How much time will I need from FCO to Termini to Naples? Will I have enough time?

Are you doing carry-on luggage only, or are you checking bags? That will make a huge difference. Unfortunately, nobody can know whether your flight might be late or what other glitches there might be in getting to Naples. You've identified the issues correctly. It's just up to you as to what chance to take. (In your shoes, I would probably buy the backup tickets at 19E each, just in case, esp. if you're checking bags.)

Good luck.

I think baggage is key here as a controllable factor but not the arrival of flight. We arrived about this time last month quickly made it thru customs and we were on the train in less than an hour . We only had carry on. I would be nervous about checking bags and would get the back up ticket.

The Leonardo Express trains depart every 30 minutes at :08 and :38 according to the current schedule. Therefore, you are looking at trying to make a train that departs at 9:38 or earlier. Here's a snapshot of what I see. http://gyazo.com/915690cbbe0c438b5f32b38765987e1c That means that you have roughly 100 minutes to land, de-plane, get your luggage, clear Immigration and make it to the LE train. This could be doable. Plus, you are in luck that American Airlines planes arrive at Terminal 3. The Leonardo Express departs from a train station in front of Terminal 3. Still, it sounds bit "tight". As for purchasing the LE ticket, you can do that online within 7 days of travel. No worry about seat reservations as there are none on the regionale trains. When, you buy online, you should be able to print out a ticket at home that is 1) pre-validated and 2) good to use within 4 hours of the time shown on the ticket (at least my tickets say that on the online regionale tickets I have).

As for buying new tickets when you arrive should your tickets be toast, you will most likely pay the regular fare of 43Euro. All economy and super economy tickets will most certainly be gone although I see a couple of runs for tomorrow with slight discounts. You certainly can buy discounted backup tickets for the 12:45 train or you can go online within 7 days of travel and buy the ticket on the 12:36 regionale train which costs 11.20Euro. Same tracks. The regionale train takes 1hr20min longer to get to Naples. But, it's your backup plan.

Often times, planes are a bit early. That would be great and would give you an early start. However, if your plane is late, it's a whole different story.

I wouldn't bother with backup tickets. If you make it to the train on time, GREAT! If not, oh well. You'll have the option at that point of purchasing tickets full fare on the next fast train, or a lot less for a regionale. I once missed a train in Milan by one minute (got the "pleasure" of watching it pull out of the station without me), so I bought a new ticket for the next train heading to Verona. I figured I was only out 9 euros, and learned a lesson about the myth that Italian trains run late!

Anyway, who is to say you'd make it on time for the next train? I once sat in a plane on the runway in Las Vegas for 3 hours due to a lightening storm. Better to save your money now and hope for the best, and have a backup plan in mind if things don't work out.

The big issue is getting through immigrations. Last May we arrived from JFK around that time or a little later as did several other planes. The line for immigrations were impossibly long - maybe two hours to two and half - as only two officers were working immigrations that morning. My gut feeling was that our delay was excessive but unusual and you should be OK. Maybe a little tight. Maybe you can claim you have a tight connection and one of the guard will move you to the front of the line. That occurred several times while we were waiting.

Is the purpose of buying the back up tickets to potential save money or because you think you need to reserve the seats? This is one of the reasons for the standard recommendation of not buying a ticket till you get there or providing a very wide window.

PS - An additional thought - Are your current tickets Super Economy or Economy? The Economy ticket is exchangeable IF the train has not left the station. So if you get to the ticket station in the airport and realize you are not going to make to your train on time, you could change the economy for a base ticket paying the difference. Once a train leaves the station all tickets are dead.

You have not left yourself much transfer time, but I would not purchase additional tickets now. What if your flight is really late and you miss the back-up plan, too? If you have to buy tickets in the station, you would expect to pay the base fare of 43 euros per person on Frecciarossa or 24.50 on the slower InterCity departures. It is not necessary to lock in tickets before you go; they are easy to buy at the station and you have all day to get to Naples.

Hi all, thank you very much for your quick and helpful responses.

