Travel
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Italy signed the Schengen Convention, an agreement whereby EU member countries, excluding the UK, Ireland and the new members that have entered the union since 2004, agreed to abolish checks at common borders. The Schengen Area Countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Legal residents of one Schengen country do not require a visa for another. Citizens of the remaining EU countries and Switzerland are also exempt. Nationals of some other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and the USA, must have a passport but do not require visas for tourist visits of up to 90 days.
All other nationals entering Italy will require a tourist visa. The standard tourist visa is valid for up to 90 days. A Schengen visa issued by one Schengen country is generally valid for travel in other Schengen countries.
ROME CLIMATE: The climate of Rome is generally temperate with mild, rainy winters (September to April) and hot, dry summers (May to September). The best time to travel to Rome is in springtime, when skies are blue and the weather warm. Rain showers are possible any time of year. May in Rome: temperature 12/24°C.
TIME: Local time is GMT +1.
ELECTRICITY: Electrical current is 220 volts, 50Hz. A variety of plugs are in use including the European-style two-pin plug.
MONEY: The Euro (EUR) is the official currency, which is divided into 100 cents. Those arriving in Italy with foreign currency can obtain Euros through any bank, ATM or bureaux de change. Credit cards are accepted.
LANGUAGE: Italian. English is understood.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS: Police 113, Ambulance 118, Fire 115
ROME BY PLANE: The main airport is Leonardo da Vinci/Fiumicino.
Leonardo da Vinci airport is 26 km from Rome and the quickest way to reach central Rome is the shuttle train, the Leonardo Express, which leaves every 30 minutes for the main station, Stazione Termini. The journey lasts about half an hour and costs 11 Euro. From there, it is possible to reach any point in the city thanks to the extensive public transport network. The terminus is right outside the station and it is connected to the two underground lines, A and B. Also inside the airport train station is the local train, which stops at Trastevere, Ostiense and Tiburtina Stations. The cost is 5.50 Euro. At night there is a coach service from Fiumicino to Tiburtina station.
The other airport is Pastine/Ciampino, where most charter flights land.
Ciampino airport is about 20 km from the city; it is connected to the FS (State Railway) train station Roma Termini by Cotral blue buses. Tickets can be bought onboard and cost 5 Euro.
The Sitbusshuttle line also connects the airport to Termini station at a cost of 6 Euro.
Terravision offers a city transfer service for those arriving with Ryanair, Easyjet, Hapag Lloyd Express, Wizz Air, Blue Air and Central Wings. Tickets cost 8 Euro for adults and 4 for children. They can be bought on airplanes, the internet sites of the low cost companies, at the stands in front of the airport arrival area as well as directly from Terravision
Info: www.adr.it
ROME BY TRAIN: The main stations in Rome are Stazione Termini (Piazza dei Cinquecento) and Stazione Tiburtina (Piazza della Stazione Tiburtina). Both stations are connected to the network by the underground and buses in all directions leave from outside the stations. For information on times and ticket prices we advise you to connect the railway company site Ferrovie dello Stato, where after registering you can also buy tickets on-line and pick them up on the train itself.
Info: www.trenitalia.it
ROME BY COACH: Across the road from Tiburtina Station there is a coach station with departures for Italian cities and abroad. The ticket offices for this service are in the shops along the side of the square.
ROME BY CAR: Coming from the North the best way to reach Rome is the A1 Milano-Roma motorway. Arriving from the West of Italy should take the Aurelia and then the Civitavecchia-Roma motorway. From the Adriatic Coast via the Roma-L'Aquila motorway while from the South the A1.
All the motorways intersect Rome's ring road, called Grande Raccordo Anulare (GRA), which has junctions for the centre and the outskirts of Rome.
COMMUNICATIONS: The international access code for Italy is +39. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom). All numbers must be preceded by 0, whether originating in Italy or out, unless calling a mobile phone.