Rome tourist information
Rome today is one of the most important tourist destinations of the world, due to the incalculable immensity of its archaeological and art:) treasures, as well as for the charm of its unique traditions, the beauty of its panoramic views, and the majesty of its magnificent "villas" (parks). Among the most significant resources: plenty of museums - (Capitoline Museums, the Vatican Museums, Galleria Borghese, and a great many others)—aqueducts, fountains, churches, palaces, historical buildings, the monuments and ruins of the Roman Forum, and the Catacombs.
Rome is the 3rd most visited city in the EU, after London and Paris, and receives an average of 7-10 million tourists a year, which sometimes doubles on holy years. The Colosseum (4 million tourists) and the Vatican Museums (4.2 million tourists) are the 39th and 37th (respectively) most visited places in the world, according to a recent study. In 2005 the city registered 19.5 million of global visitors, up of 22.1% from 2001. and also, in 2006 Rome has been visited by 6.03 million of international tourists, reaching the 8th place in the ranking of the world's 150 most visited cities. The city has also been nominated 2007's fourth most desirable city to visit in the world, according to lifestyle magazine Travel + Leisure, after Florence, Buenos Aires and Bangkok.History
Rome has been one of the world's most visited cities for the past two millennia. In the Roman times, Rome was the centre and the most powerful city of Western Civilization, ruling all the Mediterranean, Northern Africa, England and parts of the Middle East. Afterwords, it became one of the most important cities in Christianity, since the pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, resided and still lives in Rome. It became a worldwide centre of pilgrimage, and later in the Renaissance, as the city became a major European capital of the arts, education, philosophy and trade, it became an important crossroads for bankers, artists and other people in general. Later, in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the city was one of the centres of the Grand Tour, when wealthy, young English aristocrats visited the city to learn about ancient Roman culture, art, philosophy and architecture. Towards the 1840s, the first sort of mass-tourism began, and Rome became an extremely popular attraction for not only British people, but for people of all around the world. The number of tourists, however, fell dramatically towards the 1870s, when Rome became a battle-ground for revolutionionaries and one of the homes of the Risorgimento, and remained like that except for a brief period in the 1920s. However, since Rome escaped World War II relatively unscathed, unlike Milan or Naples, it became an extremely popular and fashionable city in the 1950s and 60s, when numerous glamorous and exciting films, such as Roman Holiday, Ben Hur and more famously La Dolce Vita were filmed in the city. Numerous stars, actors, actresses and celebrities, such as Federico Fellini, Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Anita Ekberg, lived or stayed in Rome, especially along its elegant and luxurious Via Veneto, where most of the chicest and grandest of all Roman hotels were and still are found. After a brief fall in the number of tourists in the 1980s (due to some terrorist activity led by the Red Brigades and political scandals), the city has now become one of the world's most popular tourist attractions.
Tourist Attractions
Rome's two most popular tourist destinations are the Vatican Museums (with over 4.2 million tourists per year, making them the world's 37th most visited destination) and the Colosseum (with around 4 million tourists a year, making it the world's 39th most popular tourist destination). Other popular sites include St Peter's Basilica, the Forum Romanum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Via Condotti, Via Veneto, the Capitoline Museums, the Villa Borghese gardens, the Villa Giulia, Piazza Navona, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Piazza del Popolo, the Castel Sant'Angelo, the Campo dei Fiori, the Quirinal Palace, the Lateran Palace and the Palazzo Barberini, to name a few.
Transportation
The cost of a Roma pass is 25 euros and entitles holders to free admission to the first two museums and/or archaeological sites visited, full access to the public transport system, reduced tickets and discounts for any other following museums and sites visited, as well as exhibitions, music events, theatrical and dance performances and all other tourist services.
Taxis are the most expenensive forms of travel in Rome. Roman taxis within the city walls run on meters. Flagging down a taxi (like in London) is possible but quite rare as the taxi drivers prefer to use the stands. There are also several fake taxis, which usually do not have license metres and IDs.
