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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 centre. Added to this, the ZTL (zona
traffico limitata) doesn’t allow non-resident cars into the historic centre
during the day ( 8am to 6pm ) Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings ( 8am to
1pm ). However, if you are determined to make the journey by car, follow these
directions: if you are on the A1 motorway 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 kilometres, both of these exits take you to
the GRA (Grande Raccordo Anulare), the ring road
around the city linking the highways and the strade 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)
Public
transportation
Rome 's Metro (subway) system is very useful
and quite safe as long as you are alert. Although the bus network is extensive
and buses run frequently (though they're still crowded!), the Metro is much
simpler to master.
Note: Rome is a very safe
city, but you should be careful of pickpockets on crowded buses and Metro trains.
Carry your money and documents in a secure bag or money belt in front of you,
and always keep an eye on where other people's hands are!
Tickets
Tickets for both the bus system and Metro
can be purchased from tabacchis, bars, or vending machines at metro
stations and major bus stops. There are three main types:
- B.I.T.
Euro 1.00 Standard ticket, valid for one Metro ride or 75 minutes on all buses.
- B.I.G.
Euro 4.00 Daily ticket, valid for unlimited metro, bus, and train travel
within the Comune di Roma. This includes Ostia , but not Fiumicino airport or
Tivoli .
- B.T.I.
Euro 11.00 3-day tourist ticket, valid for everything
listed under the B.I.G ticket.
- C.I.S.
Euro 16.00 Weekly ticket, valid for everything listed under the B.I.G. ticket.
Note: Although it may
appear to be so, the bus and metro system is not free! For the Metro, validate
your ticket before boarding the train. For the bus, look for the orange stamping
machines onboard. If you are caught without a validated ticket, the fine is Euro
51.00
Metro
The Metro system has only two lines, A and
B, which cross at Termini. You'll find that the Metro bypasses much of the
historical center, which can be frustrating when you're trying to reach the
famous sights and characteristic neighborhoods. The reason for this is that
there is still so much of ancient Rome beneath the modern city that they can't
dig a tunnel for the trains without running into 2,000 year-old brick walls,
mosaic pavements, and marble columns! You can see some evidence of this in the
Repubblica and Termini stations.
Trains run approximately every 7-10 minutes,
from 5:30am until 11:30pm every day (until 12:30am on Saturdays).
Note: The Metro stations on
Line A do not have handicapped facilities (except for Cipro-Musei Vaticani and
Valle Aurelia); alternatively, bus 590 does the same route as the Metro line and
has wheelchair access. (See the list of useful bus lines below.) All the metro
stations on Line B are fully wheelchair accessible except Circo Massimo,
Colosseo, and Cavour. (Cavour is accessible only at the entrance for direction
Laurentina).
Useful Metro stops
- Spanish Steps:
Line A: Spagna.
- Vatican
Museums: Line A: Cipro/Musei
Vaticani.
- St. Peter's
Basilica: Line A: Ottaviano.
- Colosseum:
Line B: Colosseo.
- Circus Maximus
and Aventine Hill: Line B:
Circo Massimo.
Buses
There are hundreds of bus lines, running
from 5:30am until midnight . All buses run in both directions.
The most useful for the traveler are:
- 40 Express:
Termini (Viale Einaudi) - Via Nazionale - Piazza Venezia - Largo Argentina -
Chiesa Nuova - Piazza Pia (for Castel S. Angelo and St. Peter's)
- 64:
Termini (Viale Einaudi) - Via Nazionale - Piazza Venezia - Largo
Argentina - Corso Vittorio Emanuele - Stazione S. Pietro (basically the same
route as the 40 Express except it's smaller, more crowded, and makes many more
stops)
- H:
Termini (Viale Einaudi) - Via Nazionale - Piazza Venezia - Largo
Argentina - Ponte Garibaldi - Viale Trastevere - (then continues into the
western suburbs, ending at Via Capasso)
- 8 Tram:
Connects the historic center with Trastevere. Largo Argentina - Ponte
Garibaldi - Piazza G.G. Belli - Piazza Mastai - Piazza Ippolito Nievo -
Stazione Trastevere - Monteverde - Casaletto
- 492:
Stazione Tiburtina - San Lorenzo - Termini - Piazza Barberini - Piazza Venezia
- Corso Rinascimento - Piazza Cavour - Piazza Risorgimento (for the Vatican
Museums)
- 23:
Piazzale Clodio - Piazza Risorgimento - Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II -
Lungotevere - Ponte Garibaldi - Lungotevere - Via Marmorata - Piazzale
Ostiense - Basilica di S. Paolo
- 170:
Termini - Via Nazionale - Piazza Venezia - Via del Teatro di Marcello -
Bocca della Verità - (then south to Testaccio and EUR, ending at Piazzale
dell'Agricoltura)
- 714:
Termini - Piazza S. Maria Maggiore - Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano -
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla - (then south to EUR, ending at Piazzale P.L.
