We are arriving on Saturday morning 7:55am March 30 direct from JFK into FCO
I’m trying to plan and purchase train tickets from there to Naples. Wondering how long to plan for Passport/customs and then transportation to train station. Would getting 11:30am train tickets be enough time? Too much? It is Easter weekend. Haven’t been to Rome in 9 years. All I remember is that the walk through the airport was a marathon.
Depends on how upset you'd be if your plane was late and you missed the train. Good luck!
Right now all is left for that day is the Economy fare, so you'd save only about 9€ a ticket by buying in advance (€38.90 instead of €48 for the portion from Roma Termini to Naples. The portion on the Leonardo Express cannot be purchased at a discount).
However if the plane is late you will lose the whole purchase and you have to buy brand new tickets.
So is the saving of 9 euro enough to justify the possibility that the plane is late and you have to purchase the whole thing when you arrive?
There are 3 or 4 Frecce trains per hour to Naples, plus some slower regionali or Intercity, so it's very unlikely they'll run out of seats, even on the Sabato Santo (Holy Saturday).
Your choice.
How long you plan is "how long it takes".....the last time I arrived in Rome I THOUGHT it was quick moving through immigration/customs and baggage claim.....and I ended up getting on a train that was VERY different than the one I expected to get on......if you MUST buy them (the concern is warranted for sellouts on the most popular trains on a holiday weekend), I would only buy an afternoon train (like around 2 or later) from Rome and then hop on the next Leonardo train to Termini when you get there and then find a place to eat lunch nearby while waiting for your train.
Though for busy weekends, I have never seen ALL the trains sell out, just the prime times......hopefully you will be quick and get on an early train with no one wanting to travel then. If you end up having to wait for a later train from Rome when all is said and done, you will end up eating lunch nearby anyways. So, I BET, either way, the worst case scenario is that you will be eating lunch in Rome.
I think I would just plan on purchasing once you are at or close to Termini. For the cost difference, the possibility of catching an earlier train, by an hour or two, has much more appeal and value than planning in excess time and having to sit in Termini for a couple hours.
If you download the app and have service, you can book when you board the express train, or purcahse a ticket from the machines while waiting for the express.
Thank you all for the reply. Our host in Naples did recommend we purchase our train tickets in advance so I will keep it in mind. Which app do I download for the train?
I wouldn't recommend to purchase a ticket in advance for immediately after a plane arrival. If your flight is delayed or canceled and show up on the platform one minute late, your money is totally lost. Since the savings of purchasing in advance in your case is puny, I would purchase on the spot when you get there to the airport station and purchase the ticket at full walk in price (the BASE price). The BASE price that you see on the website today will not increase. If your plane is timely you might be able to be on your way to Naples much earlier than 11:30am. The possibility of trains to Naples selling out all seats is next to zero since there are 3 to 5 trains per hour between Rome and Naples. At most they might sell out seats in the Standard Class (the cheapest), but you can always find seats in Premium or Business. And even if you are not willing to pay the extra price for those classes, you can always wait for 15 - 30 min for the next train which will certainly have availability also in standard class.
You can download the Trenitalia App from the Trenitalia website.
One thing that isn't consistently mentioned - the Italo Flex fares, which allow you to change to a different train as little as three minutes before the departure time - paying any fare difference, of course. So with the app on your phone, if your flight is running late, you can make a change as soon as you land at FCO - earlier if you have wi-fi on the plane, or held up at a connecting airport. Of course, you're limited to Italo trains.
This has been wonderful advice. Thank you everyone!
The app mentioned gives me 3 choices for train stations in Rome (Rome to Naples Easter weekend). Flying into FCO and going right to train. Not sure which one I should pick
Castrimediano,
Fivizzano-Rometta-Soliera, or
Tromello
???
You want the one called Roma Termini, which is where the Leonardo Express train from FCO will take you
Oh, and it looks like you are putting in "Rome" for the city on the site....you need to use the Italian names for the cities, "Roma" then you will get the Rome train stations, you want the "Roma Termini"....but unless you plan for some downtime in Termini between both trains, there's no need to even need to select "Roma Termini" as your station, you can buy the entire trip from Fiumicino Aeroporto to Napoli Centrale.....most options will include that Leonardo Express train (if not, its still a train you can take and works with the trip)....
But many would suggest just waiting until you get there to buy the most convenient "next" train...
Just curious as to where those three stations you mentioned that came up as Rome stations were found?
They all in the far north of Italy, so good thing you came here to clarify!
When you get to Roma Termini, and have time for food between arriving there and getting your train to Naples, the station has many good options:
Just always watch over and hang on to your bags, stow your cards, passports, cash etc under your clothing in your moneybelts…..you will be tired, but keep aware.
It’s a big station and you will be vulnerable.
I was recommended an app for train tickets and those were the options for train stations in Rome. I know we need to get to Roma Termini from FCO and depart from there. The train is our only loose end in our plans and being that it’s Easter Saturday I was thinking I should get tickets ahead of time. A little anxiety on my end not having tickets in hand. I guess I should look for a different link to get tickets. If it were any other time of year I’d take my chances and just get tickets when we got there.
Thank you for all of your input. I very much appreciate it. If someone can get me that link for tickets I’d be ever grateful.
-Sharon
Hi,
Here are the two companies that operate Italian trains.
There is not too much difference between them so just pick the train times and prices that suit your plans best.
Each company has a website and an app.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en/purchase/mobile_ticketing.html
You can get tickets from third party sites, but the two official sites will show you all the journeys, whereas the other
sites may not.
Have a look at this site too to give you great info on using Italian trains:
https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm
(I can’t get over that the site you first looked at gave you “Rome” stations that are 600 kms to the north!)
It was the Italo Treno app that popped up those 3 stations!
I’m getting tickets today! Thank you thank you!
It is most likely because you typed in "Rome" (those city names have "rome" in two of them)......if you type in the real name of the city, "Roma", it should work for you.....
and again, if you are booking in advance and ok with doing that, no need to book separate tickets from FCO to Termini and then Termini to Napoli....just type in Fiumicino Aeroporto and Napoli Centrale and they will give you all options, some which include the Leonardo Express, others with other trains....the last time I arrived in FCO, I ended up on an IC train to Termini as it lined up with the best option to catch a no change train from Termini to Salerno.
Oh my goodness, you answered before I even asked. Yes, thank you I figured I’d book FCO to Napoli. Last time I was in Rome I took a cab to the city, but that was 9 years ago. So happy to see I can just train in and change trains to Napoli. Still haven’t decided if I’m just going to roll the dice and wait to get tickets until we get there because I don’t know how long customs/passport/luggage will take, or repurchase for peace of mind and deal with waiting when we get there. But this has been very helpful.
Yes Sharon, it is wonderfully easy, I even prefer flying into Rome as the ability to get to my usual destination, Salerno, is all trains all the way. Napoli you have to get on the Alibus and get to the station, then get inside the station, and then buy your tickets, and find your way to your train which hopefully leaves soon. I know it is unreasonable for that tiny part to bother me, but I'm like "give me all the trains!"
In comparison to the entire trip cost, 20-30 euro is worth it to me to be able to get on the "next" best train instead of worrying about making a train or having to wait around for a long time to get on a pre booked one.
