Rome Forum: Roma pass

THanks Zerlina - I'll do the math. But it also allows for free metro travel. Any advice on the metro? I live in NYC and have used the Paris metro...my only concern is i have two kids 15+10 and need to know the metro is a safe smart way to get around...I've heard mixed reviews. Pickpockets seem to be the worst I've heard....many thanks

The Metro is of limited use in Rome compared to Paris or NYC. It is not unsafe; violence is almost unheard of on the Metro in central Rome. Pickpocketing is an issue, but your children will presumably not be carrying money or valuables.

The bus system is extensive.

Most people walk most of the time in Rome and use public transport maybe twice a day. A single trip costs 1 Euro at present.

Thanks again. I plan to go to Villa Borghese Gardens - seems like the metro is the way to go. I'll be coming from a hotel near the spanish steps...

If your hotel is near the spanish steps you'll easily be able to walk to the Borghese park and gallery. It should take about 10-15 minutes depending on where your hotel is.

Donna

Hello everyone, I will be visiting Rome in early March, and i read some posts and ppl said they can actually walk from Termini station to most of the attractions, ofcourse except for Vatican City, is this true?

Yes, that is true. You can walk to the Vatican area from there also but it will take about 45 minutes. The easiest was from the termini area to the Vatican museums is to take the metro to the cipro stop.

You can use viamichelin.com for walking times between sites and your hotel.

Donna

thanks very much for your suggestions and this website, this is really really useful in calculating the times between destinations, thanks very very much...

In fact, the closest metro stop to the Borghese Gallery IS the Spagna stop, at the Spanish Steps.

My wife and I spent three days in Rome in the Fall of 2010, did get the Roma Pass, and did not regret it. We used it for the Colosseum and adjoining Palatine Hill, as well as the Borghese. No line at the Colosseum was great. I'm not sure how a "no line" would work at the Borghese with militantly rigid scheduled entry times.

Even though you can walk to sites, we made frequent use of the metro to cut down on some of the walking. We'd pick an out point, take the metro to it, see the site or sites (i.e. metro Colosseum, Palatine, Forum, past the wedding cake to the Pantheon) and walk back.

We still logged like 8-10 miles a day on foot while utilizing the metro.

We found it easy to use and as a tourist, I'd feel much safer in the Rome metro than in NYC. Just be aware.

All in all, I found the pass worth it because we did visit multiple attractions as well as make full utilization of the metro. I am not sure if we broke even Euro for Euro expense vs. savings, but the convenience factor made it feel like a deal. I recall even quipping "Roma Pass... don't leave Doma without it."