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FCO to Rome transportation options

Old Dec 4, 2016, 1:07 pm
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FCO to Rome transportation options

Old Feb 9, 2017, 3:15 pm
  #166  
 
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You should also note that there's a new bus (or coach as you might say) service directly from FCO to Naples (also to Florence): http://www.fiumicinoexpress.com/?lang=en . For you, it would leave FCO at 16.20, arriving Naples at 19.07. It has its own complications if you book in advance and miss the coach; you could decide on arrival whether it's worth the wait at FCO to have a direct ride, with the bags in the hold.
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Old Feb 9, 2017, 5:16 pm
  #167  
 
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Originally Posted by rove312
You should also note that there's a new bus (or coach as you might say) service directly from FCO to Naples (also to Florence): http://www.fiumicinoexpress.com/?lang=en . For you, it would leave FCO at 16.20, arriving Naples at 19.07. It has its own complications if you book in advance and miss the coach; you could decide on arrival whether it's worth the wait at FCO to have a direct ride, with the bags in the hold.
I suspect that would be optimistic due to traffic, given the ride through the rush hour.
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Old Feb 9, 2017, 8:36 pm
  #168  
 
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Originally Posted by Stewie Mac
...how long typically does checked baggage take to be delivered at FCO? That is probably the biggest variable in my calculations [leaving aside the potential lateness of flight arrival].
A very difficult question to answer.

a) Intra-Schengen based on tens of A3 flights arriving at ~ 10 am, anything from 5 min. after me getting to the carrousel to 40 min. My average, used for the calculation above, 20-30 min.

b) Extra-Schengen (long-haul and one BA) based on fewer than 10 flights, 20-60 min with an average, again, of 20-30 min.

Careful, though, as with any potential queue at FCO, I've never noticed a pattern such as airline or time of day. My longest wait last November (60 min at the caroussel) was on an AZ flight from AUH that arrived briefly before 6 am: first one of the day that particular day, with luggage from the next two flights being delivered before ours.
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Old Feb 10, 2017, 2:26 am
  #169  
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Molto grazie

Originally Posted by rove312
Also, Stewie, since you mention going "with family," depending on how many and what ages, you can consider whether the Leonardo Express is the best way to go.
Kids are under 12, so LEx is not only convenient (for wanting to get to Termini) but also cheapest... thanks for warning though.

Originally Posted by Perche
The Mercato is very worth visiting, but it's not grab and go food. Pizza and pasta have to be eaten hot, not cold and gloopy. Cold suppli, trappizini, fried artichokes, or Chianina hamburger would not be any fun to eat. You could buy a chunk of cheese at the cheese store, but if you just want to grab a panino to go, you won't find it there. Just go to the nearest bar, they'll be all around you. Save the Mercato for when you can stroll around, sample the different foods, relax, and enjoy it. Trains with tight connections and grab and go food is not the best way to experience La Dolce Vita.
Perche - thanks for this. I was thinking about grabbing the famous trappizini, but I realise that I've been thinking about this with my work travel head on, which is aimed at minimizing waiting time at every junction. This is a holiday. With kids! We'll grab panini from a bar and jump on the train, eat pizza for tea in Naples and maybe spend some time wandering/grazing in the Mercato when we're in Rome ten days later.

Originally Posted by rove312
You should also note that there's a new bus (or coach as you might say) service directly from FCO to Naples (also to Florence): http://www.fiumicinoexpress.com/?lang=en . For you, it would leave FCO at 16.20, arriving Naples at 19.07. It has its own complications if you book in advance and miss the coach; you could decide on arrival whether it's worth the wait at FCO to have a direct ride, with the bags in the hold.
I have two boys, aged 7 and 9 - trains are fun and exciting in a way that busses aren't. [Also my wife gets travel sick on busses and three hours on an Italian bus would not be a good way to start the holiday!] Thanks for the option.

Originally Posted by KLouis
A very difficult question to answer.

a) Intra-Schengen based on tens of A3 flights arriving at ~ 10 am, anything from 5 min. after me getting to the carrousel to 40 min. My average, used for the calculation above, 20-30 min.

b) Extra-Schengen (long-haul and one BA) based on fewer than 10 flights, 20-60 min with an average, again, of 20-30 min.

Careful, though, as with any potential queue at FCO, I've never noticed a pattern such as airline or time of day. My longest wait last November (60 min at the caroussel) was on an AZ flight from AUH that arrived briefly before 6 am: first one of the day that particular day, with luggage from the next two flights being delivered before ours.
Thanks for the insights. Then we'll allow plenty of time, and if we don't need it then I'll have time for a birra at Termini.
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Old Feb 10, 2017, 1:14 pm
  #170  
 
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FCO has plenty of opportunities for intermittent bottlenecks. For instance, two weeks ago, it took 20 minutes to get through passport control - in the EU lane! They had exactly one agent working, and every single person in front of me let the guy have it. Took a while.

