The metro: three lines, few stations in the centre
Rome's archaeological subsoil explains its short network: three lines, which skirt around the heart of the historic centre. The Pantheon, Piazza Navona and Trastevere have no station.
- Line A (orange), from Battistini to Anagnina: this is the visitors' line. It serves Ottaviano for the Vatican Museums, Flaminio for Piazza del Popolo, Spagna at the foot of the Spanish Steps, Barberini for the Trevi Fountain, Termini and San Giovanni.
- Line B (blue), from Laurentina to Rebibbia, with the B1 branch from Bologna to Jonio: it runs through Termini, Cavour for the Monti district, Colosseo, Circo Massimo and Piramide, connecting with Ostiense railway station.
- Line C (green), from Monte Compatri-Pantano to Colosseo/Fori Imperiali: since 16 December 2025, it reaches the centre with two new stations, Porta Metronia and Colosseo/Fori Imperiali, connecting with line B. It now has 24 stations.
You can change lines at Termini (A and B), San Giovanni (A and C) and Colosseo (B and C).
The new museum stations of line C
Colosseo/Fori Imperiali station displays, like a museum, remains uncovered during the works. Line C is driverless, with platform screen doors. Its Colosseo/Fori Imperiali station exits at the foot of the Colosseum, and San Giovanni, on lines A and C, serves the Basilica of St John Lateran.
Metro hours
The metro runs from 05:30 to 23:30 from Sunday to Thursday, and until 01:30 on Friday and Saturday nights. Early closures for works, with replacement buses, are regularly scheduled on lines A and B: check ATAC's travel updates the day before, especially if you are coming back late.
ATAC tickets and passes
The same ticket is valid on the metro, buses, trams and 2nd class regional trains within the municipality of Rome. It is valid neither on the Leonardo Express nor to Fiumicino airport: airport connections are explained in our guide to Rome's airports.
The BIT ticket and passes
- BIT (100 minutes): €1.50. Unlimited changes between buses and trams for 100 minutes, but only one entry into the metro.
- Roma 24H: €8.50, valid for 24 hours from first validation.
- Roma 48H: €15; Roma 72H: €22.
- CIS, weekly card: €29, valid for 7 days from first validation.
- Book of 10 BIT: €15.
Tickets are sold at the machines in metro stations, at ATAC ticket offices, in tobacconists and newsstands, and in digital form on the ATAC app and several partner apps. Validate a paper ticket as soon as you board a bus or tram, in the validating machine; in the metro, it is validated at the turnstile.
Paying contactless: tap&go
With the tap&go system, you hold your contactless bank card, phone or watch against the reader of the metro turnstile or of the validator on board buses and trams. Each tap costs €1.50, like a BIT. Tap again every time you change vehicle: if the journey stays within 100 minutes, no new payment is taken. Beyond 5 journeys in a day, the price is capped at €8.50, the price of the Roma 24H pass. Use one card per person.
For a stay of two or three days with few journeys, tap&go is the simplest and cheapest option. The 48H and 72H passes only become worthwhile from 5 journeys a day.
Buses: useful, but slow
Buses fill the gaps in the metro in the historic centre. Routes 40 and 64 link Termini to the Vatican via Piazza Venezia and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, as close as you can get to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. They are very crowded: keep your belongings in front of you, pickpockets are active there. Also bear traffic in mind: at rush hour, walking is often faster.
Board by the front or rear door as signposted, validate straight away, and request your stop with the button. Real-time times are shown on the ATAC app and at the main stops.
Night buses
When the metro closes, routes nMA, nMB, nMB1 and nMC follow the routes of metro lines A, B, B1 and C. They accept the same tickets and contactless payment. Check the times on the ATAC app before you go out.
Tram 8 and the tram network
Tram 8 is the most useful for visitors: it links Piazza Venezia to Trastevere, via Via Arenula, then continues towards Monteverde to Casaletto. The Belli stop, just after the Tiber, serves the heart of Trastevere. After several weeks of replacement buses during the summer, tram 8 returned to its full route on 21 September 2026. Roadworks still cause occasional bus replacements in the evening: check on the ATAC app.
The other tram routes (2, 3, 5, 14, 19) mainly serve residential districts and are often replaced by buses during works.
Taxis
Rome's official taxis are white, with a "TAXI" sign on the roof and a licence number on the doors. You find them at taxi ranks, at stations and on the main squares, or book them by phone or app; they do not always stop when hailed. The meter starts at €3.50 on weekdays between 06:00 and 22:00, at €5.00 on Sundays and public holidays during the same hours, and at €7.50 at night, from 22:00 to 06:00. The first piece of luggage is free, further pieces cost €1.00 each. Airport journeys have fixed fares, detailed in our airports guide.
| Mode | Price | Hours | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro, BIT ticket | €1.50 | 05:30-23:30, 01:30 Fri and Sat | Vatican, Spanish Steps, Colosseum, Termini |
| tap&go contactless | €1.50, capped at €8.50 per day | same as the network | Short stays, no ticket |
| Roma 24H / 48H / 72H pass | €8.50 / €15 / €22 | 24 to 72 hours | Many journeys |
| CIS 7-day card | €29 | 7 days | A week-long stay |
| Night buses (nMA, nMB, nMB1, nMC) | €1.50 | after the metro closes | Late return |
| Tram 8 | €1.50 | day and evening | Piazza Venezia – Trastevere |
| Taxi, starting fare | €3.50 to €7.50 | 24 hours a day | Direct trips, luggage |
Prices observed in October 2026.
Shared bikes and e-scooters
Electric scooters from Lime, Dott and Bird and shared e-bikes can be hired by app. Since 16 May 2026, a helmet is mandatory for all electric scooter riders, including on hired scooters, and operators do not provide one; the fine ranges from €50 to €250. Cobblestones, hills and traffic make these vehicles poorly suited to the historic centre. For a real bike ride, choose the Via Appia Antica or the banks of the Tiber.
By car: the ZTL
The historic centre is a limited traffic zone, the ZTL, monitored by cameras. The Centro Storico ZTL is active Monday to Friday from 06:30 to 18:00 and on Saturday from 14:00 to 18:00, as well as at night on Friday and Saturday, from 23:00 to 03:00 (except in August). The Trastevere ZTL is active Monday to Saturday from 06:30 to 10:00, and at night on Friday and Saturday from 21:30 to 03:00. Rental cars have no permit: driving past an active camera leads to a fine, passed on through the rental company. Leave the car in a car park outside the centre, for example near a metro station.
Further reading
To get into town from Fiumicino or Ciampino, read our guide to Rome's airports. To put these journeys into practice, follow the itinerary one day in Rome. And to keep costs down, see Rome on a budget.
