My sister and I are going to be in Fiumicino in mid May 2025, prior to boarding a cruise ship. We would like to go into Rome for a day, preferably using public transportation. We are in our 70s, but are in fairly decent shape, though one of us cannot walk too far. What transportation modes can you recommend, in terms of time involved, cost, and ease of use. We would also appreciate any other tips which you experienced travelers might have for us!
Thank you,
Frances
Welcome
You can take train from the airport but have to get there from hotel
Or
Just take a taxi to your first sightseeing stop in Rome
It won’t be much more total than taxi-train-taxi
Ask your hotel to arrange the taxi
( fixed rate from FCO to Rome is 55 euros-if your hotel has a shuttle to airport that would be easy)
Christine H.
Thank you so much for your very prompt reply!
If we get a hotel near the airport that offers a shuttle to the airport, could you please advise us on getting a train into Rome? Would a train be faster than a taxi (given the terrible traffic)? If so, which train should we take, and how does the cost of a train compare with the approx. 55euros that you said a taxi would cost us? I have been to Rome 3 times, but it has been some years ago, and I was always with a tour. As wonderful as they are, my sister and I are not really interested in seeing the usual Rome sights again, but we're not sure what we DO want to see.
Any advice for us is most welcome!
Frances
You didn't make clear where you have to be for the Cruise pickup (?) Or are you reporting to the (distant) Civitavecchia Cruise Port on your own? Either is fine, but it affects plans for a "day out in Rome." Have you cruised "out of Rome" before?
Most European airports have much better airport transportation than the US. (But I can't complain about subway service in Chicago or Cleveland, for example!) Of course, taxi road traffic depends on time of day and day of week. As others noted, it's also a matter of comfort, speed, and "number of seats". (I mean, the train may mean taxi or (pay) shuttle from off-airport hotel, train to Termini, taxi from Termini to first attraction of the day. That's a "three-seat ride.")
I have not verified this page, but it looks generally correct to me, and does give a good overview of the trains. Note that one line offers other stops than Termini, if that happens to be useful for your first sightseeing stop. But maybe that's "too much information."
https://www.rometoolkit.com/airport/fiumicino_airport_train.htm
If your cruise leaves from Civitavecchia, you are better off staying in Rome than near the airport.
Take the Leonardo Express from the airport to Termini Station, get a hotel near the station, see the town, then for the cruise, get a direct train to Civitavecchia.
Thank you all for adding to this conversation. I think that I need to provide you all with more info on our plans.
We arrive at the airport from the US at 8:00 AM. We will spend one night someplace, then the next day we have arranged a van transfer from the airport to our cruise ship at Civitavecchia. Our travel agent suggested that we not try to fly in the same day that the ship departs on the cruise, in case we have flight delays. That is why we are spending an overnight on land prior to the cruise. We want to be able to see something that day prior to the cruise. If there is anything to do in the region of Fiumicino, we would be OK with not going into Rome, I think. So many decisions!
We welcome any thoughts!
Frances
We just got back from Italy. On the way in we took a taxi from FCO to our hotel near Piazza Navona around mid-day on Monday and traffic wasn’t a problem.
If it’s not too expensive you might want to look into staying at the Hilton at FCO - there’s an elevated walkway from the terminal and there should be no issues leaving your luggage if your room isn’t ready yet. You’ll then be right at the airport for the train or taxi into Rome.
We stayed in Fiumencino the last night of the trip so we’d be close to the airport (drove back from Pisa). It’s a town on the coast, maybe some beaches nearby, but I don’t think there are any notable sights.
Unless someone departing Rome has a flight before 10AM, it's usually better (both experience and comfort wise) to sleep in Rome. You can get so much done from a well-located hotel. Yes. Civitavecchia is a long way from Rome. But car service to Civitavecchia is a widely sold commodity in Rome. Does it cost more than from FCO? I don't know, but it would only be 15% more, at worst. They are still stuck with an empty return that you have to pay for!
Since most cruise ships, economically, have to Turn Around on the same day, 6AM to 5PM or so, you don't have to be there before (can't even board ... ) 1:00PM, likely. There is just no chance of missing the ship if you have breakfast at your hotel, an a one-hour sightsee while the get your luggage downstairs for you. Sometimes when we've had three nights in Rome, the hotel offers a free single transfer, either from/to FCO, or .... wait for it ... Civitavecchia. That's how "important" cruise transfers are to the city of ROME.
Walking ability is not relevant to use of a car service, and the right hotel in Rome could be right by some great sights.
It might not be as easy to get a car service, but Viterbo would be a more interesting place to stay than an airport - but walking is necessary to see it.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/rome-airport-to-port-outside-of-rome
