We are a large group spending a week in Siena for a wedding in late August. Several people are flying back to the states from Rome (FCO) over several days at various times ( from 10AM to 1PM). I’m looking at how to get to FCO from Siena and it appears there are 3 options. 1) hire a private shuttle at whatever cost (2 1/2 hours), 2) Flixbus to Tiburtina in Rome then bus or cab to FCO ( over 4 hours), 3) train from Siena to Termini then on to FCO (over 4 hours). If by private shuttle, do you know if any run fairly regularly in the early morning hours and approximate cost? If all else fails, one can always spend the night before in Rome. Any suggestion/thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7276 posts
All should be IN Rome night before flight
No question
Posted by
Kansas
1175 posts
We have learned to take a leisurely trip back to the departing city the day before our flight, get a motel either in that city or near the airport, eat a delightful last meal and turn in knowing you are but minutes from your flight home. Shuttles have a habit of being late or a no-show, trains and buses are sometimes delayed or rerouted due to maintenance, accidents, or strikes. Stress free is our favorite way to spend our last night abroad. Works and has worked for years for us. Good luck.
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
2716 posts
I would also want to be in Rome the night before, especially this year with so many airport issues.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5571 posts
Allow me to pile on and say that an overnight either in Rome or at an airport hotel is a MUST. Given the time and distance from Siena, and the need to be a the airport hours in advance of the flight, it's just too risky to try to do this the morning of.
In which case, the mode of transport is up to you.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7982 posts
I agree that it is unsound planning to travel from Tuscany the same DAY as a flight from FCO. For a morning flight, it's suicidal!
Today, when delays and cancellations are routine, it would be naive to ignore advice we'd use for a domestic flight at home: Book an early in the day flight, so that you might still travel the same day if they cancel it. I certainly would avoid traveling on miles or other non-revenue status if I care what day I get home. And someone who's never been to a European airport (I mean, with 200 identical-looking departure gates in the same giant hall, dogs, and machine guns) would want to have some slack time at the airport.
I've actually had some good results with strikes and cancellations, like Lufthansa sending me on a connecting flight with a same-day Transatlantic, from a different hub city.
I recently went to North Carolina from NJ for an overnight, and I paid for a large-body plane on a name-brand airline with multiple flights each day. In fact, when I flew home, I saw that my "usual" United (not exactly a fly-by-night startup) had cancelled three flights to Laguardia and three flights to Newark (mostly commuter planes), my American Airlines destination on a sold-out widebody. We had to circle for 40 minutes, but I got there.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16167 posts
Definitely everybody should go to Rome the day before the flight.
This month I drove to Rome from Tuscany the day before my flight back to the US. The 3+ hour drive turned into a 6+ hour drive. A multicar fatal accident caused the freeway to be closed for over 2.5 hours and we were stuck in it along with thousands of motorists in the 100 degree weather with no possibility of exiting the freeway and taking alternate roads.
S..t happens. Give yourself extra cushion.
When I depart from FCO in the morning I always stay here, across from the terminals (less than 10 min walk on the aerial walkway).
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/romaptw-hilton-rome-airport/
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Thanks everyone. I’ll pass your comments on to the group.