A trip completely across the city (within the walls) will cost about €11, a little more if there is heavy traffic at night or on a Sunday. From Ciampino airport the flat rate is €30 to anywhere in the historic centre, that is inside the Roman walls, while from Fiumicino (Leonardo da Vinci) airport the flat rate is €40 to anywhere in the city also inside the roman walls, and this is set by the city council. Outside the walls you pay according to the distance. Drivers at the airport may try to talk you into more, saying that your destination is 'inside the wall' or 'hard to get to'. State clearly before you drive away that you want the meter to run. If they try to overcharge you, say that you are looking for a policeman. They will probably back down. Taxi drivers can often try to trick customers by switching a 50 euro note for a 10 euro note during payment, leading you to believe that you handed them only 10 euro when you have already given them 50 euro. The main taxi companies may be called at 063570 and 065551.
When one boards a bus or metro, one should validate it ('convalidare') in the little yellow machine. The last four passes on the list must be validated the first time you use it only. On the whole, the integrated passes are not economical. Unless one take many rides spread all over the day, the single ticket ride option is preferable. Calculating if a pass is worthy is easy since a single ticket ride costs €1. For example, for a daily ticket (€4) to be worthy, one would have to make 5 or more trips at intervals greater than 75 minutes apart on a single day.
ATAC polices the buses, Metro, and trams for people riding without tickets. Inspectors can be rare on some buses, although they tend to increase their presence in the summer. Inspectors are present on the Metro as well, and one should keep your validated ticket throughout your journey as proof-of-payment.
A popular alternative to city and pre-planned tour buses are the hop-on/hop-off, open-top double-decker buses. In the last few years there has been a veritable explosion in the number of such tours and at the last count there were seven different companies. An all-day ticket runs about 18-20 Euros, can be purchased as you board at any stop, and provides unlimited access to available seats (upper deck highly preferable in good weather) and earbud phones to plug into outlets for running commentary on approaching sights. Commentary is offered in nearly every European language. Most companies follow more or less the same route, starting at Termini station but there are also two different tours of "Christian Rome" and the Archeobus.
The Tram routes mostly skirt the historic center, but there are stops convenient for the Vatican, the Colosseum, and the Trastevere area. The number 8 does run into the center to Largo Argentina, not far from the Pantheon. Number 19 links the Vatican with Villa Borghese.
There are two lines, crossing at Termini station. Line A (red line) runs northwest past the Vatican, and south. Line B (Blue Line) runs southwest past the Colosseum and northeast. In 2008 Line A stops running at 11:00 pm. On Fridays and Saturdays the last trains of Line B leave from the stations at 1:30 am and the line closes at 2:00 am to re-open at 5.00. The Metro is the most punctual form of public transportation in Rome, but it can get extremely crowded during rush hour.
There is a network of suburban rail lines that mostly connect to smaller towns and conurbations of Rome. However, most of Rome is well covered by the ATAC buses, Metro, and trams.
There is the possibility to hire any kind of bike in Rome: from tandem, road bikes, children bikes to trekking bikes. Some shops are even specialized only on high quality ones while street stands will hire you cheaper and heavy ones. Bicycling alone can be stressful because of the traffic. The best way is to discover first how to move around and avoid traffic and stress with a guide thanks to one of the tours offered by almost all rental shops. There are different itineraries offered from the basic city center, panoramic Rome, tour to the Ancient Parks (from 29euro for 4h). The experience is well worth it and you would reduce also your impact on the city environment and on the traffic which is the biggest problem of the capital.
Even moderately experienced cyclists, however, may find that cycling through Rome's streets offers an unparalleled way to learn the city intimately and get around very cheaply and efficiently. While the Roman traffic is certainly chaotic to someone from a country with more regimented and enforced rules of the road, Roman drivers are, generally speaking, used to seeing two-wheeled conveyances such as bicycles, as well as scooters and motorcycles, and one may move throughout the city relatively easily.
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Views of Rome
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© 2011 by 4 Smart Tourists ™, Switzerland - All rights reserved - disclaimer | contact us | about us
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