The historical center of Rome is relatively small (about 2.5 km from the Colosseum to Plaza de España), which makes it possible to travel between MANY popular attractions even on foot. Nevertheless, no matter how you like to walk around Rome, it is unlikely that you will be able to avoid getting acquainted with the public transport system of the Eternal City, and therefore we decided to devote a separate post to it.
Rome transport system
Rome belongs to those cities that are best explored with their feet. For example, the self-guided tour of Rome, compiled by BlogoItaliano, in order to be able to reach the main attractions of the Eternal City in one day as much as possible, the link to the route is designed specifically for walking. But if your hotel is not in the very center, but a little to the side, then acquaintance with transport cannot be avoided.
Roma Termini - the main hub of Rome, where the main traffic flows intersect
Municipal company whose responsibility includes support, development and control public transportation in rome called ATAC (Agenzia del trasporto autoferrotranviario del Comune di Roma). At the end of this post you will find a link to her official website if some questions remain unsolved.
The backbone of the public transport system is a wide network of bus routes that connects all the ends of the city. In addition, in Rome there are 6 tram and several trolleybus lines.
Roman bus on Via del Corso
By Moscow or even Kiev standards Roman metro relatively small and has only three lines, two of which - A (orange) and B (blue) - intersect under the main railway station Roma termini. In the coming years, the metro in Rome is planned to be significantly expanded through the construction of new lines and stations.
The public transport system also includes three lines of city trains Roma-Lido, Roma-Pantano and Roma-Viterbo.
Tickets for public transport are sold at newsstands or tobacconists, as well as at vending machines located at metro stations and major bus stops.
Metro in Rome
As we noted above, in Rome there are only 3 metro lines: Orange (Line A), Blue (Line B) and C (Green). The Roman metro goes around the Historical Center rather than through it, but with it you can still reach many key points of the Eternal City, saving you considerable time.
The metro is open from 5:30 in the morning until 23:30 in the evening (until 01:30 on Fridays and Saturdays). The interval between trains is about 7-10 minutes. More details about the Roman subway - in the article Metro in Rome: map, cost, time of work.
Ground transportation
The bus system of Rome has more than three hundred routes. Most bus lines operate from 5:30 in the morning until midnight.
Colosseo Roman Metro Station - Near Coliseum
Night buses in Rome
About 20 night bus lines operate in Rome from 00:30 to 5:30 in the morning. The main terminals of night buses are Termini (Piazza dei Cinquecento) and Venice Square. Buses depart from these areas in all directions at intervals of 30 minutes. Tickets for night routes are purchased on board.
Ticket price
BIT - One Time Ticket
A one-time ticket worth 1.5 euros allows you to use city transport routes and is valid for 100 minutes from the moment of composting. An exception is the metro, on which this ticket is valid only for a single trip. When using the subway, you can make transfers, however, without going beyond the turnstiles.
BIG - Daily Ticket
Although we called this ticket a daily allowance, in fact it is valid until 24:00 on the day of composting. It is valid throughout the Rome public transport system with no limits within its validity period. The cost of such a ticket is 7 euros.
Rome fares - metro ticket machine photo
BTI - Single Travel Ticket
A single tourist ticket is the best solution if you plan to stay in Rome for about 3 days. The ticket is valid for three days from the moment of composting and allows you to use the public transport system of the Eternal City without restrictions. The cost of a single tourist ticket is 18 euros.
By the way, there is a version of such a ticket for 2 days. Its cost is 12.5 Euros.
CIS - Single ticket for the week
A single weekly ticket is similar to the previous option with the only difference being that it is valid for 7 days from the moment of composting. The cost is also slightly higher - 24 euros.
OMNIA Card
OMNIA Card is not exactly a travel card. Rather, it is a single solution for visiting Rome for 3 days, the price of which also includes a 72-hour ticket and trips on a double-decker tour bus along the routes in the city center with an audio guide in Russian.
In addition to transport options, OMNIA Card holders can visit the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Borghese Gallery and other TOP attractions in Rome for free.
Omnia Card - a mix of transport and attractions
If you are planning an extensive sightseeing program in the Eternal City, then the OMNIA Card will help to save a lot. More detailed information about the card itself, what is included in it and how to purchase it, can be read on this page.
Also in Rome there is also the opportunity to purchase tickets focused on movement in the region, as well as travel tickets for public transport for periods of more than a week. You can learn more about these options on the ATAC website.
Helpful advice: If you are an iPhone user, we recommend that you also take a closer look at the Russian-language audio guide in Rome. It covers more than 60 popular attractions, works without the cost of mobile traffic and is equipped with a convenient map with GPS navigation, which makes it easy to find the way to points of the route, even if this is your first time in the city.
The cost of the full version of the audio guide in Rome is only € 5, which is much cheaper than even the most budget tours. Moreover, it also has a test version, in which 5 excursion points are available for free. You can download the audio guide to your iPhone on this page.
Double decker coach buses
In addition to public transport itself, tourist double-decker bus routes are also widely represented in Rome. They are not included in the municipal transport system, and regular tickets and travel tickets are not valid for them.
At the same time, tourist buses have their own lines covering almost all the main attractions of Rome. In each of them there are audio guides, including in Russian, telling about the places that the bus passes.
A network of tourist bus routes covers the entire center
Tickets for such routes must be purchased separately. They can operate both day and several days, during which you can use these buses without restrictions.
You can see the routes of tourist buses and check their ticket prices using the links below.
Useful links:
- Map of the center of Rome with public transport - here
- Night Routes - Rome Night Bus Routes
- Roman Metro Scheme
- ATAC official website
- How to get to Rome from Fiumicino Airport
- From Civitavecchia to Rome: how to get there
- Rome Guide: Your Man in the Eternal City
