Train from FCO to Orvieto

Would you like to save some money? Here's a HINT: 1. Take the airport train from Fiumicino Airport to TIBURTINA Station (NOT the other (nonstop) airport train to Termini Station). 2. Connect at TIBURTINA to a regionale train to Orvieto. The connection as TIBURTINA is also much easier and faster than at Termini Station. 3. By following this advice, you'll save 6 Euros on the airport train to Tiburtina, plus another 7 Euros by NOT taking the Intercity train from Roma Termini to Orvieto. The regionale train to Orvieto is nearly as fast as the Intercity, but costs less and also stops at Tiburtina (which the Intercity does not).

ok...I finally figured it out. I put in Fiumicino airport and I was able to get the schedule. I am still wondering if there is a site where they list the names of all the stations? For example the difference in stations in Florence?

Renee, I'm not sure if it's possible to get a "direct" ticket from FCO to Orvieto, as the Leonardo Express runs on a specialized route. AFAIK, you'll have to travel to Roma Termini and then connect there. Regarding station names, when searching the Bahn.de website, it will provide a choice of the different stations in each city if there is more than one, and will usually ask for clarification on which station is desired before it starts a search. You might also be able to find information on the various stations in each city at www.europeanrailguide.com/ (I sure miss being able to insert web links!!!). You could buy your tickets both for the Leonardo Express and the train to Orvieto using the automated machines or ticket office at FCO. The Leonardo Express arrives at a far corner of Termini station (Track 25 as I recall) so allow yourself enough time to walk to the end of the station and find your connecting train. Hope this helps. Happy travels!

You can see all the stations when you pick the train you want. Just click select beside any train, then just below the list you'll see " details by selection". Click that then scroll down a little. You'll see the two or three main trains. To the right of these is an info button. If you click those it shows the intermediate stops. Donna

This past May, I took the route via Tiburtina that GAC suggests and it worked great. The entire trip from the airport to Orvieto cost little more than a Leonardo Express ticket and took only about 2 hours. The change at Tiburtina was also much easier - no long walk between tracks like at Termini. You will receive 2 tickets, one that looks like a metro ticket for the leg to Tiburtina and a standard ticket from there to Orvieto. Each will need to be validated before boarding. To see all of the stops a train will make, first search for your trains, then click on the circle in the Seleziona (Selection) column to the right of the schedule and then click the Dettagli per Selezione (Details for Selections) button at the bottom of the schedule. Scroll down and click on the circle in the Info column, and then scroll down a bit further to see the names and times of every stop the selected train will make.

Thank you Frank and GAC. Do I buy the two tickets as completely separate transactions? Also has anyone who struggles with claustrophobia taken the underground and well tour in Orvieto?

Be sure to tell the ticket agent that you want the train to Orvieto via Tiburtina, otherwise they'll likely route you through Termini. The agent will give you 2 tickets for each passenger, but all tickets will be just one transaction. Validate the first ticket before boarding the train at the airport and validate the second ticket at Tiburtina. I went on the Orvieto underground tour in May. There are a couple of short narrow passageways, and the guide will alert you when you reach them. Talk to the people at the ticket office to get a better idea as to whether they would be too claustrophobic.

If you are going straight to Orvietto from Rome-FCO, then GAC's suggestion is the best. You avoid Rome Termini altogether and, you save a few Euros. Second, no matter where you travel in Italy, you will receive one ticket for each train you are on. For the journey you descirbe, you will have two tickets and yes you can buy them all at Rome-FCO. You can even purchase future tickets there at the same time if you know your journey dates and times. Since we don't be able to provide links, I'll describe how to see all of the stations. First, go to www.trenitalia.com and select English at the top. Enter Fiumicino Airport for the departure location and Orvietto as the destination. For the date, don't look too far out. Just a few days out is fine. If you expect to travel on a weekday, make the date a weekday, same for Saturday or Sunday if you are traveling on those days. A listing of 5 trains will appear. There are more but only 5 train appear at a time. At the far right, select a run and then select "Details by Selection". Scroll down. Again go to the far right and select "details". Scroll down. All stops on the run will appear.

Great advice! Is there a similarly good deal for getting from FCO to Bologna? I've got sticker shock on the cost. I had figured to take the express to Termini and then train to Bologna. Is there another option?

Here's how to save 22 Euros: 1. Take the nonstop airporter train from FCO to Roma Termini 2. Take the Intercity (IC) train from Roma Termini to Bologna Centrale, NOT NOT the AV train. You save 22 Euros per ticket by taking the slower IC train versus the AV.

Thank you!

