Travel advice & practical information for travelogue:

'Rome & Roma extra muros'

Useful addresses

New York

Consulate General of Italy
690 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021
Tel.: +1 (212) 439-8600
Fax: +1 (212) 249-4945
E-mail: info.newyork@esteri.it

London

Italian Consulate General
38 Eaton Place
London SW1X 8AN
Tel.: +44 (0)20 7235 9371
Fax: +44 (0)20 7823 1609
E-mail: consolato.londra@esteri.it
Web: www.conslondra.esteri.it

Paris

Embassy of Italy
51 r Varenne
Paris 75007
Tel.: +33 (0)1 49 54 03 00

Tourist information

Main office: Centro Visitatori Azienda di Promozione Turistica di Roma Via Parigi 5 (near Piazza della Reppublica).
Open 9 AM - 7 PM, closed on Sundays.
Branch office at Termini Train Station (open 8 AM - 9 PM).

Transportation in Rome

Subway tickets (also valid for buses and trains to Ostia) are 1 euro. The best thing to do is to get a day ticket (4 euro) if you need four or more rides.

There are also CIS (Carta Integrata Settimanale) tickets that are valid for a week. They cost 12,40 euro and can be bought in every tobacco shop (Tabacchi). These can be used for all buses and subway trains. Take a look at www.romaturismo.it

Transportation to Rome's surroundings

Apparently few tourists take the trouble to explore Rome outside the city walls. Maybe people are insecure about transportation or other practical problems, even though all these places can be reached easily, cheaply and in a short time.

- Ostia: take the subway to Pyramida; from there it's half an hour by Ostia train (the ticket is included in your subway ticket).

Tivoli: take the subway to Ponte Mammolo and the the Contral bus to Tivoli. Tickets are for sale in the subway station. Villa d'Este is close to the center of Tivoli, Villa Adriana lies in the valley below Tivoli (towards Rome).

Cerveteri and Ladispoli: take the train form Termini Station to Ladispoli. Leave the train station, turn right and on the corner of the second street on the left is the Cotral bus to Cerveteri. Once there, continue on foot to the necropolis.

Colosseum

If you want to visit the Colosseum, buy a combi ticket at the Palatine for both Palatine and Colosseum. It'll save you a long wait in line at the Colosseum.

Food and drink

Drinks can be very expensive: in an outdoor café in one of the touristic districts, 15 euro for three drinks is not unusual. Inside, sitting at a table, drinks are cheaper and having a drink while standing at the bar is the cheapest.

Eat where the Italians eat: on the other side of the Tiber river and there away from the touristy streets. Prices for food in Roma extra muros are regular.

Money

If you know in advance which places you're going to visit, you can find out online if and where there are ATM's where you can use your MasterCard and Cirrus or Visa to withdraw money.

Plan your trip to Italy online

Through online reservation systems like À la Carte Vacations you can book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars and holiday houses. You can build a fly-drive itinerary with maximum flexibility, book a flight plus a hotel hotel for a night or weekend. Without the limitations of package deals from travel organisations and most times for a much better price.