How to Get to the Spanish Steps 2026: Metro, Bus, Taxi & on Foot

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Piazza di Spagna sits in the Tridente, the triangle of streets between Piazza del Popolo and the centre. Cars are mostly kept out, which makes it lovely to walk and awkward to drive. The metro is the easy answer: Spagna station opens right beside the Steps.

Prices and routes below are for 2026. Rome's single ticket is still €1.50 for now, though a rise to €2 has been discussed.

The quick answer

Take metro line A to Spagna: the exit on Vicolo del Bottino brings you out at the foot of the Steps, and lifts inside the station lead towards the top. From Termini and from Ottaviano (the Vatican) it is three stops. A single BIT ticket costs €1.50 and is valid 100 minutes, or tap a contactless card at the gates. From Fiumicino, take the Leonardo Express to Termini (€14, 32 minutes) then line A, or a taxi at the fixed €55 fare.

The Spanish Steps seen from the square on a sunny day, with Trinità dei Monti at the top — Out of Spagna station, turn the corner and this is your view.

What is the nearest metro station to the Spanish Steps?

Spagna, on metro line A. The main exit on Vicolo del Bottino is a one-minute walk from the foot of the Steps.

Spagna station opened in 1980. Follow the signs for Piazza di Spagna to come out beside the square. A second route inside the station runs by lifts and moving walkways up towards Porta Pinciana and the Villa Borghese gardens, which puts you near the top of the hill without climbing the Steps.

From	Metro	Stops	Time
Termini (main station)	Line A towards Battistini	3 (Repubblica, Barberini, Spagna)	About 6 minutes
Ottaviano (Vatican)	Line A towards Anagnina	3 (Lepanto, Flaminio, Spagna)	About 6 minutes
Colosseo	Line B to Termini, then line A	2 + 3, one change	About 20 minutes
Flaminio (Piazza del Popolo)	Line A towards Anagnina	1	2 minutes, or walk 10

Meet in front of Babington's at the foot of the Steps, one minute from the metro exit. Six guests at most.

Check dates for the small-group walk with gelato

How much is a metro ticket in Rome in 2026?

€1.50 for a BIT ticket, valid for 100 minutes on buses and trams plus one metro ride. You can also tap a contactless bank card or phone at the gates.

Buy BIT tickets at machines in the stations, at tobacconists (look for the T sign) and newsstands. Validate a paper ticket at the gate or on the bus. Tapping a contactless card works the same way and saves the machine queue. Day passes exist too, but for a hop to the Steps a single ticket is enough. A planned rise to €2 has been debated for 2026; check the machine price on the day.

How do you get from Fiumicino airport to the Spanish Steps?

Take the Leonardo Express to Termini (€14, 32 minutes, every 15 minutes) then metro line A three stops to Spagna, or a taxi at the fixed €55 fare to anywhere inside the Aurelian Walls.

The fixed taxi fare covers luggage and night rides, so the meter should not run; agree on "tariffa fissa" before you get in, and use the official white taxis at the rank, not drivers who approach you inside the terminal. Piazza di Spagna is inside the walls. The last Leonardo Express leaves the airport at about 23:30. From Ciampino, buses run to Termini, then line A.

Staying near the Steps with big suitcases? Ask your hotel how close a taxi can get. Dragging wheels up historic steps is fined, and the Tridente streets are mostly closed to traffic.

A cobbled Roman street lined with ochre buildings and a café — The Tridente streets are mostly closed to cars. The last stretch is on foot.

Which buses go to the Spanish Steps?

The electric minibuses 117 and 119 serve the area around Piazza di Spagna, and many lines run along Via del Tritone, five minutes away.

Line 117 links San Giovanni and Monti with Piazza del Popolo through the centre, and 119 loops through the historic centre around the square. They are small electric buses, slow but handy if walking is hard. Buses on Via del Tritone, including those from Termini and Piazza Venezia, stop about five minutes' walk from the Steps. Use the ATAC app or Google Maps for live times: Rome's bus schedules are a rough guide at best.

How do you walk to the Spanish Steps from the main sights?

From Trevi, 10 minutes; from Piazza del Popolo, 10 to 12 minutes along Via del Babuino; from the Pantheon, about 20; from the Colosseum, about 30.

From Piazza del Popolo: straight down Via del Babuino, past antique shops, to the left side of the square. The best first view of the Steps.
From Trevi: Via della Stamperia, across Via del Tritone, Via di Sant'Andrea delle Fratte. The reverse of our Steps to Trevi route.
From the Pantheon: via Piazza di Pietra and Via del Corso, then up Via dei Condotti. About 20 minutes.
From Piazza Barberini: Via Sistina, about 600 metres, brings you out at the top, by Trinità dei Monti.
From the Colosseum: 30 minutes via Via dei Fori Imperiali, Piazza Venezia and Via del Corso; or take the golf cart tour, which covers both.

The Spanish Steps and the Barcaccia fountain at dusk with people walking in the square — Coming from Via dei Condotti, the Barcaccia is the first thing you reach.

Can you drive or take a taxi to the Spanish Steps?

A taxi, yes, to the edge of the square. Driving a private or rental car, no: Piazza di Spagna lies inside the Centro Storico ZTL, and cameras fine unauthorised cars.

The ZTL (limited traffic zone) covers the historic centre and is enforced by cameras at every entry. Rental cars get the fine weeks later, with an admin fee from the rental company on top. Park outside the zone, for example at the Villa Borghese underground car park, and walk or take the metro in.

Licensed taxis and ride-hailing cars are allowed in. Ask for Piazza di Spagna, or for Via Sistina or Trinità dei Monti if you want to start at the top.

Skip the driving and the walking: three hours by golf cart past the Colosseum, the Steps, Trevi and St Peter's.

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Explore the golf cart tour with gelato Tour details

Is there a step-free way to the top of the Spanish Steps?

Yes: the lifts and moving walkways inside Spagna station, or Via Sistina from Piazza Barberini, which arrives level with Trinità dei Monti.

Both routes avoid the 135 steps. The station lifts lead up towards the Villa Borghese exit; from there it's a short walk along Viale della Trinità dei Monti to the church. Via Sistina is a gentle slope with pavements. A good plan for anyone with mobility trouble: reach the top by one of these, see the view and the church, then decide whether to walk down.

More on what is up there in Trinità dei Monti and the Keats-Shelley House.

The Spanish Steps rising to Trinità dei Monti with palm trees under a blue sky — 135 steps, about 29 metres up. The lift is an option.

No climbing needed: the golf cart tour stops at the Steps for 15 minutes and does the rest by road.

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Where do tours meet near the Spanish Steps?

LivTours meets in front of Babington's Tea Rooms at the foot of the Steps, Maximus in front of the Keats-Shelley House, and the Tix & Tours walk and the night tour at Piazza del Popolo.

Arrive ten minutes early: the square is crowded and guides hold small signs. LivTours and Maximus start right at the Steps, one minute from the metro. The Tix & Tours walk meets at Piazza del Popolo 7 and the night tour in front of Santa Maria del Popolo, both one stop away at Flaminio. The golf cart tour starts in Monti at Via Urbana 40, near Cavour on line B.