{"id":246,"date":"2011-05-17T13:00:29","date_gmt":"2011-05-17T12:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=246"},"modified":"2023-07-18T17:41:48","modified_gmt":"2023-07-18T16:41:48","slug":"taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help","title":{"rendered":"How to Take a Taxi in Italy (Without Getting Ripped Off)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>No matter how dedicated you are to walking and public transport, when you are traveling in a foreign city sometimes you just have to cab it. Keep reading to discover how to take a taxi in Italy!<\/p>\n<p>But while it seems like the easiest option, taking a taxi can also be the easiest way to get stung.\u00a0In order to help you avoid a bad travel tale, we&#8217;ve put together a list of the most common taxi scams in Italy and how to avoid them. The good news is that there&#8217;s a 99% chance that you WON&#8217;T ever need this information. Regardless of what you might have heard, most Italian cab drivers are professional, friendly, and honest. These tips are for the other one percent and if you keep them in mind we guarantee you&#8217;ll never pay too much on your cab fare.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_516\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-516\" class=\"wp-image-516 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/taxi-in-italy.jpg\" alt=\"taxi sign italy rome drivers transfer\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/taxi-in-italy.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/taxi-in-italy-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-516\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Look for the yellow TAXI signs to spot a proper taxi rank.<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help\/#Tips_for_taking_a_taxi_in_Italy\" >Tips for taking a taxi in Italy<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help\/#If_you_can_get_a_taxi_from_an_official_taxi_rank\" >If you can, get a taxi from an official taxi rank<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help\/#Calling_a_cab_for_a_pickup_Know_what_to_expect\" >Calling a cab for a pickup? Know what to expect<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help\/#Try_to_have_small_change_on_you\" >Try to have small change on you<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help\/#Dont_take_a_ride_from_a_driver_who_approaches_you\" >Don&#8217;t take a ride from a driver who approaches you<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help\/#A_negotiated_flat_rate%E2%80%A6_is_usually_an_elevated_rate\" >A negotiated flat rate&#8230; is usually an elevated rate<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help\/#Make_sure_the_meters_running\" >Make sure the meter&#8217;s running<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help\/#Know_your_destination_address%E2%80%A6_in_Italian\" >Know your destination address&#8230; in Italian!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help\/#And_make_sure_youre_specific\" >And make sure you&#8217;re specific<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help\/#Know_about_how_much_your_fare_should_cost_but_DONT_be_too_paranoid_%E2%80%93_some_extra_charges_are_legit\" >Know about how much your fare should cost, but DON&#8217;T be too paranoid &#8211; some extra charges are legit<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/taking-taxi-cab-italy-transport-travel-help\/#A_small_tips_okay_but_not_necessary\" >A small tip&#8217;s okay, but not necessary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tips_for_taking_a_taxi_in_Italy\"><\/span>Tips for taking a taxi in Italy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"If_you_can_get_a_taxi_from_an_official_taxi_rank\"><\/span><strong>If you can, get a taxi from an official taxi rank<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It lowers the chance that you&#8217;ll wind up in unregistered taxis, which are notorious for not playing by the rules.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Calling_a_cab_for_a_pickup_Know_what_to_expect\"><\/span><strong>Calling a cab for a pickup? Know what to expect<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The cab will be a registered taxi (or should be!), which is great. But it&#8217;ll arrive with a few euros already on the meter. That&#8217;s not because the driver&#8217;s cheating you. It&#8217;s because, in Italy, drivers start the meter from the moment they get the call&#8230; no matter where they are.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Try_to_have_small_change_on_you\"><\/span><strong>Try to have small change on you<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Don&#8217;t get in a cab with just a \u20ac50 bill, and the more coins you have on you, the better. Cab drivers should, but don&#8217;t always, have lots of bills and coins to create change with. And sometimes, they use the &#8220;I have no change&#8221; routine as a way to pocket the extra.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dont_take_a_ride_from_a_driver_who_approaches_you\"><\/span><strong>Don&#8217;t take a ride from a driver who approaches you<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In general, if someone is hawking a cab, they&#8217;re trying to take advantage.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_negotiated_flat_rate%E2%80%A6_is_usually_an_elevated_rate\"><\/span><strong>A negotiated flat rate&#8230; is usually an elevated rate<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Unless you know the city very well, you&#8217;re not going to come out ahead. Plus, generally speaking, legitimate taxi drivers won&#8217;t try to set a rate with you in advance, unless it&#8217;s for a long distance. And popular long trips, like from Rome&#8217;s center to one of the airports, have rates that are pre-set by the city &#8212; so those shouldn&#8217;t be open to negotiation anyway!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_476\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-476\" class=\"wp-image-476\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/DSC_0698-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"You can take a taxi from Naples to Pompeii\" width=\"1200\" height=\"797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/DSC_0698-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/DSC_0698-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/DSC_0698-1536x1020.