Page 388 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Rome

386  SUR VIV AL GUIDE

Car Rentals Details of road and traffic
Major international firms (Avis, conditions (in Italian) are
Hertz, Europcar) and Sixt have available from a special Road
rental offices at the airports, Conditions number. For more
Termini station, and in the city. information on driving and
However, you may get a better parking in the city, as well as
deal by reserving a car before understanding road signs, and
you arrive through a travel buying fuel, see page 385.
agent or online, or by using a
local firm (such as Maggiore). Moped and Bicycle Rental
Make sure breakdown service
and collision damage waiver Rome’s narrow streets, and heavy
are included. Prospective traffic, combined with the seven
renters usually need to be at steep hills on which it was built,
least 25 years old and have make it a challenging place Taxi on a busy street in downtown Rome
held a driver’s license for at for even the most serious of Taxis
least a year. You will also need bicyclists. However, there are
to leave a deposit – a credit a few areas, such as the Villa Official taxis in Rome are white,
card number is usually enough. Borghese, the banks of the Tiber, say “Comune di Roma” on the
Some firms also ask for an and some pockets in the historic side, and bear a “taxi” sign on
international license (available downtown (around the Pantheon the roof. Do not use the taxis
from your national auto- and Piazza Navona), where offered by touts at stations
mobile association). bicycle lanes make for a and tourist spots; official taxi
The most popular car rental relaxing way to see the city. drivers do not solicit customers.
option for short trips within the Mopeds (motorini), and Official taxis can be hailed at
city is car2go, the Europe-wide scooters – like the classic Piaggio specially marked taxi stands or
car-sharing scheme whereby Vespa, meaning “wasp” – are on the street (drivers are not
users obtain the whereabouts good for getting through the supposed to stop in the street
of hundreds of Smart cars traffic. You may want to stick to but many of them do). You
through a smartphone app. quiet streets to begin with. can nearly always find them at
These cars can be booked and Bicycles and scooters can be the main tourist sights, airports,
used immediately. rented from Collalti, Bici & Baci, and stations (including Termini
Accident rates on Italian and Barberini Scooters for and Ostiense). Roman taxi
roads are high, so make sure Rent. There are also Bike Rental drivers are not renowned for
you are fully insured against all spots dotted around the city. their friendliness and may even
eventualities. It is a good idea to Motorcyclists, scooter drivers, refuse to take you if you are
join an internationally affiliated and their passengers must going too far from the lucrative
automobile association (such wear helmets by law; these downtown or, conversely, if the
as the AAA in the US or the can be rented from most rental ride is too short.
AA in Britain) so that if you do locations. You may be asked to Taxis are not particularly cheap,
break down, the ACI (Italian leave a credit card number or so unless you have heavy
Automobile Club) will tow your cash as a deposit when you pick luggage or screaming toddlers,
car without charging. up the vehicle (see p359). public transportation is usually
a better option. Taxi drivers
charge supplements for more
than one bag, night rides
(10pm–6am), and travel on
Sundays or public holidays.
Make sure the meter is turned
on and visible. The meter
continues running while you
are at a standstill, so traffic jams
can become expensive. Some
drivers may take suspiciously
circuitous routes. Italians do
not tip taxi drivers; they simply
round up the fare to the nearest
euro. You can call for a taxi
(but you will pay from the
time the driver gets the call
from the switchboard) from:
Mondo Taxi, Radiotaxi 3570,
or Chiama Taxi Numero Unico,
Motorbikes and scooters, a popular means of transportation in Rome the central number (06-0609)

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Directory Listing template (Source v1) “UK” LAYER
Date 9th August 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm