How do you get around Rome: metro, bus, or on foot?

Getting Around Rome

Rome's historic center is compact enough that walking covers most sightseeing between the Colosseum, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and Trevi Fountain. The metro is small because tunnelling disturbs archaeological layers, so it serves specific points rather than a dense grid.

Modes that matter

• Walking wins for the historic center — cobbled streets and pedestrian zones make it faster than transferring between transit lines for short hops.
• Metro Line A reaches the Vatican area (Ottaviano) and Spagna; Line B stops at Colosseo; Line C mainly serves the eastern suburbs and does not yet reach the historic core.
• Buses and trams fill the gaps the metro misses, including routes past the Colosseum and along the river, but traffic can slow them at peak times.
• Taxis help late at night or with heavy luggage; hail from official ranks rather than the street.

Passes and tickets

A standard single ticket covers one metro ride or multiple buses/trams within a set time window. Multi-day passes (24, 48, 72 hours) cover unlimited metro, bus, and tram travel and suit visitors doing several short trips a day. They don't suit anyone based in one neighborhood who plans to mostly walk — a handful of single tickets works out simpler.

Airport to city

• Fiumicino (FCO): the Leonardo Express train runs nonstop to Termini and is the fastest option; regional trains to Trastevere or Ostiense cost less but make stops; a fixed-rate taxi is easiest with heavy bags.
• Ciampino (CIA): has no train link — a shuttle bus to Termini or a connection to the Anagnina metro stop are the standard low-cost routes; taxis also run at a fixed rate.

Practical notes

• Rush hours (roughly weekday mornings and early evenings) pack Line A and Line B trains.
• Metro service ends around 11:30pm on most nights, later on Fridays and Saturdays — check before relying on it late.
• Metro stations have escalators and lifts at only some stops; cobblestones make luggage wheels and wheelchairs harder going than the transit system itself.
• Buses require boarding at marked stops and validating tickets on board.