Discover the best tips and tricks for exploring Rome using its public transportation system—train, tram, bus, and metro—along with a few adventurous detours and mishaps that turned into charming stories.
I am not a veteran, when it comes to international travel ( Italy, Czechia, Germany, Thailand), but I have done enough road trips around India, (thanks to my personal trips and the travel shows, that I helped produce) to tell you, that getting lost while exploring can be a serendipitous experience. This couldn’t be truer than during our adventure in Rome, Italy. From hopping on the wrong buses to finding hidden gems, our exploration of Rome was an unexpected joyride. Here’s everything you need to know about navigating Rome’s transportation system while embracing the magic of getting lost. I say, getting lost is a charm, and it happened to us, more than once in Rome- The Eternal City of the World.
Reaching Rome City Center from the Airport for Just €8
Our journey began at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport at 6:30 AM. We promptly boarded the FL1 Trenitalia for only €8, reaching Roma Tiburtina, a major transportation hub, near our hotel. (You can check out my detailed guide on getting from Fiumicino Airport to the city center). Tiburtina Station is a major transport hub and the bus station is adjacent to the metro and Train station, I quickly summoned the google location service , which prompted me to take either the Bus No 409 or 545 to reach Best Western Blu hotel at Tiburtina. The Bus No 545 , was arriving at the stop and we were about to get in , when it struck me that I had to buy a ticket , first. I immediately let the bus go and walked into the Tabacchi store ( Tobacco Store) right behind me to buy a ticket for me and Aparna. It costed us 1.5 Euros/ticket, and we immediately boarded the next available bus ( No 409) to get off at Portonaccio/ De Dominicis , in the next 2-3 mins , our hotel Best Western Blu was just 50 mts away.
Pro Tip: Always remember to buy bus tickets beforehand. You can get them from Tabacchi shops for €1.50 each, or opt for a 24-hour pass (€7) for unlimited rides on Rome’s public transport.
The Charm of Getting Lost in Rome
It was still just 9 30 AM in the morning, and the standard check-in time across Italy is , 2:00 PM an early check in would have costed us 30 Euros , and we were on an adrenaline rush to arrive in Italy. We put our baggage in the storage area , which Ricardo the Duty manager, duly helped us with , and decided to put those 30 Euros to better use., and that is how our first misadventure began.
We started walking around, exploring the areas around, with the cool breeze and morning sun adding to our zest. Soon enough we realized we need to do more , maybe we can go to the city center around , Rome Termini , I proposed and Aparna quickly lapped up the idea. I started googling about which bus to take , the search was still incomplete though , and about that time , we saw a bus coming our way , we were just 20 steps from the bus stop and I thought, that this was the same Bus No that google had prompted and got in the bus , once again we had forgotten to buy the ticket . The bus was full of students , and on inquiring we realized , we could also pay the bus fare by tapping our card on the machines installed on the bus, that was a relief. We enjoyed the ride for the next few mins and eventually reached a stop called VERANO where the whole bus had got empty and even the driver got off. I realized, that in the adrenaline rush to get on the bus , we had probably taken the wrong bus route (I am to be blamed for that, sometimes I am just too over excited!)
.Lesson Learned: Don’t rush! Google Maps and Rome’s bus routes can be tricky. Double-check before boarding
Stumbling upon the Roma 24 Hour Pass
We got off the bus, we were at VERANO and the area was crawling with students all around, apparently there was a famous college around the area. With Aparna , giving me the looks for getting on the wrong bus, I started to goggle again , with an intent to get on the correct bus this time. About that time I also remembered that I had read about this Roma 24 Hrs pass, which I could buy for 7 Euros a piece. It is a 24-hour ticket – valid for unlimited metro, bus, and train travel within Rome for 24 hours from validation. Yeah , I mean , it made more sense to buy it then spending 1.5 Euros/ticket on every ride. Luckily a ticket kiosk was also nearby , and with a little help from google translate , we were able to buy two 24hrs tickets for internal travel in Rome. Yeah understanding all at once in Italian can be very overwhelming (especially when you are making a financial transaction) and google translate does a fine job, I highly recommend it to install the app on your phone for your Italian sojourn. We got on to bus no 71, and after a lovely 10 min ride of taking in our surroundings we got off at Rattazzi/Giolitti Bus Stop which is about a 3 min walk from Rome Termini, and thus began our exploration.
