Hi, I want to go from FCO airport to Florence. I am not sure if I should pre-purchase a train ticket because I don't know where/how to catch the train.
Do I need to go to Rome itself to get to Florence? Only one person, me, traveling alone (senior).
Thanks, Lorrie
Yes, the train station at FCO is right at the airport.
There are two(?) trains per day that go directly from FCO to Florence. But unless you can catch one of those, you'll have to take the train from FCO and connect at one of the Rome stations to get to Florence - there are plenty of trains to Florence via Rome.
If you don't care much about the cost, buy your tickets at the last minute for the next train. Otherwise, you have to guess how long it will take to get through immigration in FCO, how long bags will take to arrive, whether your flight might be late, etc. If you really care about the cost, book a cheap ticket in advance as far ahead as you can (a few months) and plan a big delay of 3-4 hours before you would get the train to Florence, to give yourself some padding in case you are late flying in or something.
The problem with pre-purchase of a train ticket is, will your plane be on time and how long will the passport control line be. The general advice is buy ticket when you arrive.
If you do a search ( search bar at top of page) for 'FCO (or Rome airport) to Florence trains" you will find a plethora of discussions on the subject.
My recollection of reading comments here is that there are two daily trains that are direct from FCO to Florence. All the other require a change of trains at either Termini or Tiburtina.
Last I checked, the two daily trains that go direct from FCO to Florence (and beyond) depart FCO at 11:08 and 15:08. Otherwise, take either the Leonardo Express to Termini (€14) or the regionale to Tiburtina for €8. Base price in 2nd class (what you'd pay waiting to buy your ticket once you arrive) is either €56 for the direct trains for the connection in Tiburtina, €62 for connecting at Termini. A quick look showed Super Economy tickets (bought well in advance, 3-4 months) for €19.90 on this route, but these tickets are worthless if you're late and don't make the train.
It's up to you to decide if it's worth potentially saving €42, losing €20, or waiting around and watching other, earlier trains depart if you pre-purchase your ticket and you happen to arrive early and get through to the train station quicker than you expected. For me, I just buy once I get there.