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-476\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Legit taxi drivers won&#8217;t try to set a rate with you in advance &#8211; unless it&#8217;s for a long-distance journey. Don&#8217;t be taken for a spin!<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Make_sure_the_meters_running\"><\/span><strong>Make sure the meter&#8217;s running<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The driver says it&#8217;s &#8220;broken&#8221;? Ask him to let you out of the car. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the &#8220;broken meter&#8221; is a ploy to take you for a ride, in more ways than one.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Know_your_destination_address%E2%80%A6_in_Italian\"><\/span><strong>Know your destination address&#8230; in Italian! <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Rome is a confusing city, and not every driver knows every hotel or restaurant. Have the address, too. To be on the safe side, write it down. In Italian.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"And_make_sure_youre_specific\"><\/span><strong>And make sure you&#8217;re specific<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you say &#8220;Vatican,&#8221; your driver could drop you anywhere around the small country &#8212; if you want, say, the <a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/vatican-tours\/highlights-vatican-museums-tour\/\">Vatican museum<\/a> entrance, you have to say it! Ditto, in Rome, for &#8220;Borghese&#8221; (which could mean the large public park&#8230; <em>or <\/em>the Borghese museum).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_478\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-478\" class=\"wp-image-478\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/DSC_0706-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Cab rank in Italy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/DSC_0706-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/DSC_0706-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/DSC_0706-1536x1020.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-478\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A taxi rank in Rome (note the clear, orange sign saying TAXI in the background!)<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Know_about_how_much_your_fare_should_cost_but_DONT_be_too_paranoid_%E2%80%93_some_extra_charges_are_legit\"><\/span><strong>Know about how much your fare should cost, but DON&#8217;T be too paranoid &#8211; some extra charges are legit<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In Rome, for example, a taxi fare within the city starts at \u20ac2.80 from 7am-10pm&#8230; but on Sundays at the same time, at \u20ac4, and at night, from \u20ac5.80! And if you&#8217;re leaving from Termini, there&#8217;s a \u20ac2 surcharge, plus there&#8217;s a \u20ac1 charge per piece of luggage that has to go in the trunk. So unless it&#8217;s really two or three times what you&#8217;d expect to pay, err on giving the driver the benefit of the doubt&#8230; as long as you&#8217;ve picked a legitimate driver. (And you have, right?)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Feel like you&#8217;re getting the &#8220;scenic route&#8221;? Don&#8217;t panic. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes, the driver might be taking advantage of you. But many streets in Italy&#8217;s cities also are one-way and winding, meaning it&#8217;s hardly ever possible to take a route that <em>feels <\/em>direct.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_small_tips_okay_but_not_necessary\"><\/span><strong>A small tip&#8217;s okay, but not necessary<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Italians don&#8217;t tip taxi drivers like Americans do &#8212; at most, they&#8217;ll round &#8220;up&#8221;, like telling the driver to keep the change when they hand over \u20ac10 for a \u20ac9.50 fare. But if the driver gives you help, like with your bags, consider tipping \u20ac1 or \u20ac2.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you prefer to be behind the wheel yourself, our <a href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\">blog about how to drive in Italy<\/a> is compulsory reading.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-7674\" src=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/8-358x1024.png\" alt=\"A guide to catching taxis in Italy without getting ripped off.\" width=\"358\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No matter how dedicated you are to walking and public transport, when you are traveling in a foreign city sometimes you just have to cab it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[86,64,65,71,18,74],"ppma_author":[155],"class_list":["post-246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-tips","tag-budget-travel","tag-florence","tag-act-like-a-local","tag-naples","tag-rome","tag-transportation"],"authors":[{"term_id":155,"user_id":3,"is_guest":0,"slug":"walksofitaly","display_name":"Walks of Italy","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f4cd4dd0c5ab4b4bae57f3500298e23?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"http:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog","last_name":"of Italy","first_name":"Walks","job_title":"","description":"Walks began life as the passion project of two guys with one simple mission: To share their love for, and knowledge of, the city of Rome. Since then, Walks has grown into a team of over 100 ground staff and at any time up to 600 guides, operating across 13 of the world\u2019s most exciting cities (and counting!)\r\n\r\nToday we provide some of the most exclusive and beautifully designed small group tours in the industry through Italy-based Walks of Italy and around the world at Walks, where we offer special access to some of the world\u2019s most iconic landmarks and attractions as well as unique cultural experiences."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18616,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246\/revisions\/18616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}