Greetings!

I'm close to settling on my apartment for the week I'll be spending in Rome at the end of March.

Both are close to Rome subway stops. Can anyone tell me their experiences with the Rome metro system? Is it ok to ride? Safe?

One apt is located near the Furio Camillo stop and the other by the Cavour stop.

Any thoughts? The only real difference is location to historic Rome and a washing machine in one but not the other.

Your input would be greatly appreciated!

I hardly ever use the subway in Rome, as it is so limited and walking is always the better option for me. That said, the few times I've used it I was very much on guard for pickpockets and thieves and once came very close to being robbed. Just my one-time experience, but if you do use the subway, guard your possessions carefully and be aware of everything around you.

If you hope to walk to popular sights in the center of Rome, the apartment near Cavour would be a much better choice.

The Rome Metro is easy to use and is as safe as any other subway system. You should be fine if you use the same common sense and sense of awareness of your surroundings that you would use on public transportation in any other big city. The times I've used the Metro have been when I had to get from the Spanish Steps out to The Vatican early in the morning and the weather wasn't good, and on another occasion when I wanted to see The Pyramid and some other sites in that vicinity.

Buon Viaggio,
BC

Even though I was a little nervous about using the subway at first, I found it very easy. I felt very safe. There are only 2 lines which cross at the Termini Train Station, so it's hard to get lost. We stayed up above the Piazzalo De Populo and the only time we really needed it was to go over to Vatican City and down to the Colosseum. Rome is pretty compact and easy to walk. But it was nice when you're tired (and just a cool cultural experience for us since we don't have subways in California) to ride the subway.

Rome has a metro, not subway, and it is not particularly useful because its reach is so limited. I'd guard my money closely.

The bus system is extensive, fairly swift, and goes everywhere. I'd use that.

I hardly ever wanted to go where the metro went. Mainly walked but the bus lies are easy to navigate and youe see more.

Um, BigRuss, what is the difference between a subway and a metro? And is it important enough of a distinction?

I would venture to say that most people on Fodor's use the two terms interchangeably for any fixed-guideway electric public transit that is partially or wholly underground. FWIW, Wikipedia also defines them as synonyms. More generally, many people probably call many such systems -- even if they're technically automated people movers like in ATL and DEN airports, or Translink's 3 lines in Vancouver -- "subways" as a general, colloquial term.

Do you call pain relievers "aspirin" even if they are based on acetominophen, ibuprofen, etc., and not acetylsalicylic acid?

There is a lot of construction going on in the subway at Termini now, so it is a less than pleasant experience getting into and out of the stations. That said, the metro does get you places very quickly.

No one has mentioned the trams, or streetcars as we call them in the US. The vehicles are light rail cars and are faster than buses but slower than the metro. There is a particularly interesting one through Trastevere.

No one has mentioned the electric minibuses that go from one end of the city to the other through the most historic districts. These are great to ride, but some of the drivers have an incredibly bad attitude. We came to one stop where ten or twelve people were obviously waiting, but because no one signaled him to stop, the driver blew them off.

tdyls: Let's go full-blown formal and use the proper name: la metropolitana.

Anyway, we've used the system several times and found the Rome sub ... er, uh, metro to be comparable with that of other cities. However, do try to plan your use to avoid rush hour.

I've also found that on my several trips to Rome I've hardly used the subway as it doesn't go to most places a tourist wants to go - the Colosseum is about it, plus a stop nearish the Vatican. The buses are much more useful and easy enough to get the hang of. So I wouldn't take nearness to a subway station into account when choosing an apartment - otoh I would want an apartment in the historic centre so I could walk to most places I'd want to go.

BigRuss, I'm also interested in the difference between Subway and metro, what do you mean? Anyway the metro in Rome is safe as others have said .Of course be aware of pickpockets.As big Russ has said it is somewhat limited and that's because everywhere you dig in Rome you find ruins (the biggest metro system in Italy is that of Milan). Many people commute from the outskirts of the city to central areas by trains or by bus. But since yor hotel is near a metro stop you'll find it a very useful and efficient means to escape traffic jams .For instance you can reach the Vatican (line A stop Cipro)and the Colosseum (line B)

The Rome metro is fine. I use it every day. Yes, beware of pickpockets (just like any metro in any city). HOWEVER, starting next week, the A line (the line where Furio Camillo) will be shutting down at 21:00 (9 pm) Sunday-Thursday for work on the new C line hub at San Giovanni. (This early closing time will be implemented through April 2012, yes, a year and a half)Since Furio Camillo is out of the center, this may affect your ability to return easily to your apt in the evenings. Cavour is on the B line and will not be affected. It's also close enough to everything that you could return by foot, if needed. This is Rome, where (unfortunately) transportation strikes are common. Hope this helps.

I'd agree with romana2 and - of your two choices - take the Via Cavour location. You have the 117 bus, 184 bus, 75 bus on this road and also the metro.

I rode the Rome metro daily for 3+ years and like any big city you just need to be aware of your surroundings. I never had ANY issues but I guess living in Rome is different than "visiting." First of all, we know where we're going and are far more experienced on the Roman public transportation system (If you've ever driven here you realize that's out of necessity!).

These links on the metro and buses can certainly help you in your planning:

http://tinyurl.com/rome-bus
http://tinyurl.com/rome-metro
http://tinyurl.com/rome-tickets
http://tinyurl.com/bus-kiosk

Last time I was in Rome you could buy a metro pass at FCO for the week. Is that still doable? Does the pass work for bus and the tram as well? Thanks.

Yes, bus/metro/tram/local train lines.

http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?p=14

Here's the map of the ATAC system in PDF format. Anything (regionale train, metro, ATAC bus, or tram) inside the "blue circle" is FREE when you your ATAC ticket during its allotted time allowance. On regional trains inside this circle, your ticket is good in 2nd classs only (most don't have 1st class anyway).

http://tinyurl.com/ATAC-map

Here's a little more of an explanation - and why you CANNOT use your ATAC ticket to get to the airport - as it's outside the "blue circle."

http://tinyurl.com/go-fco

Oops - first link should be

http://tinyurl.com/ATAC-maps

(forgot the "s" on the end!) for the scalable PDF map! Sorry!