Rome Airport

No and no. Wasn't that helpful? :-)

The train to the airport from Termini won't be running early enough in the morning to get you to the airport in time for a 7:20am flight, so that's not an option.

While staying in a hotel near the airport is an option, why not stay in the center of the city and take a taxi or shuttle to the airport? Your hotel should be able to arrange one for you, and then you can spend your last night enjoying Rome itself (on New Years' Eve no less!)

Is it a direct flight from Rome to somewhere in the US or a European flight to somewhere in Europe for a direct flight to the US? That makes a big difference.

Frank does ask the RIGHT question. Do you need to be at the airport at 7:20 AM or does your flight LEAVE at 7:20 AM? If you are departing FCO at 7:20 AM, then you are probably connecting at FRA, AMS, CDG, ZUR, etc. If you have a connection, then you probably need to be at the airport at 5:20 AM.

That being said, I'd agree with Liz. I would not spend my last night in Italy at an airport hotel - There's too much to see - especially on New Years' Eve! You can get a taxi, or probably to book a private shuttle because of the holiday, to run you out to the airport with a pickup around 5 AM (depending on where you are staying).

Also, many airport hotel shuttles do not even run until 7 AM... so that's no help to you anyway...(And I would imagine January 1 will be a day when few DO run early in the AM!!!) Staying near the airport, you'll probably end up having to take a taxi - might as well stay in Rome.

For more info read this post,
Early Morning at FCO . Good Luck!

Ron in Rome

You should stay in the city and have your hotel arrange a car to take you to the airport (40 Euro flat fee). The hotels near the airport are geared towards business travelers and are pretty ratty and the staff surly and not helpful, for the most part. You need to be at the airport at least 3 hours before departure time. You will also need to let your driver know to let you off at Terminal 5, which is where you must go to check-in and go through security, regardless of what terminal your flight leaves from. This is a requirement of flights heading to the U.S. or Israel. You will then be shuttled by bus to the main terminal to catch your flight.

John's information is correct IF flying directly to the US. Ron is correct but I am guessing you are not flying directly back. The flight is too early.

Okay we will stay in Rome and try to book a Taxi for the morning. Our flight leaves at 7:20 am so we do have to be there by at least 5:20 am. Our flight connects through Paris back to Seattle.
thanks!

lisa,
What I would do would be to book a car (Rome shuttle http://www.romeshuttlelimousine.com/FiumicinoE.htm
is one I have used) and have the number of a radio dispatch cab in my pocket. I like to have a back up plan.

If this is the 7:20 am flight to Seattle with a stop and change of planes at CDG, we took it this last May, we decided to stay in Rome that last night. We had RomeCabs pick us up at 5:00 am, we were at FCO by 5:25, our driver loaded our luggage onto a cart for us and we were checked in for our flight, through security and having an espresso near our gate by 5:50. We paid €50 for two of us and we tipped our driver since he was a nice guy and got the cart for us and loaded our luggage onto it. The more stressful issue will be if you can make it through CDG passport control and security in an hour (we did, by the way). I think a third person would be €5 more for the car service. A cab might be a little less and there are other car services and shuttles that are a little less expensive. If we had it to do over again, we'd do the same thing since we really enjoyed that last night in Rome.

Lisa, that is what I thought. It is a domestic flight to Paris. You can back you time down some. An hour and half, especially at that time of morning, is adequate. Last month we had a 9:30 flight to Frankfurt and got to the airport around 8:15. We checked luggage and were sitting in the departure lounge by 8:45. However, the Rome airport can get crazy later in the day but if you are there by 6 am you will be fine.

Sorry, while everything worked out for Frank making his connection, our last flight out of Rome the electricity went out in the airport and it took us over 2.5 hours to get checked in and to our departure area. We made it there only about 10 minutes before our boarding time and the flight left as soon as the last passenger in the area had boarded. I just would never take a chance of getting to the airport only an hour or so before a flight anywhere. But that's just me.

We just flew back to the states from Rome in October. I'd suggest getting to the airport a little earlier than you normally would. Everyone flying US flights had to be bused to another location across the airport for security checks and then bussed back to the main airport. It took quite a while (and there was lots of complaining).

Also, bring something to eat with you if you think you might get hungry. There is only one little take away place and it was super crowded. The rest of the shops are high end. It was the stranges airport I've ever been in.

John, does the info you mentioned about checking in to Terminal 5 still apply if I am taking EasyJet from Rome to Venice? My flight leaves at 7:20 a.m. as well. Do you recommend I be at the airport 2 hours prior to my departure time?

Gabriel, Terminal 5 is only for flights to U.S. or Israel, due to extra security requirements. Won't be the one you use for Rome to Venice.

As for 2 hours before the departure time...ehhh...it's a tough call. Usually you don't need as much time for domestic flights, but things can go wrong and FCO can be confusing. I'd get there at LEAST 90 minutes before, and 2 hours is not a bad idea, just to be on the safe side. I'd rather sit in the airport and read a book instead of panicking about how to fix my missed flight.

Liz, thank you!

does anyone know if the Blue Grotto on the Island of Capri is open in the winter? We are going to spend three nights in Sorento and I am trying to plan our day trips from there. Do the buses down the Amalfi Coast run in the winter? Can we do Pompeii in 1/2 a day?

Lisa, I'm not familiar with the area so as best I can recall, the boats to the blue grotto depend on how choppy the water is. However, I suggest you make a new thread with these latest questions, as people with the relevant expertise might not check a thread called "Rome Airport" :-)

P.S. If you mean Pompeii in half a day from Rome, no it's too far.

You can do Pompeii in 1/2 day from Naples.