Ostia-Lido Trains
 Good for visiting Ostia Antica and the beaches at Lido di Ostia. Trains depart every 20--30 minutes from Stazione Porta San Paolo (Piramide metro station); use same ticket as for ATAC city buses, trams, and metro. $1.25 each way.

Taxis
 It can be difficult to hail a taxi on the street in the center of Rome. Instead, go to a taxi stand; there's one at most major sights, including Piazza di Spagna, Piazza San Pietro, near the Pantheon in Piazza delle Cinque Lune, and near the Colosseum at Piazza Venezia by Via dei Fori Imperiali. To have a cab pick you up at a specific address, call one of Rome's radio-taxi cooperatives (Radiotaxi 3570, 011-39/06-3570; Radiotaxi 4994, 011-39/06-4994; or Radiotaxi Tevere 011-39/06-4157). Give them your exact street address (they understand some English, but speak slowly), and an automated system will tell you the medallion number (e.g., Parma 31) and when it will arrive. Taxis usually take up to four passengers, although the smaller cars only seat three comfortably. Fares are expensive ($8.75--$19 for a ride within the city center), and there's a higher rate 10 p.m.--7 a.m. and on Sun.; about $1.25 extra for each large bag.

Trains in Italy
 National call center, 89-20-21 (within Italy), trenitalia.com
 All major trains to and from other Italian and European cities go through Termini station, on the east side of the city center. Purchase tickets online, through travel agents, or at the gray-and-yellow self-service machines inside the train station, which take cash and major credit cards. Eurostar trains offer the quickest--and priciest--train trips between Italy's major cities. For the Leonardo Express train to the Fiumicino airport, note that the train departs from Tracks 28 and 29, which are a 5- to 10-minute walk beyond tracks 1--22. If you enter on Via Giolitti, you'll have a somewhat shorter walk. All train tickets except the Eurostar must be validated at the yellow time-stamping machines in front of each track.

WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND TOWN

Roma C'è For concerts of all kinds, cinemas, clubs, exhibitions, lectures, and walking tours. Weekly at newsstands, English-language section in back pages, romace.it, $1.50  
 TrovaRoma For less comprehensive concert listings, cinemas, museums, monuments. To get it, you must buy the Thursday supplement to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. $1.25

Cinemas that often show films in English
 (Ask for English-language films in "versione originale")

TOURS

Bus 110 Open
 Piazza dei Cinquecento, 8002-81281 (within Italy), trambusopen.com
 Double-decker bus with an open-air deck that departs every 20 minutes from Piazza dei Cinquecento (Termini station) and operates a hop-on, hop-off service for most major sights, including the Colosseum, St. Peter's Square, and the Trevi Fountain. Minimal onboard commentary in multiple languages, including English. Tickets are valid all day. $16.

Enjoy Rome
Via Marghera 8A, 011-39/06-445-1843, enjoyrome.com
 Three-hour general orientation tours that are educational and entertaining. For example, a tour might mix smart tips for making sense of ancient ruins and sites such as the Sistine Chapel with colorful anecdotes about gladiators and mischievous popes. Guides are young English-speakers. Walking tours $23--$30. The Catacombs and Roman Countryside bus tour ($44--$50, including Catacombs admission) takes you to a remote park with spectacular ruins of an ancient aqueduct. Note: Lower prices are for people age 25 or under.

Context: Rome
 011-39/06-482-0911, from the U.S. 888/467-1986, contextrome.com
 Not cheap, but you get your money's worth. Learn a ton about Roman history, art, and culture on private and small group walks led by experienced English-speaking docents who live and work in Rome as archaeologists, architects, art historians, or food critics. One hour to full-day excursions, from $32 (for an orientation walk around the Spanish steps or Pantheon) to $296 (for a full-day tour to Pompeii and the archaeological museum in Naples). Admission prices are extra.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

Police 113  
 Carabinieri (army police) 112
 Ambulance 118
 Fire department 115 
 U.S. Embassy and Consulate 011-39/06-46-741
 Monument and museum tickets Colosseum/Palatine, 011-39/06-3996-7700, pierreci.it; Galleria Borghese, 011-39/06-32810, ticketeria.it
 Concert and event tickets Orbis Agency (Piazza dell' Esquilino 37, 011-39/06-474-4776); TicketOne (ticketone.it)

International access code
 From US: 011+country code+city code+local number Country code 39 City code 06