Rome Metro Guide: Map, Passes, Hours, Fares

It’s simple: when on holiday you’ll be taking the Rome metro.

Understanding how it works is fundamental to maximizing your time and not going crazy navigating my chaotic city. That’s where I come in.

Here’s a post with all the info you’ll need on prices, metro lines, stations and even a handy subway map to get you started on the right foot. 

Let’s go!

INDEX

1. Map 
2. Practical info 
3. Hours 
4. Night buses 
5. Tickets
6. Validity/zones
7. Where to buy tickets
8. Lines

IMPORTANT: before reading please consult the following service alterations:

• BARBERINI Station: entrance is not possible and it’s open only for passengers to exit. As an alternative you can use nearby stations Repubblica or Spagna. There is also a replacement bus line nearby (MA10) serving Termini-Repubblica-Nazionale-Chigi-Barberini-Repubblica-Termini. To  get to Piazza Barberini or Repubblica station you can take buses 61/62/85/492/590.
• CORNELIA Station: escalators and elevators closed for maintenance. If you don’t have access there’s a replacement bus service (MA13) serving Cornelia-Valle Aurelia.
• Metro Line B: from March 2nd to August 6th 2020 the Castro Pretorio – Laurentina portion of the line will be closed at 9:00 pm daily for works relating to the connection with Line C.  
  The same portion of the line will be closed all day on the following weekends: March 14-15 and 21-22; April 18-19; May 2-3, 9-10, and 23-24; June 6-7  and 27-28; July 25-26. It’s also closed April 4-5, May 1, June 11-21, and July 4, 5, 11, 12, 18 and 19.

I’ll be updating more alterations as they’re announced.

Rome Metro Map

Believe it or not there are no free Rome metro maps at the Rome Tourist Information Centre so you’ll need to right click and save the map above. 

As you can see from the photo above Rome has 3 underground lines with some sections still under construction (indicated with a dotted line).

In the following paragraphs we’ll go through the 3 lines, list all their stations, and point out the most important ones from a tourist standpoint. 

Rome Metro Information

FREQUENCY

At peak hours line A trains run every 2 minutes and become less frequent at less busy times of the day with a maximum 20 minute wait time.

Line B trains run every 3 minutes at peak hours and every 9 minutes off peak.

Line C trains run every 12 minutes.

Travel Time

Expect roughly 2 minutes between stops on lines A and B.

If you change lines expect it to take about 5 minutes of walking. Taking this into account will help plan a top Rome itinerary efficiently and free of time related stress.

I’ll give you an example.

If you are going from Colosseo Station (line B and B1) to Cipro (line A) it’ll be 3 stops to Termini where you change to line A and then 7 stops to Cipro.

All together? It’ll take 25 minutes (2 minutes x 10 stops + 5 minutes to change lines).

Rome Metro Hours

To sum it up:

• From Sunday to Thursday and during holidays the first trains run at 5:30 am (departing from the first station). In the case of metro B and B1 the departure from the first station is at 5:33 am. The last ride in all directions is at 11:30pm, except for line B1 which leaves at 11:24pm.
• On Fridays and Saturdays the first rides are always at 5:30 (5:33 for line B and B1) while the last ones start from the first station at 1:30 (1:27 in the case of line B).
• During Christmas holidays the metro has a special timetable which can be confirmed just a few weeks ahead. It tends to run from 5:30 am to 9:00 pm on December 24th, from 5:30 am to 1.00 pm and from 4:30 pm to 21:00 pm on December 25th, and from 5:30 am to 3:30 am on NYE.

NIGHT BUS METRO SUBSTITUTION

Staying out late for a few drinks? You’ll need night buses that offer a replacement service.

The N1 Bus runs the replacement route of the A line between the metro’s closing and opening time: from 11:30 pm or 1:30 am (depending on days) to 5:00 am.

The N2 follows the route of line B and the N2L that of line B1.

