we are travelling to Italy in September - landing in Rome from Canada early afternoon and then travelling on to Florence - we are wondering about taking the train to get to Florence or renting a car at the rome airport as we will not use the car for the 3 days in Florence. thank you
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
795 posts
your ideas were correct, it is probably best to take the train to Florence, tour Florence, and then pick up the car when you are ready to head out of town.......no need to pay for a car or parking when you will not be using it...
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23666 posts
We got in late morning from NY and picked up a car to drive to a place outside of Florence for week. We needed the car because we were not near any public transit. However, that 3, 4 hour drive to Florence was a struggle to stay awake. Although most of it was on a divided four lane road and the drive was easy. Staying awake was not. Why rent a car and park it for three days? Take the train. If you fall asleep, not a big deal.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
If you intend to drive and park in Florence, you won't be able to park anywhere near the historic part of the city. First, available parking there is almost non-existent. Second, almost the entire historic area plus other areas are Zona Traffico Limitados (ZTLs) or restricted driving zones. They take pictures of your license plate as you enter the zone. Huge fines by collection agencies about a year after the infraction.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Train is the simplest way to get from Roma Fiumincino airport to Florence (Firenze SMN station), 2.5 hours with a connection at Roma Tiburtina station. No need to buy tickets ahead; buy them at the station for the next trains departing, around $65 second class per person for the whole trip. The Rome-Florence portion will be a reserved ticket, but there's no deadline to buy it, and trains depart every half hour.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32405 posts
gayle,
As the others have mentioned taking the train is absolutely the best idea, especially after a long international flight and in a jet-lagged state.
You'll first take the Leonardo Express from FCO to Roma Termini (the trip is about 35 minutes). You can buy tickets at the airport, either from a Kiosk or a ticket agent. THIS website provides all the information on that. BE SURE to validate your tickets prior to boarding the train, or you'll face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!
Buy your tickets to Florence at the airport as well. The train to Florence will have compulsory reservations, so you'll have an assigned Car and Seat numbers. You can ONLY use the train specified on your ticket, as if you're caught on the "wrong" train without reservations, again hefty fines. The trip from Rome to Florence is about 90 minutes. Note that your departure station will be Roma Termini and your arrival station will be Firenze SMN.
Using a rental car is not the best method, as you'll avoid not only the pricey ZTL fines in Florence but also tolls and high fuel costs. Also, each driver would require the compulsory International Driver's Permit (not expensive, but one more thing to deal with). Also, the trip by train will be MUCH faster since no cars can travel at 300 kMH, which is the speed of the Freccia high speed trains.
Buon Viaggio!