What's not to love about a town where the default greeting is ciao, bella! and where wine costs less than Coca-Cola? Plenty of cities are beautiful, but only Rome is as warm and accessible as it is jaw-droppingly gorgeous, with majestic ruins and umbrella pines that dovetail with ochre-toned palazzi in one very compact and visitor-friendly city center. Vespas buzz and buses screech over grand and sunny boulevards or down cramped cobblestoned alleyways, creating an urban chaos that somehow manages to keep an upbeat rhythm. Romans aren't completely content to rest on their laurels of 3,000 years of art and history: exciting new civic spaces are being developed in the districts just outside the old center, and a neighborhood in the shadow of a prison, half a mile from the Vatican, has become a hotbed for young bohemians. No matter where you go in Rome, there's always something, or someone, ready to meet your gaze, and invite you in. Start here.

AIRPORTS

Download our nine-page mini-guide to all things Rome. Just print, fold, and go—it's a snap! If you don't already have it, you will need Adobe Acrobat, a free (and easy!) plug-in, to read the guide Download the Snap Guide Read the Snap Guide online Download Adobe Acrobat MORE ON ROME • Snap Guide: Rome • Live Like a Local in Rome • Eternal Summer in Rome • Where Foodies Love to Eat SNAP GUIDES • Snap Guide: Buenos Aires • Snap Guide: Cape Town • Snap Guide: London • Snap Guide: Los Angeles • Snap Guide: Miami • Snap Guide: New York City • Snap Guide: Paris • Snap Guide: Rome • Snap Guide: Tokyo • More Snap Guides

Aeroporto Leonardo da Vinci di Fiumicino (FCO)

Aeroporto G.B. Pastine di Ciampino (CIA)

TRANSPORTATION TO/FROM AIRPORTS

Leonardo Express (Fiumicino)

FM1 local train (Fiumicino)

Schiaffini buses (Ciampino)

Terravision buses (Ciampino)

CITY LINKS

Roma Turismo Official site of the Rome tourism bureau

Vatican City Visitor info, liturgical calendar, theology