However, for the first time in my life, we landed at FCO and used a jet bridge to deplane. That probably saved me as much time over the usual bus ride as I lost in the passport control line.
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Old Feb 22, 2017, 7:01 pm
  #171  
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I continue to prefer car services

I haven't been able to keep up with this forum but I just heard about the taxi strike that went on for several days.

The link provided in the wiki above that directs you to the transportation section of "Wanted in Rome" has some recent articles on February's taxi strike - which was followed by a Public Transportation strike. (I'm posting with my phone otherwise I'd provide links here.)

All this to say, I continue to feel the most comfortable with using a car service for when I have to make a TATL flight out of FCO. And it's what I continue to recommend to family, friends and businesses associates.
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Old Feb 22, 2017, 9:11 pm
  #172  
 
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Originally Posted by JBD
I haven't been able to keep up with this forum but I just heard about the taxi strike that went on for several days.

The link provided in the wiki above that directs you to the transportation section of "Wanted in Rome" has some recent articles on February's taxi strike - which was followed by a Public Transportation strike. (I'm posting with my phone otherwise I'd provide links here.)

All this to say, I continue to feel the most comfortable with using a car service for when I have to make a TATL flight out of FCO. And it's what I continue to recommend to family, friends and businesses associates.
The taxi strike lasted six days and is over, the public transportation strike that added trains and buses was for only four hours. The Leonardo Express doesn't go on strike.

Private cars and Uber are not fool proof solutions. This strike was a protest against Uber and private car services.

If you look at the videos below I doubt that too many of the drivers they were striking against would risk being out in their cars. There were even reports of a gun being pulled on an Uber driver who attempted to pick up a fare during the strike. The streets were blocked, so you would not get anywhere, private driver or not. Scroll to the bottom of the first link and look at the video to see what I mean. Also below are some of the images I think you were referring to.
http://italiapost.it/protesta-taxi-r...-polizia-video
https://www.rt.com/news/378111-clashes-italy-uber-taxi/
http://www.wantedinrome.com/news/rom...e-intensifies/
http://www.wantedinrome.com/news/rom...lent-protests/
Strikes happen, but they are usually much more minor than this, and you always get a few days warning which gives you time to make plans. If I arrived to the airport with a reservation for a private car and taxi drivers were rioting in the streets against them, I'd have doubts about whether my driver was going to show up. I wouldn't have put my faith on a private car driver wanting to drive through taxi drivers rioting against them these last six days; I'd still have alternatives planned out.

There are times when a private car to the airport is better, such as getting to FCO for a very early flight, where there would be no cars at 5 AM at the taxi stand. You'd have to call one and they run the meter from the start of the call, not when they pick you up, although a taxi is more reliable because you have the whole fleet, and are not relying on one person they gave the reservation to hearing their alarm and getting out of bed.

From FCO to the city I prefer a taxi, because again you're not depending on one person. I've had car services stand me up or make me wait, or have to walk for 15 minutes to a parking lot where they left their car. There is not a private car service stand, like taxis have. There's always a line of taxis waiting just outside the door, whereas the reliability of car services can be hit or miss.
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Old Feb 23, 2017, 9:51 am
  #173  
 
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I'd be so pissed off if I had to pay a change fee on a flight because there was no way to the airport other than walking.
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Old Feb 23, 2017, 11:04 am
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Originally Posted by PWMTrav
I'd be so pissed off if I had to pay a change fee on a flight because there was no way to the airport other than walking.
I think everybody is pissed when there is a strike. It comes with the territory of travel. I think you just have to know your options. If taxis are on strike, which is not common, that doesn't automatically mean you can just call Uber or a private car service.

It was just one month ago that taxi drivers in many places around the USA shut down transportation to and from many airports. At JFK, Uber and private car drivers showed up despite the strike, and there was one heck of a backlash, so this is not just a Rome phenomena. This was the scene at JFK last month:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2...-ban/97198818/

Meanwhile, 3,000 people occupied SeaTac airport, so people couldn't even get to baggage claim to get their luggage.

Unlike JFK and and most other USA airports, FCO has alternatives like the Leonardo Express, which is guaranteed to run even during a strike, even if they have to hire buses.

