Rome Airport (FCO) to Naples

We just booked in the opposite direction, as we need to get from Naples to FCO. There are trains running every 15 minutes from FCO to Roma Termini (the main terminal in Rome). So we booked a train from Naples to Roma Termini and then will get the next train for FCO. It looks pretty easy to navigate to me. Here's a video overview I found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az0DCWt58wc

There are many, many trains between Rome and Naples on April 6, so something has gone wrong. These are the two websites to use:

https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

https://www.italotreno.it/en

Both Trenitalia and Italo run fast trains between the two cities. Speed and service are similar. Fares can vary from train to train, so you might want to check both. Be sure you've selected the correct date (April 6 rather than June 4) and adjust the time of departure appropriately on the Trenitalia website, which tends to default to whatever time it is at your home in the US when you do the search.

These are the stations you'll be using:

Roma Termini
Napoli Centrale

There is only one direct train FCO to Napoli Centrale

All others are a combination of Leonardo Express to Termini then fast train to Naples( of which there are many)

It’s best to wait til you arrive to book that fast train from Termini
This topic comes up a lot here-a search will bring up all the posts

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/train-from-rome-to-sorrento-e87ec0d2-59bb-431f-969a-6191b5785954

Thank you everyone. I think I was not clear, there are lots of trains on April 6, but only two direct trains from the airport to Naples and the times don't work for us. All the other trains change at Termini.

Christine when you say best to wait, do you mean until we get to Termini?
What I was wondering, when we are at the airport, does it make any sense to book from the airport to Naples, or just to take the leonardo express, and then book the next Naples train at Termini? Do we save any money with the first? It doesn't look like it would make the connection any smoother.

It's a matter of opinion, but I think it is a bad plan to buy a kludgy, infrequent, gimmick train that uses the (originally) dedicated tracks built to do nothing but an airport express train. If you have a restricted budget, a key question is whether you can stand the risk of late airplane arrival and missing a non-changeable advance-discount Frecciarossa ticket.

You can just wait until you get to the airport station to purchase your ticket. If you happen to be in time to get on the "no change train" from FCO to Naples, yay, if not, you can purchase your WHOLE trip (from FCO to Termini and Termini to Naples) at those kiosks. You can select whichever train you would like. I think the last time I arrived into FCO I decided upon a little longer of a wait (probably only 10-15 min) for an IC train into Termini and a "no change" train to Salerno instead of another change in Naples.

NO NEED to wait until Termini to make your ticket purchase and wait to see which train you want. Do it all at the airport and take the most convenient one (probably the next one) for you.

when we are at the airport, does it make any sense to book from the
airport to Naples

When we got to the FCO train station we booked our Rome to Naples trip at the same time that we bought our FCO to Termini tickets . 2 separate tickets and 2 separate transactions. Once we got to Termini we had enough time to grab something to eat before we found our track.

We were tired and dopey after our flight and struggled with comprehension once we got to Termini. It’s a big station and we had trouble figuring out where to find the tracks. It all worked out, but don't discount fatigue in your decision making.

Grazie again to everyone. We will wait til we arrive, then book both at Termini. Allan, your plan is what we hope to do, grab a bite ( or large coffee) at one of the spots at Termini, and then try to stay awake until we get to Naples!

Lisa, we went from Rome to Naples to Sorrento after we landed last year. If I had a do-over I would have stayed overnight in Rome before heading out. I misjudged how tired we were, and stupid mistakes were made because of it.
If you're interested in what could go wrong you can read Day 1 of my Trip Report https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-2-weeks-of-day-trips-from-sorrento

Oh my goodness Allan, that sounds like such a stressful day! We were in Italy about a year and a half ago, and I noticed the sudden need for data. I had never worried before. I'm thinking this time of trying an esim card, sure hope it goes more smoothly than your experience. We were in Termini 3 or 4 times during that last trip, so I'm hopeful that we can navigate it successfully with jet lag.

Happy Travels

Lisa, you won't book both at Termini, you will either book one (the Leonardo Express) to Termini and then pick which Naples train you want (if you want to grab a bite to eat, then you will be able to give yourselves time after purchasing) when you arrive into Termini, book both AT the airport back to back (its one trip, different tickets normally unless its one train, not usually much time to dawdle in Termini), or book both on two separate tickets with enough time to relax in between. You will at least buy one ticket at the airport, but its easier for me to save time and not have to go find a ticket machine upon arrival into Termini and buy it at the airport.