Dec 4, 2016, 1:07 pm
Last edit by: JBD
Ground Transportation Options (Including Taxis, Trains, Buses and Shuttles) from 060608 - an Official Rome Tourist site
060608 Aeroporto di Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci - Services and connections
Car Service Options Recommended by Many FTers Over Many Years
Stefano's Rome Cabs Cost €50 for one way transfer. (Price is for up to 3 people with luggage. Additional charges for more people and late night service).
TripAdvisor Reviews
Rome Shuttle Limousine Cost €50 for one way transfer. If booking a roundtrip there is a €5 discount. (Price is for up to 3 people with luggage. Additional charges for more people and late night service).
TripAdvisor Reviews
How To Check for Upcoming Transportation Strikes
Link to official website showing schedule of upcoming transport strikes (in Italian)
Link to site above, translated through google
Link to a search for strikes on website "Wanted in Rome". (This is a well maintained site geared to expats which will post info about upcoming strikes, usually a day or so beforehand).
060608 Aeroporto di Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci - Services and connections
Car Service Options Recommended by Many FTers Over Many Years
Stefano's Rome Cabs Cost €50 for one way transfer. (Price is for up to 3 people with luggage. Additional charges for more people and late night service).
TripAdvisor Reviews
Rome Shuttle Limousine Cost €50 for one way transfer. If booking a roundtrip there is a €5 discount. (Price is for up to 3 people with luggage. Additional charges for more people and late night service).
TripAdvisor Reviews
How To Check for Upcoming Transportation Strikes
Link to official website showing schedule of upcoming transport strikes (in Italian)
Link to site above, translated through google
Link to a search for strikes on website "Wanted in Rome". (This is a well maintained site geared to expats which will post info about upcoming strikes, usually a day or so beforehand).
FCO to Rome transportation options
Apr 6, 2017, 1:08 pm
#196
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17,457
I like the cabs in Rome. The fares are reasonable and at least ime the drivers are honest and professional. I always know the (generally) fastest route when I take metered rides, but only mention it if the driver deviates in a major way. This has only happened occasionally and the driver pointed out a traffic jam once and an event closure another. (Btw, I only speak a fractured simple form of Italian; I comprehend more than I can speak)
BUT... car transfers from the airport makes sense if your party is too big for the typical cab. I've arrived in a party of 6 plus luggage and we booked through RomeCabs (mentioned in the sticky). I don't know where the office is, but the contact phone is a Rome number. The pickup and xfr was flawless and only 65€. Pay the driver in cash at destination. If it had been a no show, we'd have taken a couple of taxis. Would have cost more, but a perfect backup. In fact I think the excellent and reasonable taxi service at FCO constrains the transfer companies from playing too loose with their bookings.
I wouldn't prepay for transfer service ...ever...anywhere.
BUT... car transfers from the airport makes sense if your party is too big for the typical cab. I've arrived in a party of 6 plus luggage and we booked through RomeCabs (mentioned in the sticky). I don't know where the office is, but the contact phone is a Rome number. The pickup and xfr was flawless and only 65€. Pay the driver in cash at destination. If it had been a no show, we'd have taken a couple of taxis. Would have cost more, but a perfect backup. In fact I think the excellent and reasonable taxi service at FCO constrains the transfer companies from playing too loose with their bookings.
I wouldn't prepay for transfer service ...ever...anywhere.
Apr 6, 2017, 3:50 pm
#197
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SFO, VCE
Programs: AA EXP >4 MM, Lifetime Plat
Posts: 2,881
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...alifornia.html
Re: Blacklane Limo service
Nov 10, 2014, 7:20 PM
Mustngosal
Send Message
Since Oct 2007
Bakersfield, California
NEVER USE BLACKLANE LIMO SERVICE! We booked them online to pick us up at Newark airport to go into New York. The driver showed up as planned but was detained by the police as he didn't have a driver's license or registration. While waiting for him in the SUV I tried contacting the company and the phone number was "unallocated" so I sent a text and received an automated response back. We were told by the police that it was unsafe to ride with the driver as they couldn't identify him. We had to unload our bags and get a taxi. Once we returned from vacation 2 weeks later, we received an email saying "payment confirmed." I replied back telling them that we didn't use their transportation since the cops detain the driver and impounded the car.