Nervi)
- 590:
Handicapped facilities. Same route as Metro Line A, but it runs every
90 minutes (schedule posted at the bus stop).
Electric buses
In an effort to minimize pollution in the
small backstreets of the historic center, the city has established several
electric bus lines to navigate alleyways barely wide enough for a Vespa. They do
not run on Sundays.
- 116:
Via Veneto - Piazza Barberini - Piazza di Spagna - Corso Rinascimento - Campo
de' Fiori - Piazza Farnese - Via Monserrato - Via Giulia - Campo de' Fiori -
Corso Rinascimento - Pantheon - Piazza Colonna - Piazza Barberini - Via Veneto
(It also does a loop inside the Villa Borghese, stopping near the Galleria
Borghese, before making its final stop at the top of Via Veneto.)
- 117:
Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano - Piazza del Colosseo - Via dei Serpenti -
Largo Tritone - Piazza di Spagna - Piazza del Popolo - Via del Corso - Piazza
Venezia - Piazza del Colosseo - Via Labicana - Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano
- 119:
Piazza del Popolo - Via del Corso - Largo Goldoni - Piazza Venezia -
Via del Tritone - Piazza Barberini - Piazza di Spagna - Via del Babuino -
Piazza del Popolo
Night buses
(from 12:30am to 5:30am )
There are over 20 night bus lines. The main
terminal stations are Termini (Piazza dei Cinquecento) and Piazza Venezia. From
these two piazzas buses leave for all directions every 30 minutes. You can
recognize bus stops for the night buses by signs with an owl on the top.
The most useful night bus routes:
- 78N:
Piazzale Clodio - Piazzale Flaminio - Piazza Cavour - Largo di Torre Argentina
- Piazza Venezia - Via Nazionale - Stazione Termini. A good bus to know if
your hotel is near Termini but you plan to be out late in the historic center.
- 40N:
Same route as Metro Line B. Good connection between Testaccio (use the
stop at Piramide, in Piazzale Ostiense) and Termini, or if you need to catch a
night train from Tiburtina station.
- 55N:
Same route as Metro Line A.
- 29N:
Piazzale Ostiense - Lungotevere Aventino - Lungotevere de' Cenci (across the
Tiber from Trastevere) - Via Crescenzio (Vatican area) - Via Barletta - Piazza
Marina (Flaminio) - Via Belle Arti - Viale Liegi (Parioli) - Viale Regina
Margherita - Via dei Marrucini (San Lorenzo) - Via Labicana (Colosseum) -
Viale Aventino - Piazzale Ostiense
Useful bus lines
Vatican
- From Termini, 40 Express
or 64
- From the Colosseum, walk
5 minutes to Piazza Venezia, then 40 Express or 64;
- From Trastevere, 23 (across
the river at Lungotevere de' Cenci)
Spanish Steps & Trevi Fountain
- From Termini, 492 or 175
to Via del Tritone; or J2
- From the Vatican , 62 or
492 to Via del Tritone
- From Trastevere, Tram 8
to Largo Argentina then 62 to Via del Tritone
Colosseum
- From Termini, 40
Express, 170, or 64 to Piazza Venezia, then walk for 5 minutes
- From Vatican , 40
Express, 64 or 62 to Piazza Venezia,
- From Trastevere, Tram 8
to Largo Argentina , then bus 87
Pantheon, Piazza Navona & Campo de'
Fiori
- From Termini, 40 Express
or 64 to Largo Argentina
- From the Vatican , 40
Express, 64 or 62 to Largo Argentina
- From Trastevere, don't
be lazy--cross the bridge and walk for 5 minutes!
Trastevere
- From Termini, 40 Express
or 64 to Largo Argentina , then Tram 8 to Viale Trastevere.
