Hi,
We’re planning a trip to Italy and trying to decide if we should be concerned about taking the train from Florence to the airport on the same day vs. staying close to the airport the night before. Right now we have a 7:59-10:22 train booked (Florence SMN to Rome Airport Fiumicino) and our flight is at 15:20.
This is our first time, so I’d love to know if this is plenty of time or if we’re risking cutting it too close for any reason.
Thanks!
5 hours is plenty of cushion, you should be fine barring a severe disruption to the railway network (strike, derailment, etc). We had a ~11am flight and chose to stay in central Rome the night before rather than travel from Tuscany the morning of departure, but for a 15:20 flight that seems more reasonable.
As a heads up some airlines don’t accept checked baggage that early, and smaller carriers don’t even staff their checkin desks until 2.5-3 hours before departure time, so you may need to hang out landside at the airport for a bit.
With a 5 hour cushion you should be fine. Of course things can go wrong, but that is what you have travel insurance for.
You arrive at Termini on Platform 11 and depart from Platform 24 in the span of 15 minutes.
I would have taken the 7:48, which changes at Tibertina, a smaller station, Platforms 1 to 5.
You’ll have plenty of time at the airport to check in, pass thru Security (I hope it doesn’t take you as long as it did us in Bologna last October, but that airport was having some issues - and even then, 5 hours leeway for you will be plenty), and manage any outgoing immigration, shopping, and/or lunch.
You’ll make your 15 minute train transfer in Rome, although expect a lonnnnnnnnnng walk to reach the Leonardo Express train to the airport.
Thanks for the advice and I'm glad we've allotted enough time. We will only have carry-on luggage and will just hustle for the platform at the transfer.
Hi!
If you have concerns about possible train delays from Florence to Rome airport, I recommend considering staying overnight near the airport. This will help you avoid stress and uncertainty.
Have a great trip!
I would suggest watching for planned strikes before your travel date, and then change plans as necessary.
Also, as other have mentioned, unplanned rail problems are also a possibility. We encountered this traveling from Florence to Venice; there was a problem with the rail line on the north side of Rome, but it had impacts on the rail network, including Florence. We arrived in Venice the same day; simply three hours later than planned.
