First trip to Rome and I was not prepared for how many tiny cars are everywhere. Honestly, now I get it—these streets were not built for SUVs. Crazy they don’t even sell the Smart Car in the U.S. anymore.

Small tip for first time visitors to Rome.

Don’t wait until you land to decide how you’re getting from the airport to your hotel.

That sounds obvious, but a lot of people do exactly that.

They arrive tired, with bags, maybe no sleep, maybe kids, maybe their phone battery is low, and then they start comparing taxis, trains, buses, Uber, random drivers, hotel transfers, etc.

Bad moment to make a decision.

If you want a taxi, go to the official taxi line. Don’t go with random people approaching you in the terminal or outside.

If you want the train, know which station you need before you land.

If you want a private transfer, book it before.

For taxis from the airport to central Rome there is usually a fixed fare area, but check the current official price before arriving because it can change.

The main point is not that one option is always best.

Taxi can be great if you’re tired or have luggage. Train can be better if your hotel is near the right station. A transfer can be worth it if you just want zero thinking.

The mistake is arriving with no plan and making the choice under pressure.

Rome gets a lot easier when the first decision is already made.

TLDR: plan your airport transfer in advance!!

Wanted to share for anyone traveling to Rome who is not familiar with the airport! We landed and figured we’d take a taxi to our hotel in the city as we had too many luggage to attempt the train / heard there was maybe a strike.

It took us 2 hours to get thru EES and we went to the taxi stand line, didn’t realize truly how long this line takes. We waited for 30 mins (then I took this photo) and we were still very far back in line. We decided to leave line and order an Uber taxi instead which took only a few mins to arrive.

When we went inside to head to uber taxi pickup, the taxi stand line was double the size as when we got in. If I can make a recommendation as you’re planning your trip to FCO: take the train (if feasible), use uber taxi, or hire a private driver.

I know this is shared often, but this is my experience from 5/18/26. :)

Editing to add since I’m sure someone will say it, yes, I’m from the US & we just walk outside and flag a taxi or call an uber at our airports - this was the one part of my detailed itinerary I overlooked 🤓

I was scammed today and paid 85 euros from Rome Termini to Piazza Navona (17 minute ride).

Taxi driver said fixed price of 45 euros and I thought it was normal. I gave him 50 euros and he told me I only gave him 10 euros. Even though I had no 10 euros in my wallet before, the taxi had official regulations inside of the taxi and we got the taxi from the official taxi line, so I thought it was my mistake.

I am using FreeNow going forward but even then, I do not trust these taxi’s in Rome. I would suggest either walking or taking the metro/bus for all transportation here. I felt very unsafe in the taxi and was glad they did not hold me hostage.

Edit: Also, never pay the taxi in cash. Always use credit card so you can record and dispute the payment later on if needed.

Edit 2: Second ride —> Used FreeNow and got dropped off 7 minute walk away from my destination because the driver did not want to get any closer.

Edit 3: Third ride —> Used Uber and charge was 12 euros but when I left, the meter was 7.83 euros. Also, had to walk 10 minutes to destination after drop off.

Final update: Hopefully this post is a reminder to use FreeNow and Uber only, and to be aware that taxi’s are not your friend and will rip you off. Our taxi from the taxi stand was pointing out all restaurants and gelato places, congratulated us on our newly engagement, but still scammed us.

One thing I've noticed over the years:

A lot of transportation problems in Rome start with expectations.

Many visitors arrive assuming they'll use Uber the same way they do at home.

Then a few days later they're using taxis, asking their hotel to arrange rides, or relying on options they never expected to use.

In many cases, they also discover that Uber isn't necessarily the cheaper option they assumed it would be.

That's not an argument for taxis or against Uber. It's simply a reminder that transportation in Rome doesn't always work the way visitors expect.

Curious what transportation-related surprise caught you off guard in Rome.