Apr 10, 2017, 9:54 am
#198
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 29
They are all private owners of a car tied to an agency somewhere. You book with the agency, they call an owner of a car in the area that they have an arrangement with. Whether they show up or don't show up depends on whether the car owner is tired, hungover, too much traffic to waste his time, or another agency offered him or her a better trip.
There are almost no private car services that own cars, or at most, there may be 2-3 brothers who got into the business and have 2-3 cars, and they share the work. The most popular car agency in Rome looks like it is based in Rome, but digging deeper into the website, it's actually two brothers working in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Another very popular Rome car service is based in South Carolina.
Most of the Roman car services are based somewhere in the UK. A couple of them are in the outskirts of the city, and work out of junk yards.
Using various different names, most of them have a lot of different drivers in many different cities. The same website that promises to pick you up in Rome and take you to your hotel, if you dig into it, it is the same car service that will arrange to pick you up at your hotel in Manhattan, and the guy answering the phone is in Kansas.
With very rare exceptions (for example, I know a guy who actually has four limos in Positano, and he built a garage for them on the roof of his house, and he or one of his brothers or friends go out on jobs), you are just dealign with a central dispatcher in an apartment who is as likely to be in Viet Nam as in Rome. You are not hiring a company, just a middle man who will set you up with a driver, and that's it. Most of them are reliable, until they aren't and you get stuck.
You mentioned you used Blacklane car service before. Blacklane is a dude who works out of his apartment in Bakersfield, California. You send him a request for a pickup in Rome. He pulls out his list of drivers he knows in Rome, and sends them an SMS. That's it. There are almost no car services in Italy. Most of the time it seems to work. But you are basically contacting a guy who lives in the USA or in England who has a list of drivers in the city you are going to, and he just emails or SMS's them.
By far, no doubt or hesitation about this, the most reliable way to get from FCO to the city center of Rome is a white, city certified public taxi. They are neat and clean, not like USA taxis. It is a fixed rate of 48 euros, and that's it. If you give the driver a 50 and tell him to keep the 2 euro change, they always show a fit of gratitude because you're not supposed to tip taxis in Italy, so they go nuts when you give them the 2 euros in change.
You never have to worry if your driver is going to show up. You never have to waver if you see a store and want to stop and buy something, get a coffee or a glass of wine, because there is always a line of available, clean taxis. It's 10 times easier than finding your guy with his 6 X 10 card with your name on it, standing in the middle of 200 people, and who went back home to bed or took another call because your flight was late.
If you are really going to the center of Rome, which is off meter and a fixed 48 euro price, he can drive you around all he wants, there is nothing more reliable than a taxi, and you'll find a dozens of them just outside the door, and as a professional they'll know more about the short cuts of getting around the city than the private car driver's nephew who he loaned the car to that day.
They have no incentive to rip you off, because they get 48 euros whether it's a short or an extended ride. The price is on the door, so there is no discussion. This way, you don't have to worry about whether or not the guy in Atlantic City or Bakersfield did his job, or is even going to answer the phone. You will get nowhere trying to talk to the driver.
That said, I agree with Obscure2k said. If you absolutely must have a private car, make your hotel do it. The reason is, if there is a problem, you cannot talk to the taxi driver. All he will say is, "Look, I know nothing. This is what dispatch told me to do." You will strike out if you complain to the driver. If you ask how to get in touch with dispatch, the driver will laugh, because he will have no idea. Dispatch is probably somewhere in London or Saigon.
If your hotel arranges it and it gets screwed up, you can get face-to-face with someone and complain, and say that it's on them, and they need to fix it.
That is the only way to do it, not by choosing the fanciest website. And it doesn't really matter how often someone used a particular website with no problems. It depends on the degree of certainty you need. 9 out of 10 times may not be good enough. I learned that when I left someone shivering in the cold in a plaza in Italy because she was supposed to meet me, but my flight was late and the driver left, but there were a hundred taxis out side.
It's OK if it works 95% of the time, but not when it doesn't work. I've been back and forth enough to be on the 5%. The worst one was when for some reason, the safe in the closet of my hotel room, where I put my passport, money, and valuable stuff, wouldn't open, and the time to my flight was getting closer. Maintenance couldn't get if open. The head of maintenance came in, and was speaking on the phone to the hotel manager who was trying to talk him through how to open it. It didn't work.
