Currency exchange: Travellers cheques, cheques and foreign money can be changed at banks, railway stations and airports, and very often at major hotels (generally at a less convenient rate).
Credit & debit cards: MasterCard, Diners Club and Visa are widely accepted, but many small establishments - shops and restaurants only accept cash. It is advisable to ask merchants if they accept credit cards before trying to purchase items
Travellers cheques: Travellers cheques are accepted almost everywhere. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Euros, Pounds Sterling or US Dollars.
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How to get to Rome
The main airport is Leonardo da Vinci, also known as Fiumicino. The other airport is Ciampino, where most domestic, and some international, flights arrive. You can get a flight from just about anywhere in the world to Rome. Departure tax is always prepaid with your air ticket into or out of Italy.
Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino) airport is 26km (16mi) southwest of the city. One of the most convenient ways to get into town is by the Leonardo Express, the 30-minute Fiumicino-Stazione Termini direct train, which runs half-hourly from the airport. You can also get a train from the airport to Trastevere, Ostiense and Tiburtina. A night bus runs to Stazione Tiburtina. If you're driving, an autostrada runs from the airport to the city via EUR - it's a 45-minute drive and will cost you a small fortune by taxi. Rome's other airport is Ciampino, about 20km (12mi) southeast of the city. From there you can catch a LiLa/Cotral bus that connects with a subway to Stazione Termini, or you can drive down the Via Appia Nuova.
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Transportation in Rome
Buses run from various city bus stop to the Lazio region and from Stazione Tiburtina to other destinations throughout Italy. Eurolines is the main carrier for other European destinations, leaving from opposite Tiburtina. There are regular train connections to all the major cities in Italy and Europe from Termini station. Trains are comfortable and fast. The main road connecting Rome to the north and south of Italy is the Autostrada del Sole, which connects with the ring road circling the city.
Rome's buses, trams, subway and suburban railways are part of an integrated system run by ATAC and Metrebus tickets cover all forms of transport. Buy before you board though; there are hefty fines if you don't, even for tourists. There's also a private network of J buses. Most of the main buses terminate at the bus station outside Stazione Termini (where you can get a map of the bus routes). The city's Metro service (which is convenient for many of Rome's sights) has two lines, both of which go through Termini. The above-ground rail network isn't much use to most visitors.
Driving in Rome is the next best thing to suicide - especially on a motorbike or moped. Most of the historic centre of Rome is closed to normal traffic, although you will be allowed to drive to your hotel, and parking is a nightmare. If you'd rather leave the driving to someone else, you can pick up a cab from one of the city's many taxi ranks or phone one any time of day. Be warned though, taxis are notoriously expensive, and if you call a cab, the meter is turned on as soon as you call, rather than when you are picked up. Cycling is hazardous, but possible - hills, crazy drivers and cobblestones notwithstanding. The historic centre of Rome is relatively small and quite manageable on foot. Wear your comfortable shoes.
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