Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The 64 Bus

Everyone who has spent more than a week in Rome will be familiar with the number 64 bus that starts at San Pietro station, runs past the Vatican, crosses the Tiber and runs through the Centro, stopping at the Argentina tram stop and on up the hill to Termini train station.


If you get on it anywhere after the St. Peter's end of the loop, this is what it is like. We were trying to get home from the Quirinale the other night and that is closer to the Termini end of the route. We had to let six buses go by before there was one we could get on.

And then there's the gypsy pickpockets. There's a reason they call the 64 the Pickpocket Express, though I've been lucky so far.

Here's a tip for those staying in Santa Marinella: get any of the main route buses to Argentina, which is a major bus convergence point, and wait the extra few minutes for a number 70. This will take you up most of the route to Termini, but swings past Mary Major and takes you down to the other end of the Termini station. This will help you avoid all the horrors of the 64, the pickpockets, the sardine-packed crowds, and at the end save you a 10 minute walk down to the end of the station where the Civitavecchia/Pisa/Grosseto trains leave.

The 64 is somewhat notorious.


H/T to Vicky for the pic.



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2 comments:

df said...

Or, from Argentina, you could take the 40, which is faster than the 64, as has fewer stops, though it follows the same route as the 64 from S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini to Termini.

Anonymous said...

I've taken the 64 many times and the 40 as well. Living right by the Largo Argentina, I know exactly what you're talking about. Never taken the 70 though, the Giolitti line.

Actually, I think it was the 64 that got me to Termini in nine minutes one fateful thursday morning....