Rome Travel Guide

Rome bombards you with images: elderly ladies with dyed hair chatting in Trastevere; priests with cigars strolling the Imperial Forums; traffic jams around the Colosseum; plateloads of pasta in Piazza Navona; sinuous trees beside the Villa Borghese; barrages of pastel-coloured scooters revving up at traffic lights as if preparing for a race.

People in Rome encapsulate the spirit of the city. Pass a central café and the tables outside are animated with people, downing fast shots of espresso and sporting big black sunglasses. They are neither posing nor hung over. Nuns flutter through the streets, on the trip of a lifetime or secondment from the Philippines, bustling across the road before treating themselves to an ice cream. Churches fill during Mass, and the priests, dressed in purple, cream or red silk (right down to their socks), read the rites to a hushed congregation (mostly from out of town).

Rome enjoys a typically Mediterranean climate. Summers (from June to September) are hot and dry with temperatures often soaring to 37°C. High humidity is also common, particularly in July and August. Winter tends to be moderate, at least by northern European standards, with temperatures averaging around 10°C to 15°C between December and February. Snow, although not unheard of, is extremely rare. Spring (March to June) and early autumn (September and October) are the best times to visit Rome, with lovely blue skies and mild temperatures. November and December are the two wettest months.

Rome is not a dangerous city but petty crime is rife. Road safety is also an issue. The highway code is obeyed with discretion so don't take it for granted that cars and scooters will stop at pedestrian crossings, or even at red lights. The only way to cross the road is to step confidently into the traffic and walk across, ideally in a group, best of all with a nun.

EU citizens do not need a visa to enter Italy. Nationals of some other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland and the USA, do not need visas for stays of up to 90 days in Italy, or in any Schengen country. Italy is one of the 15 signatories of the Schengen Convention, an agreement whereby participating countries abolished customs checks at common borders. The Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

The standard tourist visa for a Schengen country is valid for up to 90 days. As a rule, a Schengen visa issued by one Schengen country is valid for travel in other Schengen countries, although it's always worth checking as individual countries may impose additional restrictions on certain nationalities. You must apply for a Schengen visa in your country of residence and you can apply for no more than two in any 12-month period. They are not renewable inside Italy.

Technically all foreign visitors to Italy are supposed to register with the local police within eight days of arrival. However, if you're staying in a hotel you don't need to bother as the hotel does this for you - this is why they always take your passport details.

Rome's largest and most famous fountain, Fontana di Trevi was completed by Nicola Salvi in 1762, and immortalised by Marcello Mastroianni and a frolicking Anita Ekberg in Fellini's La Dolce Vita. This extravagant baroque work takes up most of the piazza, appears to meld into the palazzo, and depicts Neptune's chariot being led by Tritons with seahorses - one wild, one docile - representing the moods of the sea.

Of all the monuments in Rome, the Colosseum thrills the most. It was here that gladiators met in mortal combat and condemned prisoners fought off hungry lions. This great symbol of eternal Rome still excites the imagination as you'll see from the hordes waiting to get in.

The expanse of ruins to the northeast of Via dei Fori Imperiali are known collectively as the Imperial Forums (Fori Imperiali). Constructed by Caesar, Augustus, Vespasian, Nerva and Trajan between 42 BC and AD 112, they were largely buried in 1933 when Mussolini built Via dei Fori Imperiali between the Colosseum and Piazza Venezia.

The ruins over the road from Piazza dei Cinquecento, outside Termini, are the remains of the Terme di Diocleziano (Diocletian's Baths), the largest baths complex in ancient Rome. Covering about 13 hectares and with a capacity of 3000 people, the complex comprised baths, libraries, concert halls and gardens. It was completed in the early 4th century but fell into disrepair after invaders destroyed the aqueduct that fed the baths in about AD 536.

At 11:00 on Wednesdays, the pope meets his flock at St Peter's Basilica (in July and August at Castel Gandofolo). For free tickets, write to the Prefettura della Casa Pontificia, 00120 Città del Vaticano. If you're already in Rome, call or visit the Prefettura (%06 698 84 631; h 09:00 - 13:00 ) through the bronze doors under the colonnade to the right of St Peter's. When in town, the pope also blesses the faithful in St Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) on Sundays at noon - no tickets required.

A must for anyone into Renaissance and baroque art, this glorious gallery is housed in one of Rome's most spectacular palazzi . Commissioned by Pope Urban VIII to celebrate the Barberini family's rise to papal power in 1623, Palazzo Barberini was worked on by a who's who of 17th-century architects: designed by Carlo Maderno and then his nephew Borromini after his death, with a staircase by Bernini and a fresco by Pietro da Cortona.

Marcus Agrippa's Pantheon is one of the world's most sublime architectural creations: a perfectly proportioned floating dome resting on an elegant drum of columns and pediments. Built in 27 BC, and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 120 AD, it is one of Rome's best-preserved ancient monuments. Its extraordinary dome is the largest masonry vault ever built.

The favourite flirting ground of Roman teenagers, Piazza di Spagna and the famous Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti) have been a magnet for foreigners since the 18th century. In the late 1700s the area was much loved by English on the Grand Tour and was known to locals as er ghetto de l'inglesi (the English ghetto). It's busy from early morning until the small hours

Rome is an easy place to get to. It's served by direct flights from across the world and hundreds of European connections. Once you're in the city, there's a comprehensive public transport system which makes getting around pretty simple.

