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[ilchicag]

Hey all,

I'm going to Rome for the first time this December/New Years, and I've been reading about the benefits of biking around Rome. I know you can rent bikes, but I am wondering if it'd be more economical to buy a bike while there. Does anyone have an opinion on this, even as far as if this is a good idea/where you can buy bikes/how much they cost. Thanks!

[wakingdream]

How long will you be in Rome? Since you can rent bikes from about 8-13 euros/day, it could get expensive if you're going to be there for awhile.

I found this from Outside; Buying a Bike in Rome So it seems they can be bought for 20-30% less then the US depending on exchange.

Hope that helps a bit. I couldn't find any other useful info.

[flewthecoop]

We were in Rome last month. Bikes, cars, motorcycles are only for the brave. There are two kinds of streets in Rome: the ones full of fast traffic and traffic lights, and the narrow cobblestone streets where you have to dodge the parked cars, motorcycles and the people walking. On the busy, paved streets, the traffic is fast and unpredictable. Not to scare you too much, but we saw the aftereffects of a motorcyclist who was hit by a car in the middle of a busy street. It was not pretty.

We found we could walk everywhere. From the Castel St. Angeli or the Vatican, it is about a 50 minute walk across town to Termini Station, with lots of incredible buildings, ruins, churches all along the way. Public transportation--the metro and the buses-- is also a good option. They are cheap and relatively easy to figure out.