Hi!

What are peoples opinions of the public transport system in Rome for getting around easily ?

Thanks!

Go look at the maps.

There is minimal train coverage: Rome does not compare to London, Paris, Madrid, Moscow, Berlin in this area. But the buses go everywhere and are usually pretty quick.

the metro lines are a few. Most places, bus is the only way to go. It is a good system, but can be slow during the rush hour.

If you buy the Roma Pass, it includes a transport pass good for metro/bus/trams/local trains/electric buses. It's good for three days.
http://www.romapass.it/p.aspx?l=en&tid=2

I guess that buses+ walking are a good mix in Rome. Always be aware of pickpockets and of small groups of individuals who might block your way bending in front of you as if they had dropped something while some one else steals from you. It did not happened to us in Rome but it did happened in a Madrid metro station, a quiet , uncrowded Sunday morning, so I imagine that the same kind of foreigners can do it to any of us in ROme. I am not xenophobic but only observing reality because those guys were not Spanish nor ITalian for that matter. The EU has open borders and they were from another country I am
99,9% sure were they came from because I happened to overheard something and because of their accent, Yes they had the nerve to utter some words, they also smiled to us.... they really had us.

You are right Graziella..The worse mistake that the EU ever done was to open the border ..Now is a Mess for everybody involved.

Bus lines provide better coverage but traffic here is an absolute nightmare. Take the metro when and where possible and walk between, which is actually pretty easy once you know the routes. Certain places like Piazza Navona may be 20 minutes from the nearest metro stop, but for instance, the Spagna stop itself lets you off at a famous sight (obviously) and the route between is lovely....walking is seriously the best way to travel, and the metro is a good tool for the long haul. Avoid busses when and where you can, unless patience is truly your virtue

We went everywhere in Rome on a bus or walking. Just hang onto your purse and don't let anyone stick something between your eyes and your purse. We went by metro and train to Ostica Antica and that was fast and easy.

We have just returned from a trip that included a week in Rome and found the bus system to be both easy and fast. It appears to work off a pulse system with the hub being Piazza Venezia. Each bus stop has a sign that indicates both where you are and where your bus stops. We found buses that went to Piazza Venezia and then transferred to the bus that stopped outside our apartment. We never waited more than five minutes for a bus (except once). Having the Roma Pass was great.

The Metro system worked for cross town trips and for getting to the main train station for our exit out of town.

We walked a lot while in Rome, but also used the bus system. It was fantastic.

If you'll check out my website listed below, look under the "Library and Touring" menu. You'll find our favorite bus routes, and in the documents area you'll find all of the official transit maps of Rome.

www.passagetoroma.com

There is also a major bus hub at Largo Argentina in the historic center. You can take a bus there to anywhere a tourist is likely to want to go in Rome.

If metro stops are reasonably close to your departure and destination, the system works just fine and is quite like that in Paris or other European cities. The Rome system skirts the major tourist spots so you will have to pull out your map and determine whether the stops are close enough to work for you. If so, it is ever so much better than the bus.

Thanks everyone! Experienced advice can make all the difference. We are staying across the Tiber in Trastevere, and I think It'll have to be a mixture of all 3. We have a 4 yr old with us, for whom patience has yet to become a virtue!

IMO taxis are usually fairly reasonable too - but the ones out of Termini can be running some scams. I have ridden the metro and buses in Rome - several times the bus was very crowded, they were beiing worked by pickpockets - blocking the exit door then dipping into purses, backpacks, etc. and also I had the "pleasure" of being rubbed up by a horny male passenger. I still love Rome but walk as much as possible.

If you're staying in Trastevere, your go-to lines are the No. 8 tram to Largo Argentina near the Pantheon, the H bus to Termini and the No. 3 tram (it's a bus these days due to construction) to the Colosseum. There isn't a Metro station anywhere near Trastevere.

Actually , there is a Metro station CALLED Trastevere, but it is not in the area where I hope the OP is staying (i.e. closer to Santa Maria in Trastevere).

Another example of Real Estate speak. In DC, for example, a lot of hotels advertise themselvels as being in the White House area when if fact they are over a mile away!

bt032170, Where exactly is your apt?

Stazione Trastevere is *not* a Metro station; it's a regional train station. And yes, it's a long way from the "desirable" part of Trastevere near the Tiber.

You can easily reach the metro from the Trastevere station by hoping the train to Ostiense (travel time 2-7 minutes depending on train - cost .90€). At Ostiense station is the metro connection Piramide.
http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/rom/roma.htm

I believe the 178 bus (best to double check that number) goes directly to Piazza Venezia, which as I noted above, is a bus hub. There is a Tourist Information office in Trastevere which is quite helpful. AT the TI you can purchase a bus route map for 2 euros.

I should have said that we caught the 178 bus in Trastevere.