Does Rome have a pass that allows me to travel on the public transport for a week, etc. In London I can buy a week's pass and travel on buses, underground, etc. Can I do this in Rome? If so, please advise as to how to get the pass.

Yes I know you can indeed buy a weekly pass however, I am not sure about using the one pass for both bus and Metro. I'm sure someone else will be able to help you on this.

Try this link too: http://www.atac.roma.it/

Validityà
One week, from monday to sunday, good for unlimited rides in the zones for which the ticket is purchased.


Use
all Atac, Cotral and FS transport that services the zones for which the ticket has been purchased.

The pass-holder must write on the the pass the personal information requested as well as the week and zones for which the pass is being used. In addition, the pass much be shown, upon request, to the ticket inspectors, along with appropriate identification.

Yes, Rome has a weekly pass - and you can use it on the buses, Metro and train in Rome. It is called "Carta Integrata settiminale" Excuse my non-existing Italian - means All-iclusive for a week!

You can buy it at any Tabachi or station - cannot remember exactly what it costs but it is cheap - about 17 Euro. You have to fill in your name on it as well as the dates of the week you will be using it - but that is all - and not only from Monday to Sunday - can e.g be Tuesday - Monday.

I am not sure about limited buses and zones - we used it usually quite a lot in Rome - when you want to get onto a bus - just show it and driver will nod his head - or tell you to pay a very small supplement. On the metro we never experienced any problems - just keep it with you in case an inspector asks to see it.

It's a great bargain. We used the buses often. We sometimes just jumped on one that was going our way for just a few blocks.You,however,will never need to show it on a bus unless an inspector is auditing it.

I read many comments about buses in Rome, but very few about the metro.

I'm considering a place out of the Centro very near a metro stop (Re di Roma) with svc directly to the Termini. (I don't know about stops in-between...metro info is hard to find.) Would we be OK on that metro at night after dinner? (2 ladies)

Re di Roma is not in one of the best areas in Rome. Also, I'm not sure travelling on the Metro after a late dinner is the wisest thing for two ladies to do. (I'm a sole female and I never take the Rome Metro at night.)

I would suggest that you consider spending perhaps a little more money to stay somewhere that is very safe at night (Piazza Navona and Pantheon area) and that will allow you to walk almost anywhere instead of wasting time on buses and Metros.

Thank you, Eloise. I suspected just that, given the sparcity of info on the metro. We are going in late Feb so I think we'll wait until January to make reservations in Rome/Tuscany/Florence, hoping for winter specials. (Is this advisable?) We'll likely end up at Sp Steps or Pza Navona.

Jeanne - I don't think you need to worry too much. Just be aware ... as you would on any metro. The main risk is pick-pockets.

Re' di Roma is on one of the main shopping streets, Via Appia. It's only 4 stops - 5 mins - from Termini, and very convenient for San Giovanni.

Here's a metro map:
http://www.stuardtclarkesrome.com/metromap.htm

Piazza Re' di Roma also has one of the best ice-cream places in Rome!

Hope this helps ...

Steve

I wouldn't wait until January to reserve hotels in February. I don't think there are many last minute hotel deals, at least I wouldn't count on it, especially for hotels in the most central areas. If you want to leave your options open, you could reserve a hotel now after making sure there is no cancellation penalty. Then you can check again for specials closer to the time of your trip and cancel your other plans if you find a better deal.

JeanneB:

February is one of the few remaining "low season" months in Rome; I have found that these days most Roman hotels consider 1 March to 31 October "high season" -- as well as the Christmas/New Year's period.

I expect that there will be price changes for 2005 -- prices unfortunately tend to go up every year -- but most hotels post the dates and rates for high and low season. You could certainly start doing "research" on Rome hotels now and perhaps even try to book, in the hope that they will confirm the 2004 rates.

Nikki:
Slapping my forehead! Of course that makes sense....my wits must be weakened by all the trips over to TripAdvisor. Thank goodness for Fodors to keep me straight!