What is the taxi service like in Rome? How can you keep from getting ripped off? I am thinking about just taking a taxi around to the different sites. Every tour seems to see something different and not all sites that I want to see are included in one tour. I just can't seem to find one that fits what I want, and if I do it is way too expensive! HELP.
Posted by
nederland, colorado, usa
127 posts
the one time i did take a taxi, it was a blast! talk about "thrill rides"...it DID cost about 8eu for a 12 min ride;also when i was there end april into may, there was a taxi strike for a day or so..apparently that is not uncommon.
make sure the taxi ID, picture of the driver, etc. is displayed.
i was there 2 weeks, and only took a taxi once;it was a nice splurge.
Posted by
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
705 posts
I'm not sure of the sites you want to see and where your hotel is but many are within walking distance of each other. Perhaps you could group the sites within walking distance of one another and do them on one day and then the next do another group. Buses are good in Rome and you get a bit of a free tour as you ride around. I'm sure your hotel will be able to help you negotiate all this.
Posted by
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
1127 posts
Take the hop on/off bus operated by the city. It's only 13 euro for the whole day:
http://www.trambusopen.com/index.cfm?ID=110
Posted by
Marietta, Georgia
157 posts
I have a mixed experience. My son & I took an Very Exciting cab ride from the cab stand on Piazza del Repubblica, to the Vatican Museum one morning. The driver was very nice & honest. Before we got in the cab, we asked the fare & he said 8-9 Euros. When we arrived the meter said 8, so I gave him 10 Euros and he seemed surprised.
One the way back we must have asked 2-3 cabs for the same info...how much would it be to get back to our hotel off Via Firenze.....No one seemed interested, so we walked. No Problem.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32202 posts
Pam,
During my visit to Rome, I used Taxi's a couple of times and found that some Taxi companies are metered, and some seem to operate on a "flat-rate" basis.
The flat-rate operators can be expensive, but will often "moderate" the price. On one occasion I took a Taxi from St. Peter's to Piazza Navona (my feet were really hurting at that point!). The first Taxi I tried quoted an exorbitant rate, and I said "troppo caro" and started to walk away. After taking a few steps, one of the other drivers said that he'd do the trip for a noticeably lower fee, which I accepted.
With the metered Cabs, if there's several parked at a Taxi stand, be aware there's a "pecking order". You have to take the next one in line, rather than just choosing any Cab. I used metered Cabs several times, without any trouble (necessary because of the early closing of the Metro lines due to construction).
I believe there's some info on Taxi's in Rick's Italy Guidebook.
Happy travels!
Posted by
gaston, oregon, usa
842 posts
Pam, Helen has some great advice. Everything is so close that my wife and I would just walk from one site to another. At the end of the nite we would take the Metro or one of the busses back to our room.
If we wanted to start our day at a site that was a long ways from our room, we would just take a bus.....they are really convenient.
But don't rule out the cabs....they are really cheap for a big city.