Rome has a simple and inexpensive fare system for metro, bus, streetcar and train. The Metrebus fare is valid for the whole city.
Rome fare zones
Rome’s metro, buses, trams and trains are part of the Metrebus fare network. This means that you can use all public transport in the city with a single ticket. The entire city counts as two zones. The fare boundaries of zone AB are marked in red on the map. The rest of the Latium region is divided into more zones.
Fares and tickets
A single BIT ticket for the metropolitan area of Rome (zone AB) costs 1.50 Euro and is valid for 100 minutes with one metro entrance. The rechargeable paper ticket costs an additional €0.50. There are also tickets for 24h, 48h and 72h, which are worthwhile for around 5 journeys within the 24 hours. The weekly ticket CIS is already worthwhile for 3 journeys per day. Some Rome Passes include a 48-hour or 72-hour ticket.
Children under the age of 10 do not need a ticket. A ticket is required for luggage >50x30x25 cm, bicycles and pets except guide dogs.
Ticket machines can be found in metro stations and at some major bus stops. You can buy the BIT one-way ticket, the 24h, 48h and 72h tickets and the CIS weekly ticket at the ticket machines. Tickets are also available at many tobacconists and some kiosks.
| Metrebus Tickets | 100 minutes | 24 h | 72 h | 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 1.50 € | 7 € | 18 € | 24 € |
Fares to and from Fiumicino Airport
Rome Fiumicino Airport can be reached by regional trains and regional buses with a 3-zone ticket. The tickets are not valid on the Leonardo Express. More information about Fiumicino Airport – More information about Ciampino Airport
Metrebus contactless payment
Contactless payment can be made at the turnstiles in the metro stations using a credit or debit card or via the corresponding functions on a mobile phone. The card or smartphone must also be used at the turnstiles at the exit. The system also works on buses, trams and on the railway line to Ostia Lido. The system cannot be used on Italian Railways trains.
The credit card or mobile phone used for contactless payment must be shown at the ticket check.
Metrebus Rome apps
You can also pay for Metrebus tickets using an app. But be careful. Only use the app with the QR code. If you use a smartphone with NFC and a payment app installed, the fare will be charged by contactless payment.
In our opinion, apps are obsolete, so we recommend using a paper ticket or contactless payment.
The Rome underground network
The Rome metro has three lines A, B and C. Line A dates back to 1980, runs to the city center and the Vatican, carries the most passengers and is often overcrowded. Line B dates back to 1955 and runs past the Basilica of St. Paul, Ostiense station and the Colosseum. Lines A and B intersect at Termini Central Station. The newer driverless line C runs from San Giovanni (Metro A) to Pigneto and further east to the outskirts along Via Casilina.
Bus routes
Some of the bus routes in Rome extend to the farthest corners of the city. While the buses operate quite well in the city center, they only run sporadically in the suburbs and the connections are poorly coordinated. These are the most important lines for tourists:
Bus 23: from the St Peter’s Basilica to St. Paul outside the walls
Bus 40: express line from the central railway station Termini to the Vatican
Bus 62: Connects the Tiburtina railway station to the Vatican. When traveling through the center, it stops in Via del Tritone, near the Trevi fountain and the Spanish Steps, as well as in Via del Corso, Piazza Venezia, Torre Argentina and Piazza Navona.
Bus 64: Crosses the center on the way from Termini station to St. Peter’s. This line is one of the main attractions for tourists and pickpockets. Important stops are Piazza Venezia, Torre Argentina and Piazza Navona.
Bus 115: From Via del Corso to the Gianicolo and on to Trastevere – unfortunately only very sporadically
Bus 118: From Piazza Venezia to the archaeological area of Via Appia Antica and further to Villa dei Quintili and back
Bus 218: From San Giovanni to the Catacombs San Callisto, San Domitilla and San Sebastiano, and further to the pilgrimage site of Divino Amore
Bus 492: From the Vatican through the center and via Termini to the Basilica of St. Lawrence and on to Tiburtina station
Bus 792: From St. Paul outside the walls to St. John (San Giovanni)
Tram lines
The streetcar in Rome used to take you everywhere. Today, there are still 6 lines that whizz through Rome.
Lines 3 and 19 are particularly picturesque. Line 3 leaves from Trastevere station via Porta Portese and Testaccio. From the Pyramid it goes to the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum. It passes San Giovanni, Santa Croce in Gerusalemme and San Lorenzo with the Verano cemetery. It continues past the University and residential areas to the Zoo behind the Villa Borghese. Line 19 goes from Piazza del Risorgimento, near the Vatican, to the Zoo and along the same route as line 3 to San Lorenzo, where it turns into Via Prenestina. With these two lines you can enjoy a slow but beautiful journey and get to know Rome from a little known side.
Sometimes you can rent a historic train from 1928 with 30 seats for excursions. You can take a romantic ride in a small group on scenic routes.
