How to get around Rome by public transport

One very cheap ticket or transport card allows you to use almost all means of public transport in Rome with the exception of taxis and airport transport. Buses, subway trains, trams (streetcars), and light rail are operated by the same company called ATAC. You can hop on any of their transport using the same ticket.

Where can I buy single tickets for the Rome public transport system?

Tickets are available from machines at all Metro stations. These machines allow you to select an English Language interface (shown by the British flag not the stars and stripes). They take euro bills and coins, but not credit cards even though many of them have a credit card slot. But beware: they never dispense more than €6 in change (resto)! The machine will happily eat your €20 bill but won’t give any of it back until you’ve bought €14 worth of tickets. However recently many of the machines won’t accept bills of more than €10. Finally the depressingly common fuori servizio or guasto signs both mean ‘out of order’. All is not lost though: you can also buy these tickets in most tabacchi – tobacco stores, distinguished by the “T” sign outside. Go to the cash register and ask for un biglietto (oon beel-YET-oh) or “X biglieti” ([number] beel-YET-ee”) to get the standard 100-minute ticket (below).

Can I get a city card that includes the Rome public transport network?

The most famous city card is the Roma Pass. This gives unlimited access to the city’s public transportation system for 2-3 days, two free entries to major sights, and discounts to museums, though not to the Vatican. However this option does not include airport transfers, the card has to be physically picked up from an office, and some visits still have to be booked in advance. Read more…

A better option than this is the new Rome Public Transport Card, which includes a pickup from the airport from a driver who will wait for your flight and physically hand you a transportation card, thus saving you the hassle of lining up to retrieve it.

What lines can I use my transport ticket or card on?

Lines shown below can all be accessed with the ATAC tickets mentioned below. This includes all the way to the beachside town of Ostia – you can honestly get there for €1.50 each way! Note for the gray lines on the map – commuter rail lines – stations in red indicate the furthest extent of ticket validity: i.e. you can’t use the standard ticket to travel beyond the station in red; after that you would need a train ticket purchased in the originating station. You can also use your ticket on the “FL” main train lines that cross the city, but again only within city limits.

Does Rome’s public transport go to the airports?

Unfortunately the network does not extend to the main Fiumicino Airport. To get to FCO you must take a train. However the Rome Public Transport Card combines a transfer to your hotel with a transportation card, and is a sensible compromise.

Ciampino Airport is in fact served by the network, but it is a slow and tricky journey involving bus and network. Read more here…

How reliable is public transport in Rome?

It’s not always reliable, but public transport in Rome is cheap and there’s a lot of it. The bad news is it can be slow and subject to delays and strikes.