How to get to the Vatican from Rome's airports, Termini and the Colosseum

Vatican City has no airport and no metro station of its own, so every route runs through Rome. The good news is that almost all of them end on the same metro line, line A, and that from the historic centre you can simply walk in along the Tiber and past Castel Sant’Angelo. What changes is the first leg, and that’s where you gain or lose time and money. Here’s how I’d do it from each starting point, based on Trenitalia, Aeroporti di Roma, the Vatican Museums and Roma Capitale.

Is there a Vatican City train station?

Not one you’ll arrive at as a visitor. The station people mean is Roma San Pietro, which sits on Roman soil rather than inside the Vatican. According to unofficial sources it’s served by the FL3 and FL5 regional lines, and ticket comparison sites put direct trains from Termini at around 17 to 19 minutes. Roma Capitale posts service notices for the FL3 on its website, and I’d glance at them before relying on it. I think it’s a decent option if you’re heading for the basilica and already near a station on those lines. For the museums I’d stick with metro line A, which is the link their official site gives. There is a station inside the walls too, opened in 1933, but no train you can buy a ticket for leaves it today, and its story is in the Vatican railway station.

Which airport is closest to Vatican City?

Rome has two, Fiumicino and Ciampino, and none of the official sites I checked publishes the distance from either to the Vatican, so I won’t quote one. What I can compare is what the journey costs and how simple it is. Fiumicino has a train station inside the terminal and a non-stop service to Termini. Ciampino has no train, but its fixed taxi fare into the centre is €15 cheaper. Which one you land at usually depends on your airline, so below is how I’d handle each.

Fiumicino to the Vatican by train and metro

The Leonardo Express runs non-stop to Termini in 32 minutes, every 15 minutes and every 30 at some times of day, for €14. The first leaves the airport at 5.38am and the last at 11.27pm. Travelling as four, Trenitalia sells four tickets for €40 in one purchase, and children aged 4 to 12 ride free with a paying adult. You validate a paper ticket at the gates before boarding, and ATAC tickets aren’t valid on this train.

The cheaper FL1 regional, €8 to any station in Rome, catches plenty of people out. Aeroporti di Roma is clear that it doesn’t call at Termini, so for the Vatican I’d only use it if your hotel is near one of its stops. Once at Termini, head down to line A and ride towards Battistini to Ottaviano.

For a group with cases, a licensed taxi costs a fixed €55 to the centre, per car and all-inclusive. Aeroporti di Roma warns about unlicensed drivers at arrivals, which I cover in Vatican scams to avoid.

Ciampino, and the bus that skips Termini

Ciampino has an advantage most people miss. As well as coaches to Termini, which stop opposite International Departures, there are two direct links to metro line A. ATAC’s route 520 runs to Cinecittà and Subaugusta, and ATRAL buses go to Anagnina, where line A begins. From either, line A takes you all the way to Ottaviano without changing. Aeroporti di Roma doesn’t publish fares for these buses, so I’m not giving figures. A licensed taxi from Ciampino is a fixed €40 to the centre.

Termini to the Vatican

From Termini I’d take the metro. Line A towards Battistini, and at Ottaviano you’re there. Traffic doesn’t come into it, and a 100-minute ticket costs €1.50, covering one metro ride.

The alternative is buses 40 and 64, which have left from bay A of the new bus terminal on Piazza dei Cinquecento since 15 January 2025. The 64 runs to Roma San Pietro station, and according to unofficial sites the 40 ends at Borgo Sant’Angelo, beside Castel Sant’Angelo. The US State Department’s security report names the 64 as a problem route for skilled theft, so if you take it, wear your rucksack on your front.

From the Colosseum

There’s no direct metro from the Colosseum to the Vatican, since Colosseo station isn’t on line A. Unofficial sources give line B to Termini and a change to line A for Ottaviano, and I’d check that on ATAC’s official map before setting off. If the weather’s kind and you’re not in a hurry, I’d walk through the centre to the Tiber and cross at Castel Sant’Angelo instead. You see a slice of Rome on the way and avoid changing at Termini.

The museums and St Peter’s have different stops

This is the mistake I’d most like you to avoid, getting off for the museums when you want the basilica, or the other way round. They’re separate entrances. How they sit in relation to each other is shown on the Vatican City map. For the Vatican Museums on Viale Vaticano, the official site lists Ottaviano and Cipro on the metro, bus 49 to the door and tram 19 to Piazza del Risorgimento. That last one is out of date. According to Roma Capitale, tram 19 is not running in Prati and is expected back in early 2027, and all of Rome’s trams have been replaced by buses since 3 August. St Peter’s Basilica gives Ottaviano-San Pietro as its nearest metro stop, with a walk to the square from there.

On foot from the centre, the natural approach is by the river, across Ponte Sant’Angelo. Since 23 December 2024 Piazza Pia has been pedestrianised, linking Castel Sant’Angelo with Via della Conciliazione while traffic runs underneath in a tunnel. The avenue brings you straight into St Peter’s Square. The best order to see things once you’re inside is in how to visit the Vatican.

Paying with a contactless card, and metro hours

You don’t need to buy a paper ticket in Rome any more. With Tap&Go you touch a contactless card or phone on the metro gate or the validator on buses and trams, and it’s valid for 100 minutes from the first tap, though only one metro ride. Each passenger needs their own card. Travel passes cost €8.50 for 24 hours, €15 for 48 and €22 for 72. Those prices come from search extracts of ATAC’s pages, which block direct reading, so I’d check them on its site before travelling. If you do buy a ticket at a kiosk or machine, validate it on boarding, because the FCDO mentions on-the-spot fines for unvalidated tickets.

Line A runs from 5.30am to 11.30pm Sunday to Thursday, with the last train at 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays, and night bus nMA covers the route after closing. The US security report notes that transport strikes are frequent and usually fall on Fridays. For the card that saves you fees throughout the trip, see money and payments at the Vatican.