Rome Airport

Hi tbliss -
The usual recommendation is not to pre-purchase train tickets for your day of arrival as there's always the risk missing that train due to a flight or other sort of delay. Now, the risk is greatest if purchasing Economy or Super Economy tickets (if available) which do not allow refunds, free changes (Economy) or changes at all (Super Economy) if you miss a train.

If you buy a base fare (full fare) ticket - which allow refunds/free changes - the price will be the same if you pre-purchase them or buy them upon arrival so I'd just wait and do it when you get there.

Fiumicino (I assume that's the port in Rome you're flying into?) isn't exactly known for its efficiency so best to assume a longer rather than shorter entry process.

If you do carry on then the length of time it takes you to get through passport control will depend on how many flights arrive at the same time and how many folks they have checking passports. There is virtually no customs.

roninrome.com has a step by step description of arriving at Fiumicino and getting to the train station.

I would wait and buy your train ticket when you get there as you also do not know if your flight will arrive on time.

The only reason I would buy a train ticket for the same day as flight arrival is that the ticket costs 9euro, which I am willing to gamble. I would not cut it that close (11:08), however; if there is a train leaving an hour later for a very low price, I might take the chance, knowing that I may also have to use the ticket as a souvenir or a book marker if I don't make the train.

We've experienced arrival delays of as much as two hours. Not frequently, but it does happen. Remember "Murphy's Law"? It just depends on how many $$ you are willing to gamble on a close connection. We just wait until we're here to get the tickets.

Zoe, what is your Rome-Venice price quote, again? The best fares I see (Super Economy) are 27 euros on a Frecciargento or 49 euros on a Frecciarossa (e.g., in late April).

tb,

The usual advice here is not to buy advance tickets to connect with an incoming flight, but rather just buy at the airport rail station when you arrive. While that might be more expensive, keep in mind that tickets on the high speed train from Rome to Florence have compulsory seat reservations which are specific to train, date and departure time. If you miss the train you've booked for ANY reason, your ticket is worthless and you'll have to buy more at full price (Base Fare).

While you could gamble and buy an advance ticket for a departure several hours after your expected arrival, the disadvantage is that if there are no delays, you'll have to stick around the station for a few hours in a jet lagged state. I'd rather pay more and get to my end destination as quickly as possible.

In my experience, once has to be be prepared for unexpected delays especially at FCO. I've had some "interesting travel experiences" when arriving there.

You will need an absolute minimum of one hour to deplane, walk to/go through passport control (if you come from outside Schengen), retrieve bags at baggage claim (which in my experience is the longest in Rome) and walking to the train station across the terminals.

The issue is the possibility of flight delay, which is totally unpredictable on a transatlantic flight. You could gamble if the price reduction is large, but you are looking at a train that is departing only 1h48min after your scheduled arrival (and you should be at the station about 5 to 10 min prior to find your train car. So you are really taking a big chance, because all it takes is a one hour delay in your flight and you won't make it.

I would buy the ticket at the station and pay full price. If you want absolutely save the money, you might want to consider a solution that is a bit later (with the understanding that you might have to wait at the station in the event the flight is on time and things go smoothly).