Getting Around Rome: Transport, Airport Transfers and Where to Leave Your Bag

Rome has just three metro lines, A, B (with its B1 branch) and C, and that's no accident. Dig under the centro storico and you hit a layer of ruins, which is why Metro C took over twenty years to reach the Colosseum and still won't reach Piazza Venezia until 2035 or 2036. So the honest answer to "how do I get around Rome" is mostly on foot, with a metro line or a bus filling the gaps. Here's what that costs, checked in September 2026.

Disclosure: Ciceru earns a commission if you book luggage storage through our Radical Storage link, and you get 10% off. It does not change what we recommend.

Once you're walking, the Rome and Power self-guided tour with Ciceru runs 6 km from St Peter's Basilica to the Colosseum for €7, a story and a quiz question at each of its 10 stops, plus a free 500 MB global eSIM.

• From Fiumicino: the Leonardo Express train is €14 direct to Termini in 32 minutes; the FL1 regional train is cheaper at €8 and also stops at Trastevere, Ostiense and Tiburtina
• From Ciampino: no train. Terravision's bus is from €6.50 to Termini; the fixed taxi fare is €40
• In the city: a single ATAC ticket (BIT) is €1.50 for 100 minutes; tap a contactless card or phone (tap&go) and it caps itself at €8.50 for 24 hours, so skip prebuying a day pass
• Luggage: Termini's staffed Kipoint desk is the simplest if you're at the station, from €6 a bag; near a hotel, in Trastevere or the Vatican, or with a big case, Radical Storage has over 280 spots from €1.60 a day, 10% off with our link

ATAC's fares rose in July 2025, so any guide still quoting the old numbers is wrong:

• 💶 Single (BIT): €1.50, valid 100 minutes on bus or tram, or one metro ride including line changes without exiting
• 💶 24 hours: €8.50 (was €7)
• 💶 48 hours: €15.00 (was €12.50)
• 💶 72 hours: €22.00 (was €18)
• 💶 Weekly (CIS): €29.00 (was €24)

Tap&go is the newer change: tap a contactless bank card, or a phone or watch with one loaded, directly at a metro gate or bus reader. No app, no pre-purchase. It charges €1.50 a tap, same as a BIT, and caps you automatically at the €8.50 24-hour fare from your sixth tap, as long as every tap uses the same card or device.

Paper tickets still need validating, at the small machines on board or at the metro barrier, before you travel. Tap&go and app tickets validate themselves. Caught without a valid ticket, the fine is €104.90, or €54.90 within 5 days, on top of the fare for the journey.

Do the maths first. Five singles cost €7.50, so the 24-hour ticket (€8.50) only pays off from your sixth ride, a lot even for a full sightseeing day. Tap&go makes prebuying moot anyway: it caps you automatically at that same €8.50, so just tap in and let the system work it out.

Multi-day tickets still make sense without tap&go, a group sharing one card, say. The 48-hour (€15) or 72-hour (€22) beats paying per ride once you're at six or more rides a day.

The Roma Pass (€38 for 48 hours, €62.90 for 72 hours) bundles transport with entry to one or two major sights plus other discounts. For transport alone it's poor value against tap&go. It only wins if you're also visiting two or more paid sites in that window, where the bundled entries outweigh the premium over a transport-only ticket. Check what your planned sights cost before buying; our Rome on a budget guide has that maths.

White taxis only, from official ranks or by phone or app, never a driver who approaches you first. In Rome, Uber mainly runs as Uber Black, a licensed higher-tier car at a higher fare, not the cheap UberX common elsewhere. FreeNow and ItTaxi book an ordinary metered white taxi from your phone, useful late at night when hailing one on the street is hit and miss.

Inside the city it's the meter, with a higher starting fee at night and on Sundays and holidays, so check the tariff card in the car. Check the meter is running, or agree a price first for anything not covered by a fixed airport fare.

1. Fiumicino: buy a Leonardo Express ticket (€14) for Termini, or an FL1 ticket (€8) near Trastevere, Ostiense or Tiburtina.
2. Ciampino: take the Terravision bus (from €6.50), or the ATRAL bus plus metro for a few euros.
3. Tap a contactless card or phone at any metro gate or bus reader instead of queuing for a paper ticket, it caps itself at €8.50 for the day.
4. Drop spare bags at Termini's Kipoint desk, or book a Radical Storage spot near your hotel if it's too early to check in.
5. Walk first. Navona, the Pantheon and Trevi are closer on foot than by metro from almost anywhere central.

How do I get from Rome airport to the city centre?

From Fiumicino, the Leonardo Express is simplest, €14 to Termini in 32 minutes; the FL1 train is cheaper at €8 and useful near Trastevere or Tiburtina. From Ciampino, take the Terravision bus (from €6.50); there's no train link, and the fixed taxi fare is €40.

What does a Rome public transport ticket cost?

A single (BIT) is €1.50 for 100 minutes. Tap&go with a contactless card or phone charges the same €1.50 a tap and caps automatically at €8.50 for 24 hours.

Where can I store luggage in Rome?

Termini's Kipoint desk is simplest if you're passing through, from €6 a bag. Near a hotel or with a big case, Radical Storage has over 280 spots from €1.60 a day, 10% off through our link above.

Skip the day passes: tap a contactless card or phone and let ATAC cap your fare at €8.50. Take the Leonardo Express or FL1 from Fiumicino rather than a tout's "fixed price" that isn't; the real one is €55. And budget time to walk, three metro lines can't cover a city built on top of itself.

Start with Rome Explained, stretch your budget with Rome on a Budget, and once you're on foot, the Ciceru self-guided walk runs St Peter's to the Colosseum for €7.