Colosseum
Vast oval amphitheatre in the centre of ancient Rome, where gladiator contests and public shows were staged before huge crowds. Much of its outer wall still stands, and visitors can walk through its tiers and passages.
Rome
Ancient sites such as the Colosseum and Pantheon make this city something like an open-air museum, and Vatican City with its basilica is close by.
Attractive locations
Pantheon
Ancient Roman temple, later turned into a church, topped by a huge concrete dome with an open circle at its centre. The round interior is remarkably well preserved and holds the tomb of the painter Raphael.
St. Peter's Basilica (Vatican City)
Vast Renaissance and Baroque church over the traditional burial place of St Peter, inside the independent state of Vatican City, which is reached on foot from Rome. Modest dress is required.
Vatican Museums (Vatican City)
Huge museum complex inside Vatican City, with Roman sculpture, Renaissance paintings, long galleries and the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's ceiling. It is reached on foot from Rome.
Roman Forum
Ruined heart of ancient Rome, where temples, law courts and triumphal arches once stood. Walking among the broken columns and paved streets gives a feel for the city at its height.
Palatine Hill
Central hill of ancient Rome, traditionally the place where the city began. Remains of imperial palaces and gardens sit above the Forum, with views over the ruins.
Trevi Fountain
Large Baroque fountain filling one side of a small square, with sculpted sea gods and horses. Visitors toss coins over a shoulder into the water, and the square is busy at all hours.
Piazza Navona
Long Baroque square built on the outline of an ancient Roman stadium, with three fountains including Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers. Cafes and street artists fill the open space.
Capitoline Museums
Pair of museums on Michelangelo's square at the top of Capitoline Hill, holding ancient Roman sculpture and Renaissance paintings, including the bronze Capitoline Wolf.
Castel Sant'Angelo
Round fortress beside the Tiber, built as an emperor's tomb and later used as a papal refuge and prison. The upper terrace gives a view over rooftops toward St Peter's.
Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps
Elegant square at the foot of the wide Spanish Steps, which climb to the church of Trinita dei Monti. A popular place to sit and watch the city go by.
Arch of Constantine
Large triumphal arch beside the Colosseum, built in the early 300s to celebrate Emperor Constantine's victory. Its carved reliefs include pieces reused from earlier monuments.
Airports
Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport CIA
It is about 14 km in a straight line from Rome.
Rome–Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport FCO
It is about 22 km in a straight line from Rome.
Perugia San Francesco d'Assisi – Umbria International Airport PEG
It is about 134 km in a straight line from Rome.
Getting around
From Fiumicino Airport
The Leonardo Express goes non-stop from Fiumicino to Roma Termini in about 32 minutes, and regional FL1 trains reach other Rome stations, including Roma Tiburtina. Taxi ranks are on the arrivals level of Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, and a fixed fare applies to trips within the Aurelian Walls. The airport operator advises checking the taxi's municipal symbol and licence number, and treating anyone who offers city transport inside the airport with caution.
- Source: Aeroporti di Roma: Fiumicino Airport train (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Aeroporti di Roma: Fiumicino Airport taxi (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Aeroporti di Roma: Getting to and from Fiumicino (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Metro, buses and trams
Rome's buses, trams, trolleybuses and metro lines A, B, B1 and C are all run by ATAC. A different operator, Cotral, runs the Roma-Lido railway and the urban section of the Roma-Viterbo railway, yet ATAC's tap-and-go contactless payment is accepted on those too. Changing between lines A, B and B1 does not involve the turnstiles, whereas going between line A and line C does.
- Source: ATAC (Rome public transport): Tap and go (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Tap and go and 24-hour ticket
No registration is needed to tap a contactless card or NFC phone on buses, trams and metro turnstiles. A surface ticket lasts 100 minutes from the first tap, so use the same device for every tap in that window; each traveller needs their own. The ROMA 24H ticket allows unlimited travel for 24 hours from first validation, so validate it at the start. It works on airport bus lines 520 and 720 to Ciampino, but not on the rail link to Fiumicino.
