Travelling to Rome?
Rome has three thousand years of layers and nobody ever bothered to remove the one below: the Pantheon has been in continuous use since the year 126. You’ll walk more than you planned, so group your days by Tiber bank.
FCO
What to see in Rome
8 ROUTESOur routes, not a list of everything. Places that have been there for centuries: no opening times or prices, which go stale.
- 01
Rome in a day
10 hWith one day you have to give up something big. Give up the Vatican: it’s another country, it eats four hours, and the rest fits on one bank of the Tiber.The Colosseum, and why half of it is missing · The Forum and the Palatine · The Pantheon · Navona, and the stadium underneath · The Trevi Fountain · Dinner in TrastevereRead the full guide - 02
A weekend in Rome
20 hTwo days is one of ancient Rome and one of the Vatican, which is another country. Plus a night in Testaccio, the district built on a mountain of broken amphorae.Saturday: ancient Rome · Saturday night: Testaccio and the mountain of amphorae · Sunday: the Vatican Museums · Sunday: St Peter’s and the domeRead the full guide - 03
What to see in Rome
Nobody here ever threw anything away: they built on top. That’s why the metro has three lines and why an aqueduct from 19 BC is still delivering water.The Colosseum · The Pantheon · The Forum and the Palatine · The Vatican · Castel Sant’Angelo and the secret corridor · Why the metro only has three linesRead the full guide - 04
Where to eat in Rome
Four pastas, and all four come out of the same very short pantry: guanciale, pecorino and pepper. Carbonara has no cream, and that isn’t an opinion.The four pastas · Testaccio and the quinto quarto · The Ghetto and the artichokes · Coffee, standing up · The supplì, and don’t call it an arancinoRead the full guide - 05
Where to stay in Rome
The Tiber splits the city and that’s half the decision. The other half: the historic centre has no metro under it and never will, so here you walk.Centro storico · Trastevere · Monti · Testaccio · Prati and the VaticanRead the full guide - 06
Day trips from Rome
Half an hour by train there’s a whole Roman city, with its bars and its public toilets, that almost nobody visits because everyone goes to Pompeii.Ostia Antica · Tivoli: Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este · The Appian Way · The Castelli RomaniRead the full guide - 07
From Fiumicino airport to the centre
The taxi’s flat fare is defined by a third-century wall. And its rules are exactly what protects you from Rome’s classic scam.The Leonardo Express · The FL1, which doesn’t go to Termini · The taxi, and the third-century wallRead the full guide - 08
Rome: practical tips
There are 2,500 free drinking fountains on the streets. In August, Rome leaves Rome. And you can’t sit on the Spanish Steps.The nasoni · August: Rome leaves Rome · The rules that get fined · The cobbles · Mobile dataRead the full guide
Airport to city centre
3 OPTIONSThe real options, with what actually decides it: which terminal it leaves from and where it drops you. Fares and timetables live with the operator, who keeps them current.
- TrainLeonardo ExpressRoma TerminiThe non-stop run to the main station. The default choice if you’re headed downtown.·Fares and timesTrenitalia
- TrainFL1Trastevere · Ostiense · Tiburtina (NO Termini)The regional line: it skips Termini but calls at stations with metro links. For Trastevere it beats the Express.·Fares and timesTrenitalia
- TaxiCentro storico (dentro de las murallas)Official white cabs run a flat fare to anywhere inside the Aurelian walls: it covers luggage and supplements, works both ways and up to 4 passengers, as long as it’s direct with no stops. If your destination is outside the walls, or there are more than four of you, the meter runs and that’s legal. Official rank only.·Fares and timesComune di Roma
VIP lounges in Rome
5Before you fly, or on the layover. Pay per visit, whatever airline.