Rome's taxi drivers are no better or worse than those in any other city. Some will try to fleece you, others won't. To minimise the risk, make sure your taxi is licensed (it'll be white or yellow with the letters SPQR on the front door), and always go with the metered fare, never an arranged price (the set fares to and from the airports are an exception to this rule). Official rates are posted in the taxi and on www.romaturismo.it (click on Rome Welcomes You, Transportation, When in Town, Taxi).

Hailing a passing taxi doesn't work in Rome. You must either wait at a taxi rank or telephone for one. In the centre you'll find ranks at Stazione Termini, Largo di Torre Argentina, the Pantheon, Corso Rinascimento, Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna, Largo Goldoni, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Venezia, the Colosseum, Piazza GG Belli in Trastevere and near the Vatican at Piazza Pio XII and Piazza Risorgimento. To book a taxi by phone, try the following:

Cosmos (06 8 81 77)
La Capitale (06 49 94)
Pronto Taxi (06 66 45)
Radio Taxi (06 35 70)
Samarcanda (06 55 51)
Tevere (06 41 57)

Note that if you phone for a taxi, the meter is switched on immediately and you pay from wherever the driver receives the call.

Rome's buses and trams are run by ATAC (800 43 17 84; www.atac.roma.it). The main bus station is in front of Stazione Termini on Piazza dei Cinquecento, where there's an information booth (7.30am-8pm). Other important hubs are at Largo di Torre Argentina, Piazza Venezia and Piazza San Silvestro. Buses generally run from about 5.30am until midnight, with limited services throughout the night on some routes.

Rome is served by most of the world's major international airlines and by a growing number of low-cost operators. Most airlines have counters in the departure hall at Fiumicino airport (Leonardo da Vinci Airport) and some have ticket offices in the city centre, usually on or around central Via Barberini.

Most domestic flights are operated by Italy's national carrier, Alitalia, although Air One and Meridiana fly a number of routes.

Rome is served by two airports: the main international airport Leonardo da Vinci, better known as Fiumicino, and Ciampino airport.

Thirty kilometres from the centre of town, Leonardo da Vinci is divided into three terminals: Terminal A (for domestic flights), Terminal B (for domestic and international flights to Schengen countries) and Terminal C (for all other international flights). The terminals are within easy walking distance of each other in the main airport building.

Facilities at the airport include a post office, internet access (in Terminal A's Atahotel Executive Centre), some 140 shops, and a left-luggage office (7am-11pm) on the ground floor of Terminal C. To leave a bag costs €2 for up to seven hours and €3.50 for seven to 24 hours; luggage over 110cm long, or weighing more than 55kg, costs €6 per day. Make sure you have your passport handy, as a photocopy will be made when you leave your luggage.

Ciampino, 15km southeast of the city centre, is used by low-cost airlines and charter operators. It's not a big airport but there's a steady flow of traffic and at peak times it can get extremely busy. Facilities are limited but you will find a post office and Banca di Roma.

Average prices range from €50 per day for 125cc scooters to €95 for a 500cc motorcycle.

Rome's main train station and transport hub is Stazione Termini (06 473 06 599; Piazza dei Cinquecento), from where there are regular trains to other European countries, all major Italian cities and many smaller towns.

On the main concourse, the train information office (7am-9.45pm) is helpful (English is spoken) but often very busy. To avoid the queues, you can get information online at www.trenitalia.com (accessible through the Link option on the home page of www.ferroviadellostato.it) or, if you speak Italian, by calling 89 20 21.

The station has the usual assortment of shops, snack bars and ATMs. In the hall parallel to platform 24 you'll find the tourist office and a hotel reservation service. The left-luggage office (6am-midnight) is on the lower ground floor under platform 24. To leave an item costs €3.80 for the first five hours, then €0.60 per hour for each additional hour.

Rome's second train station is Stazione Tiburtina, a short ride away on metro line B. Of the capital's eight other train stations, the most important are Stazione Roma-Ostiense and Stazione Trastevere .

Apart from connections to Fiumicino airport, you'll probably only need Rome's overground rail network if you head out of town to the Castelli Romani or to Ostia.

Rome's metro system is of limited value to visitors, with the two lines, A and B, bypassing much of the centro storico. The two lines traverse the city in an X-shape, crossing at Stazione Termini, the only point at which you can change from one line to the other. Trains run approximately every five to 10 minutes between 5.30am and 11.30pm (one hour later on Saturday). However, until 2008 or 2009, Line A is closing for engineering works at 9pm every night. To replace it there are two temporary bus lines: MA1 from Battistini to Arco di Travertino and MA2 from Viale G Washington to Anagnina.

The centre of Rome doesn't lend itself to cycling: there are steep hills, treacherous cobbled roads, and the traffic is terrible. Things improve on Sundays when much of the city centre (and Via Appia Antica) is usually closed to traffic.

If you want to pedal around town, pick up andiamo in Bici a Roma (€7.50), a useful map published by Lozzi & Rossi Editore, which details Rome's main cycle paths.

On Sunday, and weekdays after 9pm, you can take your bike on metro line B and the Lido di Ostia train (front carriage only), although you'll have to buy a separate ticket for it.

You can also carry bikes on some regional trains, paying a €3.50 supplement. On Intercity and Eurocity/Euronight services the supplement is €5 on national routes and €10 on international journeys.

To rent a bike you'll have to leave a photo ID in lieu of a cash deposit or, in some cases, a credit card number.

The service charge might be included in restaurants although it is customary to leave a tip (5 to 10%).

GMT/UTC plus one hour (Central European time).

Metric

Daylight Saving Start: Last Sunday in March
Daylight Saving End: Last Sunday in October

220V 50Hz

Local area code: 06

Official: Italian

Euro (€)