Michael – We will be in Europe for 11 days so most likely I will have a checked bag. I am going to try my hardest to get it all in to a carryon, but I can’t say I am the best at packing. I completely understand that flights are always wonky, I’m just worried about the budget to be honest. I am thinking about buying the back-up tickets as you suggested. That gives us almost 5 hours from our landing time and would be much cheaper than paying 43 Euros for a base ticket when we arrive.

Linda – Thank you. I am leaning toward the extra ticket for only 19 Euro. The issue is we have a private transfer (again at the insistence of the travel agent even though we are on a tight budget that will be picking us up in Napoli to take us to Sorrento. She told us the Circumvesuviana was hot, stuffy, and unsafe…) I want to make sure we don’t miss that because we would be out significant money. I guess I could always make sure to call that company when I get to Rome, but with International calling I was worried.

Larry – I was definitely hoping to make the 9:38, and thank you for the arrival terminal information. This makes me feel infinitely better. Where do I buy the LE ticket online so I can skip that when we get to the airport? Is it good for the whole day of when I book it? Again I don’t want to be booking too many things ahead of time and then be out money in the end. Thank you for the advice about the Regionale train as well.

Angela – I would love to not plan ahead, but the Rome to Naples tickets fill up fast and get super expensive. On my sisters and my budget, there is a big difference between buying a safety ticket for 19 Euros or having to pay 43 Euros upon arrival. But I completely understand where you are coming from about the 3 hour delay on the runway. This is very true and I’ll have to ask my sisters what they think. If not for the travel agent, I honestly would have winged it myself.

Frank – I have been to Rome twice, but it wasn’t high season like I will be going this year. I honestly don’t remember what Customs or Immigration was like. The purpose of the back-up ticket is to save money, I don’t care about seat reservations. Do you think the 12:45PM train allows enough leeway between our 7:55AM arrival? And unfortunately the tickets were SUPER ECONOMY and cannot be refunded. For the three of us they were 57 Euros so we are out that money either if we miss the train or make it and have the back-up tickets.

Laura – I completely understand that too. Above I mentioned we have a private transfer through the travel agent that we need to time with our arrival in Naples. That is why I was trying to book ahead. You are right in thinking what if we miss the back-up plan? I’m just trying to figure out the best thing for my sisters and I and not have to pay $75 for a one-way ticket when I get to Rome.

Since you are on a tight budget, can you possibly cancel the private driver in Naples and just take the local train? Your travel agent said it is hot, stuffy, unsafe. Have taken it several times from Naples to Sorrento alone, my daughter and granddaughter also took it and it was only about five euro one way and we did not find it at all like your TA suggested and we were there several times in June and once in July. Something to consider.

Thank you for that Gail. I thought the same thing. The transfer is expensive but I thought this might be a nice splurge after such a long day of travelling and to get a great view of the drive from Naples to Sorrento. I think we have until June 17 to "un-book" the private transfer though so I will keep your sentiments in mind. Thank you for sharing. We are going to take the Circumvesuviana from Sorrento to Naples on June 28. We have to catch at 10:45AM train from Napoli Centrale back to Roma Termini. What time do you suggest we leave Sorrento?

You can buy regionale tickets online only if you make the purchase within 7 days from the time of travel. Trenitalia will not sell regionale tickets online if more than 7 days out. My experience with these type of regionale tickets and that they are pre-validated and can be used within a 4-hr window of the time shown on the ticket. This gives you some flexibility. This is different from buying a regionale ticket when you are in Italy. These tickets are open tickets that are good for 60 days and MUST be validated before boarding. Same trains just the difference between buying online and buying there at a train station.

It is good advice above to not buy the back up tickets and just wait until you get there. The worst time to lock in train tickets is when you are arriving earlier on an airplane. So many incidents of where the plane is late, the Immigration line is long or both and you lose your ticket. I'm betting that your TA knew this but suggested that you take the risk to save money.

