Public transportation in Rome

First, Rome is really pretty compact so need for buses/trains is limited. For most of your sightseeing in core of Rome will be on foot. And with five people the taxi will be nearly the same price especially if going some distance.

https://www.atac.roma.it/page.asp?p=229&i=14&lingua=ENG

It all depends where you are staying, and how much you will be doing in a day. There are daily and multiday passes, but would require you taking 4-6 trips to justify. As was mentioned most things are in pretty compact walking distance, and the center core is all pedestrian anyway, but to get to the Vatican, the Borghese, or just save your feet, the buses and trams, and even the limited metro can be good. Information on passes is here: https://www.rome.net/rome-transport-tickets Just wait until you get there to buy. There is also the Roma Pass, which includes a museum entry or two, plus public transport, depending on the type, not sure if it is much of a deal.

Paul, check the site you linked and then the site I Iinked. Which one do you think is publishing the right prices and is more accurate about the period of validity of BIT tickets?

lindah,

As shown on the website that Dario linked, if you think you'll be using Metro or buses a lot you could consider the 48 hour tickets. These have to be validated the first time you use them and as I recall they expire at midnight on the second day. The staff at your hotel can direct you to the nearest point-of-sale for the passes.

I tend to use public transit in Rome more than others. I buy a pass so I can hop on a bus or the metro whenever I want, sometimes taking a short ride that I wouldn't otherwise take (e.g. Trastevere to Largo Argentina). If you decide to buy passes, consider the 72 hour pass if you plan to use public transit a lot each day or the 48 hour pass if you think you wouldn't use it a lot on the first or third day. Rome tourist passes are now true 24, 48 and 72 hour passes, so they expire that number of hours after initial validation (no longer at midnight of 1st, 2nd or 3rd day). I find that new feature very useful, as I can hop a bus rather than walking to the train station on the day I depart.

Just a mention that your children (aged 12, 14, & 15) are too old to qualify for free or reduced transport.

I will agree that central Rome is pretty compact and more enjoyably explored on foot whenever possible. We'd felt the need to hop public transport very few times on our visits and then only the metro or urban train (no buses) to a point or two further afield. Hoofing it can also be just as fast or even faster depending on where you're headed. You could buy multi-day passes for all of you (72-hour passes are € 18,00) but I really don't think you'd get the good out of them, especially if grouping your sightseeing by area.

Be aware that passes and individual tickets do not cover transport to or from the airports. The Roma Pass doesn't cover transport for children accompanied by parents/adults, as it does for participating attractions.

Paul, sorry but the info on the website you provided is badly out of date (e.g. BIT tickets have been good for 100 minutes for some time now; 24-hr passes are € 7,00, etc.). The ATAC site Dario provided is the official transport site for Rome and will have most current pricing for tickets and passes.

As others have mentioned, Rome is very walkable. But sometimes there is a need to go a longer distance and buses (or the Metro line) can work. But keep in mind that they get very crowded, especially during commute hours for workers and trying to load your family on may be hard at times.

An alternative to a bus pass is to get a Roma Pass to get discounts on sites, and it includes free transportation. It works great, I was just there last week. http://www.romapass.it/

An alternative to a bus pass is to get a Roma Pass to get discounts on
sites, and it includes free transportation. It works great, I was just
there last week. http://www.romapass.it/

I'm a little behind here but the Roma Pass would be a waste of $ for the three children: they have access to many of Rome's attractions for free or otherwise wouldn't benefit much from discounts. Also, prior, timed-entry reservations now have to be made at the Colosseum if using the pass so might as well just buy timed-entry tickets or a tour from the coopculture website.

If you decide to go the individual ticket route (which I would recommend), remember you can buy a whole bunch at the same time and then use them when you need them. Their clock doesn't start ticking until they are validated.

My last trip to Rome in 2016 I got a multi-day transit pass and did not regret it. It’s true you can walk places but maybe not comfortably. I do ten hour days on my feet when I travel and a couple of bus rides save a lot of steps. Keep in mind you are waking on stone and marble much of the time.