Other lines are #2, which goes from Piazzale Flaminio to Parco della Musica and the Olympic Stadium, and #8, which goes from Piazza Venezia to Trastevere and the Janiculum Hill. Lines 5 and 14 and the local train from Termini to Giardinetti are commuter lines to the east of Rome.
Local trains
Rome has two lines of local trains. The line from the pyramid to Lido di Ostia at the city rate is interesting. For your trip to the sea, you can also get on at the Basilica of San Paolo and get off at the Stella Polare, Castel Fusano or Cristoforo Colombo stations, which are parallel to the coast. Read also A day in Ostia
The line from Piazzale Flaminio to Viterbo serves commuters from the north of Rome.
Regional trains
The regional trains are operated by the state-owned Trenitalia and can be used in the city with the city ticket. From Ostiense, the train is the fastest connection to St. Peter. The closest stop to the Vatican Museums is Valle Aurelia.
With the regional trains there are nice connections to the sea, in the north towards Civitavecchia and in the south towards Anzio and Formia, or in the mountains to Tivoli or Castel Gandolfo.
See the map of the metro, tram and trains on Google Maps.
Timetables
Information on possible connections and departures to the city in Rome are not readily available and also not reliable. The app 
provides good results. Moovit integrates the data of the public transport company ATAC with the real-time data of the users of the app. Also Google maps gives acceptable results for your route planning.
In public transport and in large gatherings of people, you should be aware of pickpockets. You will find a few tips in our post Pickpockets in Rome!
When in Rome, take a taxi!!!
Hi!
How many zones CIRS ticket need i bye for Rome – Castel Gandolfo
and for Rome – Litoranea/Varco 4 (BUS stop:70087 in OSTIA)
Best wishes: Kornel
Hi Kornel,
the 3 zone ticket is good from Rome to Castel Gandolfo. For the litoranea probably you need only a city ticket, but the 3 zones CIRS is fine for sure.
Best, Bernhard
Grazie mille, Bernhard!
Hi .from ciampo to termini station what zone do I need for main area of city I.e the Vatican can it be used from the airport
The city lines 520 from Ciampino airport to Metro A and 720 to Metro B are included in the metropolitan area (defined as 2 zones). From Ciampino city to Rome are 3 zones.
HELLO. I’M GOING TO ROME CIAMPINO OCTOBER 5. I HAVE A QUESTION.
CAN I PURCHASE A CIS TICKET (CIS) FOR 7 DAYS AT CIAMPINO AIRPORT, IF THAT WHERE IS THERE IN WHICH CIAMPINO PLACE?
IF NOT WHERE NEAR THE AIRPORT?
DO I HAVE TO ENTER YOUR PERSONAL DATA WHEN YOU PURCHASE A TICKET?
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE OF A TICKET (CIS) FROM A ROMA PASS CARD?
Hi,
you’ll find ticket vending machines at CIA. You have to write your name on the ticket. Probably also the Tourist Information will sell tickets or the tobacconist in the departure hall.
The Roma Pass is valid 2 or 3 days and includes one or two museums.
More details about Ciampino airport transfer
I was going to go for the Roma 72 card, but since I am having trouble booking the Colosseum, I’ve been looking for an alternative for the transportation part. It seems that the BTR regional ticket for 1 zone, Roma is a better deal than the ATAC 72 hour ticket. Do they both cover the same modes of transportation within Roma? Can they be purchased at the airport on arrival?
The metropolitan area of Rome counts as 2 zones, the cost for 3 days is 16,50 € and it expires at midnight of the 3rd day. The ATAC ticket for 18 € is a 24h ticket. If you are arriving at Fiumicino and leave within midnight of the 3rd day, I suggest to take the BTR 3 zone ticket for 22 €, this includes also the train line FL1 from the airport to the city (stations Trastevere, Ostiense, Tuscolana, Tiburtina and so on) but not the Leonardo Express. You can buy the ticket at the tobacco shop on the left side of the railways ticket counter.
I live in California, USA. My departure is on November 8, 2019 going to Rome. Can I order today date August 8, 2019 a tickets for 24 hours coming from Germany. When will be delivered in California? As mentioned on your notes, will be delivered one week before my departure it’s a long wait? Please advice what is the good time to order according to my departure? Thank you.
Hi Renato,
you can order today for November. I don’t know how long the postal service needs to California.
hi there
it’s unclear to me if the CIS card for 7 days, will take me from ciampino ariport to cinecitta metrostation. and using the samen CIS card to take me to termini or beyond
all other websites warn me that this will NOT work for airports
please let me know
Hi John,
these websites have old information. From Ciampino you can use the CIS with the city lines 520 to Cinecittà and 720 to Laurentina. The two lines 520 and 720 are rather new and run from the city bus ATAC.