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Walking in Rome

Hello! My family of nine will be traveling to Rome for 3 1/2 days soon. The ages range from 16 all the way up to my mom in her 70s. We are staying right near Termini Station but we all love to walk so I'm thinking maybe we don't need to worry about getting a public transportation pass. I think we'll definitely need it to go to the Vatican but maybe that will be the only time. All of the other places that we will visit are closer than the Vatican. I would also think that walking in Rome instead of taking public transportation might allow us to see more of the city, the little shops, etc. What do you think? Is it just difficult to walk in Rome or is it worth the extra time to walk in this beautiful city?! Thank you in advance!

Posted by
715 posts

I prefer walking to taking the public transport, although at times it is worth it to catch the metro. I much prefer wandering the streets, getting turned around, discovering nooks and crannies, to seeing cities from the tube or the inside of a bus. Termini to the Vatican is a hike, but if you plan your route you can combine it with a walk past several other sites that may be on your list. Contrary to what many people think, I usually lose weight when I am in Italy because i walk so much.

Posted by
27 posts

Definitely try walking but if you know people in the group are going to tire easily try a Hop On/Hop Off bus for a day instead? It will drop you at important places of interest and you can wander other places after that. I tend to start out walking and if I decide the return is too much, I find a bus or metro back. It is a very busy city so be prepared to deal with lots of traffic. I stayed near the Forum and walked everywhere with the exception of taking a bus to the Vatican and metro to the Colosseum. Go for it!

Posted by
11247 posts

We walk a lot because it is often faster than waiting for a bus. And cramming 9 people into an over-crowded #40 or #64 is not going to be fun. I do think that after your Vatican day you may all enjoy a bus or Metro ride back. Easy to take the Metro from Ottaviano to Termini. Just by tickets one-at-a-time as you need them. Euro 1.50 each trip, usable for up to 100 minutes on the bus or one trip on the Metro.

Posted by
27 posts

Reminder: This applies the rest of the time, too, but when you ride public transportation in Rome be very aware of your purses, wallets, backpacks, etc. Unfortunately, it is the perfect opportunity for pick pockets -- especially if you ride at peak times where the crowds are large. *I am not trying to scare you but have been warned by friends who live there each & every time I visit.

*I am a walker and am not trying to push the Hop On/Hop Off bus in any way, but if you decide that works for your family do not purchase tickets from the hucksters hanging around the Termini, etc. Either purchase ahead of time or go right to the source. (check ahead since there are different companies and different prices for the same routes)

Like others, I believe you get a better flavor of a place when you walk!

Posted by
5955 posts

We stayed near the Pantheon and walked everywhere- other than a cab to Vatican for our early morning tour- then we walked home from there.
Never took a bus or a metro.
We found Rome to be very walkable- it is flat and sights are closer to each other than you might think.

Posted by
32523 posts

My only concern when you are walking is the size of your group. A lot of the pavements (sidewalks) are fairly narrow, sometimes with trees and city furniture on them, and the narrow lanes where you will walk off the main roads are cobblestones, often uneven.

Rome is built on seven hills. Really.

All that is in aid of saying that easily moving a baseball team sized group in Rome could be a challenge. Of course you know this gang better than we do, but it is my experience that a group moves as slowly as its slowest member. If somebody's feet get tired everybody's feet slow down, etc.

On the other hand, even buying one trip on a bus at 9x€1.50= €13.50 adds up quickly.

Which is more important, money or speed.

Posted by
11 posts

All the above posts are good points well-taken! Hmmm, this will be a tough call. Grateful to all of you for taking the time to answer my questions!

Posted by
11613 posts

If you go to the Vatican, take a taxi or two, you'll be walking miles once you get inside the museums anyway.

Make reservations for lunch or dinner if there's someplace special you want to go.

Posted by
11247 posts

Good point from Zoe! You should actually make dinner reservations every evening. A party of 9 is a challenge when you just "show up." Dine early if you can, i.e., 7:00 or 8:00PM.

Posted by
792 posts

Agree with Zoe about taking a taxi to the Vatican. Other than that, I think the rest of the sites are pretty walkable.

You will figure this out quickly, but the walk back will be uphill from a certain point, as Nigel pointed out. So depending on the fitness level/fatigue level, some people may choose to take a taxi back. I travelled with a group of 4 this past summer and we stayed near Santa Maria Maggiore which is close to Termini. The highest we paid for any taxi ride in the city center was 15 Euro. This included the minimal extra charge when the hotel called the taxi for us.

I strongly recommend AGAINST picking up a taxi within Vatican City. Or if you do, make sure they have a meter and use it. For some reason, the taxis here will try and convince you to pay more than you should. This has been true on every trip I have taken to Rome. I keep testing it just to see. On this last trip, they tried to tell me a ride back to my hotel would be 30 Euro when I know the ride there was 12 euro. Perhaps there is some Vatican tax I don't know about but I doubt it is upward of 15 euro.

Meandering around Rome is one of my favorite things in the world to do. But rest assured, for a (fatigued or in a hurry) group, a taxi in Rome is a very easy, cost effective way to travel. And for the most part, my taxi experience in Rome has been very positive. The drivers were honest (and will tell you how upset they get with the dishonest drivers) and eager to share their love of the city.