I plan to visit Naples and other destinations in southern Italy in October. I will be flying out of Chicago (ORD) and I need to book the ticket via United Airlines. There are no direct flights from ORD to NAP, so my options are (1) connecting flights via Newark, Montreal, Frankfurt or Rome or (2) a non-stop United flight to Rome, then taking the train to Roma Termini and then taking a high-speed train to Naples. All of these options would arrive in Naples around mid-day (assuming everything runs on time, of course). Normally I would stick with United (connecting via Newark) because I have boarding privileges with UA and I know they will allow me to take both my carry-on bag and my camera bag on board, whereas on some other airlines (especially Lufthansa) my camera bag exceeds their strict definition of a "personal item" even though it fits under the seat. However, the Newark option is hundreds of dollars more expensive. If I connect via Air Canada, Lufthansa or ITA, I am concerned that I might have to check my carry-on bag which I prefer no to do. That is why I am also considering the plane+train option. Have any of you taken the train from FCO to Naples (or other destinations beyond Rome)? Would there be a problem in buying train tickets once I arrived at FCO (I know they may cost more than buying tickets in advance but that doesn't bother me). I would be reluctant to buy train tickets in advance because I could not be sure when the plane would arrive or how long it would take to get through the airport. Any information you could provide would be much appreciated.
Posted by
CA, USA
1460 posts
There are only going to be one or two direct trains from FCO to Naples. However there are 40+ trains per day from Roma Termini to Naples if you combine Trenitalia and Italo. So install both apps on your phone. When you arrive use the Trenitalia app to buy a ticket on the Leonardo Express to Roma Termini and while on that train use the apps to buy a ticket for the train you want to take to Naples. Note you'll need cell service to do this. It may actually be faster to go by train than flying depending on what the connection time is for the thru tickets, and you don't need to worry about a delayed incoming flight since there will always be another train.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
18050 posts
I would fly non stop ORD to FCO, then the train from FCO station to Napoli Centrale (change at Roma Termini).
There will be no issues buying the tickets at the FCO station upon arrival, actually that is the preferable option, as prepurchase carries risks if your plane is canceled or delayed. Seats don’t sell out on that route. At most the standard class is booked for the very next train when you arrive, but you will be able to find seats in higher classes or just wait for the next train, since there are so many during the day.
On the way back you will need to spend the night before the flight in Rome, since flights to ORD depart in the morning. If you want to visit Rome, spend more than one night before returning home.
Posted by
Milan Italy
28 posts
Hi, Giangilberto from Milan, so a couple of clarifications from Fiumicino there are trains that go directly to Naples without passing through Roma Termini, so you go directly Fiumicino - Naples, as Roberto rightly said the most important thing in my opinion is to buy the tickets when you have already landed and above all you have passed the biometric controls because the EES system is causing problems and creating strong queues in all airports so buy it when you have passed the controls if you buy the regional ticket It self-validates at the scheduled departure time for the chosen train, if you miss that train there you can take the following train on the same route, in the same class and category at no additional cost.
One last thing If you arrive at the airport and you do not already have an italian SIM or in any case European functioning that gives you the possibility of having data and therefore internet use at the airport it is a problem, you have to buy the ticket necessarily at the machines or at the ticket office on site, this could cause additional queues.