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FCO to Santa Margarita Ligure and then to Cinque Terre (Monterosso) - train travel

My husband and I are travelling from Rome airport to Santa Margarita Ligure for two nights and then to Cinque Terre for 4 nights. It looks like you can take the train straight from the airport to Santa Margarita (Portofino) and then take a taxi. Apparently, it takes 5 hours. Has anyone taken this trip - the train stops one or two times depending on the time you are going. Is it difficult to change trains? Also, on the trenitalia website, it appears if you are choosing 2nd class, there is a 2 for 1 sale. I have read other posts about not buying tickets in advance because you can get stuck if there are delays, etc.
It looks like you take a regional train from Santa Margarita Ligure to Monterosso and there are several direct trains.

I don't want to make any mistakes - Help!
Thank you - Chris

Posted by
12192 posts

Had you considered flying into Genoa rather than Rome?

Or flying to Genoa immediately after your FCO arrival if your flight to Rome is already frozen in place. You will already be at the airport so a 1 hr flt may be better than a 5 hour train ride

Not knowing when your trip is I just plugged in a random date in August and Alitalia has flights FCO to GOA for as little $47

Posted by
16310 posts

You would take the train at the FCO station (across from Terminal 3) but you need a couple of train changes. First at Rome central station (Roma Termini) then La Spezia in many cases. You can buy tickets at the FCO airport station when you arrive. Seats don't sell out, so no risk. It's not a good idea to buy discounted tickets ahead of time if plan to go upon landing. Those tickets are invalid if you miss the booked train and airplanes may be subject to weather related delays.
The travel time is more like 6 hours, rather than 5. Changing trains is easy. Get off one, get on the next. Packing light is advisable for train travel, as you have to carry your own suitcases on board (and there are a couple of steps to climb) and place them on the overhead compartment. A carry on size or slightly larger suitcase plus a backpack is best.
www.trenitalia.com
For schedules and prices.
Enter station names in Italian:
Fiumicino Aeroporto
S.Margherita Ligure-Portofino

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you Joe and Roberto. If you fly to Genoa, how do you get to the train station for SML? It looked like a combination of trains and taxis - a bit confusing. I want to have the directions exact because it will cause less drama for me and my party.

If you take the train - a bit long at 6 hours - you are already at the train station. We are fixed for the Rome arrival since it is a direct flight from our city in the states.

Posted by
1281 posts

Hi Chris.

- You are getting good advice. You face a very common decision of how to purchase / plan ongoing travel on the day of a flight; and there's no right answer, since everybody's risk / stress / budget priorities are different.

- I like Joe's creativity with the Genoa flight idea, but in this case it would add add'l risk / stress, since if your Rome flight is late, you could miss your Genoa flight.
- For your train from Rome airport to Santa M, look on trenitalia.com and see discount vs. last minute (base) prices, then decide whether the discount is worth a gamble; i.e. worst case your flight is late, you miss your train, and you must re-buy tix for a later train at base price.
- Regarding your 2 for 1 question, believe it is only on Saturdays, non-refundable, and for base fare, so if buying far in advance, not much or any better than regular discount tix.

Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
16310 posts

Which airline are you flying?
Flying directly to GOA or PSA, or even Milan might be a better choice if you go straight to SML, very close to Genoa.
Alitalia has 6 daily pairs from FCO to GOA. See which option works best.

Posted by
3 posts

We are flying American Airlines. I looked up the schedule for Alitalia - this might be a better option but it probably would not be wise to buy the tickets in advance - since the less expensive ones were non-refundable. To get to S. Margarita from the Genoa airport, which train station does one take and do you need to take a taxi or bus to get to it?

Thanks!

Posted by
16310 posts

There are two main stations in Genoa:
Genova Piazza Principe
Genova Brignole

The first is a bit closer to the airport and comes first (the airport is on the west side of the city), but the airport bus shuttle (volabus) departs from the airport and stops at both (PP first, then Brignole). All trains stop at both station. SML is not far from Genova.
You can also take a taxi from the airport to the station. I don't know the price of the taxi, it's been a long time, but it can't be that expensive. The bus is 6 euro and takes about 30 min.