Travelling to Rome? How to get there!

Are you planning a trip to Rome? Lucky you! Italy is my favorite country!

I’m sure that if you are reading this page, you have already done you research on airlines and how to get there!

So in Rome there are 2 main airports: Fiumicino Airport- which is the biggest one of Rome (also known as Leonardo Da Vinci) and Chiampino Airport.

FIUMICINO:

Fiumicino is about 32 km away from the city center. From there, there are different ways to get to the city center but if you are traveling on a budget, the best way to do it is by train.

Once you land to Fiumicino and after claiming your luggage, follow the signs for the train   which is right there at the airport.  It’s about a five-minute walk from the baggage belts to the train. That’s the starting point of Leonardo Express line. The Leonardo Express is a train that goes from the airport directly to Roma Termini, the main train-metro station in Rome. From Termini, you can easily access your hotel by Metro or taxi, or catch a train to your next destination (Florence, Venice, Milan and more).

Before you enter the train tracks area, you will see large green ticket kiosk where you can purchase a ticket. It’s the cheapest option from the airport (it costs 14 euro each way).

Before boarding the train, it is important to remember to get your tickets stamped for validation from the small ticket machine you will find at the entrance to the train. There is usually a staff person standing by to do it for you, or there are more machines near the tracks where you can do it yourself. Just insert the ticket for 10 seconds and wait for the stamp! If you do not validate the ticket, the inspector will give you a fine even if you have bought a ticket. So remember to do it!!

So, the train will go non-stop all the way to TERMINI station. As I said before, TERMINI is the main railway station of Rome (and the biggest metro stop). From there you can take the metro to get anywhere you want in Rome. The metro in Rome is very easy. It only has 2 lines. The red (A) and the blue line (B) (they are building a 3^rd one now, the yellow one). Termini is the point where the 2 lines correspond. ( Remember that there are 2 floors in TERMINI. The ground floor is where the trains arrive. To take the metro you have to go to -1 floor).

When you book a hotel, search online in advance to see which metro stop is closer to your hotel so that you know exactly which line you should be taking and where you should be getting off. It’s better if you book a hotel that is within walking distance from a metro station so that you won’t have to take a taxi as well after getting off the metro.

On your way back, again you will take the metro  from your hotel all the way to TERMINI and from there you will take LEONARDO train to get back to the airport. Just remember that when you get off the metro you will be in -1 floor and you will have to go up on the ground floor to take the train to the airport!


The Green line is the Leonardo Express from Fiumicino to Termini

CHIAMPINO:

If you are flying RYANAIR, EASYJET, WIZZAIR BLUAIR OR MYAIR you will be landing in Ciampino Airport. Ciampino airport is situated 12.0 km south southeast of central Rome.

To take a taxi from Chiampino to Rome city center, would cost about 30-50 euro! Luckily, there’re cheaper options!

In my opinion, the easiest way to do this is to take the bus from the airport to TERMINI station and from there you can take the metro. As soon as you exit the airport, you will see several bus stop signs. Ask for the one that goes to TERMINI (usually there are signs on the buses with the name of the destination). It costs 5 euro to get to TERMINI and the ride is about 30 minutes depending on traffic. You can buy the ticket right outside the bus where there is a person selling them before you enter the bus.

Once you get to TERMINI you can take the metro to your hotel.

Another option is: Instead of taking the bus to TERMINI, you can take the bus to ANAGNINA which is again a metro station (it’s the end of the red metro line and the closest metro station to the airport. The bus to ANAGNINA costs 1 euro (maybe 1.50) and from there again you take the metro to your hotel.

The option between TERMINI and ANAGNINA depends on the location of your hotel. If it’s closer to the airport, you don’t need to go all the way to TERMINI. (I have attached the metro map below). Also in TERMINI, you can take both, the blue or the red line. In ANAGNINA you are on the red line.