FCO ➡️ Perugia | Bus or Train

Posted by daviddaniele on 06/12/26 12:57 PM

Hi all,
I would love anyone's opinion on whether they would take the Sulga bus or the train from FCO to get to Perugia. We will be traveling with a 2 year old, and my initial instinct is to go with a train for the ease and room to potentially move around with a little one. But I have also heard some horror stories of the possibility of train strikes. This will actually be our first time in Italy without a car, and would like to soak up as much European rail as possible. Is there a benefit to the Sulga that I am missing?

Bonus ask: in regards to the train, I've used the thetrainline.com app in the past for booking train travel for past European trips. Is this advisable? or should I use a different source to purchase tickets in advance? Thanks!

Posted by Jean

Idaho, USA

06/12/26 01:42 PM

9803 posts

Hi, use the Trenitalia app. No need to use Trainline. The app is very easy to purchase your tickets, store them, and see the status of the train.

There’s a couple of options of routes to Perugia. I was in Assisi & Spello last week, so I went right by Perugia. I took the faster train from Rome to Florence (Roma Termini & Firenze SMN in the app) & took the regionale train that has no assigned seats onto Perugia. They were doing some maintenance work on the line between Terni & Foligno that brings you into Perugia from the south instead of the north, so part of that route became a bus..

When you arrive at the train station in Perugia, there’s a short walk over to the metro which are small carriages that will take you up, up the steep hill into the city center. Have a great time!

Posted by marco.tullio.falcione

06/12/26 01:47 PM

113 posts

Regionale trains have no reserved seating and offer no discounts for advance purchases. In other words, these trains can't sell out and there is no economic reason to get tickets before your flight has arrived at FCO.
Transportation strikes must be announced no less than 10 days in advance
Kids younger than 3 don't need a ticket on Trenitalia trains.
There are no works between Rome and Perugia, the direct Regionale trains depart from Roma Termini at 7:43 , 14:20 , 18:00 and 19:02. Then there is an IC train with mandatory seat reservation at 19:56 .

1 + 2 = wait for the 11th day before the arrival, in case of strike get a ticket for the bus.

You should use the site of the railway company, trainline is a reseller.
As a rule of thumb, I'd ignore "horror stories" on the Web about any country in the world.

Posted by nancys8

Saint Paul, Minnesota

06/12/26 04:39 PM

2187 posts

Speaking for your toddler:

Trains are way more fun!
The bathrooms on a train are big enough for a parent to be with me in there.
With any luck, we can get 4 seats facing a table and can have snacks or even a picnic meal.
The table will also be good for drawing stuff and games.
Easier to nap on a train.
Did I mention that trains are just more fun than a bus?
On a train, we'll have our suitcases with us or near us, not down in the bottom of a bus, in case we need something.
We can walk all back and forth on the train as much as we want --- on a bus, you have to just sit.
Train stations are more interesting than bus stations.
Did I mention the fun factor?