The line C route is covered by bus N28.  Their frequency varies from 15-20 minutes for N1 and N2 to 30 minutes for N28.

Need more info? Here’s the routes and schedules for all the night buses.

Rome Metro Tickets

Now it’s time to talk about money… how much does a metro ticket cost?

The short answer is it depends on the ticket.

The good news? Children under 10 travel for free. The rest of us need to pay.

B.I.T. – Single Ticket (100 Minutes)

The acronym BIT stands for biglietto integrato a tempo (‘time integrated ticket’) and although the name sounds complicated it’s the most simple type of ticket which entitles you to a one way metro ride.

With this ticket you can change lines as long as you don’t exit the metro.

It can also be used all over the Rome transport network (buses, trams, etc.) and is valid for 100 minutes from the time you validate it.

Cost: €1.50

ROMA 24H | ROMA 48H | ROMA 72H

As these much clearer names suggest these tickets can be used for 24, 48 or 72 hours from validation with unlimited trips on the metro, buses, and trams. 

A simple calculation suggests that if you’re planning to take public transport more than 5 times a day this is a wise investment.

Cost: €7.00 | €12.50 | € 18.00

C.I.S. – Weekly Ticket

This ticket gives you unlimited trips for 7 calendar days from the date of validation. E.g: if you validate your ticket on Monday at 15:00 it will be valid until Sunday at midnight. 

The price of the weekly ticket is equal to 16 trips with a regular one way ticket. If for example you are staying in Rome for 5 days and plan of using transport more than 3 times a day, this ticket will be the most convenient for you.

Cost: €24.00

WHERE TO USE YOUR METRO TICKETS

Metro tickets are also valid for the following city transport: 

• Bus, tram, and trolleybus;
• Bus Cotral (urban route);
• Metro lines (1 trip = 1 ticket);
• Regional railways: Trenitalia (2nd class), Roma-Lido, Roma-Giardinetti, and Roma-Viterbo.

Metro tickets do not cover the following lines:

• Cotral Roma Tiburtina/Termini-Fiumicino Airport.
• Trenitalia “no stop” Roma Termini-Fiumicino Airport.

WHERE TO BUY ROME METRO TICKETS

You can buy tickets for the Rome metro from the machines found at station ticket halls using cash or credit/debit card or from authorized ticket offices. 

Roma 24h, Roma 48h, Roma 72h e CIS can also be bought online and picked up at metro A, B, B1, and C box offices.

ROME METRO LINES

Let’s take a look at the Rome metro lines and all their stations from a tourist standpoint.

As you know by now Rome has three metro lines (A, B, and C). Line B splits off into B and B1 at the Bologna metro station. 

The metro network covers about 60 km for a total of 73 stations, 60 of which are underground.

LINE A

Let’s start with line A – the orange one.

This line counts 27 stations between Battistini station and Anagnina (Cinecittà).

It goes through Rome’s main train station (Roma Termini) where you can change to the B and B1 lines. If you are changing to line C, you will need to get off San Giovanni station. 

Here are all the metro stations on line A:

• Battistini
• Cornelia (closed at the moment)
• Baldo degli Ubaldi
• Valle Aurelia
• Cipro
• Ottaviano – Vatican and Sistine Chapel and Piazza San Pietro
• Lepanto
• Flaminio – Piazza del Popolo (change for bus 628 to Lungo Tevere and 160 to Villa Borghese), Villa Borghese, Leonardo da Vinci Museum.
• Spagna – Piazza di Spagna and Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese
• Barberini –  (closed at the moment) Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Palazzo Barberini
• Repubblica
• Termini – Main train station with changes to line B and B1
• Vittorio Emanuele
• Manzoni
• San Giovanni – Basilica di San Giovanni – connection to subway line C
• Re di Roma
• Ponte Lungo
• Furio Camillo
• Colli Albani
• Arco di Travertino
• Porta Furba
• Numidio Quadrato
• Lucio Sestio
• Giulio Agricola
• Subaugusta
• Cinecittà
• Anagnina

Going from one end to the other on line A will take you about 40 minutes.