No amount of pulling and prying with screw drivers and hammers could get into the safe where I had put my two passports and money. The manager finally came in and had them unscrew the safe from the wall. Then he took me up to the roof of the hotel, and he threw the safe off of the roof, down maybe ten stories, into the alley, where he had made his staff line up.
When the safe hit the ground it blew up, and we went downstairs and his staff had everything waiting for me down to the last euro. The private car driver was, of course, long gone, so the manager put me in his car and drove me screechingly to the airport, and I made it on the flight just as doors were closing.
The next time I tried to use a private car service they were over an hour late in picking me up. I demanded to speak with the boss for some consideration. The driver speed dialed me to his boss, and it was clear from the country and area code and the guy's accent, that I was speaking to someone in London. I asked the driver who it was, and he said he had no idea, it's just, "dispatch." He said he was late because "dispatch" just gave him the call 10 minutes ago.
Taxis and trains in Italy are a world apart from the USA. We tend to think they will be the same horrible experience, but they are not. Taxis and trains in Italy work in an enviable manner compared to the USA. Buses, not so much. I do whatever I can to avoid taking a bus, but in my own opinion, when I arrive to FCO, I don't like to worry about whether or not I can find my driver, or whether or not my driver can find me because my plane arrived 3 hours late (they won't find you, they'll be back in bed).
One time my flight was 6 hours late, and the driver wasn't there. When i could finally get my phone to get an international connection by buying a phone card in a tobacco shop, the dude in London, the biggest car service in all of Rome, told me that it was my fault, the driver had been waiting, and he had just left waiting at the arrivals area because he had to use the urinal, and that's why he wasn't there.
BS on all of that. I like to stop, get a bite to eat, have a glass of prosecco, a coffee, whatever, use the bathroom, even sometimes take a shower, and walk outside to the line with 50 certified white taxis 24/7, all of which have the same sign on the door: Rome city center 48 euros fixed cost. It keeps things simple.
There are almost no private car services that own cars, or at most, there may be 2-3 brothers who got into the business and have 2-3 cars, and they share the work. The most popular car agency in Rome looks like it is based in Rome, but digging deeper into the website, it's actually two brothers working in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Another very popular Rome car service is based in South Carolina.
Most of the Roman car services are based somewhere in the UK. A couple of them are in the outskirts of the city, and work out of junk yards.
Using various different names, most of them have a lot of different drivers in many different cities. The same website that promises to pick you up in Rome and take you to your hotel, if you dig into it, it is the same car service that will arrange to pick you up at your hotel in Manhattan, and the guy answering the phone is in Kansas.
With very rare exceptions (for example, I know a guy who actually has four limos in Positano, and he built a garage for them on the roof of his house, and he or one of his brothers or friends go out on jobs), you are just dealign with a central dispatcher in an apartment who is as likely to be in Viet Nam as in Rome. You are not hiring a company, just a middle man who will set you up with a driver, and that's it. Most of them are reliable, until they aren't and you get stuck.
You mentioned you used Blacklane car service before. Blacklane is a dude who works out of his apartment in Bakersfield, California. You send him a request for a pickup in Rome. He pulls out his list of drivers he knows in Rome, and sends them an SMS. That's it. There are almost no car services in Italy. Most of the time it seems to work. But you are basically contacting a guy who lives in the USA or in England who has a list of drivers in the city you are going to, and he just emails or SMS's them.
By far, no doubt or hesitation about this, the most reliable way to get from FCO to the city center of Rome is a white, city certified public taxi. They are neat and clean, not like USA taxis. It is a fixed rate of 48 euros, and that's it. If you give the driver a 50 and tell him to keep the 2 euro change, they always show a fit of gratitude because you're not supposed to tip taxis in Italy, so they go nuts when you give them the 2 euros in change.
You never have to worry if your driver is going to show up. You never have to waver if you see a store and want to stop and buy something, get a coffee or a glass of wine, because there is always a line of available, clean taxis. It's 10 times easier than finding your guy with his 6 X 10 card with your name on it, standing in the middle of 200 people, and who went back home to bed or took another call because your flight was late.