Top Tips for Using Rome’s Public Transport:
- Discovering Hidden Gems: Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
- We were right in the city centre of Rome and as we reached we were in awe of the sight and sounds that surrounded us, the best part though was the architecture , it was a sensory treat. Randomly strolling around the criss crossing streets , we arrived at Basilicca of Santa Maria Maggiore, apparently it is one of the 4 major Basilicca’s in Rome , and it was the first church to be dedicated to Virgin Mary. This was not on my Rome itinerary, and I would have certainly not come , had I not been lost in the first place.
- Pro Tip: Random walks can lead to extraordinary finds. Sometimes it’s the unplanned moments that make a trip memorable.
Rome Termini: The Heartbeat of Rome’s Public Transport
Rome Termini, is the beating heart of all the transport in Rome, with its numerous food joints, shops selling fashion goods, book stalls and of course you have the train and the Bus terminals. It is a mini city of sorts, you can actually spend a whole day in Rome Termini without getting bored. However, it is the sheer mass of the Termini, that can put you in a spot, the train termini on the ground level has , 32 platforms, with platform 1-24 in the main hall. The bus station is right adjacent to it, and the metro is literally underground. Inspite of asking for directions , it took us around 5-10 minutes to figure out the entry to the underground metro termini, then again, we had to figure out which platform to take because , this is also the junction where Rome’s Metro Linea A and Metro Linea B, meaning this is the intersection at which , you can switch from the Linea A to Linea B and vice versa.
Top Tips for Using Rome’s Public Transport:
- Familiarize yourself with Termini’s 32 platforms and multiple exits.
- Download a metro map or keep a physical copy handy to avoid confusion.
After some deliberation , a bit of help from this metro map , we knew we had to take Linea B heading towards Rebibbia, and not Laurentina ( which is the other end of Linea B). The importance, of this information was going to play out the next day, when we almost got pick pocketed, but that is a subject matter for another blog post.
Lost again in Rome- Coming a Full Circle
We got onto the Linea B and after passing 3 stations. (Castro Pretorio, Policlinico and Bologna) we got down at Tiburtina , climbed out of the underground metro and headed to the Bus station, which had become a familiar territory by now (atleast I thought that way). The bus No 545 was coming in, I recalled from the morning that, it was this and Bus No 409 which would take us back to the hotel so we got in confidently, only to realize in the next few minutes that the bus was actually moving away from our hotel route. At first I thought maybe this is another route , but soon the last stop arrived and the bus got empty , guess where had we reached? VERANO…..LOL it was the same place we had wrongly arrived at , first thing in the morning. Aparna , was giving me that look again. I quickly looked for another option on google and jumped on the next available bus, the next 15 mins till the time we reached Best Western Blu, it was complete radio silence. And I dare not invite the wrath of my khaleesi- Aparna Bam.
Pro Tip: Understand Rome’s Circular Bus Routes
Tea Time musings in Rome
I played second fiddle while, checking into the hotel, and played the good husband, unpacking the bags and other essentials, helping Aparna at every step and then we dozed off into the quiet. When I woke up a couple of hours later around 5 PM, I felt rejuvenated. Landing up at a wrong place two times in a day had been conveniently forgotten , thanks to my short term memory and I had the urge to step out again. I quickly made 2 cups of tea , with Waghbakri , ready to make tea mix which we had carried all the way from India. Yeah , if you need your daily dose of masala wali chai/tea, please carry a pre-mix with you, it is almost impossible to find chai , in Italy, forget about good chai!
Bed tea has it’s own charm I guess, and it worked for me, as I offered a piping hot cup of tea to Aparna and insisted , we should step out again. Aparna , without a blink of an eye responded “ Sure where do you think we should go “ and I said -Colosseo.
Colosseum by Night: A Must-See Experience
Perhaps it was the thought of two more of our travel buddies( my cousin Dipika and her husband Bipin) joining the trail within the next few hours, may be it was the excitement to explore Rome or maybe it was the tea/chai, which made Aparna to give a nod! What was important was that within the next one hour we were onto the bus , heading to Stazione Tiburtina and this time it was the right bus.