If you’re going from Termini to Spagna it will take you 7 to 8 minutes. Knowing this may help you plan your day and sightseeing in the city more efficiently.

For street art lovers: at Spagna station you’ll be able to see what’s left of the murals that the city council had commissioned in 2014.

Unfortunately now they have mostly been covered up, but apparently they are planning on bringing the murals back to the subway.

LINE B AND B1

Line B (the blue line) is the oldest underground line in Rome built in 1955.

In 2012 they opened the B1 stretch that goes from Piazza Bologna to Conca D’Oro. Line B is 22 km long and counts 25 stations in total.

Here they are: 

• Laurentina
• EUR Fermi
• EUR Palasport
• EUR magliana
• Marconi
• Basilica S. Paolo
• Garbatella – Centrale Montemartini (Capitoline Museum)
• Piramide
• Circo Massimo – Terme di Caracalla and Circus Maximus
• Colosseum – get off here to visit the Colosseum or to get the 118 bus to the Catacomb of Callixtus.
• Cavour
• Termini – Termini Railway Station and connection to subway line A
• Castro Pretorio
• Policlinico
• Bologna

Direzione Rebibbia (line B)

• Tiburtina FS
• Quinitiliani
• Monti Tiburtini
• Pietralata
• Santa Maria del Soccorso
• Ponte Mammolo
• Rebibbia

Direzione Jonio (linea B1)

• Sant’Agnese/Annibalian
• Libia
• Conca d’Oro
• Jonio                              

In the list above we have pointed out the main tourist attractions that you’ll find along  line B.

Obviously that is by no means an exhaustive list so if you have any questions on how to get around, do not hesitate to hit us up in the comments below and we will get back to you as fast as we can!

Here too a trip from one end to the other would take you 40 minutes as stations are about 1.5/2 minutes away from each other. 

Line C

Line C (the green line) is the newest metro line in Rome.

Its first section was inaugurated in November 2014 and currently has 22 stations from Monte Compatri/Pantano to San Giovanni.

Once it’s completed there will be 30 stations in total and it will cover 25.6 km.

Here’s a list of stations: 

• Monte Compatri-Pantano
• Graniti
• Finocchio
• Bolognetta
• Borghesiana
• Due Leoni – Fontana Candida
• Grotte Celoni
• Torre Gaia
• Torre Angela
• Torrenova
• Giardinetti
• Torre Maura
• Torre Spaccata
• Alessandrino
• Parco di Centocelle
• Mirti
• Gardenie
• Teano
• Malatesta
• Pigneto
• Lodi
• San Giovanni – connection to line A
• Amba Aradam – Ipponio – under construction
• Fori Imperiali – Colosseo – under construction
• Venezia – under construction
• Chiesa Nuova – under construction
• San Pietro – under construction
• Risorgimento – under construction
• Ottaviano – under construction
• Clodio/Mazzini – under construction

As we have already mentioned, this line  is still partly under construction and unfortunately the missing part is actually the most relevant in terms of sightseeing… so keep an eye on this article for any update on the construction works. 

But just to give you an idea, the route reaching Fori Imperiali / Colosseo is scheduled to be opened in 2022.

A fun fact about line C: it is completely driverless! 

Going from Monte Compatri to San Giovanni (or the other way round) would take you around 40 minutes so here too you should consider a 1.5/ 2 minutes distance between each station. 

Next Stop: Custom Info

You’re a Rome metro expert by now, but what if something is missing?

If you’ve got any questions about this or your Rome holiday please don’t hesitate to hit me up in the comments below and I’ll respond ASAP. 

And don’t be afraid to join the Rome holiday discussion by first giving me a like on Facebook and then joining my group I’m Off to Rome – here you can ask any questions, air out grievances, and chat with fellow travellers.