If you are really going to the center of Rome, which is off meter and a fixed 48 euro price, he can drive you around all he wants, there is nothing more reliable than a taxi, and you'll find a dozens of them just outside the door, and as a professional they'll know more about the short cuts of getting around the city than the private car driver's nephew who he loaned the car to that day.
They have no incentive to rip you off, because they get 48 euros whether it's a short or an extended ride. The price is on the door, so there is no discussion. This way, you don't have to worry about whether or not the guy in Atlantic City or Bakersfield did his job, or is even going to answer the phone. You will get nowhere trying to talk to the driver.
That said, I agree with Obscure2k said. If you absolutely must have a private car, make your hotel do it. The reason is, if there is a problem, you cannot talk to the taxi driver. All he will say is, "Look, I know nothing. This is what dispatch told me to do." You will strike out if you complain to the driver. If you ask how to get in touch with dispatch, the driver will laugh, because he will have no idea. Dispatch is probably somewhere in London or Saigon.
If your hotel arranges it and it gets screwed up, you can get face-to-face with someone and complain, and say that it's on them, and they need to fix it.
That is the only way to do it, not by choosing the fanciest website. And it doesn't really matter how often someone used a particular website with no problems. It depends on the degree of certainty you need. 9 out of 10 times may not be good enough. I learned that when I left someone shivering in the cold in a plaza in Italy because she was supposed to meet me, but my flight was late and the driver left, but there were a hundred taxis out side.
It's OK if it works 95% of the time, but not when it doesn't work. I've been back and forth enough to be on the 5%. The worst one was when for some reason, the safe in the closet of my hotel room, where I put my passport, money, and valuable stuff, wouldn't open, and the time to my flight was getting closer. Maintenance couldn't get if open. The head of maintenance came in, and was speaking on the phone to the hotel manager who was trying to talk him through how to open it. It didn't work.
No amount of pulling and prying with screw drivers and hammers could get into the safe where I had put my two passports and money. The manager finally came in and had them unscrew the safe from the wall. Then he took me up to the roof of the hotel, and he threw the safe off of the roof, down maybe ten stories, into the alley, where he had made his staff line up.
When the safe hit the ground it blew up, and we went downstairs and his staff had everything waiting for me down to the last euro. The private car driver was, of course, long gone, so the manager put me in his car and drove me screechingly to the airport, and I made it on the flight just as doors were closing.
The next time I tried to use a private car service they were over an hour late in picking me up. I demanded to speak with the boss for some consideration. The driver speed dialed me to his boss, and it was clear from the country and area code and the guy's accent, that I was speaking to someone in London. I asked the driver who it was, and he said he had no idea, it's just, "dispatch." He said he was late because "dispatch" just gave him the call 10 minutes ago.
Taxis and trains in Italy are a world apart from the USA. We tend to think they will be the same horrible experience, but they are not. Taxis and trains in Italy work in an enviable manner compared to the USA. Buses, not so much. I do whatever I can to avoid taking a bus, but in my own opinion, when I arrive to FCO, I don't like to worry about whether or not I can find my driver, or whether or not my driver can find me because my plane arrived 3 hours late (they won't find you, they'll be back in bed).
One time my flight was 6 hours late, and the driver wasn't there. When i could finally get my phone to get an international connection by buying a phone card in a tobacco shop, the dude in London, the biggest car service in all of Rome, told me that it was my fault, the driver had been waiting, and he had just left waiting at the arrivals area because he had to use the urinal, and that's why he wasn't there.
BS on all of that. I like to stop, get a bite to eat, have a glass of prosecco, a coffee, whatever, use the bathroom, even sometimes take a shower, and walk outside to the line with 50 certified white taxis 24/7, all of which have the same sign on the door: Rome city center 48 euros fixed cost. It keeps things simple.
Apr 12, 2017, 3:59 pm
#200
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Poland
Posts: 869
Has anyone ever used http://www.alltransfersinrome.com/? If so, are they legit? They are quoting me 84 Euros for Roundtrip (4 passengers) from FCO to my hotel which seems better than the taxis previously mentioned and much better than what the hotel wants to charge. If you have a larger group or extra bags, they have larger vehicles as well.