- Source: ATAC (Rome public transport): Tap and go (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: ATAC (Rome public transport): ROMA 24H ticket (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Scams and safe taxis
Official white taxis in Rome
White paint, TAXI on the roof, and the Roma Capitale emblem and licence number on the front doors identify Rome's official taxis; the number appears again inside, on the rear left door. Make sure the meter is on and ask for a receipt. You can get one from the city's taxi phone line, the ChiamaTaxi app or a rank. A fixed airport fare covers only a direct trip to the stated address, with no detours.
- Source: Roma Servizi per la Mobilita: Taxi (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- Source: Rome Tourism (Roma Capitale): Taxis in Rome (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Unauthorised rides at Fiumicino
Near the exit, some vehicles may be driven by people with no valid taxi permit, and their fares may differ from official rates, the airport operator warns. It also advises caution toward anyone inside the airport offering unauthorised transport into the city. Wait in the dedicated taxi areas, and before getting in, check the municipality symbol and licence number on the car.
- Source: Aeroporti di Roma: Fiumicino Airport taxi (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Fake texts about tap and go
ATAC, Rome's transport operator, says it does not send text messages about tap and go payments or confirmations. It calls such messages phishing and says not to click links in them. To see what has been charged to a card used for travel, register with the operator's own MyAtac service.
- Source: ATAC (Rome public transport): Tap and go (checked 4 Nov 2026)
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan7.0 °C73 mm
- Feb7.6 °C77 mm
- Mar10.3 °C69 mm
- Apr13.9 °C56 mm
- May18.0 °C57 mm
- Jun22.8 °C34 mm
- Jul26.0 °C26 mm
- Aug26.2 °C26 mm
- Sep21.4 °C70 mm
- Oct17.2 °C82 mm
- Nov12.5 °C114 mm
- Dec8.1 °C91 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Oct, Nov, Dec.
Costs
Prices here are about 69% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
112 works across the EU for police, fire and ambulance.
local government
Single European emergency number 112 (Ministry of the Interior)
Helps with: Italy's emergency number. The Interior Ministry's site shows the single 112 service live in 18 regions, not yet in Campania or Veneto, where Carabinieri answer 112. Ambulance 118, fire 115.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Italy who needs urgent help from the police, fire service or medical services.
Phone: 112
local government
ENIT, Italian National Tourist Board
Helps with: Italy's national tourism promotion body. Its contact page gives its Rome office address, switchboard and email for tourism enquiries.
Who qualifies: Anyone planning or taking a trip to Italy.
Phone: +39 06 49711
Email: [email protected]
Address: Via Marghera 2/6, 00185 Roma
ngo
Italian Red Cross (Croce Rossa Italiana)
Helps with: Italy's national Red Cross society. Its website lists a national headquarters in Rome and two public helpline numbers, 1520 and 160.
Who qualifies: People in Italy who need Red Cross services or support.
Phone: 065510
Address: Via Bernardino Ramazzini 31, 00151 Roma
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Italy
Helps with: The UN migration agency; its Rome office coordinates work across the Mediterranean, including voluntary return and reintegration, family reunification and regular labour mobility.
Who qualifies: Migrants and people involved in migration programmes. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +39 06 44 186 200
Address: Casale Strozzi Superiore, Via L. G. Faravelli snc, 00195 Roma
local government
Civil Protection Department (Dipartimento della Protezione Civile)
Helps with: Italy's national civil protection department. It coordinates emergency management, risk information and weather alerts; its Contact Center answers public enquiries.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Italy wanting civil protection information or contact with the department.
Phone: 800 840 840
Address: Via Ulpiano 11, 00193 Roma
local government
Rome tourist information contact centre 060608
Helps with: Roma Capitale's tourist and cultural information line. Callers can ask about tourist services, cultural offerings and the city's events calendar.
Who qualifies: Anyone visiting Rome or planning a trip there.
Phone: 060608
Address: Via di San Basilio 51, 00187 Roma