How to Use Public Transport in Rome: Ticket Options Explained (2025)
Confusion about how to use (and above all, pay for) public transport in Rome abounds on social media. Every day there seems to be another story about a hapless tourist being fined for unknowingly violating the rules. However, ignorance is no defence and the ATAC ticket inspectors, while rare, are implacable: failure to produce a valid ticket will result in an on-the-spot fine of €50 (plus the price of the ticket), or €100 if you pay later.
So I’ve put together this guide, to help tourists and new residents alike navigate the public transport network in – as well as into – Rome.
Getting into Rome
Whether you’re on holiday or moving to Rome, as an international traveller there’s a good chance you’ll be arriving by air. Rome is served by two main airports: Ciampino and Fiumicino.
Fiumicino has its own railway station, served by a direct train to Termini (the Leonardo Express – €14) and the FL1 regional line to Orte. This stops at various stations in Rome, including Trastevere, Ostiense, Tuscolana, Tiburtina and Nomentana. At around €8 or €9 a ticket for stops in Rome, this is both a cheaper option and may well be more convenient.
You can buy tickets for both services online, from ticket machines or in person at the airport. Physical tickets must be validated in a ticket machine before boarding: for validation of e-tickets, check the instructions on the ticket.
There are also various public and private bus and coach services from Fiumicino into Rome and beyond, but for Rome proper, train is usually the easiest option.
Taking an earlier/later train
Tickets for regional trains are valid for up to 4 hours after the scheduled departure time of the train you originally selected. It shouldn’t be a problem to get on an earlier train, either, although check with the on-board personnel first – go and look for them, rather than waiting for them to come through the train.
However, Leonardo Express tickets are officially train-specific, meaning they are valid only for the departure time you select when buying online. In practice, whether or not you can catch a different train depends on who you ask: I once asked a platform operator if I could get on an earlier train, and they said “absolutely not”, but a ticket inspector on the train itself was happy to let me board. Here too, the important thing is to always ask first. Go and find the on-board personnel, don’t wait for them to find you: you could be slapped with a €100 fine.
Ciampino does not have its own station. There are various private operators (such as Terravision) that run a direct coach service to Termini (tickets typically €5-€7): you can buy these online or at a sales desk at the airport. For a cheaper (but slower) option, the Airlink service (€2.70) gets you into Rome via a shuttle bus to the station in Ciampino town and regional train into Rome itself. You can buy tickets online or at the tourist information point in the arrivals hall. Physical tickets must be validated in the ticket machine on boarding the bus: for validation of e-tickets, check the instructions on the ticket.
In Rome
Rome’s public transport network is mostly covered by a single integrated fare system called Metrebus, which includes ATAC buses, trams, trolleybuses and metro lines A, B/B1 and C; some urban railways; Trenitalia regional trains within the Rome urban area; and Cotral buses within city limits.
Single-journey tickets (BIT) cost €1.50 and are valid for 100 minutes from their first validation: this includes unlimited buses, trams and trolleybuses but only one metro journey (line changes are permitted, as long as you don’t exit the barrier).
There’s also a day ticket (€8.50) and various tourist passes, covering periods from 48 hours (€15) to 1 week (€29.50). The clock starts ticking at their first validation and they allow unlimited travel within Rome for the designated time.
Both single-trip tickets and passes can be bought from:
- Metro station ticket machines
- ATAC ticket offices
- Authorised newsagents and tobacconists
- Trenitalia ticket offices and machines
- Trenitalia website
- Mobile apps (Trenitalia, MooneyGo, Telepass Pay, etc.)
- Tap & Go contactless payment at metro gates and on buses (the system will automatically calculate the cheapest price at the end of a 24-hour travel period: you must remember to re-tap within every 100 minutes/every time you enter a bus or tram, and to always use the same card). Warning: You can only purchase one ticket at a time with Tap & Go. If you need to buy tickets for multiple passengers, either use a different card for each passenger or choose a different payment option.
- SMS&GO (Italian mobile operators only). Service charge of €0.29 applied.
Validation: physical tickets must be validated on the bus (yellow machine, often found at the back). Tickets bought through an app must be validated in that app – pay attention to the instructions for validation for Metro A/B versus buses and Metro C. Tap and Go is automatically validated when you tap your card. All types of tickets must be validated on first use and at the barrier on entering the metro.
Season tickets
Monthly and annual season tickets are available.
Monthly pass: costs €35 for personal use and €53 for multi-user use. It can be bought online, through apps such as MooneyGo or through authorised retailers. Warning: the pass is only valid for the calendar month in which it’s first validated, NOT for a 30-day period from when it’s first used. So if you validate it on 31 May, it won’t be valid on 1 June.
Annual season ticket: costs €250, for personal use only. It can only be purchased from an ATAC ticket office (you will need to take a photo, your codice fiscale and a form of ID with you), although thereafter it can be renewed online. It is valid for 365 days from the date reported on the ticket.
Children
ATAC (buses, trams, metro and urban rail in Rome) Kids up to 10 years old travel free when accompanied by an adult.
Regional Trains: Kids under 4 travel free when sitting on an adult’s lap. Generally there’s a 50% discount for children aged 4-11.
Leonardo Express: Kids under 4 travel free. For ages 4-11, one child per paying adult travels free.
ATAC Discounts for residents
There are various discounts available to residents who meet the specific criteria.
Over-70s: Free annual pass for residents below the threshold income.
Students/Young people: Various reduced-cost annual or monthly passes, depending on age, student status and income.
Low-income residents: Subsidised passes available if income conditions are met.
Disabled residents: Specific concessions and free/discounted passes depending on disability category and certification.
Proof of residence and documentation is required for all these schemes. You can apply online (registration through “MyATAC” required) or at an ATAC ticket office.
Animals
Guide dogs for the visually impaired travel free of charge on all forms of transport.
ATAC: Full-price ticket payable for all animals, whether in a carrier or on a leash. Dogs on a leash must wear a muzzle.
Regional trains: Small animals in a carrier can usually travel free of charge. Dogs on a leash must be muzzled and pay a pet ticket (50% of full fare).
Leonardo Express: Small animals in a carrier can travel free of charge. No specific mention is made of larger animals, so the general rule of a pet ticket probably applies – check when purchasing your tickets.
I hope this has provided some clarity on Rome’s transport options. One last word of advice: tickets are cheap, and fines are not, so always travel with a valid ticket.