You can't walk to FCO from Rome to FCO, but several times per year people, including pilots, have to walk the freeway to get to LaGuardia.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/02/...rkway-traffic/

Scroll down the page and look at the video of FCO and you can see that it was less chaotic during the strike than JFK or LGA on a normal day. The city provides free train and bus service to and from the airport during strikes, and striking cab drivers at the airport were guiding people to the train and bus stops.
http://video.repubblica.it/cronaca/s.../268023/268429
Passengers were saying that it was annoying, but nothing was happening, and everything was under control.
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Old Feb 23, 2017, 7:52 pm
  #175  
 
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I would like to point out that the stories above refer to the taxi strike as the "Uber Strike." Roman law requires taxis to charge 48 euros to the city center. They cannot charge a higher or lower amount.

Uber and private car services do not operate under any law. They can always undercut the taxi drivers by a few dollars, effectively putting them out of work. Rome twice passed laws to level the playing field but Uber, a giant multinational, has blocked their implementation.

A little over two weeks ago I needed to get from Rome to FCO. I asked the hotel desk clerk to reserve a cab for me the next morning. The clerk said, "A cab costs 48. I can call a private car for 45." That's the dilemma for the taxi drivers. Uber and private cars are price fixing to put them out of business because taxis are forbidden by law to compete on price.

I mention this not to take sides, but so that people don't think that Italy is a madhouse with people going on strike all the time for no reason. There is another side to the story other than, "the taxis are on strike."
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Old Feb 23, 2017, 8:30 pm
  #176  
 
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Taxis in Rome is a story with many facets!

- It's a fact that prices are OK'd by the city Government, but the taxi lobby is rather strong and it often gets through with its demands. I remember a strike a few years ago when the city decided that the number of cabs working through the night would no longer be regulated (at the time, there were no more than 200-300 taxis during the night in an urbam area of about 3.5 million). I remember once walking at around 1 pm from Prati across P.za del Popolo all the way to Termini to find a cab to get to the Africano where I lived.

- When cabs started the fixed rate to/from FCO about 10-15 years ago, it was set at 30 Euro. Private cars used to charge 40, but that also applied for neighborhoods close to, but outside the Aurelian walls. Then, just a few years later, cabs went up to 48 all of a sudden, while private cars still often charge less than that. I always would choose a taxi from FCO but I'd prefer a private one to FCO, especially from outside the walls (which is where the hotel I usually stay at is). With the unpredictable traffic, a metered trip to FCO may go up a lot, especially since they'll add the price to the hotel. In the other direction, though, you don't have to rely of your driver being there, etc., you just hop on a cab as you step out of the terminal.

- The quality of Roman cabs has gone up a lot. You hardly ever see one of those dilapidated cars you used to, not most if not all are new, well serviced with lots of space (I love getting a Multipla ).
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Old Feb 23, 2017, 9:24 pm
  #177  
 
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Originally Posted by KLouis
Taxis in Rome is a story with many facets!

- It's a fact that prices are OK'd by the city Government, but the taxi lobby is rather strong and it often gets through with its demands. I remember a strike a few years ago when the city decided that the number of cabs working through the night would no longer be regulated (at the time, there were no more than 200-300 taxis during the night in an urbam area of about 3.5 million). I remember once walking at around 1 pm from Prati across P.za del Popolo all the way to Termini to find a cab to get to the Africano where I lived.

- When cabs started the fixed rate to/from FCO about 10-15 years ago, it was set at 30 Euro. Private cars used to charge 40, but that also applied for neighborhoods close to, but outside the Aurelian walls. Then, just a few years later, cabs went up to 48 all of a sudden, while private cars still often charge less than that. I always would choose a taxi from FCO but I'd prefer a private one to FCO, especially from outside the walls (which is where the hotel I usually stay at is). With the unpredictable traffic, a metered trip to FCO may go up a lot, especially since they'll add the price to the hotel. In the other direction, though, you don't have to rely of your driver being there, etc., you just hop on a cab as you step out of the terminal.

- The quality of Roman cabs has gone up a lot. You hardly ever see one of those dilapidated cars you used to, not most if not all are new, well serviced with lots of space (I love getting a Multipla ).
(Bolds are mine, for emphasis)

Agreed, it's better to take a taxi from the airport. Even though someone has been lucky and made 10 trips to Rome and the driver was there, it is not uncommon for them to be late, blame it on traffic, the dispatcher, or just not show up. If your flight is delayed they are not going to sit there and wait for you for hours, no matter the company. You will have to call them, and they will say, "We will have someone there in 15 minutes," and you will probably be waiting an hour, then the driver will blame it on dispatch, traffic, whatever, when you could have already checked into your hotel. If you use a taxi it doesn't matter if your flight is delayed 2 hours or overnight, you just walk outside and get in.

