Termini to Hotel Smeralda/Campo de Fiori .... bus or taxi?

Make sure you walk out the main front doors of Termini to the taxis that are lined up in front. Don't respond to those who offer taxi services to you inside, or immediately when you walk out the door. Go to first unoccupied car at the front of the line; the driver should be in it or standing very nearby. When you get in the car, if it is a weekday before 10 or 11pm, he will start the meter and the beginning balance should be €2.80 (they use the comma instead of the decimal point, so it will read 2,80). From there the rest of your fare will depend upon how long it takes traffic, red lights, slow downs (especially around Piazza Venezia), etc. It is not a terribly long distance, but it will probably be at least a 20 minute cab drive. At other times (late at night and on weekends) the starting amount on the cab meter will be higher. In any case, all of the fares are posted on the back of the front passengers seat usually. For a normal weekday trip, the €15 or so that someone estimated sounds about right to me. This will be MUCH easier for you than taking a bus because there are no easy bus routes that will take you right into Campo de' Fiori. You would have to get off on the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and then walk a few blocks, or something like that. The cab will get you much closer. It might be a good idea to have your hotel name and address on a slip of paper to hand to the driver. Some of them use GPS, some of them don't.

Choosing between bus and taxi to hotel with luggage is easy - go for a taxi.

Not sure what you mean by this Are taxis full of people but you can easily get a taxi outside the termini station. It shouldn't cost more than 15 euros. Theft is a problem but if you take normal precautions you should be fine. Don't leave your luggage unattended. Keep a hand on it at all times. Don't use a backpack and don't set your bags on the ground or the chair next to you in restaurants. Don't hang your bag on the back of your chair. Wear a money belt and don't carry more cash than you'll need for the day. Donna

Brenda, I'd also suggest using a Taxi, as that will be easiest option. No, Taxi's are not "full of people"; you'll be the only passenger. It's difficult to predict what the cost will be, as there are "variables" such as traffic. I'd suggest budgeting for at least €20. If you walk straight out the front door of Termini (ie: tracks will be directly behind you), you'll find the Taxi rank. The "normal" procedure is to use the one at the beginning of the line, however in my experience I've found that any of the drivers will try and "snag" passengers. I always use metered Taxi's, but aside from that I don't think there's any way to choose a reliable one. I would NOT suggest using a Bus, as they may be packed like sardines, and theft could certainly be a problem (especially on the infamous #64 Bus). Happy travels!

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I did mean to ask if buses would be too full to travel comfortably with luggage.

Since the bus station is in front of Termini, you can get on a waiting empty bus. Chances are, the bus will get crowded as it goes along. If you can afford it, take a taxi when you are traveling with your luggage.

The one time in Europe that I was pickpocketed, it was a total cliche. I was riding on the 64 bus from Largo Argentina (a major bus interchange, near Campo dei Fiori) to Termini with my luggage. Some Roma kids got my wallet; when I started yelling, the Romans helped me get it back from the Roma. Luckily, I used a money belt, so nothing truly valuable was taken or at risk of being taken. But with my luggage, it was hard to get away from the thieves and to guard my wallet. You see where this is headed. With luggage, take a taxi from the station. Otherwise, you can use the buses, as long as you wear a money belt. The buses are often crowded.

On our trip last September we took a taxi from Termini to the Hotel Smeraldo, and it only cost 12 or 13 euros if I recall correctly. There were 2 of us and we each had one bag to put in the trunk, it will cost a bit more if there are more people or more bags. We just walked out the main doors and headed to the taxi ranks. It was helpful to have the name and address of the hotel ready to give to the driver. Have fun.