GETTING AROUND
Finding your way aroundRome is a great city to explore, as there is something around every corner!
Your hotel will provide you with a free map of Rome, which is all you need to make your way around
the greater part of the city.
If you use the major monuments as your guide, you will never get lost.
The major monuments (the Colosseum, Pantheon, Victor Emmanuel Monument, St Peters Basilica etc,)
are illustrated on the maps, so if you are looking for a street close to the Pantheon, for example,
go to the Pantheon and find it from there.
Just be careful, as the pictures of the monuments are not always facing in the correct direction!
Important Tip: Wear comfortable shoes!!
This is a very important factor to remember. You should lways wear your most comfortable footwear
when visiting these cobbled and paved streets, and yes ladies (or gents, if that's your thing!), that means NO HEELS!
You should prepare for a lot of walking when you visit Rome, or prepare to miss a lot.
The Metro
The Roma Metrò is the best way of getting around to most of the sites.
Rome Survival Guide
Rome is a unique modern city, in that the ancient city preserved below the modern streets often cannot be disturbed,
so city planners and metro engineers have to work with archaeologists to determine where they may build
a subway station!
This has caused, and continues to cause, severe problems to commuters,
many of whom are forced to bring their cars into the city, which leads to its own problems.
That said, for the tourist, a good deal of what you want to visit is accessible by the underground,
which compared to other major cities is very easy to learn and also good value.
A single trip costs just €1, and the ticket is valid also for trams and buses, for 75 minutes from when you validate it. A one-day ticket is good value if you plan on making more than 4 trips, as it costs €4
and expires at midnight of the day on which you validate it. A 3-day ticket costs €11.
There are two lines (for now) – the Red Line (Linea A) and the Blue Line (Linea B).
Linea A goes from Battistini to Anagnina, and Linea B goes from Rebbibia to Laurentina.
The most important station is Termini, as it is the only station which is common to both lines.
It is also the main train station in Rome, and the main bus terminal is just outside the station in Piazza Cinquecento, so this is a very busy station , especially this year as the station is undergoing some major changes.
Here are the major stations you should know about, when visiting Rome for the first time.
For information & maps, visit
the Roma Metrò website
(Italian only)
This has caused, and continues to cause, severe problems to commuters,
many of whom are forced to bring their cars into the city, which leads to its own problems.
That said, for the tourist, a good deal of what you want to visit is accessible by the underground,
which compared to other major cities is very easy to learn and also good value.
A single trip costs just €1, and the ticket is valid also for trams and buses, for 75 minutes from when you validate it. A one-day ticket is good value if you plan on making more than 4 trips, as it costs €4
and expires at midnight of the day on which you validate it. A 3-day ticket costs €11.
There are two lines (for now) – the Red Line (Linea A) and the Blue Line (Linea B).
Linea A goes from Battistini to Anagnina, and Linea B goes from Rebbibia to Laurentina.
The most important station is Termini, as it is the only station which is common to both lines.
It is also the main train station in Rome, and the main bus terminal is just outside the station in Piazza Cinquecento, so this is a very busy station , especially this year as the station is undergoing some major changes.
Here are the major stations you should know about, when visiting Rome for the first time.
For information & maps, visit
the Roma Metrò website
(Italian only)
The Metro System
Traffic
It is “every man for himself” on Rome’s roads – you really have to see it to believe it.Although it can be daunting trying to simply cross the roads at first, after a few days most people
become used to the “system” and can confidently make their way around.
The first thing you need to learn is that drivers do not follow the rules.
Okay, they will stop at a red light (usually), but they do not stop at pedestrian crossings unless they have to. Pedestrian crossings are black-and-white stripes on the road, and while some are accompanied by traffic lights, the majority are not.
Intimidation is the name of the game when there are no lights at a pedestrian crossing.
By the letter of the law, the pedestrian has right of way, but that does not stop drivers
from accelerating rather than braking when they see somebody trying to cross.
No-one will stop to let you cross if you stand on the footpath - you need to step onto the road,
make eye-contact with the driver and let him know that you are crossing and he had better stop!
Even the police do not stop at pedestrian crossings, so don’t expect help from the law in this matter.
It is an accepted notion that this law is not to be obeyed, so assert yourself but be careful.
|
Linea A Ottaviano (the Vatican) Flaminio (Piazza del Popolo) Termini Spagna (Spanish Steps) San Giovanni (St. John of Lateran) Barberini (Palazzo Barberini) |
Linea B Colosseo (the Colosseum) Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus) Termini Basilica San Paolo (St. Pauls) Piramide (trains to Ostia) Tiburtina (bus & train station) |
Traffic
Finally, even when someone has stopped to let you cross the road,
look out for the scooters and motorbikes
that will zoom around the stopped vehicle.
Going outside Rome
If you are looking to visit places outside of Rome, some places you can visit with less than one hour-s drive include:
Ostia Antica
Ostia beach
Tivoli
the Appian Way
Castel Romano
Christian catacombs.
If you want to travel further from Rome, Florence, Cinqueterra and Pompeii are all highly recommended, and can be visited in a day each.
CAR RENTAL
If you are planning to rent a car in Italy, you can find the cheapest deals for car hire
at Rome airport with this easy to use car hire comparison site, absolutely free.
Going outside Rome
If you are looking to visit places outside of Rome, some places you can visit with less than one hour-s drive include:
Ostia Antica
Ostia beach
Tivoli
the Appian Way
Castel Romano
Christian catacombs.
If you want to travel further from Rome, Florence, Cinqueterra and Pompeii are all highly recommended, and can be visited in a day each.
CAR RENTAL
If you are planning to rent a car in Italy, you can find the cheapest deals for car hire
at Rome airport with this easy to use car hire comparison site, absolutely free.
Going Oustside Rome
What Our Clients Say
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“Our tour guide was outstanding. His knowledge of Rome and history was impressive.
He had a natural ability to communicate this wealth of knowledge in a way
that was easy to grasp and enjoyable. I look forward to visiting Rome again
in the future and highly recommend your company to everyone.
Thank you for a wonderful day in Rome full of amazing memories!”
– Shauna, USA -
“We had a great tour and we were very impressed and overwhelmed with the guide’s
abundance of knowledge! He was great and made it wonderful because we learned so much!
The group size was small which was very nice.
I will definitely recommend your company to others traveling to Rome!
Thank you.” - Kim, U.S. -
“Tour with Richie was wonderful. Everything we expected and more.
It was singlely the best decision we made when planning our trip!
Richie was very knowledgable and we enjoyed spending the day with him.”
– Kristy, USA -
“All three of our guides' level of historical, archeological and artistic expertise
is to be highly commended. I cannot say enough positive words about all three tours.”
- Wendy, Connecticut. -
“Your 3 tours made our time in Rome really worthwhile.
The sunset one with Richie was great; he was so helpful and informative.
The Vatican tour with Alexandra was equally good
and we could not get over how much of a difference it made to the holiday.
Thanks too for the easy to understand directions and meeting places,
we had absolutely no problems at all.
You are all wonderful……..” – Jenny, Slough -
“We had a wonderful tour and Richie was a great guide!
He was wonderful with the children (ages 7 and 4) as well as us adults.
We highly recommend him to others!
Thank you for helping us have a truly wonderful experience in Rome!
Also, a special hello and thank you to Richie!!
We still talk about him!”
- Susan, USA.