All of the above being said, you actually can purchase the tickets from Fiumicino Airport to Napoli Centrale online in advance. Trenitalia does permit you to purchase regionale tickets beyond 7 days out when it is coupled with a fast or intercity train run. Here's a snapshot of what the schedule for June 10 looks like. You can't yet see the schedule for 6/24 for this run as Trenitalia has not yet refreshed their schedules. http://gyazo.com/989eafb98d1bdf064dd7306f87744ab5 Note that both Roma-Termini and Roma-Tiburtina stations are involved. Either is fine. The Frecciarossa is the fastest of the 3 Freccia trains. Given that the LE costs 14Euro, you can still get the fast train for 19Euro. There are later trains as well. If this offer is attractive to you, just make sure that you have a good 20 minutes transfer time at the Rome train station. At Roma-Termini, the LE comes in on track 24 or 25. You then have to walk into the main terminal and scan the digital board to find your train and track number. At least 20 minutes is most wise.

Larry - Thank you very much.

If I wanted to do a Regionale train but wait until I get to Termini (IF we miss our train, fingers crossed we don't), how much would the cheapest ticket be or could you point me in the direction of where I can find that on my own so I don't have to keep badgering you! ;) I know you said they only book out 7 days in advance, but I could buy it ahead of time and have it within a 4 hour window, correct?

Trenitalia.com... Just plug in a date within the next week (same day of the week you are planning) to get the regionale and intercity trains. You'll see that they are very frequent between Roma termini and Napoli centrale, and cost around 11-12 euros.

You can see what I see on www.trenitalia.com. Right now, you can see all runs up to about June 12 as Trenitalia hasn't refreshed their schedules yet. When I look at June 24, it tells me that no solutions are found. Once again, as in years past, Trenitalia is tardy in getting their schedules up online in time.

As you see these runs, you will see the fares for any run that is contains a fast train, an intercity train or a regionale train combined with either of the two. Beyond 7 days out from when you are looking, you will not see fares for a regionale train run. You can purchase any run where you can see the fares and the select button is available. The fare for the Leonardo Express is 14Euro. Never a discount on a regionale train. The full fare for the nice Frecciarossa train is 43Euro. Discounts are available with advance purchases. Again, there is a regionale train on this run that costs 11.20Euro but it takes twice the time to get to Naples.

The circumvesuviana takes about an hour and fifteen minutes from Sorrento to Napoli Centrale. Trains leave Sorrento about every half hour.

Next time you'll be able to do this without a travel agent.

You asked about the private transportation. Perhaps someone like Roberto who I consider an expert on Italy will reply. He can tell you what you may see on the drive from Naples to Sorrento. If the drive is on major roads, you might not see what you want. If you want private transport as a luxury, that is only a choice you can make.Can only say that the views on bus from Sorrento to Positano are awesome.

After reading everyone else's posts, Immigration will by far be your biggest hang up. It took me about 1.5 hours to get through Rome's customs etc. on my arrival. Your terminal etc will pretty much just be downstairs from customs, so easy access. They just didn't do a great job of organizing the lines for European and non-European adding to more confusion. We arrived early, so I am assuming we were pretty much the first group for the morning or that customs had just opened for the day. Once we got into the right lines we were golden.

My advice is that upon arrival, just cut around everyone (if it is already crowded, and it probably will be!) and look towards the customs security at the front of the line to see which line you need to be in. Don't follow the crowd, and definitely don't listen to the person beside you if they only partly seem to know which line they need to be in. Once you know which line is correct for you, then go ahead and get into it.

If you're self assertive, have your passport etc and everything ready, you'll get in and out a heck of a lot faster.

Once you get though this, getting to your train is a piece of cake. Everything is well labeled, so you should have no problem losing your way. Getting through customs pretty much drops you off at your options of bus, taxi or train, so you won't do much wandering around.

I personally think you'll be fine with the ticket you have, provided your plane isn't late etc, but it is calling it very close. Tickets are very easy to buy for the train as well, via TrenItalia or on site. they have kiosks with English, so if you do miss your time, don't fret. It's very easy to purchase a new ticket and hop on board. Tickets for Naples were actually very cheap via TrenItalia when I went. I spent about 9 euros both ways. Getting to Naples is fast, and actually a pretty enjoyable ride. You wouldn't think you'd see a change in people the further south you go, but individuals start to look almost more "greek" every stop you go. I loved the people watching to Naples and while there. Enjoy and good luck!