Lazio by Bus – Interprovincial travel with Cotral

For locals or students in Italy there is a convenient way to travel in Lazio with the COTRAL buses.

Many expats or Erasmus students will tell you that one of the best parts about staying in Europe is that the whole continent is practically at your fingertips with all the different options available for affordable travel.

Endless combinations of plane, train and automobile routes provide an itinerary for every budget, and so travelers are able to revel in the great vistas of Europe without worrying too much about how their bank account might suffer.

While the climate of the travel industry is currently suffering due to restricted travel around the world, many are anticipating the day when mobility is again free, already planning their next trip. For locals or students still in Italy, there is a convenient way to travel around Rome and the Lazio region for cheap – with the COTRAL buses that now offer a wide range of fare options to get going on their extensive route around Lazio.

Types of Ticket

From Cotral’s website, there are seven different ticket options ranging from single use to yearly subscriptions.

BTT

The Biglietto a Tratta Tariffaria (BTT) is a basic fare, only good for one use, and can be bought at a Cotral office. Prices are based on kilometric measurements, but the fare for a distance of 1-10 km is €1,10, and the maximum price is €6,90 if your destination is 126-150 km away.

BTTB

If you forget to buy a ticket ahead of time the BTTB can be purchased for a minimum of €7,00 aboard the bus. The Biglietto Integrato Regionale Giornaliero (BIRG) is a daily pass that allows the holder to use the buses, trams, metros, and even the regional Freccia Rossa trains without limits. For this type of ticket, Lazio is divided into “zones” which dictate the fare price. With the BIRG, a ticket for travel within zone 1 is €3,30 and travelling to the last zone, 7, costs €14,00.

CIRS

For a longer trip one can purchase the Carta Integrata Regionale Settimanale (CIRS) which is a weekly pass, also in accordance to the zonal system available for reference on Cotral’s website. The minimum price for the CIRS is €13,50, and the maximum is €61,50, depending on which zones the traveler crosses.

BTR

Made especially for tourists, the Biglietto Turistico Regionale (BTR) is an unlimited 3-day pass with fares priced according to zones. This is perfect for the weekend traveler and can be purchased at ATAC and Trenitalia counters as well as automated ticket machines. BTR fares range from €8,90 to €39,20.

AMMT

For those finding themselves in Italy for an extended period of time, monthly and yearly subscriptions are available. The interregional monthly pass, or AMTT, allows for use of routes “within origin or destination in the terrirtoy of a municipality located in a neighboring region”, and costs anywhere between €22,00 and €138,70, based on kilometric distance of travel.

Abbonamento mensile o annuale Metrebus Lazio

Lastly, there are monthly and annual passes that are zonally priced and can be used universally within the Metrebus Lazio system. For just the purchase of Zone A, the monthly fare is €24,50, annually €172,00. For Zone 7, which includes routes in all zones prior, the price per month is €108,50, annually €688,40. This option is best for frequent travelers and adventurers, as there are many stops on the Lazio loop worth discovering.

Where to?

Cotral routes span the seaboard, from up to Civitavecchia and further north, also running south, stopping at Santa Marinella, at Fiumicino near Ostia, Anzio, and Latina.

Bomarzo: Park of Monsters near Rome

From central Rome, a day at the beach is just a few stops away. Cotral services route to Tivoli, where you can find la Villa d’Este, a beautiful estate known for its elaborate 16th century gardens and magnificent fountains.

Take a trip north to Viterbo and walk the medieval streets, enjoying the rich art and religious history that saturates the city. Those who are looking to forgo weekend trips to Italy’s touristic hotspots such as Florence, Amalfi, or Tuscany, can seek discovery intra-regionally with those hidden-gem towns just waiting outside the city.