Apr 20, 2017, 8:26 pm
#201
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 4
New question re: timing to central Rome
Hi everyone, I've been lurking and reading for a long time while planning my trip to Italy with my 19-year-old son.
Key question right now is how long can I expect it to take us to get from FCO to our hotel in central Rome? We land at 8:40 am on a Wednesday from NYC. Thinking of booking an afternoon tour of the Colosseum and Forum to keep us awake that first day, but concerned about what time tour is reasonable. And yes, I want to have a small group tour for this, I'm a historian and would like to hear from people who know their stuff (looking at Context, Walks of Italy, The Roman Guy).
From advice here we will probably catch a taxi from the stand. Not sure yet if we will have checked bags or just carry-on. We are US citizens.
Thanks for your help!
Key question right now is how long can I expect it to take us to get from FCO to our hotel in central Rome? We land at 8:40 am on a Wednesday from NYC. Thinking of booking an afternoon tour of the Colosseum and Forum to keep us awake that first day, but concerned about what time tour is reasonable. And yes, I want to have a small group tour for this, I'm a historian and would like to hear from people who know their stuff (looking at Context, Walks of Italy, The Roman Guy).
From advice here we will probably catch a taxi from the stand. Not sure yet if we will have checked bags or just carry-on. We are US citizens.
Thanks for your help!
Apr 21, 2017, 8:54 am
#202
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 163
Hi everyone, I've been lurking and reading for a long time while planning my trip to Italy with my 19-year-old son.
Key question right now is how long can I expect it to take us to get from FCO to our hotel in central Rome? We land at 8:40 am on a Wednesday from NYC. Thinking of booking an afternoon tour of the Colosseum and Forum to keep us awake that first day, but concerned about what time tour is reasonable. And yes, I want to have a small group tour for this, I'm a historian and would like to hear from people who know their stuff (looking at Context, Walks of Italy, The Roman Guy).
From advice here we will probably catch a taxi from the stand. Not sure yet if we will have checked bags or just carry-on. We are US citizens.
Thanks for your help!
Key question right now is how long can I expect it to take us to get from FCO to our hotel in central Rome? We land at 8:40 am on a Wednesday from NYC. Thinking of booking an afternoon tour of the Colosseum and Forum to keep us awake that first day, but concerned about what time tour is reasonable. And yes, I want to have a small group tour for this, I'm a historian and would like to hear from people who know their stuff (looking at Context, Walks of Italy, The Roman Guy).
From advice here we will probably catch a taxi from the stand. Not sure yet if we will have checked bags or just carry-on. We are US citizens.
Thanks for your help!
I highly recommend Walks of Italy. We took a Vatican and Colosseum tour. I'm sure others are good as well.
Apr 21, 2017, 9:23 am
#203
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St Louis, MO
Programs: AA L.T. PLT
Posts: 3,297
A couple of years ago we did the Walks of Italy as well and did the same tour! (It's an all day tour) I think there were 8 people in our group.
It is called: Rome in a Day: Vatican, Colosseum & Historic Center
The cost was €198.00 total for two people.
It was basically split into 2 parts. The Colosseum tour (where everyone met) and then quite a bit of walking around various locations, a stop for some food and then a taxi ride to the Vatican where we were handed off to another guide for the Vatican portion of the tour.
There is a ton of walking so be prepared for that.
The tour included line cutting for both the Colosseum and the Vatican so that was a plus. Both guides we had were good and very knowledgeable.
It is called: Rome in a Day: Vatican, Colosseum & Historic Center
The cost was €198.00 total for two people.
It was basically split into 2 parts. The Colosseum tour (where everyone met) and then quite a bit of walking around various locations, a stop for some food and then a taxi ride to the Vatican where we were handed off to another guide for the Vatican portion of the tour.
There is a ton of walking so be prepared for that.
The tour included line cutting for both the Colosseum and the Vatican so that was a plus. Both guides we had were good and very knowledgeable.
Apr 21, 2017, 11:14 am
#204
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SFO, VCE
Programs: AA EXP >4 MM, Lifetime Plat
Posts: 2,881
Hi everyone, I've been lurking and reading for a long time while planning my trip to Italy with my 19-year-old son.
