Getting Around
If you arrive in Rome by airplane, you can take a taxicab or a train from the international airport into the city proper. Stazione Termini is the main train station, welcoming local as well as international trains, so the odds are you will enter the city here. The city's main bus station is directly across the street from this train depot, and a lot of the inexpensive hotels that cater to tourists are within walking distance. The network for buses and trams in Rome is extensive, with more than 8,000 stops.
Alert
If you can walk, take a train, or ride a bus to get around Rome, do it — and skip the taxicabs altogether. The city is quite congested with traffic, not to mention designed with old roadways that aren't in an easy-to-manage grid system. A twenty-mile ride can take more than an hour, and the meter is always running.
Bus and Metro Tickets
There are vending machines where you can purchase bus and metro tickets at all the major stops, and you can also sometimes get tickets at local bars. Bus tickets can usually be purchased onboard. Tickets come in several varieties: one-way, daily pass, three-day tourist, and weekly pass. Prices range from 16 for a weekly pass.
Whether you're riding the bus or the metro, you have to validate your ticket at the beginning of your journey so your fare can be accurately calculated when you arrive at your destination. Buses have onboard validation machines, while the metro stops have the machines in the terminal, before you get onboard.
Taxis
The officially licensed taxis in Rome are yellow or white and have meters to keep track of your time inside and the rate being charged. Rates change depending on the time of day, so you could pay more one day over the next for the exact same ride.
Rome has far fewer taxicabs per resident than most other modern cities, which can make hailing a cab on the street virtually impossible, especially at night. If you think you might need a taxi, talk with your hotel concierge about a recommended service, and keep the phone number handy so that you can call the driver as needed.
On Foot
Rome itself is huge, but the old city center where a lot of the favorite tourist attractions are located is actually quite easy to walk. It takes most people about 45 minutes, for instance, to walk from the Colosseum to Vatican City. From the Colosseum to the Spanish Steps is about a 30-minute walk.
If that level of physical exertion doesn't intimidate you, then go for it. The streets are typically clean and safe, and there's lots of beautiful architecture to enjoy along the way. You will quickly notice that a lot of other tourists are walking in the same places you are, with plenty of trattorias and other eateries lining the most popular routes so that you can make pit stops as needed.