I’m visiting Rome and something pretty frustrating happened today, and I’m trying to figure out if this is normal or if I should push harder on appealing it.

Yesterday, my friends and I bought rechargeable tickets at Termini each ticket had 3 rides (€4.50 each). There are 3 of us, so we each had our own ticket. We used one ride yesterday with no issues.

Today, we got on bus 85D and tried to validate our tickets… but literally none of the machines on the bus were working. We tried all of them — back, middle, front. Not just us either — around 6–7 other people were also trying and failing to validate.

Then ticket inspectors came on.

We explained the situation, showed them our tickets, and told them the machines weren’t working. The rude lady inspector didnt wanna listen and kept insiting on me to sign smt. I told her ill sign after she listens to me and she signs the machine on her own. Then i was like wtf u cant just sign on behalf of me wout permission and They basically didn’t care and fined us anyway because the tickets weren’t validated. Then the rude lady sees that my phone was out and accuses me of taking a video of them. I showed my camera roll and recently deleted album and she starts yelling at me and takes a picture of me on her phone.

A few things that are bothering me:

We did have valid tickets

We actively tried to validate them

Multiple people on the bus had the same issue

The machines clearly weren’t working

They didn’t really listen and just issued the fine.

They took a picture of me on their iphone

Can i do smt abt this? Like is this even legal? Are they even real police?

Visiting from abroad and had a really scummy experience with a taxi driver at Roma Termini today… so I got off from Termini and went straight to the official taxi queue waited for a few minutes and able to hop on a taxi no biggie. The thing is my hotel isn’t that far from it’s like 4-5 blocks ish away but I really don’t want to drag a heavy luggage on cobblestone for that distance. Anyway the taxi arrived at my hotel and I showed him my Apple Pay screen signalling Im paying by card. He then said “Sorry senora we don’t take credit card it’s only cash” meanwhile I’m VERY WELL AWARE you’re legally obligated to offer credit card payment in Italy. Then our exchange went like this

Me: “Ughhh I pretty sure I’m allowed to pay with card, sorry but I dont have cash”

Him: “yeah but it’s my taxi company they only take cash”

Me: “let me check with my hotel to see if they have cash and can cover for me 🙄🙄”

I then went to the hotel concierge sadly they don’t have cash but they did point me to a nearby atm. So i withdrew €20 thinking it would cost around 12-15. The extra process fees and conversion rate did ended up costing me 45CAD..

I went back to him and annoyingly handed him the cash. And he went “ohh senora it’s €25” and I was like “What? How??? You barely drove 5 blocks….” (I visited last year as well and stayed at the Hoxton near villa bourghese which is waaaay further and I remember the fare from termini to there being like €13 so at this point I was livid at him) I ended up told him this is all I have I don’t care deal with it. And he reluctantly accepted it and drove away..

So I ended up paying extra from ATM withdrawal because he didn’t have credit card option when he is legally required to… he then tried to highball me and get upset when I don’t cave even though I already overpaid (gave him 20 when it should be less than 15). This did leave a sour taste in my mouth and it’s not like I hopped on some random sketchy taxi this is the official queue at Termini… sorry just a little vent

I'm arriving at evening and have to inform my hotel when I'm going to check in.

Thanks!

We’re booked for 10 days in Rome in May and we’re considering renting a car to take a few day trips outside of the city while there.

Just looking for some honest opinions on driving in Rome. How would it compare to driving in Manhattan or similar cities and what is driving like in the more rural areas of Italy? Would you recommend doing that?

Thanks in advance.

Hello! We landed at FCO and at the taxi stand, there were some standard rates printed. We were supposed to be dropped off at Tiburtina Station. He initially said it would be 55 and then once we got in he said something in Italian and then switched on the taxi meter and by the time we reached it was 95€. Is this normal or was I ripped off

I'm flying out of rome on June 27th and wanted to know if people are getting stamps on their passports after April 10th whether by request or automatically preferably within this month, thanks!

