Getting There By Rail
The Italian State Railway, Ferrovie dello Stato – FS (tel: 89 20 21, daily 0700-2100; website: www.trenitalia.com), runs a fast and efficient service throughout the country. Tickets can be purchased by credit card online (and then either picked up at one of the automatic ticket machines dotted across Rome station or aboard the train if you choose the ‘ticketless’ option during the web transaction) or by phone at the number above. Stazione Termini, Piazza Cinquecento, is Rome’s main station. Refurbished for the year 2000, its extensive facilities include left-luggage, carabinieri (army) and police stations, a tourist office, an Internet point, money exchange and six banks with ATMs, a post office, car and scooter rental, over a hundred shops selling everything from clothes to gifts, bars and fast-food restaurants. Other important stations include Tiburtina, Piazzale della Stazione Tiburtina; Trastevere, Piazza F Biondo, at the end of Viale Trastevere; Ostiense, Piazzale Ostiense. Automatic ticket machines are located in all main stations. Tickets must be validated in the yellow machines located on the station platforms prior to boarding, in order to avoid fines of 25.
Rail services: Most long-distance trains run to Termini station, which is also the main hub for the local transport network (metro and bus). However, the importance of the less centrally located stations (Tiburtina and Ostiense) grows as the night draws on and trains cease to run to Termini station. All international trains, including services to Paris (journey time – 14 hours 20 minutes), Munich (journey time – 10 hours), Vienna (journey time – 13 hours) and Zurich (journey time – 12 hours), leave from Termini station. Intercity trains run from Termini to all major Italian cities, including Florence (journey time – 2 hours 35 minutes), Naples (journey time – 2 hours) and Milan (journey time – 5 hours 30 minutes). Venice can only be reached on the faster Eurostar service (4 hours 35 minutes), or by taking a Eurostar train to Bologna and then an Intercity to Venice. Eurostar trains are at least 20% more expensive and only stop at major cities like Florence, Bologna, Milan and Naples. Tickets for Eurostar trains are always accompanied by a reservation for a specific train; if you miss that train you have to book, and pay the booking fee of about 6, again.
Transport to the city: Termini station is the main hub for the local transport network (metro and bus). Day and night buses run from Tiburtina and Ostiense, while tram no. 8 runs from Trastevere station to the centrally located Largo Argentina, which is only a few minutes walk from the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Taxis are also available.
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Getting There By Rail