FCO to Termini

The metro does not go to the airport. There is a regional train that you can take for 8 euros to Roma Ostiense station and then switch to the metro to get to the termini. You can also take a cab to the termini station. Donna

Thanks much.

The best way for three adults probably is the taxi at a fixed rate of 40E. The Leonard Express is 14E each or 42E for three. There is no metro line,

Lynne, While there may not be any cost savings for three travelling on the Leonardo Express (as opposed to a Taxi), it's usually the fastest and easiest way to get to Termini as it's not affected by traffic. It's an easy ~30-minute trip (plus about 5-10 minutes to walk to the front of the platforms at Termini on arrival). If you decide to use the Leonardo Express, BE SURE to validate your ticket in the yellow machine prior to boarding the train (otherwise hefty fines may result!). That's also true on any Regionale trains, as well as many Buses. Could you clarify if you're travelling from Rome to Florence via the slower Regionale trains or the Freccia fast trains? Are you pre-booking your tickets? Happy travels!

Did I mention how much I love this service from RS? Everyone is so kind and willing to spend time - no matter how trivial or important the question. That being said, I thought it would be nice to take the slow... regional train to get a sense of Italy for our adult grand daughter who is traveling with us to Italy - her first time in Europe. We have booked a flat in Florence and plan to spend a week in Tuscany based there, but visiting Lucca and Pisa, Sienna, and perhaps Orvieto on day trips. Then train to Venice and have booked flat there for a week - day tripping out to Trieste, Padua, or ?? Train to our next week in Pescara and renting car to explore Adriatic from Ravenna to Brindisi. Then on to Rome for final stay. Love to hear about side trips or the folly (or hopefully not) of this itinerary. Husband has been driving in Europe for eons and would love to pass up that pleasure for most of this trip. Loads of thanks, all.

Lynn, be sure not to drive into any cities. There are many many limited traffic zones that are for residents only and if you venture into one you'll get a ticket in the mail. I would suggest not driving if you can and taking the train to where ever you need to go. You can search this forum for numerous traffic threads where people have received their tickets in the mail over a year after their trip. These tickets are usually several hundred dollars. The last person who posted was contacted by a collection agency to get the money. They are taking this very seriously in Italy now as most people just ignore the ticket and don't pay. Donna

You can indeed take the Regionale train from Rome Termini to Florence. The train is actually called the Regionale Veloce which makes longer inter-Regional trips. They depart Termini every two hours or so (sandwiched in with 55 high-speed runs a day). The journey time is 3hrs 35mins with lots of stops as opposed to 1hr. 35mins for the high-speed non-stop runs. The fare is 17.10E on the RE compared with 45E on the high-speed. Be sure to hand a note to the agent with the train you want on the note. If not, they might sell you a ticket on the high-speed.

Lynne, Although your husband has been driving in Europe for "eons", are you aware of the usual "caveats" for driving in Italy? Among those are the fact that every driver must have the compulsory I.D.P. and also the ZTL areas that someone else mentioned. If you want the usual details, post another note. Regarding the fines, it appears that Italian authorities are becoming a lot more aggressive about collecting them, and given the current financial issues in Italy I suspect this will continue. One recent example was the traveller that had to deal with a U.S.-based collection agency for a driving fine, which he received about a year after his trip to Italy. I believe the amount finally paid was about $500. You may also find it interesting to read this recent post on the Ron In Rome website. It appears that they're increasing the number of Inspectors and will be "cracking down" on those that don't have the proper tickets. One line that really got my attention was "But this soft "deterrent" phase will last only until 20 May, warns ATAC. From then on, regular fines of between €100 and €500 will come back into force for offenders." Cheers!

I hope what I wrote was that he was tired of driving as the main mode of transit. We will only be driving on the Adriatic coast. Picking up car in Pescara and cruising around. We will only be using it in areas that we can't easily access by bus or train in the Adriatic coast area. We are staying with friends. Do you think we can get by on that coast completely without a car? Many thanks.

I always think we should warn people taking the train from Rome to Florence that the train might be going on to Milan and will be marked only as Milan. Friends of ours missed their booked train because of that, and we almost did.

Lynne, Yes, you did mention that he was tired of driving. However, if you'll be doing ANY driving in Italy, it's good to be aware of the usual "issues". While you can travel by train to many place on the Adriatic Coast, having a car is certainly beneficial in some cases. Which method to choose depends to some extent on where you'll be visiting. I'll probably be doing a bit of touring in the area around Cattolica/Gabbice Mare next year, and plan on renting a car (which I'll probably have to do at Rimini or Pesaro). Cheers!

Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to post. I so appreciate it. Lynne

Lynne, we just got to Rome yesterday (3 adults with carry bags) and we took a taxi. Would do it again in a heartbeat. 40€ and we didn't have to drag bags! Had KLM not lost our luggage, I probably would have taken the train but we were frustrated and so, did the taxi. It was cheaper too...train is 14 or 15€ per person.

I am traveling to Rome on Sunday and taking the train to Lucca. Getting to the Termini is the part I am most apprehensive about as well. There are 2 of us. 2 questions - is the Leonardo Express easy to locate, buy ticks for etc? And is it a pain with luggage (not a light packet like some of you here). Just wondering if it would be easier from a hassle perspective to take a taxi? We arrive at 8am on Sunday, so I can't imagine traffic being too bad.

Leonard Express exists solely to move people between Termini and the airport. It is very easy to find at the airport, just follow the signs. The ticket booth is right there. Just be sure to validate the ticket. It is 14E or it could be slight higher if there is a recent increase. Luggage is not an issue since everyone has luggage. The taxi is fixed at 40E but you still will have to haul your luggage to the taxi and from the taxi to the train.