Rome Travel Forum

Our family of 5 will be in Rome mid June. Our apartment is a few blocks north of Piazza Navona. I am trying to arrange transportation from the airport. I have read that taxis only take 4 people. Will they do 5 if one sits on my lap? Also, what is the best way to avoid the lines at the Vatican? I have investigated tour guides, but so far it looks prohibitively expensive for 5 people. Any ideas? I would welcome any suggestions for how to make our Rome trip the best it can be. The kids are 12, 15, 18, and we will be there for 3 days. We will then train to Florence. Should we get our train tix here in the US, or wait til we get to Rome??? Thank you for any help!

How about one adult and one cild taking the metro to Termini or even taking the metro to as near to Piazza Navona as possible and then taking a taxi to the apartment? Or, come to thin k of it, if two of you could do it, then so could all five!!
We avoided queues at the Vatican by going at the crack of dawn and waiting for the place to open. It was a marvellous experience, as we were number 2/3 in the line and everyone was very friendly, so time passed quickly. The real plus was that we went stright to the Sistine Chapel and had a magical 15 minutes of the place to ourselves. Not particularly practical for you. However, I have been told that the lines move quickly and at certain times of day are less than others. This came up in VT and I suggest that you try and track it down in either the Rome or Vatican Forum If there is one).

Another option for the Vatican is to go later in the afternoon (because lots of people go early, to avoid the queues, and therefore create them!).

I don't think having a (large) child on your lap is sensible, to be honest) even if a driver would accept it. You'll either need a larger taxi, or two of them.

You could get the Leonardo Express train (I assume you are landing at Fiumicino?) or ordinary local train (takes a bit longer, but it's cheaper) into Termini railway station. Follow the signs from arrivals. Don't forget to validate (date-stamp) your ticket just before you get on the train, using the yellow machines on the platform.

Then you could buy 3 or 7 day transport passes (bus/tram/metro/suburban train) from the booths in Termini bus station next door, (make sure you validate those tickets too, just the first time you use them) then get a bus/tram to P. Navona. Rome public transport is cheap and excellent.

Metro map here:

http://www.romebuddy.com/givesadvice/subwayroutes.html

as there are 5 of you it might be just as cheap or almost as cheap to book a limousine - barondivestand recommends one on his rome page - i beleive they work out at about 50 euros and a adult ticket on the train from Fuimicino to Termini is 11 euro.
Get your tickets to Florence in Rome - to be sure you can get the train you want do it as soon as practical - very handy machines in the stations

"Will they do 5 if one sits on my lap?"

No, the limit of 4 is to protect the revenue of the taxi drivers, by forcing you to use 2 taxis (besides, 5 is really crowded in some of those taxis and would be a safety hazard in case of a serious wreck).

You might look at one of the limo services (www.airportconnection.it is one) and tell them up front that you have 5 people with luggage just arriving at the airport (be sure to tell them WHICH airport as there are two), and get a quote for the ride. A number of VTers prefer to use limo services anyway; for them, any difference in costs is outweighed by knowing that someone is waiting for them and that the price is known up front.

"Should we get our train tix here in the US, or wait til we get to Rome??? "

Since you will be in Rome at least 3 days in advance and since there are many many trains from Rome to Florence daily and since I presume that it's not critical that you take any particular train, there is no reason to get the tickets before you arrive in Rome.

So look at the threads here about train travel in Italy as well as my Italy page (make sure to also look at the Transportation Tips on that page), where I describe the various types of trains and some pricing structures (generally, faster = more expensive), which may be important to the 5 of you. Note that the only discounted fare available to you is the 'Amica' fare, which is a 20% discount off of the Standard fare for premium trains (i.e., the ones that require reservations). As non-residents, you are not eligible for the Familia fares.

Bill

You could also try Roma Shuttle (www.romashuttle.com)- we used them in early April and were pleased with the service. The driver met us after we picked up our luggage and we ended up being the only 2 in the van. Check their website for pricing. We also used them for the return trip to the airport and they were right on time. Yes it's more expensive than taking the train, but easier with a group of people who are already tired from the flight.

You might want to look at Angel Tours for a walking tour of the Vatican that enables you to "skip the line". My 13 year old thought our tour guide was pretty interesting and it kept her interest more than I feared it might. Well worth the price especially since we didn't have to wait in the 2+ hour lines!

Thank you very much for your help!

Thank you very much for your helpful advice!

Thank you for the limo idea. I will investigate that!

Thank you very much for your helpful information. Much appreciated!!

Thank you very much for your help!!