My 15-yr.old daughter and I will be traveling to Rome tomorrow by ourselves and I am a bit nervous about the confusion we may encounter at the airport, trying to get to our hotel destination. I have decided the train would be best as I am not experienced with using lire for a cab (not to mention the expense). Would someone please guide me, step-by-step from airport via train to our hotel? (Hotel is Domus Mariae on Aurelia). Thank you!

if you are so unsure of things, I suggest you take a cab. The fare should be around 90,000 lire - about $40. do the following: <BR> <BR>1. go to the first money changing window or ATM you find in the airport and change a reasonable amount of money to lire. (at least $100). Note the bills you get. there should be at least one 100,000 lire note. <BR>2. find the area on the way out after baggage and customs where all the cabs are lined up. Follow the signs for taxis. Don't let some helpful stranger lead you to a stray cab parked alone. <BR>3. go to the first cab available and show him a sheet of paper with the name of the hotel on it. ask him how much... <BR>4. anything under 100,000 is ok. <BR>5. at your destination, give him one 100,000 lire bill, and wait for change, if there should be change. <BR>6. do not fall for the Rome taxi drivers favorite trick - the switch of a 100,000 bill with a 10,000 bill with a request for more money. Be sure of what you give him, and show him that you know what you gave him. <BR>7. If in doubt, call the police. They don't like the police and will quickly give in.... <BR> <BR>Have fun!! <BR> <BR> <BR>

thank you for the advice on the cab. Oe more question....how much do I tip?

The taxi driver might actually round up the amount shown the meter, to the nearest 1000 lire. I have sometimes taken that to mean that no other tip is expected. <BR> <BR>In other cases, I have rounded up to the nearest 5000 or 10.000 lire - - especially if it was raining or if you were shown some other nice courtesy with your bags, for example. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

as far as i know, they don't expect a tip, but if you feel the driver has been honest and helpful with your bags, feel free to leave a tip of a few thousand lire. maybe the change from the 100,000 note you paid with, if there is change! <BR> <BR>enjoy!!

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If you are willing to use polite English, you can travel less expensively. There are lots of English signs initially from passport control (where there are no "landing cards" required and customs is YES/NO do you have anything to declare.) After you buy your ticket (which cost us each 17,000 Lire one way) you have to get it validated in the yellow box on the platform (put it in and let it come back to you = validation) (Thanks to a previous posting, I learned this on my way to Rome!) <BR>Suggestion: if you can, next time don't wait till the day before to write to Fodor's. There are lots of terrific people who will give you great directions or suggestions as they have to me over the years. <BR>Enjoy Rome - It is a great place to visit. Even if you are not Catholic (which I am not) you should plan to visit the Vatican - the most amazing collection of art work imaginable.

ps. I realized too late that you asked how to get to your hotel. Have the name and address written down and when you walk outside the Roma Termini, there will be taxis. You must take the first in line. ask in English, if they speak English; if not, show them the written name and address of where you want them to take you and have lire (which you have changed at the airport, if no place else, ready for him) Enjoy!

The taxi fare from central Rome to Termini last Thur. was 70,000 lire for two people, tip included. The drive time is 30-45 min, depending on traffic. For the train, fare is 17,000 lire per person. To get to the train, just follow the signs after customs: down two escalators, up one, turn right and your are at the station. When you arrive at Termini train station in central Rome, you will have a long walk straight ahead if you want to use the front exit of Termini. (If you do this, when you exit the front of Termini, look for the official taxi stand--orange sign just to the right of the center of the station--there will be a line of people waiting, but the line moves very quickly. Do NOT get into a cab other than from this location--you will likely be approached by "independent" cab drivers when you walk out the front of Termini, and they will charge whatever they think they can get away with.) If you take the train, I suggest exiting Termini to the left after a short walk from getting off the train--exit where you see the small, round stand selling train tickets to the airport--and there is also an official taxi stand there w. a much shorter waiting line. It is also marked by an orange "TAXI" sign. <BR>Don't worry; it's MUCH simpler than this all sounds--you will have a great time.

We took a cab from the airport in Rome to the Pantheon and it cost 85,000 lire we gave the driver 100,000 lire for the great ride. He drove between 160 and 180 kph (somewhere between 100-120 mph) on the highway on the way to Rome. <BR> <BR>I'd really recommend the cab drive over the train. After an 8 hour flight and arriving in a strange city it's worth the 50 bucks. <BR> <BR>Have a great time and be sure to do a walking tour of some sort. You can get a free tour of the Roman Forum as a warmup to other tours offered for a modest fee. Fabulous city. Eat in the ghetto or Trastevere where the Romans eat.