Walking in Rome

cindy,
we spent 4 days in april in rome, stayed 5 min from termini and we walked all over rome. we even walked back from the vatican to our hotel, did take a bus there. we though rome was agreat walking city. you can et what ever you need at the termini as far as bus, train, etc.. passes and or tickets. good luck :):)

Central Rome is quite compact. I was surprised how easy it was to walk anywhere. It adds up to A LOT of walking just because there is so much to see. But walking is indeed the best mode of travel.

We did take a taxi the morning we went to the Vatican (6 Euro). We just wanted to be sure to be on time for our tour. In the afternoon we walked back stopping at Piazza Novona and the Panthon so it wasn't too long of a walk in one stage.

We also did lots and lots of walking in Rome. We were staying in the Largo Argentina area, and this allowed us foot access to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, etc. We did end up taking a bus to the Vatican but we had a tour booked in the morning and weren't sure how long it would take. If you do end up taking the bus, be aware that you buy tickets at a neighbourhood Tabacchi and you need to validate the ticket once you get on the bus. We didn't catch onto this at first and we travelled on the bus one day not having validated our ticket. Seemed a little odd that no one asked for it - - - and as it turned out it was a free trip since we used the ticket the next time - but validated it!

The limited Metro lines are good for trips up to the Vatican (Use either single use 1 Euro tickets or daily passes(3-5 Euro?) and there are a few handy main bus routes that use the same ticket it would be valuable to figure out. tickets can be bought easily at the Termini or at almost any tobacco/news stand. Make sure you validate or stamp the ticket when you get on the bus! Other than that, you can walk almost everywhere

Cindy - from Termini you will be able to easily walk to many sites in Rome. Also, that area is the
center" of the transportation system in Rome. Make sure to bring comfortable, well broken-in shoes to walk Rome as much of it is cobblestone.

To ride the metro/bus/trolley system you will need a ticket, and as suggested above, make sure it's validated. Randomly, inspectors will board buses and it's an on-the-spot 50 Euro fine if you do not have a ticket or your ticket is not validated. Again, these are "random" inspections but not an issue you want to have. Validation machines are located in the front and back of the buses.

One-time usage tickets are 1 Euro and are good for 75 minutes of travel on the bus. They are also good for ONE metro trip during those 75 minutes. To purchase a daily pass, it will cost you 4 Euros. Weekly passes are 16 Euros and the Mensile, the monthly pass which I use, is 30 Euros. Annual passes are also available for locals! On many buses you may not see ANYONE validate... that's because most folks have the mensile and you do not need to validate these. Unfortunately, tourists do not realize this and often think the buses are free - or they do not have to validate their ticket. The ATAC random inspectors have no tolerance for this line of thought!

Ciao,
Ron

As a compromise, how about taking the Metro from Termini to the Vatican for 1E and walk back?

Hi Cindy,
Rome can totally be walked in 3 days. I didn't find it hard to do at all, and in fact, used a taxi only when we were transporting luggage and also to make sure we got to our Vatican tour location on time. Other than that, we walked the entire city. And we all know that you see and absorb so much more by walking then by taking the bus or metro. So bottom line, if you're able to walk...do it. Enjoy!

Definitely doable. We found it helpful to carry a small compass everywhere in Italy. It's very easy to get turned around since you're walking on roads based on old oxcart paths. And you can't always orient by the position of the sun.

I also walked all over Rome. Seems like I walked for miles and miles. I did buy a Roma pass and took the metro from the Repubblica station(very close to Termini) when I went to the Vatican. I also used the bus frequently.
It was all very easy with the map that came with my RomaPass.
I am an avid walker and enjoyed the walk from the Borghese Gallery thru the park to the end of the Courso (sp?)
I saw so many things on the way and enjoyed every step.

Rome is very compact. You will have no trouble walking the city. have fun!!!

Get a Roma Pass. They sell them at the TI in Termini. It is worth the money and includes a metro bus pass for 3 days. In Rome I walked, bused and metro. I had a hard time taking buses from termini to where i wanted to be but finding one going back to Termini is really east (They all end there for the most part) BEWARE of the pickpockets esp on the buses and ALWAYS validate your card on the bus. Set aside some money for a couple cab rides there are a couple places you may find hard to reach by public transport.

Do you have a Rick Steves Rome or Italy travel book? He tells you in the book which buses or metro (subways) to take to get to all the sights.
Don't take a cab if you don't have to...it is money that you could use for souveniers!
Easy to take the bus or metro. Try it. It is fun.
One thing...my bag was stolen in Rome...WEAR A MONEY BELT especially on the buses/metro and everywhere else.
Angela from Canada

Cindy, one of the highlights of my life was an evening stroll of the fountains of Rome. I got a walking map and it was spectacular! I'mgoingback this year and I hope I can find that map again so I can share this adventure with my travel friends.

METRO PASS...it's a must to skip lines and provides you with three days of metro/bus travel. We were glad we had it b/c we rode the bus to the Appian Way to see the catacombs.

As others have mentioned, you can walk pretty much anywhere from Termini. One advantage to staying in the area is that in the morning, you'll be walking downhill; I tended to only catch a bus for the uphill walk back at night. Termini is a central location for many bus lines so no matter where you find yourself you can hop a bus back to the area.

We stayed in Rome, driving but we parked our car for the whole stay and walked, walked walked!! It was the most exhausting part of our trip, but also very interesting. We saw it all, got the real feel of Rome and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. But now when I think of Rome, I get tired!!LOL!!

Two words: Roma Pass. For when you don't feel like walkin. Roma Pass also gets you into the Colosseum without waiting in line.

PS: Signage in Rome leaves something to be desired. We spent most of our time getting lost.

PPS: Metro shuts down at 10 p.m. in Rome and is only two lines anyway.