From the Vatican , 23 to
Ponte Sisto, Ponte Garibaldi, or Ponte Cestio
Taxi
If you need a taxi, remember to look for the official metered
yellow or white taxis. There are taxi ranks in many locations throughout the
center, but is virtually impossible to hail one driving down the street,
particularly at night. To call for a taxi within Rome , try 06 3570, 06 4994, 06
6645, 06 5551, or 06 8822.
The system of taxi fares is mind-bogglingly complicated:
The meter starts at Euro 2.33 from 7am-10pm Mon-Sat (excluding
holidays); Euro 4.91 from 10pm-7am every day; Euro 3.36 from 7am-10pm Sundays
and holidays. “Scatti” (clicks of the meter) in the city are Euro 0.11 per 19.2
seconds. Do not feel obliged to leave a tip if service has not been good. If you
would like to leave a gratuity, round up to the next euro.
Rome for
free
Some of the most important and beautiful
sites in Rome can be experienced gratis.
Always free:
- Roman Forum
- Capitoline Hill
- Trevi Fountain
- Spanish Steps
- Pantheon
- Colosseum (exterior)
- Castel Sant'Angelo (exterior)
- Mouth of Truth
- Piazza Navona
- St. Peter's Basilica
And don't forget, every church in Rome is
free. Whether you have a passion for mosaics, paintings, sculptures, or martyrs'
bones and relics, there are world-class examples of each inside almost every
church in the historical centre.
Free the last
Sunday of the month:
- Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
And for EC
citizens...
EC citizens aged 18 years and under or 65
and over are entitled to free admission to most of the museums and monuments of
Rome , on production of a passport.
Views
The Capitoline
Hill (Piazza del Campidoglio)
This spectacular Renaissance piazza is one of the best spots in Rome ,
especially at sunset and later. In the middle of its Michelangelo-designed
pavement, you'll find a bronze statue of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius on
horseback (a beautiful copy of the original which is now inside the Capitoline
Museums). From the terraces on either side of the Palazzo Senatorio there are
powerful views over the Roman Forum.
The Janiculum
Hill (Gianicolo)
Look down over all of Rome 's monuments. Reach the summit by walking from Via
Garibaldi, Trastevere. The cannon goes off every day at noon . Bus 870 from
Piazza Fiorentini (off Corso Vittorio Emanuele, where it meets the Tiber ).
The Aventine Hill
(Aventino)
Orange Garden (Giardino degli Aranci or Parco Savello) offers one of Rome 's
most picturesque gardens, with a beautiful view over Trastevere. Just down the
street (about 20m from the end, on your right) from the Orange Garden , you'll
find a small key hole in a large green door that offers a memorable view of the
dome of St. Peter's. Metro Line B: Circo Massimo, then walk north along the
Circus Maximus and turn left up the hill (Via Valle Murcia to Via di Santa
Sabina).
The Pincian Hill (Pincio)
Part of the Borghese Gardens , raised up above Piazza del Popolo, near the
Spanish Steps. From here there are spectacular vistas of St. Peter's and the
Victor Emanuel monument. Metro Line A: Spagna.
Another fantastic view is from the
Palatine Hill, above the Roman Forum. It does cost
EUro 10 to go to this magnificent spot, but it's well worth it.
Banks
There are banks on almost every
corner in Rome . Normal business hours are 8:45am-1:30pm, 2:45pm-4pm Monday to
Friday; some of them have longer opening hours on Thursdays and are also open
Saturday mornings. Banks can change cash and travellers' cheques, with a
commission of Euro 3.10 to Euro 5.16
Automatic teller machines
Most of the banks
in the city have 24-hour automatic teller machines, or "bancomats."
Cards with the Cirrus symbol are accepted almost everywhere, but
you may have to look a little harder to find a machine that takes
the Star symbol. The following are just a few suggestions:
-
Termini Area:
Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL), corner of Via Marsala and Via Solferino.
Banca di Roma, Via Solferino. Banca di Roma, Via Gioberti.
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Spanish Steps:
Deutsche Bank, Largo Tritone 161. If you have a problem with your Visa or
Mastercard, come directly here, as it is the main branch in Rome for
international cardholders.
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Vatican:
Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, Piazza Risorgimento, 27. Monte dei Paschi di Siena
(Visa, MC, Cirrus, EC), Via Cola di Rienzo, 240.
