Fiumicino Airport (Leonardo da Vinci)
Fiumicino is the main airport and is well-connected to the center of town during the day by an express train and other, slower, trains.
The express train between Fiumicino Airport and Termini statin costs € 9.50 and takes approximately 30 minutes. This train departs from and arrives at track 27 at Termini station, Rome 's main train station.
Tickets can be bought:
- At any tobacco shop and newsstand inside the train station.
- At vending machines at both Termini and Fiumicino.
- At the Alitalia office near track 22 at Termini ( 9am-7:30pm daily).
- At the ticket window by the platform at Fiumicino.
Ciampino Airport
Ciampino is Rome secondary airport, used mostly by lowcost airlines and charter flights. To get to the center of Rome from Ciampino, take the COTRAL bus to Metro A:Anagnina, and then take the Metro to Termini. COTRAL buses run every half-hour until 11.40pm . Buses connecting Ciampino Airport with the center of Rome stop running at 11pm ; the only way to get into town late at night is by taxi.
Taxis from the airports
The average fare for a taxi ride from Fiumicino or Ciampino to central Rome is 35-45 EURO during the day, more expensive at night. After exiting the arrival halls at Fiumicino, you'll find the taxi stand. For further information on taxis in Rome , click here . .
Most intercity trains arrive at Termini station. A few trains, particularly those arriving late at night, may arrive at Tiburtina or Ostiense stations.
Termini station
Tesrmini is the main train station of Rome.
Tiburtina station
The second largest train station in Rome is easily accessible by bus and Metro (Line B) from the centre. The slower and cheaper train and also the night bus to Fiumicino Airport leave from here. Facilities at the station include a 24-hour supermarket and a currency exchange office. Across the piazza in front of the station you'll find the buses that depart for destinations all over Italy and abroad. The ticket offices are located nearby in the piazza around the corner on Circonvallazione Nomentana. From Termini, take Metro Line B to Tiburtina, or bus 649 to the end of the line.
Timetables and tickets
Reading Italian train timetables is not particularly complicated. Train timetables are posted around stations. In addition to the immense permanent tables located high above eye level, there are numerous with more extensive and current information. To find out if a train goes to the city you are trying to reach, you should check not only the Final Destination column on these yellow posters, but also the "Principali Fermate" (major stops) and the "Annotazioni" columns. The trains listed in green type (and some black trains leaving at night) are the normal slower trains. Trains listed in red type (IC, ED, EN, and ICN) are faster and require a supplement, while ES* (Eurostar) trains are the fastest and most expensive of all, requiring reservations on Saturday and Sunday.
Note: To avoid being fined, you must validate your ticket in one of the yellow boxes on the platform before boarding any train in Italy . This is true for all tickets (local, regional, IC, EC, ES, Kilometric) except the Eurail Pass.
Services for the disabled
In all major Italian train stations, you'll find an office dedicated to facilitating train travel for disabled people. Upon request (at least 24 hours in advance for Italian trains, three working days in advance for international trains) these centres can organize transportation for disabled people around the train stations of departure and arrival. Other services include wheelchair access, luggage transport, and train information. The Termini office is located by platform 1; the telephone number is 06 4881726. At Tiburtina, call 06 4730184; at Fiumicino, ring 06 65011821.
Tiburtina station is the main bus terminal for buses coming from or going to cities outside the region of Lazio. To reach the centre from Tiburtina, take Metro Line B in the direction of Termini, or bus 649 or 492 from the piazza in front of the station.
While it is true that tutte le strade portano a Roma (all roads lead to Rome), over the course of 2,500 years the Romans have built so many roads that it's difficult to actually reach the city centre. Added to this, the ZTL (zona traffico limitata) doesn't allow non-resident cars into the historic centre during the day ( 8am to 6pm ) Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings ( 8am to 1pm ). However, if you are determined to make the journey by car, follow these directions: if you are on the A1 motorway from the north , take the exit marked Roma nord . If you are on the A1 highway from the south , take the exit marked Roma est . After a few kilometres, both of these exits take you to the GRA (Grande Raccordo Anulare), the ring road around the city linking the highways and the strade statali (state roads, marked SS ). the most important for the traveler are the Via Aurelia (Pisa, Livorno, Genova), the Via Cassia (Viterbo, Siena), the Via Flaminia (Umbria), the Via Tiburtina (Tivoli), the Via Appia Nouva (Ciampino Airport and the Castelli Romani), the Via Pontina (Circeo, Latina, Sabaudia, Sperlonga), and Via Cristoforo Colombo (Ostia). From the GRA, you'll also find the exit for the Autostrada Fiumicino (leading to Fiumicino-Leonardo da Vinci Airport), and the A24 highway to Abruzzi (including the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo and Pescara ).
Parking
In areas like Termini and the Vatican , as well as in some other central areas, there are spaces indicated by blue lines where you can park for € 1.00 per hour. The hours of the day when you must pay for parking are usually from 8am to 8pm , and until 11pm in some parts of town. The tickets can be purchased either at the vending machines along the sidewalk (which take coins only), tabacchis , or newsstands. There are also some large public and private parking garages around the city. The most accessible are ParkSi (in the Villa Borghese; € 1.15 per hour for the first three hours, € 0.90 per hour from four to 15 hours, or € 14.45 per day). Other options include Parking Ludovisi , Via Ludovisi, 60, open from 5:30am to 1:30am (1 st to 5 th hour €2euro per hour, 6 th hour onwards €1 per hour or €18 per day), and Parking Termini , in front of the main train station, open from 6am to 1am (€5 for 2 hours, €1.50 per hour from the third to the twelfth hour, €0.70 per hour after 12 hours). Another option is the parcheggi di scambio , parking lots located near Metro stations a bit further away from the historical center of Rome (like Anagnina and Cinecittà on Line A, or Ponte Mammolo on Line B. From there, you can simply take the Metro into the center. At € 1.55 per day, the parking is very economical, but the lots are unattended.
Note: Non-resident cars are not allowed to drive in the historical center. If you are bringing a car to Rome , we recommend that you park it in the Termini or Vatican area and use public transportation (or your own two feet) to explore the historical centre.
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