Hello Italy experts,
We are scheduled to arrive in Rome at 12:00 (October). Also plan on traveling light with only carry-on. Is a 13:30 train to Florence feasible? Or should I make the reservations for later? I also plan on purchasing a flexible ticket to Florence. Many thanks for any help.
Roberto covers this pretty thoroughly in this thread.
Thank you.
Key word in your query is: "scheduled". Your could arrive an hour or a day later if your flight goes wrong.
And if you are arriving from outside the Schengen zone, immigration (passport) control lines are far more significant than customs and dependent to a large degree on how many other flights arrive with your flight.
Thanks - will keep that in mind.
Immigration/Passport Control is where you will encounter long lines, show your passport to agent, perhaps have your photo taken.
Forget about Customs! For Customs you just walk through a door designated as “Nothing to Declare.” You deal with Customs when re entering the US where you declare how much you spent on purchases abroad.
Do you mean boarding the Leonardo Express at the airport at about 13;30 and changing in Rome after that, or do you mean boarding a 13:30 train at Roma Termini or Roma Tiburtina after having made your way from the airport?
If the former, there isn't a direct train at that time from the airport to Florence, you will have to change at either Tiburtina or Termini.
If the latter, I respectfully suggest you have no hope. In order to get on a fast train at Termini at 13:30 you need to be in the station with at least 15 minutes to spare - say 13:15 - for walking time. The 12:53 won't work as you would only arrive at Termini with a fair wind following at 13:25, never enough time to get to the boarding area on the platform of the train you want. So the last Leonardo Express you could take would be the 12:38 which would give you 20 minutes at the Rome station.
I think it exceedingly unlikely that you would be off the plane, through the long walk to immigration, through border control (even if you had zero luggage) and then walking to the train station and onto the train in 38 minutes. That's if your plane is bang on time.
Sorry.
Hi all,
Thanks to everyone who has responded. Consensus is for me not to panic and limit myself to a purchase now. Too many variables that can change things. It's been pointed out there are many trains leaving from Rome to Florence throughout the day - purchase the tickets when I get there. Thanks again.
