It's going to be my first time traveling in Italy via train. Arriving Fiumicino in the morning and plan to head for Orvieto. Is there a need to get tickets ahead of time? Would I have to make a certain connection if advance purchased? Thanks for any suggestions.
Posted by
Tampa, FL, USA
1054 posts
No need to purhcase tickets ahead of time. Purchasing ahead of time saves you money on the high speed trains, but Orvieto is on the Regionale line from Rome.
When you land in Rome, you will take the Leonardo Express Train from FCO Airport to Termini Station in Rome. You will switch trains in Termini station for a regional train that stops in Orvieto. Once you get to Termini it's about a hour train ride to Orvieto. Remember to validate your ticket. There will be a old yellow box or new white, grey with red/green stripe that you insert you ticket into to validate.
Ron in Rome has some good links about Connections and Termini
http://www.roninrome.com/%20transportation/arriving-by-train-roma-termini-2
http://www.roninrome.com/transportation/train-connections-in-10-minutes-or-less
Posted by
Martinez, CA, USA
1558 posts
Not an expert but will tell you our experience, and no, you don't need to buy tickets ahead of time. We did the same thing in February. When we arrived in Fiumicino we followed the signs (words and icons) to the train station. We bought our tickets for the Leonardo Express which has no stops and goes directly to Rome Termini; you can also take a Regionale which takes longer but costs less. At the same time we bought the ticket for the train from Termini to Orvieto. There are different trains and we just got the Regionale whici is less expensive; the ticket agent will tell you the connecting times and prices so you can choose which you want. Be aware that not all trains call out the name of the station you're approaching so you might want to read the schedule, which is posted all over Termini near the platforms, and count the number of stops until Orvieto. Our flight from SF was delayed 6 hours so by the time we made our connections and got to Termini is was early evening and it got dark as we rode the train to Orvieto, so we had a hard time seeing the name of the signs until the train actually stopped, and even then only if the sign was visible from where we were on the train. They didn't call out the names of the stops and we worried we would miss Orvieto, but we asked people near us and they told us when we arrived there. Lesson learned and we've told ourselves to check the number of stops, just in case.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
I like to know the name of the stop before mine, so I can be ready to get off the train. Some only stop for a minute or two.
Posted by
OP
CA
62 posts
Thank you all for your most helpful answers.