Venice to Rome FCO airport? By train/nonstop

Since you are a new European traveler, staying in a hotel with people at the front desk to help you would be better than an Air BnB. They can book a taxi for you at an early hour and help you out in many ways.

Hi Sara, first, everything will work out fine. Italy is wonderful!

Instead of telling you the info, I’ll show you how to find it. Go to www.rome2rio.com and entered your two locations. The left column will show you the transportation options. The map is helpful because it gives you a nice idea of the travel distance, plus it states the train station names. For the train, you can just click on the train (left column). It will probably bring up www.trenitalia. Write in your destination (the Italian spelling you saw on the previous site, the date, and it will show all of the options. Some trains are faster, and those will also be more expensive. If your trip is more than three months away, all of the time options won’t be visible, yet.

Venice: be sure to stay away from Venice Mestre; you want to be on the islands. Hotel Ala is a nice hotel for a first trip, and a great location.

You can put your hotel addresses, etc. into rome2rio, and it will give you the info for which bus, etc. to take.

If you are round-tripping to Rome and want to visit Venice, I'd probably take the train immediately to Venice as soon as you land. (or, if you will visit Florence, take the train directly to Florence to start.) Then come back to Rome at the end and have all your nights there at the end, instead of splitting up your time there. Then you won't have to change hotels as often or worry about getting back to the airport from Venice the last day. Plus, you can spend some of your first jet-lagged day on a train and use that last day - awake by now - to explore Rome.

The downside of doing it this way: you'll either have to pay a last-minute fare for the train to Venice or Florence after you land, or buy an advanced ticket a few hours after your flight is due to arrive in Rome and hope you've left enough time.

(I assume it's been more than 24 hours since you booked the ticket? If you booked last night, you still have a few hours to cancel the Rome ticket and re-book as an open jaw with the flight out of Venice instead.)

Keep this real simply for you.

First 1 There are no non-stop trains. They all make a number of stops along the way. There is a train an hour or so from Venice so go to trenitalia.com and pick a schedule you like. IF you buy very early, deep discounts are available sometimes.

Second 1. Anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours to clear immigration. Should be about an hour BUT can vary greatly depending on number of planes landing near the same time and the number of immigration officers on duty. Then add another hour to get from the airport to Termini via the Leonard Express. You should be in the center of Rome roughly around 9.30, 10 AM. Just in time for an espresso to fire up and begin attacking jet lag.

1. A 9.30 departure would suggest that it is not a direct flight back to the US but rather a connecting flight to somewhere else in Europe for your home flight. If that is correct, then be in the airport around 8am. IF it is direct flight back to the US, then be there by 6.30 - no later.

If you are still able to book an open jaw ticket as Andrew suggested, it would be easier to book the flight into Venice and home from Rome. Departure from Rome is much easier than a departure from Venice.

How much time should I plan in advanced for the airport for my flight back to America departing at 9:30 am on a Sunday? (no checked bags, just carry-on

Unless your airline has some other specific recommendation, arrive at airport 3 hours prior to departure.

If your trip ends in Venice, you need to get back to Rome the day before your flight out. As noted by Andrew, if your plans are still flexible, plan your time in Rome at the end of the trip.

It is 99.99999% certain that an attempt to get from Venice to FCO on date of flight will result in a wailing and gnashing of teeth event and severe hit to the wallet.

Your Italian adventure begins with getting to the airport to get on your flight. You can never be certain how long it will take you to clear immigration on arrival in Rome. I have cleared it in less than 20 minutes, others have taken up to an hour and a half or more. It all depends on the number of arriving flights and on staffing. So figure an hour or two till you’re out of the terminal and ready to explore. And don’t be nervous, the Italians are wonderfully welcoming and helpful. Just remember this is their country and their customs; you’re not in Kansas any more!

There is only 1 non-stop train from Venice to FCO at about 9:30 in the morning. All the others require a train change to the Leonardo Express at Termini station in Rome. My advice would be to take a non-stop to Termini and spend your last night in Rome. I would stay in a hotel that night to avoid the hassle of going the Airb&b route. You won’t have to arrange a meeting to pick up keys or pay a possible cleaning charge so you could enjoy a last night in Italy. I would take the Leonardo to FCO at 6:05 or 6:35 which would give you 2 1/4 - 2 3/4 hours to check in and clear security.

