Tourism
You may have heard the old adage “all roads lead to Rome"...but once you're in Rome, how do you
navigate the city?
The core of the centro storico — where you'll find important monuments and piazzas like the Trevi
Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps — is fairly compact and walkable, but
chances are you'll need to use public transit or take a taxi at some point. Sure, you could walk the
2.6 miles between the Colosseum and the Vatican, but by the time you get there, you might be too
exhausted to appreciate it. Here's what you need to know about getting around town. Piazza del
Popolo is just at the entrance of the downtown pedestrian area, and is 2.3 km from the conference venue.
Local public transportation
An individual fare currently costs €1.50 (though there are rumors that it will increase to €2), and is
valid for 100 minutes for a one-way metro ride (line changes included) plus any combination of
buses and trams. You must validate the ticket upon first use, either in the metro turnstiles or in
the automatic machines aboard trams and buses. Tickets are sold in metro stations at the ticket
office (though not all metro stops have them) or in automatic ticket machines, as well as
in tabacchi (shops selling cigarettes). Tabacchi are designated by the
sign "tabaccaio" or the letter T.
You can easily get around Rome by bus, tram, or metro. With tap & go,
your ticket is already in your pocket. ATAC, the city's transit agency, has implemented
contactless payment, so you can simply tap your card at metro turnstiles.
If you're staying for a few days, you can buy a rechargeable metro card and refill it as you go or
purchase an unlimited pass for 24, 48, or 72 hours, or for a week or a month. We suggest to buy the
48 or 72 hours Roma Pass. Roma Pass allows free use of
the city's public transportation network, free entrance to 1 or 2 museums/attractions, and discounts on
other museums. ATAC's website also has
more information on tickets and passes.
Rome has 3 subway lines (A- B - C) and several bus routes covering almost all parts of Rome
and its suburbs. The metro operates between 5:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and runs
until 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Buses and trams generally operate from 5:30 a.m. until
11:30 p.m. After that, there are night buses, but they don't run as frequently and often take different
routes. Additional information on
tickets, offers, fares, maps, and directions is available,
as well as maps and information about the metro.
Using metro
Rome's metropolitana (or metro, as locals call it) is usually the fastest and cheapest way to get
from point A to point B. There are only three lines, so it's easy to navigate.
Line A (red or orange on metro maps) crosses the city from northwest to southeast. Along the line,
you'll find stops near top sights like the Vatican (Ottaviano), Piazza del Popolo (Flaminio), the
Spanish Steps (Spagna), the Trevi Fountain (Barberini), Piazza della Repubblica (Repubblica), and
Termini Station (Termini).
At Termini, you can change to Line B (blue on metro maps), which stops in Monti (Cavour), near the Colosseum (Colosseo), Circus Maximus (Circo Massimo), and the hip neighborhood of Ostiense (Piramide).
Line C (green on metro maps)—the newest line — currently goes from San Giovanni east to more residential areas and stops in Pigneto, an up-and-coming neighborhood full of street art and cool places to eat and drink. There are plans to extend Line C with stops at the Colosseum and Piazza Venezia (these new stops will probably ready by the start of the conference).
Using buses & trams
In addition to the metro, Rome has an extensive network of buses and trams that crisscross the
city. Of course, they're subject to traffic, so they're usually slower than the metro, but they go to
many places that the metro doesn't reach.
If you're standing at a bus or tram stop, you can look up at the signs to see the bus or tram number
and all the stops it makes in descending order. So if you're standing at a bus stop and you want to
take the bus to a stop that appears above the stop you're at, you need to cross the street and take
the bus in the other direction. Bus and tram drivers don't collect or sell tickets, so you need to already
have a ticket when you board.
With Google Maps, it's pretty easy to figure out the best route to take. You can also download
the Moovit app to get directions,
see all the stops on individual lines, and track buses in real time.
Using taxis
Taxis licensed by Rome City Council are white and bear the sign “TAXI” on their roofs. The symbol of Rome City Council is also clearly visible on the vehicle's front doors and the license number is shown inside the car on the back left door.
Taxi stands are designed by an orange sign, if no taxis are lined up, you usually only have to wait a
few minutes before one will arrive. If you want to call for a taxi, the central dispatch number is
063570. (Don't forget to put the country code +39 in front if you're calling from an international
phone.) You can also use an app like ITTaxi or
FreeNow.
Fares start at €3 on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., €5 on Sundays and public holidays from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and €7 from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. All taxis in Rome are required by law to have a POS machine, so you should be able to pay with a credit or debit card. Tipping isn't necessary, but feel free to round up to the next euro or leave a few euros if the driver has been especially helpful with loading and unloading heavy luggage.
Please note that Uber isn't really a thing in Rome. Technically, it's legal, but drivers need to be licensed
professionals, so they're few and far between. This type of service is known in Italy as NCC
(noleggio con conducente), and it's often used by hotels that arrange airport pick-ups and drop-offs
or by tour operators that arrange transportation for day trips and such. The car is usually a
black Mercedes, the driver is wearing a suit, and the price is correspondingly high.
Using e-bikes & scooters
There was a period during the pandemic when electric scooters and e-bikes became ubiquitous in
Rome, but the city has made an effort to reduce the number of them. That said, you can still find
them around and can rent them using apps like Lime and Uber. Just be careful if you decide to go
this route. Drivers can be rather unpredictable.
Currency & credit cards
Like in the rest of the European Union, the official currency is the Euro (€). The most common
credit cards are accepted in most of the businesses and hotels. Visa, MasterCard, American
Express, and Diners Club cards are widely accepted at hotels, department stores, shops, and
restaurants.