I also find taxis in Rome to be of excellent quality. In the USA people think of taxis as being similar to in their hometown. A Roman taxis is as much better than a USA taxi as the Italian train system is compared to the USA system.

When I land I don't want to worry about whether I'm going to find my driver, or he's going to find me, if we miss each other because my plane was late and he went to the bathroom, or if I have to wait for him because my plane is early, and so on. If you happen to miss each other in the potentially large, chaotic exiting crowd it is a real struggle to find each other, especially if you are not familiar with the Italian phone system, while you could be in a clean, modern taxi in a minute or two.
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Old Mar 2, 2017, 8:39 pm
  #178  
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Originally Posted by Perche
Roman law requires taxis to charge 48 euros to the city center. They cannot charge a higher or lower amount.
And this is absolute, yes? That was my understanding. So please allow me to relay my anecdote.

Last Saturday the concierge at my hotel (over on via Margutta) called a cab for me to FCO. While en route I noticed that the meter was running, but I didn't think anything of it, as I "knew" that 48 was the rate. Period. So how shocked was I when, as I hopped out of the cab and handed the driver a 50 note, he balked and started mumbling about "radio taxi" and the meter and whatnot!!?! Secure in my convictions, I pointed at the sign on his (white) cab where it clearly indicates that the fare to FCO is 48. And I pointed out that we were at FCO. I left him with the note and walked away.


Question: was I right to be so sure about my belief that the price is 48 always? I really hate to think that I somehow screwed this driver over, but I think it's more likely that he was trying to take advantage of an ignorant American and make up for a little lost salary from the recent strike. A friend of mine in Rome suggested that I report the driver, but I definitely didn't get enough information to do that. Can anyone think of a reason why a higher fare might have been justified?
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Old Mar 2, 2017, 9:34 pm
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Originally Posted by iapetus
And this is absolute, yes? That was my understanding. So please allow me to relay my anecdote.

Last Saturday the concierge at my hotel (over on via Margutta) called a cab for me to FCO. While en route I noticed that the meter was running, but I didn't think anything of it, as I "knew" that 48 was the rate. Period. So how shocked was I when, as I hopped out of the cab and handed the driver a 50 note, he balked and started mumbling about "radio taxi" and the meter and whatnot!!?! Secure in my convictions, I pointed at the sign on his (white) cab where it clearly indicates that the fare to FCO is 48. And I pointed out that we were at FCO. I left him with the note and walked away.


Question: was I right to be so sure about my belief that the price is 48 always? I really hate to think that I somehow screwed this driver over, but I think it's more likely that he was trying to take advantage of an ignorant American and make up for a little lost salary from the recent strike. A friend of mine in Rome suggested that I report the driver, but I definitely didn't get enough information to do that. Can anyone think of a reason why a higher fare might have been justified?
It is 48 euros from anywhere within the Aurelian Walls to FCO, and vice versa. First luggage piece is free, 1 euro for each after that. Same price for 1-4 passengers, an extra euro for a fifth passenger.

Here is the information from the Rome Comune. You want to scroll to the 2nd page which is the fare rules english, and the 4th page, which is a map displaying which areas are within the Aurelian Walls. Without knowing exactly where you were it cannot be said for certain. Via Margutta is near Piazza Popolo. That should be just within the wall. http://www.comune.roma.it/PCR/resour...uglio_2012.pdf
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Old Mar 2, 2017, 11:58 pm
  #180  
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Originally Posted by Perche
Here is the information from the Rome Comune. You want to scroll to the 2nd page which is the fare rules english, and the 4th page, which is a map displaying which areas are within the Aurelian Walls. Without knowing exactly where you were it cannot be said for certain. Via Margutta is near Piazza Popolo. That should be just within the wall. http://www.comune.roma.it/PCR/resour...uglio_2012.pdf
OK, given that (the Italian worked just fine for me, thankyouverymuch, ), it appears that he was expecting 51.50, which would be 48 + 3.50 for the radiotaxi fee. (My hotel was definitely in the territorio comunale.) I have never been asked to pay this radiotaxi fee. That is totally new to me.

So, some obvious follow-up questions are:
  • How is a radiotaxi different from a regular one?
  • How can I know that I'm in a radiotaxi?
  • How do I avoid getting in radiotaxi, as opposed to a regular one? (I mean, I guess I could just walk to a stand?)

I suppose he just didn't want to haggle over 1.50. So should I ever run into this driver again, I will apologize profusely and not argue over the extra surcharge! Embarrassing, but live and learn ...
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