How to get around Lazio

Getting around

Rome's two airports, Fiumicino (Leonardo da Vinci) and the smaller Ciampino, handle nearly all air access to Lazio and sit within the region rather than merely serving it, making Rome the practical gateway for the whole region regardless of a visitor's final destination. Fiumicino has a direct rail link into central Rome; Ciampino, used mainly by low-cost carriers, relies on bus connections.

Regional trains connect Rome to Ostia Antica, Tivoli, Civitavecchia, and Viterbo, and a suburban rail line serves several Castelli Romani towns including Frascati, making the region's best-known sites reachable without a car. Reaching the volcanic lakes beyond Bracciano, smaller Castelli Romani towns off the rail line, or the Apennine interior of Rieti and Frosinone provinces is considerably easier with a car, since bus service in these areas is thinner and less frequent than the rail network around the capital.

Two Italian rules apply across the region. A ticket bought from a kiosk or machine must be validated on board before the journey starts, or an inspector issues an on-the-spot fine. And driving into the historic centre of most Lazio towns needs a ZTL pass, with the boundary marked in black on a yellow sign. Transport strikes are often called at short notice.

Verified against UK Government (GOV.UK; FCDO travel advice abroad), October 2026.

Regional connections

How easily, and at what cost, can you combine the region’s main destinations?

Route	Best option	One-way time	Travel Smart take
Rome and Civita di Bagnoregio	Train and local bus, or car	~2 hr 30 min typical, not a timetable	Possible in a day, but it takes most of one. Rome works well as a base for Civita di Bagnoregio.
Rome and Tivoli	Train	~1 hr typical, not a timetable	Excellent day-trip connection. Rome works well as a base for Tivoli.
Rome and Viterbo	Train	~1 hr 45 min typical, not a timetable	Comfortable as a day trip. Rome works well as a base for Viterbo.
Viterbo and Civita di Bagnoregio	Bus or car	~45 min typical, not a timetable	Excellent day-trip connection. Viterbo works well as a base for Civita di Bagnoregio.

Cost compares the options for each route rather than quoting a fare: inexpensive means the price is not a factor in planning, moderate cost means a real line in the budget, and the expensive option is one worth weighing against the alternative. Fares change from year to year; the ranking between them does not.

Flying in. Rome's two airports, Fiumicino (Leonardo da Vinci) and the smaller Ciampino, handle nearly all air access to the region. Fiumicino has a direct rail link into central Rome; Ciampino, used mainly by low-cost carriers, relies on bus connections.

By rail. Rome is the principal rail hub of central Italy. Within the region, eight regional lines numbered FL1 to FL8 are operated by Trenitalia from the Rome node, reaching Ostia Antica, Tivoli, Civitavecchia and Viterbo among others.

By road. The Grande Raccordo Anulare rings Rome and ties together every motorway in the region. The consular roads still structure the map: the Aurelia towards Tuscany, the Cassia towards the Viterbo area, the Salaria towards Rieti, the Casilina towards Frosinone, the Appia towards the Castelli Romani and the Pontina towards Latina.

Allow for the terrain. Lazio is 54% hill and 26% mountain, with the plains mostly near the coast, so road distances convert into time more slowly than the map suggests.

Validate your ticket. A ticket bought from a kiosk or machine must be validated on public transport before the journey starts; inspectors patrol and issue on-the-spot fines.

ZTL. Driving into the historic centre of most Lazio towns needs a pass, with the boundary marked by the letters ZTL in black on a yellow sign.

Strikes. Transport strikes are often called at short notice.

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Sources & verification Covers the sourced claims on this page.

Checked against UK Government (GOV.UK; FCDO travel advice abroad) — If you buy a ticket from a kiosk or machine, you must validate it on public transport before you start your journey. Officials patrol public transport and will issue an on-the-spot fine if you do not have a validated ticket, You need a pass to drive into the historic centre of many Italian cities in a private or hire car. The boundaries are usually marked with the letters ZTL in black on a yellow sign, Transport strikes are often called at short notice, If you buy a ticket from a kiosk or machine, you must validate it on public transport before you start your journey. Officials patrol public transport and will issue an on-the-spot fine if you do not have a validated ticket, You need a pass to drive into the historic centre of many Italian cities in a private or hire car. The boundaries are usually marked with the letters ZTL in black on a yellow sign, Transport strikes are often called at short notice (October 2026).