The exchange rate at the ATMs
is very good, so the only extra fee you'll pay is whatever your bank at home
charges for international withdrawals.
How
to use a phone
Coin-operated telephones have become
almost obsolete in Italy. You can still find a few of these old-world
contraptions here and there, but you'll have much more luck finding public
phones that take the scheda telefonica. These plastic cards are sold in
denominations of Euro 2.50, Euro 5, and Euro 10, and are available in tabacchis,
post offices, most newsstands, and some bars. You'll need to break off the
perforated corner of the card before you can use it. Remember that even the
local calls are timed, so if you are using coins, be sure to put enough money
in. A short local call is usually Euro 0.20
Note: Note: Phone calls to land lines
within Italy are quite inexpensive, but if you have a number which starts with
338, 335, 339, 349, 347, 368, etc. If you dial one of these, you are calling a
telefonino (cell phone), credit disappears much faster!
International Calls
International calls can be made at any
public telephone box, either using an Italian card or your own calling/credit
card.
To place direct international calls you
must dial the following sequence:
00 + country code + area code + local
number
24 Hours Emergency
numbers
- 113 -
Police (Polizia)
- 112 -
Carabinieri
- 118 -
Ambulance (Red Cross)
- 115 - Fire
(You can also call the Police or Carabinieri
in case of fire or medical emergency.)
Health care
E.C. Citizens are entitled to free health
care but must show the E111 form. Australians are also entitled to free
healthcare upon presentation of a valid MediCare card. Other foreign citizens
are entitled to free emergency treatment at public hospitals.
Hospitals
- Policlinico Umberto I
The closest to Termini. Metro Line B: Policlinico.
- Fatebenefratelli On
Tiber Island , between the Ghetto and Trastevere. Bus 23.
- Ospedale San Giacomo Via
Canova, 29. Close to Via del Corso and the Spanish Steps. Metro Line A:
Spagna.
- George Eastman The only
24-hour dental hospital hospital. Viale Regina Elena, 287. Metro Line B:
Policlinico.
- San Gallicano Skin
hospital. Via S. Gallicano, Trastevere. Tram 8.
Embassies can supply a list of doctors who
speak English (or other languages).
Pharmacies
There are pharmacies (farmacie) all
over Rome , recognizable by a green cross ouside. A few suggestions:
- Corso Rinascimento, 48 (near Piazza
Navona). Bus 492 or 64.
- Farmacia Internazionale.
Piazza Barberini. Metro Line A: Barberini.
- Stazione Termini, Main Gallery.
Open daily 7:30am -10pm. Metro Line A or B: Termini.
Late Night Pharmacies
All pharmacies have a list posted outside
that indicates the pharmacies in the area which are open late at night. A few
suggestions:
- Piazza dei Cinquecento, 49-50-51.
Tel. 06 4880019. Bus 78N to Termini.
- Via Nazionale, 228. Tel.
06 4880754. Bus 78N to Via Nazionale.
Via Cola di Rienzo, 213.
Tel. 06 3243130. Bus to Via Cola di Rienzo.
Lost or
stolen documents
Passports
First you must file a report at a
Carabinieri or Polizia station. Both have offices at Termini station. Otherwise,
you can go to one of the following central police stations:
- Carabinieri - Via
Mentana, 6 (north of Termini) or Piazza Venezia (no number, but you can't miss
it!)
- Polizia - Via Farini, 40
(south of Termini), Via S. Vitale, 15 (off Via Nazionale to the north), or
Piazza del Collegio Romano, 3 (near Piazza Venezia).
Once you have filed a report at one of these
offices, go to your embassy.
Travellers' Cheques
Remember to keep your cheques and the
receipt for them SEPARATE.
Before filing the police report as above
call the toll-free number given by your bank.
- AmEx:
800 872 000
- Thomas Cook/Mastercard:
800 872 050
- Visa:
800 874 155
Lost or Stolen Credit Cards
Call the appropriate toll-free number listed below, then file a police report as
above.
- AmEx:
06 72280371 (US cardholders: 800 874 333)
- Diner's Club:
800 864 064
- Mastercard:
800 870 866
- Visa:
800 877 232
Insurance
In order to make any claims you must always FILE A POLICE
REPORT. Then follow the procedure given by your insurance carrier.
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