Looking for Your Definitive Rome Transit Guide (w/ tips for using it with kids)?
- Trevor Lawrence
- Jun 19
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 23
Rome Transit Guide: Navigating the Eternal City
Rome's transit system gets a lot of grief for long lines, overcrowding and schedule issues. Visitors may not bear the brunt of its woes, but bring a healthy dose of patience. This thing is built around a mere two millenia of city infrastructure, so what can one really expect?
Special Considerations for Parents
Strollers: Many metro stations lack elevators; buses are stroller-friendly but crowded.
Baby Wearing: A good option for navigating ancient streets and uneven walkways.
Car Seats: Required in taxis and rental cars; not provided by default. Be sure your car seat can be secured with a seat belt.
Free Transit: Kids under 10 ride free with adult. Heck yes!
Public Transit Overview
Mode | What It Covers | Notes |
Metro | 3 lines (A, B, and C) covering major city corridors | Fast and simple, but limited coverage near historic center. |
Buses & Trams | City-wide coverage | Frequent but often delayed due to traffic. Night buses available. |
Regional Trains | Connect suburbs and airports | Useful for day trips and airport transfers. |
Taxis | Available citywide | Use official taxi stands or call to avoid scams. |
Ride-Hailing | Uber, FreeNow, Bolt | UberX is limited; FreeNow and Bolt more common. |
Hop-On Hop-Off Buses | Tourist-oriented routes | Good for overview tours, but not part of public system. |
Ticket Types & Prices (2025)
Ticket Type | EUR Price | USD Price (approx.) | Notes |
BIT (100-min ticket) | €1.50 | ~$1.63 | Valid for buses, metro, trams for 100 minutes from validation |
24-Hour Ticket | €7.00 | ~$7.60 | Unlimited rides on buses, metro, trams for 24 hours |
48-Hour Ticket | €12.50 | ~$13.55 | Unlimited rides for 48 hours |
72-Hour Ticket | €18.00 | ~$19.50 | Best value for weekend visitors |
Weekly Pass (CIS) | €24.00 | ~$26.00 | Unlimited use for 7 consecutive days |
Children under 10 | Free | Free | Must be with a paying adult |
How to Buy Tickets
Ticket Activation & Usage
Paper tickets must be validated using yellow machines on buses/trams or before entering metro turnstiles.
App tickets must be activated before boarding and shown on request.
Getting from Rome Airports to the City
Airport | Transit Options | EUR Price | USD Price (approx.) | Time |
Fiumicino (FCO) | Leonardo Express train to Termini | €14 | ~$15.15 | ~32 minutes |
Bus (Terravision, SIT, etc.) | €6–€7 | ~$6.50–$7.60 | ~45–60 minutes | |
Taxi (fixed fare to city center) | €50 | ~$54.20 | ~40 minutes | |
Ciampino (CIA) | Bus to Termini via Terravision/SIT | €5–€6 | ~$5.40–$6.50 | ~40–60 minutes |
Taxi (fixed fare to city center) | €31 | ~$33.60 | ~30 minutes |
Useful Maps & Apps
Rome Metro Map: https://www.rometoolkit.com/transport/rome_metro_map.htm
Travel Like a Local
Expect occasional transit strikes—check ahead before relying on public transport.
For reliable taxis, call or use the FreeNow app—never hail one off the street at tourist landmarks. Pre-negotiating is all well and good... if they choose to honor the rate.
Metro is clean but not comprehensive; plan on some walking or bus connections.
WS&T Family Tip: Hope you're a family of early risers. That's really the best and least stressful way to get out and about.
A Special Note for Americans: Why You Have to Validate Tickets in Europe (And Why It Feels Weird)
In cities like Rome, Paris, Prague, Vienna, Lisbon, Porto, Berlin, Kraków and many more, public transport relies on a validation system rather than turnstiles or staffed checkpoints. Here's how it works:
You buy a ticket, then you must validate it before or upon boarding by stamping it in a small machine (usually yellow or orange). Same goes for the digital version. There's often a prompt in the official ticketing app that shows you the process. Some cities offer QR codes on the tram, bus, metro you're riding. You can scan it to validate as well.
This starts the timer on time-based passes (like Rome’s 100-minute BIT ticket).
If you don’t validate it and get caught by an inspector (they board randomly), you can be fined—even if you have a valid ticket. And believe me, the fines are typically not cheap.
Why it’s strange for Americans: In the U.S., public transport typically uses gated entrances (like New York’s MTA or D.C.’s Metro) that check fares automatically. Americans aren’t used to the “honor system + random enforcement” approach common across Europe.
Lastly, when traveling Europe you start to take it for granted that everyone speaks a little English. Cue the record scratch. Ticket inspectors rarely do, so forget about trying to argue, beg for forgiveness, or plead ignorance. They've heard it so often, you may just get summarily booted from the bus.
While subject to change due to construction, schedule and route issues, we do our best to keep the Rome transit guide (with kids) up to date. Let us know if you see something that needs revision, or notice any glaring issues with our memory of the system.