Walking, Rome

The best way to get to know any place is to walk around it, and Rome is a fairly easy place to get around on foot. You can walk from one ancient site to another, you're constantly surrounded by fascinating ruins. Just make sure you know where you want to go and what you want to look at in each area, otherwise you will find yourself going backwards and forwards covering the same ground. We got to know certain routes very well indeed!

My brother found this back carrier really helpful when carrying his daughter around. Often, the roads are not very child-friendly, and a toddler trying to traverse these pathways would hold everyone up they would be going s slowly, plus they could get hurt quite easily. It is also a good thing to have as buggy/prams are difficult to use on many roads in Rome. This is only advisable for young, light children though, as you will have a certain amount of back pain otherwise!

Well, there is the underground in Rome and also the trams and buses are there and of course taxis but to be honest in my opinion the best way to sightseeing of Rome is go on your own foot.
To be honest the underground there is not very pleasant comparing to the Lisbon's one for example.
The underground in Rome is too crowded and the trains go not very often. It is also very stuffy there and we used it only twice when we really had to do it.
I also noticed that the underground there is not very useful for handicapped people.

see the page:
http://www.virtualrome.com/english/trasporti/mappe/metropolitana.htm

A city with 2.3 million cars deserves a walking tip. While most of Rome's centre is pedestrianized, you'll occasionally have to cross a street with lots of traffic. Here's a couple of useful rules.

1) Remember that 90% of traffic deaths and injuries come from pedestrians, and take care.

2) Find the nearest zebras or traffic lights, then start crossing with moderate and constant speed, always looking to the forthcoming driver (there'll be one). Don't wait for drivers to stop, just walk ahead and don't panic: they will.

3) If you don't feel safe crossing at some point, walk ahead or back a few hundred meters, and you'll most probably find zebras or at least a place with better visibility.

4) Follow the flow, do as the Romans do.

Rome is quite "walkable". I mean, the city has many interisting spots, and between these spots, walking along the small streets is definately beautiful. The streets, the architecture and the smells of the city are quite enjoyable.
Don't even think of renting a car, because Rome is not a city for cars. Don't even think of renting a motorcycle, as you probably won't have the guts that romans do to ride them, and don't even think of taking a cab, as they're very expensive for such short rides.
So walk. And enjoy.

If you are staying close to the city center, the only place that may be a little too far to walk to would be Vatican City (take Metro Line A - it will take you directly to Città del Vaticano). Other than that, walking is the best choice! Driving or riding a moto scooter / bike is next to suicide and taxis are just very expensive.

I was told there are over 400 bus / tram lines and its next to impossible to find out which route which bus takes. Some tobacco shops have route maps but they are usually €5 up - I did see a small folded-up one for €2.50 in one shop, but the question is really if it's worth the money unless you are staying for Rome for an extended period of time.

The metro is nice but also not too reliable at times (the last night of our stay, we were trying to get to the train station, but because of some technical defect, the metro was delayed for about 20 min, and when it finally came, it was so packed that you could not possibly get on without getting smashed... go figure...)

To sum it up -- if you need to go someplace far out, buy a single ticket (available at tobacco shops, vending machines in metro stations and in those little booths in the streets). Day tickets or even 3 / 7 Day-tickets are not expensive at first sight, but you'll probably end up walking a lot anyway...

There are buses and the metro, but i actually found it easier to walk as most of the things to see are within walking distance and it gives you the opportunity to discover more.
i only went for 2 days and managed to see a lot.

We really enjoyed our 3 km walk on the
via appia antiqua. The surroundings are really
great. Problem was , at the end of our walk the
tree of us decided that walking back wasn't a
nice sollution. The sun was burning unmercifull
and we had seen it by now. We didn't want to
loose more precious time in Rome.

Problem is that ALL the tourist guide books
say that there is no way bak , then to walk.
Well , we Belgians , described by Ceasar
as the bravest of them all... we didn't
believed that.

First you stop for a drink at the crossing of the
'via tor carbone' and the 'via appia antica'.
A fresh water fountain is waiting for you.

Then you walk a little bit down the road ,
busstop 'via erode attico' is waiting for you.
Get on the bus and get off at metro station
'arco di Travertino'.
Now it is just a matter of minutes
-your on line A.-untill your back in the city center.

I was quite surprised at how walkable Rome was (pssssssssssst, Cathy, don't tell anybody about my blisters....)! You get the best feel of the city by walking it!!! There are signs for pedestrians all around to show you the right direction to the major sites!!

This tip is not so much about what mode of transport you should use to get around Rome, but more to advise you to walk! Not because there is anything wrong with traveling any other way, but because you will see so much more. Most of which will be missed if you always get a train or taxi.

There are little pockets amongst the back streets that have beautiful fountains and monuments in them. Historical buildings can be found in the strangest of places............some of which will be missed unless you do a bit of walking.

It is not a far walk. Rome centre is not as big as say Paris or London. We walked from our hotel in the South East of the City to the Vatican in the North West and it takes maybe an hour.....if that. Obviously we took a lot longer because we stopped in at some other sites on the way.

If you can handle a few hours of walking then definetly walk! You will have a great time!