While we were in transition from, Tiburtina to Colosseo station in the Metro Linea B, I managed to identify this off the beaten path, walking trail from Lonely Planet, which we could take, starting from Largio Di Torre Argentina , the place where Julius Ceasar was assassinated in 44 BC and then eventually lead onto the Pantheon. Aparna , also liked the thought of it. By this time Colosseo Metro stop had arrived , we climbed from the underground metro station, and as we passed through the Uscita( Uscita means exit in Italian, you will find this message boards on all modes of transport) and their it was right infront of us -the Colosseum. I had been in awe of the Colosseum, since the time I saw the movie Gladiator, as a school kid. I had never thought in my wildest dreams , that someday in the distant future , I will be visiting the Colosseum, and yet here I was. It was around 7 45 PM now. The Colosseum was closed , the lights had been put on , and the setting sun with it’s hues of orange , was adding a distinct charm to the Colosseum.
Pro Tip: You don’t need to pay for a Colosseum tour to enjoy its beauty. Simply take the metro to Colosseo Station just before sunset for a breathtaking (and free!) view.
Colosseo Night Tour
We had visited , the Colosseum the next day also to take a tour from inside but the visuals of the Colosseum, bathing in the evening light, will remain etched in my memory forever. I highly recommend to check out the Colosseum at Twilight. Nowadays they also have the special after hours, inside tour of the Colosseum but you don’t need to pay a penny to check out the Colosseum from outside. All you really need to do is, take the metro to Colosseo Station, just before sunset and let the site of the Colosseum behold you, as you step out from the metro station. It is no wonder, that the Colosseum is one of the 8 wonders of the world.
Rome’s Hop on Hop Off Adventures- Without the Hop on Hop off Pass
Mesmerized by the site of the Colosseum, we just kept sitting their admiring it’s beauty for close to an hour, a light drizzle , added to its distinct charm. I was suddenly reminded that, we had to take that walking trail to reach Largio Di Torre Argentina , the place where Julius Ceasar was assassinated. We took the Bus No 87 right outside Colosseum and passed through the mesmerizing sites of the Roman forum on our left and right , we were simply in awe of what we saw for the next few minutes, till we reached Argentina bus stop which was a 250 mts walk from Largio Di Torre Argentina. I and Aparna , just looked at each other, once we got down, there was another bus approaching towards the bus stop, and I said should we just take this bus , Aparna smiled and nodded assertively. Before we knew, we were on the bus , we didn’t even know what bus route was it.
For the next one hour or so, we took random buses , got down at random bus stops and just seeped in the vibe of Rome’s eternal charm. ( Yes, the 24Hour Roma pass also gave us that confidence to just roam around) We did not know where we were, or where we were heading or where we would get off next , but these random rides of getting lost and coming to some familiar sites and then getting lost again, was some of the best time we spent in our 3 day Rome Itinerary. We would have probably continued to do this if we had not received a call from our Travel Buddies (Dipika and Bipin) . They had just landed in Rome , all the way from Hyderabad, in India and were just exiting the airport and on their way to our hotel in Tirburtina.
Pro Tip: A Hop on Hop off bus trip will cost you 12 -24 Euros/person depending on which route you end up taking. But if you have taken the Roma 24-hour pass, 48-hour pass or 72-hour pass you can simply make your own hop on hop off itinerary for less than 50% cost.
It would roughly take Dipika and Bipin, an hour to reach the hotel, we knew that from our morning experience. And this was the first time, I and Aparna , put on our google map, in a while to find out where we were exactly. I remember, we were in the Bus No 64 , we could get down at the next stop and probably take another bus back to the hotel, but then this whole phenomenon of bus hopping had further enhanced our sense of adventure. We quickly figured that given the traffic at the time, we would take at least 1 Hour 20 Mins, to reach back to the hotel, so instead we got down at the last stop on Route 64 , which was San Pietro and decided to take the regional train ( Trenitalia) from San Pietro, which would take us to Tiburtina in under 40 minutes.
The thrill of taking random rides had brought an adrenaline rush to our being , what we didn’t know at that time was that there was one more episode of ‘Lost and Found’ to unfold on that very day…..or should I say night! ( for the sake of technicality) More on that in the part 2 of this blog post, simply click here to read the story.
Navigating Rome’s public transport system isn’t always smooth, but it’s an adventure in itself. From getting lost and finding hidden gems to hopping on random buses just for the thrill of it, exploring Rome by train, tram, bus, and metro gives you a unique perspective on this ancient city. Embrace the chaos, and let Rome surprise you at every turn.