicino Airport and Termini station. In case of an agrument over the fare, be sure to take down the taxi driver's name and number, which can be found on the door of the taxi. Make sure that your taxi has a meter; insist on the metered fair rather than an arranged price.


BY TRAIN

Most intercity trains arrive at Termini station. A few trains, particularly those arriving late at night, may arrive at Tiburtina or Ostiense stations.

TERMINI STATION

The hub of Rome's transportation system can be confusing when you first arrive, but the following explanation of its layout should help you get oriented. Once you've gotten off the train and have walked down the platform, you will reach the Main Gallery. The exit by platform 1 will take you to the north side of Termini; the exit by platform 22 will take you to the south side of Termini. Brand new for 2000 was Forum Termini, an underground mall beneath the station, accessed by several sets of escalators along the Main Gallery. Forum Termini features such shops as United Colors of Benetton, Sephora, Ricordi MediaStore (selling CDs and tapes), and CONAD, a 24-hour supermarket. One of Rome's ubiquitious McDonald's offers you the chance to eat a Big Mac next to ruins from the 5th century B.C. From this lower level, you can also access the city's two subway lines, Metro A and Metro B. Back on the street level, continue away from the platforms and past the main gallery to reach the Main Hall, where you'll find the ticket and reservation windows. Exiting from the main hall, you'll find yourself in Piazza dei Cinquecento, the largest bus terminal in Rome. The night bus to Fiumicino Airport stops here as well, though you'll have to look very hard for the sign (at press time, the stop is on the Palazzo Massimo side).
Thanks to renovation services carried out for the 2000 Jubilee, the services at Termini have been greatly improved. This map locates essential services.
You'll also find an internet cafe, a phone center pharmacy, an electronics store, a travel agency, newsstands with international newspapers, a travel agency, and various restaurants and bars.

TIBURTINA STATION

The second largest train station in Rome is easily accessible by bus and Metro (Line B) from the center of the city. The slower and cheaper train and night bus to Fiumicino Airport leaves from here. Facilities at the station include a 24-hour supermarket and a currency exchange office. Across the piazza in front of the station you'll find the buses that depart for destinations all over Italy and abroad. The ticket offices are located nearby in the piazza nd around the corner on Circonvallazione Nomentana. From Termini, take Metro Line B to Tiburtina, or bus 649 to the end of the line.

Timetables and tickets

Reading Italian train timetables is not particularly complicated. Train timetables are posted around stations. In addition to the immense permanent tables located high above eye level, there are numerous with more extensive and current information. To find out if a train goes to the city you are trying to reach, you should check not only the Final Destination column on these yellow posters, but also the Pricipali Fermate (major stops) and the Annotazioni columns. The trains listed in green type (and some black trains leaving at night) are the normal slower trains. Trains listed in red type (IC, ED, EN, and ICN) are faster and require a supplement, while ES* (Eurostar) trains are the fastest and most expensive of all, requiring reservations on Saturday and Sunday.
People planning to travel around Italy may wish to consider buying a Kilometric Ticket (biglietto chilometrico). Presently € 110.52, this ticket is good for 3000 kilometers of travel within two months, and can be divided among up to five people.
Note: To avoid being fined, you must validate your ticket in one of the yellow boxes on the platform before boarding any train in Italy. This is true for all tickets (local, regional, IC, EC, ES, Kilometric) except the Eurail Pass.

Approximate train costs (one way)

•Rome-Florence: € 14.31; € 7.64 supplement for IC; € 14.00 supplement for ES.
•Rome-Naples: € 10.12; € 5.99 supplement for IC; € 11.57 supplement for ES.
•Rome-Milan: € 26.55; € 11.62 supplement for IC; € 18.49 supplement for ES.
•Rome-Venice: € 24.63; € 11.26 supplement for IC; € 18.75 supplement for ES.
•Rome-Brindisi: € 26.55; € 11.16 supplement for IC; € 17.15 supplement for ES.

Visit the official FS website for current prices.

Services for the diabled

In all major Italian train stations, you'll find an office dedicated to facilitating train travel for disabled people. Upon request (at least 24 hours in advance for Italian trains, three working days in advance for international trains) these centers can organize transportation for disabled people around the train stations of departure and arrival. Other services include wheelchair access, luggage transport, and train information. The Termini office is located by platform 1; the telephone number is 06 4881726. At Tiburtina, call 06 4730184; at Fiumicino, ring 06 47305300.

BY BUS

Tiburtina station is the main bus terminal for buses coming from or going to cities outside the region of Lazio. To reach the center from Tiburtina, take Metro Line B in the direction of Termini, or bus 649 or 492 from the piazza in front of the station.

BY CAR

While it is true that
tutte le strade portano a Roma (all roads lead to Rome), over the course of 2,500 years the Romans have built so many roads that it's difficult to actually reach the city center. If you are on the A1 highway from the north, take the exit marked Roma nord. If you are on the A1 highway from the south, take the exit marked Roma est. After a few kilometers, both of these exits take you to the GRA (Grande Raccordo Anulare), the ring road around the city linking the highways and thestrade statali (state roads, marked SS). the most important for the traveler are the Via Aurelia (Pisa, Livorno, Genova), the Via Cassia (Viterbo, Siena), the Via Flaminia (Umbria), the Via Tiburtina (Tivoli), the Via Appia Nouva (Ciampino Airport and the Castelli Romani), the Via Pontina (Circeo, Latina, Sabaudia, Sperlonga), and Via Cristoforo Colombo (Ostia). From the GRA, you'll also find the exit for the Autostrada Fiumicino (leading to Fiumicino-Leonardo da Vinci Airport), and the A24 highway to Abruzzi (including the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo and Pescara).

Parking

In areas like Termini and the Vatican, as well as in some other central areas, there are spaces indicated by blue lines where you can park for € 1.03 per hour. The hours of the day when you must pay for parking are usually from 8am to 8pm, and until 11pm in some parts of town. The tickets can be purchased either at the vending machines along the sidewalk (which take coins only),

tabacchis, or newsstands.
There are also some large public and private parking garages around the city. The most accessible are ParkSi (in the Villa Borghese; € 1.03 per hour for the first three hours, € 0.52 per hour from four to 15 hours, or € 7.75 per day). Other options include Parking Ludovisi, Via Ludovisi, 60, open from 5:30am to 1:30am, and Parking Termini, in front of the main train station, open from 6am to 1am. Both charge € 1.55 per hour or € 20.66 per day.

Another option is theparcheggi di scambio,
parking lots located near Metro stations a bit further away from the historical center of Rome (like Anagnina and Cinecittà on Line A, or Ponte Mammolo on Line B. From there, you can simply take the Metro into the center. At € 1.55 per day, the parking is very economical, but the lots are unattended.
Note: Non-resident cars are not allowed to drive in the historical center. If you are bringing a car to Rome, we recommend that you park it in the Termini or Vatican area and use public transportation (or your own two feet) to explore the historical center.