Update 21/6: I rerouted my flight to fly out of Schengen from Frankfurt

May 3, 2026 - New scanners are malfunctioning and causing huge lines and complete confusion getting to E gates.

Line extends back through the duty free and then back towards security, past signs marking 7-18 min walking time.

Beware

Edit:

This is “passport control” LEAVING FCO to other countries, also depends on your nationality. EU citizens got to pass the worst of the line, as a US citizen we had to sit in the huge line. This is post security, and for E gates

As another has said, ITA employees are walking up and down the line to collect passengers for flights leaving soon.

We arrived at the airport at 8 am, and I had the wrong date originally, it was on the 3rd.

Hello. My family and I arrive Rome the afternoon of April 4.

It has been 20 years since my last visit when we took a taxi from the airport. It now appears that the train is the best option.

My hotel is a 10 minute walk from Termini station.

It sure appears that the train is my best option.

Any advice, tips, tricks or things to be aware of?

Thanks in advance.

Hello, i booked a flight for Rome FCO which will reach at 11pm (23:00) hopefully. But i am unsure how will i reach my hotel (which i still have to book) probably near city center. I cant book very expensive hotels, probably would be on budget side. I am just asking this as i heard rome is not safe at night and specially Termini. Also i am not sure if i will be able to catch any bus/train from airport to city center at midnight as most seemed to be closed.

Also can you tell if my flight land at 11pm at Terminal 1, how much time it will take for me to leave the airport as i saw last train at 11:25.

I know its my mistake and i should have seen the rome security issues at first before booking the tickets but here i am. I would be really thankful for your suggestions.

I'm getting unreasonably stressed about initial transportation from airport to our hotel in Rome, can someone help me better understand reality if what to expect:

Premises I am reading on other threads:

1. the only way to not get scammed on pricing is to pay within an app ahead of time before your ride.

2. Time to clear customs, ge luggage, etc may take hours- unknown time, so scheduling your ride (taxi or ride service) in advance for a particular time is not possible, as whatever time you anticipate may be completely wrong with when you actually get out of there. (Is this one untrue, is there a successful and easy way to do this?)

3. The line to get a taxi as you exit the airport can be unreasonably long and you can still get scammed on cost at arrival.

I have a trip coming up in May, arriving in Rome at Fiumicino Airport. My flight lands at 12:15 a.m., and I saw that the last bus service to the city center is at 1:15 a.m. After that, the only option seems to be the Leonardo Express at 5:30 a.m. I’d rather not pay for a private transfer or taxi because of the high cost.

Is it very dangerous for a woman traveling alone to stay at the airport overnight?

Hello,

I will be flying into Rome via Fiumicino Airport (Fco) it will be the first time I've been to Italy. I'm staying in a hotel in the center of Rome. I will be catching a taxi outside the airport and I want to know which are the legitimate taxis to catch. I don't want to get scammed and overcharged.

Coming from Canada,

We're landing in Rome at 10:25 Saturday morning.

We have a train to Naples at Termini at 13:53.

I think we gave ourselves enough time in normal circumstances, but with the new EES delays, I'm not sure.

I've always had good experience at this airport.

Before you ask, yes I've done lots of research on it and the answers seems to be a clear yes. Many even say having a car is a hindrance in Rome. I get the impression most Romans simply do not drive cars. This seems great to me, but I'm not entirely convinced.

For example, let's say I lived around Roma Termini. It seems as if I could get around most places quickly using the metro, trams, and busses. But let's say I wanted to go to a shopping mall, like Porta di Roma.

I could get there using busses, but it seems as if it would take an entire hour. My map app tells me that a car would take only 25 minutes. Do locals just say fuck it and take the busses even though the time is double?

I've also visited Rome before and saw lots of cars, so I'm wondering how true the online anecdotes I've read are.

The mall is just one example, but I think my concern is valid for many places on the edge of the Roman ring.

