Questions about train service from Fiumicino Airport.

We will arrive at 9:45am from the US. I would like to book our train tickets to Florence ahead of time. What is the earliest time I should arrange? I’m concerned with getting our luggage, customs, etc. The are trains around 1:00pm, we are considering.

Also, we will have a large bag and 2 carryon bags. Do I need to book 1st class to have a place for the bags?

TIA

Deb

We will arrive at 9:45am from the US. I would like to book our train tickets to Florence ahead of time. What is the earliest time I should arrange? I’m concerned with getting our luggage, customs, etc. The are trains around 1:00pm, we are considering.

Also, we will have a large bag and 2 carryon bags. Do I need to book 1st class to have a place for the bags?

TIA

Deb

I have just booked tickets from Rome to Florence. Our flight arrives at 6.55am and I have booked a 10.45am train. I am assuming at least an hour to get through immigration and customs. The Leonardo Express train leaves approx every 30 minutes and takes 30 minutes to get from the airport to Rome Termini station - it is 14 euro's each, so we are considering getting a taxi at 48 euro's as we will be very jet lagged after our 24 hour flight from Australia. I booked with Italo trains in their club class which allows us to make free changes to the train time and also gives us access to the lounge at Termini station if we have a wait for the train. For our return trip I have booked a transfer which will pick us up at Termini station and drop us off at our Civitavecchia hotel the night before our cruise. I am not sure if I have allowed enough time from getting off the plane and transferring to Rome Termini station to get the Florence train which is why I paid more for the tickets so that I can make changes. Hopefully all will go ok.

It's a tradeoff. You can save money, sometimes a significant amount, by purchasing train tickets in advance.

However, since you can't guarantee when you'll be ready to travel (flight might be late, passport control understaffed, luggage slow to arrive, etc.) the wise path is to build in a lot of extra time, so you wind up wasting hours hanging around the airport waiting for your train.

Or, on the other hand, you don't build in the pad and risk losing what you paid for the ticket (discounted tickets are non-refundable and unchangeable) plus the cost of buying a new ticket at the last minute.

No, you do not need to book first class; there's plenty of luggage storage space in second. If you're worried about theft, take along a small cable lock and fasten your bags to the rack. I've travelled all over Italy by train since the early 70's (when they still had third class coaches with wooden seats; those days are long gone) and never had a bag go missing.

What I've done before is to leave about a 4 hour margin if arriving at FCO and then traveling on elsewhere by train (e.g., Naples, Florence, Venice).

I make the reservations for the fast train (Frecce) from Termini. I generally use the Leonardo Express from FCO to Termini at my leisure. There's also an express bus from FCO to Termini that's a bit cheaper. The hassle factor is about the same either way. If you take the Leonardo Express train, you have to get up one level to the train station (there are escalators and an elevator), but it's a bit easier once you get to Termini than the bus.

At Termini there are places to sit and get something to eat or drink while you wait, so it is more pleasant to wait there (IMO) than at the airport.

I agree with the above poster that the 2nd class carriages have about the same amount of luggage storage as first class. Smaller (thinner) carry-ons can go in the rack above your seat. Larger suitcases can go in the racks at the end(s) of the car and occasionally there are places to stow larger bags in between rows of seats (e.g., between the backs of two rows where the seats face opposite directions, if that makes sense).

Actually, here's a photo with an arrow pointing to the area I'm talking about:

We have been watching our flight to see if it has been leaving on time from the second leg out of Charlotte, NC. It has been a bit erratic. Wondering now if it would be ok to get a ticket to Florence after we arrive at Termini. Would like to use the high-speed rail, Frecce. Is there a problem with getting seats together if we don’t buy in advance? It will hopefully be in the early afternoon.

Deb

We have been watching our flight to see if it has been leaving on time from the second leg out of Charlotte, NC. It has been a bit erratic. Wondering now if it would be ok to get a ticket to Florence after we arrive at Termini. Would like to use the high-speed rail, Frecce. Is there a problem with getting seats together if we don’t buy in advance? It will hopefully be in the early afternoon.

Deb

From my experience, it could easily be sold out if you wait that long. I screwed up once and needed to try to get a ticket "day of" travel Venice to Florence. I was at the train station at 9am...the earliest seats I could get was 2:30 or 2:45.

I think you'll be fine. I'd venture to guess CruiserBruce's experience was on a day when a ship or ships were disembarking in Venice with a lot of people wanting to get to Rome (or Florence) at about that time.

You can go ahead and purchase the ticket at the station at FCO, no need to wait until you get to Termini to do it. By that time you should have a good idea of your timing.

It has been several years, but the one time I booked a train from Termini to Venice in advance (there was a great deal online) we arrived at the Termini from the airport four hours before departure to Venice. Unfortunately, the bathroom situation at the train station was not good at all, seating was scarce and we were hungry. I forget where in the station we ended up eating, but they only allowed ONE visit to their bathroom per customer and stationed an employee outside the bathroom entrance who checked our food receipt before allowing admittance. It made for an uncomfortable four hour wait.

Fortunately there has been a lot of development at Termini, but even as far back as fifteen years ago there was a public restroom in the lower level concourse that was clean and well maintained.

It has been several years, but the one time I booked a train from Termini to Venice in advance (there was a great deal online) we arrived at the Termini from the airport four hours before departure to Venice. Unfortunately, the bathroom situation at the train station was not good at all, seating was scarce and we were hungry. I forget where in the station we ended up eating, but they only allowed ONE visit to their bathroom per customer and stationed an employee outside the bathroom entrance who checked our food receipt before allowing admittance. It made for an uncomfortable four hour wait.

As far back as four years ago, there was a public restroom on the main level, not far from the head of the tracks. I remember it being a pay toilet.

With plenty of restaurants just outside the station itself, if I had that long, I'd probably find a nice spot to sit under one of the nearby outdoor arcades and have a coffee or something more...

There was indeed a public toilet. Maybe we were there at the wrong time but it was pretty disgusting, not at all clean or well maintained. An yes, knowing what I do now, I would definitely look for someplace other than the Termini to wait.

There's also the new mercato centrale: http://www.mercatocentrale.it/roma/