Buon viaggio!

Suki; Your advice is great and sounds less stressful to go that route. Thank you!
Jean; Thank you! I have bookmarked that website and will look into Hotel Ala!
Andrew; Ahhhh you're right...that is definitely the better plan. Brilliant. Thank you! (Dang, I wish I could change my flight).
Frank; Your advice definitely gives me direction in being exact with my time and planning my schedule. I've had no clue. Thank you!
Joe; Ok, I will definitely get back to Rome the day before my flight. Thank you!
Philip; I didn't even think to look into the Leonard Express. I'm so glad you brought that up. Thank you!

You all have calmed my nerves and have given me a clearer picture on putting this all together. Hopefully it will be seamless and not too stressful. I really appreciate all of your help!!

-Sara :)

What train?
There are many options, all of them, except for one departing Venice at 9:25am, require a change at Roma Termini (Rome main station).
see timetable here:
www.trenitalia.com
from: VENEZIA SANTA LUCIA
To: FIUMICINO AEROPORTO.
(choose a date this week, if your travel is far into the future, the schedule doesn't change much).

how long does it take to get out of the airport to start my Italy adventures (no checked bags)?
Up to one hour after touch down is a good estimate. As mentioned, that may vary a bit depending on the line at passport control (immigration), but in my experience, the longest wait at FCO is waiting for luggage at baggage claim, which would not apply to you.

How much time should I plan in advanced for the airport for my flight back to America departing at 9:30 am on a Sunday?
Two hours prior to departure are sufficient even with bags to check in. Without bags, you'll have time to spare.
You should spend the night before your flight back in Rome.
If you stay at a hotel walking distance from Roma Termini station, you can take the Leonardo Express train to the airport (32 min). If your hotel is far from the station, then it might be more convenient to take a taxi (35 min ride from the city center for 48 euro)

Just a comment about Rome2rio. The app works well when looking at town to town trips, like Rome to Venice, or Rome to Rio, I suppose.

But in Venice herself, it is pretty hopeless, and is not good at navigating the water bus (vaporetto) system. A great app for the vaporetto system is CheBateu? (which boat?) which links directly to the timetables.

Roberto; Thank you for the detailed advice. This gives me a great timetable to plan my airport schedule!

Peter; This is great news...just downloaded the app and am figuring my trips. Thank you for your expertise!

Jean; I just booked my stay at Hotel Ala! Looks amazing! Thank you for the advice! ;)

Sara

go to Rail Europe and take the high speed Feccarossa train from Venice to Rome/Termini, then get the Leoonardo Express from Termini station to FCO, they leave every 15 mins and only take 20-25 mins to get there and only cost 14 euro, its really easy and very reliable and fun, book the Venice/Rome trip in advance on their website, I suggest the business car its worth the extra cost.....if we can do it you can do it, its actually really simple

Do NOT use Rail Europe. Buy your tickets from Trenitalia. Rail Europe charges a fee. Always buy directly from the train company OR www.trainline.eu which also does not charge a fee.

First off -- Rail Europe is a travel agency. Best to book directly with Trenitalia and prices will probably be cheaper. Personally don't think you gain much from a First class car but that is personal preference.

Second - Leonard Express runs every 30 minutes.

There’s also another Italian train company Italo. I have only used them once but it was fine.

https://www.italotreno.it/en

First trip to Italy and overseas? A couple of suggestions.

1. Get and use a money belt or hidden pocket. Keep anything you don’t need handy such as passport extra cash ATM and Debit cards safe from pickpockets.
2. Use debit and credit cards that have no or low fees.

Have a great trip.

Sara,
Not sure when you are going but if you are into airbnb in Venice, I loved this one. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3043430
If you are staying several days and need use of laundry airbnb's are great. But shorter stays definitely go with a hotel or I have used Monastery stays too. You just have to be careful as some of them have curfew times. https://www.monasterystays.com/

Agree with all that trains would be better than air. To get into Venice from the airport takes a while no matter how you do it.

Have a great time. Italy is fantastic.