Rome public transport tickets and travel passes

For short term visitors to Rome you have a very straight forward choice of ticketing options.

Your only decision is whether you need single tickets or 24, 48 or 72-hour passes or a 7 calendar day travel pass.

A single ticket is valid for 100 minutes, allowing you to switch bus lines if there is no direct service. On the metro you can switch Metro lines at Termini Station with one ticket.

When you buy any transport ticket it is not stamped with a start date.

You have the responsibility to stamp your ticket on machines provided for that purpose before you start your journey.

If you travel with a blank unstamped ticket it's no different to travelling without a ticket at all.

The tickets themselves are card with a magnetic strip like the 7-day travel pass image here.

Contactless payments work in the same way they do everywhere else, you tap on the reader as you go. You can pay with card, device or download an app. A ticket inspector will ask to see your card/app if they need to check you have paid for travel.

All local public transport is integrated in Rome. You have to purchase your tickets before you board any public transport in Rome. Most people will have a pass of one kind or another.

Tickets for both the bus system and Metro can be purchased from tobacconists, bars, or vending machines at Metro stations and major bus stops. On both buses and metro there is a flat fare, whether you go one stop or to the end of the line. On buses your ticket is valid for 100 minutes allowing you to change buses using a single ticket.

From January 2023 contactless payments will also be accepted across the ATAC network.

At Metro stations there are ticket barriers where you have to insert your ticket to enter and leave the Metro station.

On buses and trams you will find ticket validation machines similar to that pictured below. If you have a single ticket then enter the ticket into the machine. If you have purchased a pass, you put the pass into the machine on your first journey. This stamps the date and time from which the pass or ticket is valid.

Groups of ticket inspectors from time to time descend on to a bus or platform to check all passengers have valid tickets. If not you will incur a heavy fine. Playing the innocent tourist doesn't work.

You can buy the travel passes from a variety of sources including vending machines and manned ticket offices at Metro stations and many news-stands / tobacconists like the one pictured at the top of the page.

If you don't speak Italian and are nervous about using vending machines, rest assured most of the people serving at the outlets where tourists frequent normally speak good English, often much better than your hotel.

Most independent visitors to Rome will arrive in Rome city centre at Termini Station. Many kiosks within the station like the one pictured at the top advertise they sell transport tickets.

Out the front of Termini Railway Station by the bus station is the row of kiosks pictured here that specialise in selling travel passes and tours. They advertise the transport passes prominently with prices displayed boldly and staff speak good English too.

These kiosks are conveniently situated next to a Rome public transport information kiosk.

Ticket machines are multi-lingual, easy to use and seemingly reliable. There are manned ticket counters at the key stations. You can also decide to just pay as you go using a contactless card/enabled device.

As yet there is no facility provided by the public transport authority themselves for advance purchase over the internet though there are a couple of options offered by third parties aimed at the first time tourist visitor.

Recent developments have allowed us to now offer a 72-hr Rome Public Transport Pass that you can purchase before you arrive in Rome. This pass is posted to you at home before you leave for Rome, so you can use public transport straight away upon arrival.

Buy your 72-hr Public Transport Pass in advance now.

When you first purchase a travel pass or ticket it is blank.

The travel pass only becomes 'live' after you have validated it (stamped with the date you first use it). Showing a ticket inspector an invalidated ticket is no different to having no ticket at all.

On the Metro lines the travel pass is automatically validated when you pass through the ticket barriers for the first time.

On other modes of transport there is a validating machine inside buses and trams and on the platforms of train stations where it is your responsibility to insert your pass into the machine and get it validated.

Single ticket are valid for 100 minutes from the time stamped on the ticket. On buses and trams you can switch routes within this timespan and on the Metro you can switch Metro trains at Termini Station without going through any ticket barrier.

24hr, 48 and 72hr passes are valid from time of validation to the end of the period stated on the card.

Most visitors will only be travelling in a compact area in the centre of Rome where all the main attractions and hotel districts are situated. The Metro system is very simple, at the moment just 3 lines, only two of which are of use to tourists.

If the Metro is not the solution to an individual journey then the local city buses will be the answer. At first sight the number and complexity of bus routes can seem overwhelming.

On the ground less so, as each route at each bus stop is laid out clearly with all the stops to its terminus. There is normally at least one direct bus going to the destination you require on short trips. Buses are very frequent too.

The bus and Metro map, (link above) covers all of the central area if you want an orientation of routes in advance.

If you are planning on using public transport extensively to get around Rome and visit attractions outside the tourist hotspots in the centre then investing in a Rome bus and Metro map is worthwhile. You can find these sold in most news-stands around bus and train stations like Termini Station.

Outside the front of Termini Station, the main local public transport hub in Rome there is a public transport information kiosk for tourists on one side of the bus station.