Hi, I am planning to travel to Rome in 20 days. I am trying to find out what will be a good economical option to travel around --> Sightseeing Service OR Metro OR Taxi ? any suggestions.
And any good luggage storage option if anyone can recommend.
Thanks,
Unless there is a problem, the feet work pretty well. The metro/subway is limited as to where it goes and generally of limited value. Buses are a much better option and taxis are reasonable in Rome but you can not hail a taxi from the street. You need to find a taxi stand. Not sure what you mean by "sightseeing service?" In the older sections of Roman, where many of the sites are, there are pedestrian only zones that limit how close taxis and hop on/off buses can get. And generally vehicular traffic is pretty bad and slows down substantially anything on wheels. Walking really does work best.
There is luggage storage on the lower level of Termini.
Hi,
Most economical solution is to bring good shoes for walking. You'll find that many sights are within walking distance from one another. And for longer distances, the metro and trams can get you places (Vatican, S Giovanni in Laterano, Trastevere, Spanish steps, villa borghese... ). With the Roman traffic, taxis aren't the best call.
Rome's bus system also works well if you know where the buses go. Google "Rome bus map" for some downloadable or printable maps. I think there's also an app. I believe the same tickets work for both Metro and buses. You can get a multi-day pass for both systems. An advantage of the bus is being able to see the streets as you go along.
As Frank says, walking is also a good choice for most sights, depending on where your hotel is and how far-flung you want your sightseeing to be. And of course assuming that you don't have mobility issues.
Rome is very walkable and your best “transportation” is your feet.
We stay near Pantheon and have never used metro or bus at all.
We did take taxi to early am Vatican tour and to/ from train station and airport.
Are you only going to be in Rome 1 day? If that’s the case you might take a look at
Walks of Italy. They offer many tours that would cover the highlights for you.
As others have said walking is your first option. When we were there a few weeks ago a few major metro stations were closed so we did not use it. We took one bus and that was enough-packed like sardines, very frequent stops. If we needed to get from A to B and walking was not an option we took a taxi. Taxi stands are abundant. If there was not one nearby we used the MyTaxi app which worked just like Uber but you do pay an additional fee as the meter starts when the driver takes your request. It was our most useful way to get a ride when it was late and we could not find a taxi stand. Taxis are a relative bargain. Rumors abound that Uber is illegal in Rome. Not true. But they only have Uber Black or Uber Van (not UberX which competes with taxis) so its much more expensive.
I'm a bit curious why you are needing luggage storage? How long are you going to be in Rome, and is it the first city in Italy you'll be visiting?
I am staying for 4 days near Trevi Fountain area. But last day my checkout time is 10.00 AM but my fight from Rome Fiumicino Airport is not until 3.00 PM. So was looking for luggage storage. Anyway, I think I can manage without it too.
One last question, what is the best way to travel from city center to the Airport? I checked google, it does not show any Transit system available.
Any suggestions?
Sounds like you need a good guidebook like the one Rick Steves writes. He covers these questions well, especially airport transport. What is best depends on where you need to go. The Metro in Rome is limited but buses go everywhere. You can get a ticket for each trip or day passes or even multi-day passes.
Google Maps doesn’t know everything. 😉 For airport transfer look at the Leonardo Express from Termini Station to FCO.
Thank you for the quick tips. Very helpful.
One last question, what is the best way to travel from city center to
the Airport? I checked google, it does not show any Transit system
available.
This might be helpful! :O)
http://www.adr.it/en/web/aeroporti-di-roma-en-/pax-fco-to-and-from
This will give you options from inexpensive buses (which we've taken) to an express train to taxis. Which one is "best" for you depends on your budget, how much luggage you have and generally which type you'd be most comfortable with. Take a look?
Your hotel will store your bags and call you a taxi. The fare is 48 Euros to the airport. Easiest not cheapest.
Seriously, you need to get a decent guidebook. These are such basic questions that I'm concerned for you. There's information in there that you will need to know but don't know to ask for it. It will be the smartest money you spend on your vacation. A lot of guidebooks can be downloaded to your phone, if delivery is a problem.
Unless it is an apartment, you should be able to storage your luggage with the hotel after you check out. That is quite common. The taxi for central Rome to the airport is fixed at 48e and might be you best bet from where you are staying. Other wise you need to take a taxi to Termini to catch the Leonard Express to the airports. Runs every 30 minutes and takes 35 minutes to get there. But -- with the cost of the taxi and the train fare along with the extra time it will cost roughly 25, 30 euro so for an extra 15 euro or so you can take a taxi door to door in about 35, 40 minutes with min luggage hassle. Just the time savings alone is probably worth the difference. There are times to save a few euro but this probably is not one of them.
I heard a rumor Rick Steves publishes a pretty decent guidebook.
I enjoyed walking and did that a lot, I found taxis to be dishonest and Uber seems not to be easy to find. Metro was very easy.
