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Old Dec 14, 2016, 5:54 pm
  #143  
Perche
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SFO, VCE
Programs: AA EXP >4 MM, Lifetime Plat
Posts: 2,881
Originally Posted by JBD
Yes, there are cheaper options for 5 people.

But I just want to make sure of something:
- on the France forum I noticed your post saying that you'll be leaving from ORY that day. So you're flying into FCO and not into Rome's other airport (CIA), right?

You can see in the 060608 link in the wiki above, that the Leonardo Express costs €14 per person, so €70 total.

Where in Rome are you staying? That info will help determine what could be the cheapest and best solution for your party.

There are shuttle services, also found in that 060608 link in the wiki above:
Terravision will take you to the Termini train station, for €4 per person.

SIT bus goes to Termini and to the Vatican area at Via Crescenzio for €6 per person. Here's a link to its Vatican area drop off point: https://goo.gl/maps/8QpcArnGes12

TAM bus goes to Termini and also to the Ostiense Train station for €6 per person.
If your accommodations are not in convenient walking distance from the Vatican area drop off point, or the Termini or Ostiense train stations, perhaps you're in waking distance from a metro line. From Termini you can take either the Line A or Line B metro, and from Ostiense you can take the Line B metro. The metro will cost €1.50 per person.

For car services, above in the wiki you'll see links for RomeCabs (the price for the 5 of you directly to your accommodations will be €60), and for Rome Shuttle Limousine (their price to take 5 pax to your accommodations is €55).

Edited to add
:
If you decide to take one of the shuttles to Termini Train station, I've heard recommended that it's best to not pre-pay for a particular shuttle company, but rather to just grab the first one that's available when you happen to arrive.
Ugh, my bad math. 14 X 5 does not equal 90. It equals 70. But that is still the most expensive option. Most people who arrive at Termini then need to take a cab, unless they are light packers, and don't have a problem walking a mile or two to where their hotel is. Five people, five suitcases, its going to usually mean two taxis at perhaps 15 euros each from there. I almost always take the Leonardo Express, then walk the 2 miles to my hotel near the Pantheon. That's a total of 14 euros. Five Leonardo Express tickets and two taxis, is hard to keep under 100 euros. The size of the party makes a big difference.

I also mentioned that there are different bus and local train options for less, but I wouldn't recommend them. Since the OP didn't say where they are staying, and just said they are staying "in Rome" which is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, the chances are that their hotel won't be right at a metro stop, given how few there are in such a large city. Once they get to the train station, without knowing exactly where they are going, it's almost certain that they will need to take two taxis, or they will be lost out near Ostiense.

If they take any shuttle bus, unless they are staying at Vatican or Termini train station, which I hope they are not because they are two of the worst places to stay, they will have collectively already paid 20-30 euros to take the hour long, crowded, uncomfortable bus ride, and then when they get off the bus stop they will need to find two taxis, probably at 15-20 each. There is no need to make it that difficult to save a couple of euros, or perhaps to even spend more

When five people are traveling, economy of scale becomes important. They can have a limo waiting to drive them to the hotel door in 40 minutes for less than what the Leonardo Express+2 taxis, or train/bus+2 taxis over two hours will cost.

When 5 people are traveling it is almost always better to hire personal transportation than to buy 5 tickets on public transportation, plus taxi. The marginal difference is not worth the trouble, or it will actually cost more.

In Venice, I almost always take the Alilaguna boat to and from the airport because I get the 9 euro resident rate. It's slow and inconvenient, and has to make multiple stops. It takes about an hour and 15 minutes. I can't say how many time I've seen large groups of people pay 19 euros each to be on that boat, when due to the size of their group they could have taken a private water taxi for less, and go non-stop in luxury in 25-30 minutes. When it's a group of five, the cost calculations change.

Last edited by Perche; Dec 14, 2016 at 7:17 pm
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