There are
tourist information booths
on arrival at Fiumicino (daily 8.15am-7.15pm; tel 06.6595.6074), and at Termini (daily 8.15am-7.15pm; tel 06.487.1270 or tel 06.482.5078), although the long queues that often develop at both of these mean you're usually better off heading straight for the main
tourist office
at Via Parigi 5 (Mon-Fri 8.15am-7.15pm, Sat 8.15am-1.45pm; tel 06.4889.9253 or tel 06.4889.9255), ten minutes' walk from Termini. They have free maps that should - together with our own - be ample for finding your way around, although the rest of their information can be uneven and out of date. There are also
information kiosks
in key locations around the city centre (daily 9am-6pm). They too often have outdated general information but the staff usually speak English, and they are useful for free maps, directions and new information (opening times, for example) about nearby sights.
You might be better off bypassing the official tourist offices altogether and going to
Enjoy Rome
, Via Varese 39 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-2pm & 3.30-6pm, Sat 8.30am-2pm; tel 06.445.1843), whose friendly, English-speaking staff run a free room-finding service; they also organize tours, and have a left-luggage service for those who take them. Their information is often more up to date and reliable than that handed out by the various tourist offices, and they will also advise on where to eat, drink, and party, if you so wish.
For what's-on information, the city's best source of
listings
is perhaps
Romac'è
(L2000, Thursdays), which has a helpful section in English giving information on tours, clubs, restaurants, services and weekly events. The ex-pat bi-weekly,
Wanted in Rome
(L1500, every other Wednesday), which is entirely in English, is also a useful source of information, especially if you're looking for an apartment or work. If you understand a bit of Italian, there's
Time Out Roma
(L2000, Thursdays), a weekly review full of listings as well as articles on the trendiest everything in Rome, and the daily arts pages of the Rome
newspaper
,
Il Messaggero,
which can be found in most bars for the customers to read, and lists movies, plays and major musical events. The newspaper
La Repubblica
also includes the "
Trova Roma
" section in its Thursday edition, another handy guide to current offerings.
Information kiosk locations
Spanish Steps
, Largo Goldoni (tel 06.6813.6061)
San Giovani
, Piazza San Giovani in Laterno (tel 06.7720.3535)
Via Nazionale
, Palazzo delle Esposizioni (tel 06.4782.4525)
Piazza Navona
, Piazza...
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Rome on the Web
www.capitolium.org
The official Web site of the Roman forums, with pictorial reconstructions of how the ruins would have looked in their day, as well as how they look now; material on life in ancient Rome; and even a live Web view of the forum.
...
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