There is a St Peters train station on west side of Rome, just south of the Vatican. It is physically close to the river and downtown, but seems to be blocked by the botanical gardens.

How easily can one use this and walk to or from Rome? There seems to be a vehicle tunnel under the garden near the Vatican that goes straight to a bridge over the river - is there a walkway along it? BTW I use the tunnel under Quiranele Palace all the time to avoid Rome hills, and don't mind a little creepiness if it saves getting a taxi or bus.

Or maybe there is a pedway not on my maps... tks

From where will you be taking the train? The San Pietro station isn't really convenient to the historic center.

What is your aversion to bus that will bring you far closer to your destination, or a taxi which will take you door to door?

Have you tried the pedestrian feature on mappy.com or the satellite feature on Google maps? There is a big underground bus hub that side of the Vatican which might be what you are seeing.

Yes, mappy (I used mappy.fr, which has English instructions) gives it to you in excruciating detail.

Basically, head NE from the station to get to the tunnel -- a long tunnel!! -- which allows pedestrians.

From there you walk across the Amedeo di Savoia bridge and you are in the historic centre. About 2 km, perhaps less.

Details I copied from mappy:

Take Via della Stazione di San Pietro
Carry on along the Via Alcide De Gasperi
Turn left on the Via Alessandro III
Turn right on the Via Alessandro III
Turn left on the Via delle Fornaci
Turn right on the Largo di Porta Cavalleggeri
Carry on through the Galleria Principe Amedeo Savoia-Aosta
Carry on through the Piazza della Rovere
Carry on across the Ponte Principe Amedeo Savoia
- and you are in the historic centre

Thanks all; so the tunnel is open. This can revolutionize travel from the port of Cittivechio because trains that stop at St. Peter go on to double the time of the trip so far chugging onward to Termini. Just getting out of Termini (like from the airport platform) is comparable to the short distance of St. Pete to Tiber via the tunnel.

To J62, the goal is to see the fabric of Rome rather than a site. Busses and taxi's violate the rule that it's the journey rather than the destination that counts (and you can end up in the wrong place using them - stressful rather than the enjoyment of walk and look).

Hi Viking - Why would you want a long walk through a polluted tunnel?

A 5-10 mins bus ride takes you to Via Vittorio (- for Piazza Navona), Piazza Argentina (- for Pantheon) or Piazza Venezia (- for the forum etc.)

Steve

I HATE bussing it. I love walking; walking is being alive, being perceptive - your vacation is ON right then. Even utilitarian paths can be full of quirky discoveries (unless there are dead ends, or in the case of Italian mountain roads the walkway can narrow to nothing).

With busses, you are stressed about not knowing when to get off, finding change, dealing with language problems, crowds, pickpockets... INSTEAD OF VACATION. As a very tall person, I can typically see nothing at all out the windows to find where I am, as my head is above window level. Often low ceilings prevent me standing straight, and may have my head forcibly bowed down into some angry old ladies cleavage. At least on train or subway you can find a way to eye a location sign.

In several weeks worth of several Rome visits, I have never used a city bus or taxi and made just one miserable subway ride. I walk from end to end of Rome, not even limited by luggage carry because my rectangular suitcase has backpack straps tucked away.

The tunnel under the Quir. Palace is a godsend in making this possible so you can commute between, say, Spanish steps area and Termini with almost no hills and shielded from the sun. Similarly you can stroll in to Rio from Copacabana with a tunnel, in an area where entire busses can be subject to armed holdups. I remember taking a bus there that careened past any area I could recognize deep into unknown suburbs.

This St Peter stop is just fantastic. Like I said, the logistics of getting from the train to the river is only about the length of the worst case walking distance WITHIN the termini station. Vacation life certainly starts when you take in the sights on that river bank, not when you finally struggle into some onward building.

For cruise passengers on a two way daytrip, St Peters stop or the Ostiense stop will save a big percentage of time compared to letting the train slowly shamble into the congestion of Termini. Think of passengers who arrive from another country and aren't up to speed with Italian bus conventions can certainly depend on their feet and save confusion and time.

I understand some not wanting to take buses but it is actually very easy to do in Rome and people will help you out. I found I could see a lot from the bus window and you will get to watch the everyday Roman commuter on the buses which I found quite interesting. People were nice on all of the buses I was on. So maybe you walk sometimes and other times take the bus. We did both depending on our mood and what else we wanted to accomplish that day.

I guess the height thing must be the clincher. I assure you when the bus crowding forces me to stand up, I can see absolute ZERO out the window to know where I am. My eyes are way above the windows, and there is no room to squat down to peek. Often my head is forced to look straight down by the low ceiling as well.

I freely take buses where I can speak the language or crowding isn't expected... but I guess it is just us unfortunate minorities that need to make a point of avoiding them in certain lands. Walking is always more healthy and serendipitious tho.

Is the train from FCO to St Peter's the least expensive transport? How far is train station to Crowne Plaza St Peter's? Thanks

There are two trains from FCO. The Leonardo Express (11€)which goes from the airport to the main train station in Rome (Termini). The other train is a local train FR1/FM1. The CP is not in central Rome and if you took the local train, the closest station would probably be Aurelia, not S. Pietro station and would require a change of trains at Roma Trastevere station (FR1 to FR3). Train ticket from FCO to Valle Aurelia would cost 5.50€. It would still be quite a trek from Aurelia to the hotel, but it's possible to take the subway a stop or two from Aurelia to either Baldo degli Ubaldi or Corneila (subway ticket 1€) and walk the rest of the way. Your hotel website lists Cornelia as closest (.62 mi), but I think both would be about the same.

If you wanted to use the Leonardo (easier), you would take it to Termini and hop the subway there to Cornelia. Watch your belongings on the subway/trains. No wallets in easy to reach places.