Has anyone driven from Rome to Orvieto? What is the drive like? I don't enjoy driving if there is a lot of curves, bends in the road or a lot of ups and downs ( I get really car sick). I know it is on the A1, but is that a pretty straight road (like a major freeway in the US?).

Alanna (post immediately above): Most people posting here (like 90%) who want to get from Rome to Orvieto take the train. Faster and easier. Then, if they want to rent a car to see the Tuscany hill towns, they pick up the car in Orvieto. The exception to this would be, if you're arriving at the Rome airport (FCO) and want to go directly to Orvieto.

Thanks. We are staying in Rome near the Spanish Steps for about 5 days, then we would like to head north out of town for a stay in Orvieto at a B&B for a couple of days then back to Rome. I appreciate the information above about which train to take, I have that all written down. We are just debating on whether to take the train, which would get us from point A to point B quickly then renting a car in Orvieto, or drive from Rome to Orvieto and enjoy the little towns along the way. We have no plans after Orvieto besides returning to Rome then heading over to Athens. Our B&B in Orvieto is on the outside of the town at the base, within walking distance of getting into town from the back door.

Alanna: Your last post was helpful in clarifying why you're thinking of renting a car in Rome. Perhaps you've driven before in large Italian cities? Only a few travelers posting here choose to pick up the rental car in Rome, because of the well known challenges of getting out of, and back into, Rome. Perhaps you've driven in Italian cities before? If you haven't, it's not like driving here. So you might want to figure that picking up the rental car within Rome, and dropping it back off, may be more challenging than doing so in most places. Only a few people here have personal experience picking up a rental car, and returning it, inside Rome - I don't. I've stayed in Rome for a few days and then gone out to FCO to pick up a rental car, when I was headed north. * * * There may be someone here who knows of a good location to pick up a car within Rome that minimizes the hassle of getting out of town - maybe we'll hear from them. It's not impossible to do what you're thinking of, it just may be more challenging than you're thinking.

So you are saying it is not a good idea to rent a car from within Rome for a trip to orvieto and then drive the car back to Rome. I haven't driven in Italian cities, but I grew up in Dallas, drove everyday on Central Expressway. I now live in Houston, and drive that traffic even at the worst of times. I even drove a van load of students from Philadelphia into Manhattan for a two day tour of Manhattan a few years ago. So the driving doesn't bother me, nor the traffic. Could you explain why you think it is not a good idea. What would be your suggestion? Getting a car on the outskirts of Rome?

I lived in Texas for (inaudible) years, including Dallas (Central Expwy - BIG fun LOL!) and spent more than enough time driving the disaster that was Houston...hope they finally finished the roadwork. No, Italy is nothing like DFW - 1st: the signs are in Italian, when there actually IS a sign (and that's not meant to be flippant), you have to know every little town on the way, not a major destination ahead (Dir: Haslett, NOT Dir: Dallas), and the traffic laws - do a search on the Helpline on those :-( . And I'm talking about the smaller towns - I won't even bother with Rome, Florence, etc. It's nothing like saying 'I'd like to rent a car and go a-wanderin' in Vermont and stop in little towns along the way...'. Big towns and little towns alike have speed cameras, and good luck seeing the speed limit signs. If you're going to spend some time in Tuscany, for instance, many people bite the bullet and have a good time driving. If you have limited time, though, you might not want to spend your precious time on that learning curve. I'm an excellent driver (yes, it's true) in the craziest of Dallas traffic, but no way am I driving anywhere near Rome, or any other large city! I've seen their driving...That's why God gave me train conductors and timetables...;-)

Alanna, as mentioned by Eileen, driving in Italy is far different than driving in the US. I've lived in Atlanta for years and fought some of the longest commutes in the US but it does not prepare you for driving in Italy. I've driven in Rome for 3+ years and have journeyed to Orvieto by car. If you go by autostrada, there's not much to see. I'd suggest riding the train to Orvieto. There are rental agencies at the base of the hill in Orvieto - not far from the train station. Here, you can rent a car for a few days and avoid the Rome traffic. Driving in the country (and not Rome, Naples, or Florence) is actually quite entertaining (but still confusing for a newcomer!!). This post about riding a scooter may give you some insight into who you will be "driving" with ***** http://tinyurl.com/rome-scooter ****** . You will also need an IDP... See this post for more info: ****** http://tinyurl.com/Italy-IDP ******* Good Luck!!

Thanks, I think ya'll have me convinced to NOT rent a car inside Rome. What about renting a car at the Fiumicino Airport then taking the GAR out of town? Or would you still suggest the train?