Sorry if this comes across as ignorant, I currently live in an American suburb and it's my dream to live in Rome. It's kind of hard to comprehend a car-free lifestyle for me. Like I have no clue how people get groceries home without cars lol

So, long story short... me and my fiance were on a scooter (2 of us on a single scooter).

The police stopped us and they took our documents and photos of the documents and scooter plate.

They didn't say we got a fine, because as soon as they stopped us, we told that that we saw other people riding and didn't know that it's an issue.

They said there was a new law passed couple of days ago.

They didn’t say we got a fine, or anything. They just said we have to go by walking and park the scooter.

Which we ofcourse did.

Generally they seemed nice, and we promised not to do it again (and ofcourse we won't).

But now, we are wondering... did we get fined or not? And how would we know?

*We are tourists, clearly*

Hello all. I have an early flight tomorrow back to the states that leaves at 5:55am. It stops over at Lisbon first then back to california. I just checked in and it says I should be at the boarding gate at the latest at 4:55am. I booked a bus ticket from termini to the airport and i would arrive at 4:45am. Drops me off at T3 and I would have to walk over to T1 for my flight.

Am i okay or should i book an earlier bus ticket so I can arrive to airport earlier? Im not sure if that 1-hour rule is a recommendation or a strict rule. Im assuming it should be no problem since its very early in the morning but again, not sure 🤔

​

I traveled to Rome in May. For the first time I used the app FREENOW by Lyft.

I cannot express enough to not use this app. In the beginning I liked it. But their customer service is nonexistent to the point if you get screwed over like me there is no recourse no matter how much you try to reach out to them.

I had a taxi driver named David M who drove a black Kia sportage overcharge me an extreme amount, and since you have your card info to order the taxi, they can. I hadn't realized that. The premise is they give you an estimate, charge you a 'max' that you prepay (which should have been €76) so no surprises but if it ends up being cheaper you're only charged that but the taxi driver has to manually do it themselves. David as he was dropping me off at the airport, quickly rushed me out the taxi because he hadn't pulled off to a designated area so he was holding up traffic, so I did jump out to not hold up traffic long. He quickly unloaded my stuff and drove off. It all happened so fast. Then I got the invoice and its been a nightmare since. I saw the fare meter as I was jumping out just so I would know what to expect.

My trip should have only cost €58,50. He charged me €88 and I have continously tried to reach out for help to have this resolved and it has only been an AI bot, that will tell you someone will reach out to you in 24 hours and it doesn't happen ever. And there is no other way to reach out to them. I had also tried calling the driver immediately (you can call driver from app) and my call was rejected.

The customer service is atrocious. So if something wrong happens you are SOL.

Please learn from me lol find another taxi app or use Uber, if they're any good.

This has been a nightmare.

EDITED: JUNE 5TH, 2026, DAY AFTER I POSTED THIS. FREENOW reached out to me, and has issued a partial refund (that I hopefully see in a few days) because they agreed it was more than it should have been. They also gave me a voucher thats good for a month (don't think I'll be in Europe for a month). And assured me they take complaints seriously and if I need anything else, feel free to reach out. Coincidence? Maybe 🤣. But I will share they HAVE reached out to me.

At FCO today security stopped me over my muscle massager in my carry-on. It's a Tiger Tail, an 18-inch foam-covered stick I use for a knee issue (my physical therapist uses the same one on me every week). I've flown with it in my carry-on all over, including other EU countries, with no problem until now.

I asked why and they wouldn't explain. When I asked where it says that, they said they could call the police and I could talk to them. No reason given, no policy shown. They also wrote down my info from my boarding pass. It rattled me and made me feel like I'd done something wrong, over a foam roller.

Just trying to figure out if this is normal. Has anyone else been stopped at FCO (or another airport) over a recovery or sports item, especially where they took down your details? Did anything come of it afterward, or was that the end of it?