Key question right now is how long can I expect it to take us to get from FCO to our hotel in central Rome? We land at 8:40 am on a Wednesday from NYC. Thinking of booking an afternoon tour of the Colosseum and Forum to keep us awake that first day, but concerned about what time tour is reasonable. And yes, I want to have a small group tour for this, I'm a historian and would like to hear from people who know their stuff (looking at Context, Walks of Italy, The Roman Guy).
From advice here we will probably catch a taxi from the stand. Not sure yet if we will have checked bags or just carry-on. We are US citizens.
Thanks for your help!
Key question right now is how long can I expect it to take us to get from FCO to our hotel in central Rome? We land at 8:40 am on a Wednesday from NYC. Thinking of booking an afternoon tour of the Colosseum and Forum to keep us awake that first day, but concerned about what time tour is reasonable. And yes, I want to have a small group tour for this, I'm a historian and would like to hear from people who know their stuff (looking at Context, Walks of Italy, The Roman Guy).
From advice here we will probably catch a taxi from the stand. Not sure yet if we will have checked bags or just carry-on. We are US citizens.
Thanks for your help!
Make an arrangement with your hotel to hold your bags because check in is usually not until around 3PM. I don't know if you can do both the Colosseum and Forum on that one first day. You can try.
If you can do it with just a carry-on, and there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to with proper planning and packing, things will be much simpler and smoother. You should be out of the airport and in a taxi within 30-45 minutes. There's no reason to have to stress about having to find your driver, just walk outside and take a taxi to your hotel. That's usually about 45 minutes. It might take a little over an hour because there may be a little bit of traffic left at that time.
Apr 22, 2017, 5:18 am
#205
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,567
NYC to Rome is a short flight. Between the end of dinner service and the time they turn the cabin lights back on, you only have about 4 hours to sleep, plus there's the jet lag factor. It's good that you feel up to plowing through a tour on that first day.
Make an arrangement with your hotel to hold your bags because check in is usually not until around 3PM. I don't know if you can do both the Colosseum and Forum on that one first day. You can try.
If you can do it with just a carry-on, and there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to with proper planning and packing, things will be much simpler and smoother. You should be out of the airport and in a taxi within 30-45 minutes. There's no reason to have to stress about having to find your driver, just walk outside and take a taxi to your hotel. That's usually about 45 minutes. It might take a little over an hour because there may be a little bit of traffic left at that time.
Make an arrangement with your hotel to hold your bags because check in is usually not until around 3PM. I don't know if you can do both the Colosseum and Forum on that one first day. You can try.
If you can do it with just a carry-on, and there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to with proper planning and packing, things will be much simpler and smoother. You should be out of the airport and in a taxi within 30-45 minutes. There's no reason to have to stress about having to find your driver, just walk outside and take a taxi to your hotel. That's usually about 45 minutes. It might take a little over an hour because there may be a little bit of traffic left at that time.
Apr 22, 2017, 9:41 am
#206
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SFO, VCE
Programs: AA EXP >4 MM, Lifetime Plat
Posts: 2,881
I'd say 20-90 minutes from deplaning till you exit the terminal. Based on at least three flights/month into FCO for the last 4-5 years, my average was less than 30 minutes, but I usually did not have to go through immigration (mostly Schengen flights). My longest wait at FCO (i.e. the ~90 minutes mentioned) was last winter when we arrived at 5:30 am, waiting for the luggage on an AZ flight from Abu Dhabi.
Apr 23, 2017, 8:07 pm
#207
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 4
Thanks everyone for the helpful replies!
We are staying at the Albergo Del Senato which is right next to the Pantheon, so from looking at the map, I would rather spring for a cab directly to the hotel rather than try to walk there from Termini.
For the tour, I ended up booking a 3:00 Walks of Italy tour of the Colosseum and Forum and Palatine Hill. That gives us plenty of time in case the flight is delayed and we can dump our bags at the hotel and get some food before the tour starts. I hope we will be up for the three hour tour (three hour tour . . . ) after the not-so-long flight, as Perche mentioned. But it should help us power through the day so we can go to bed closer to local time. Sadly, the tour that included the underground areas was all booked.
The next afternoon we are doing a Context tour "ARTE VATICANA" which includes St. Peter's, the Vatican museum and of course the Sistine Chapel. I picked both tour companies based on many comments in other threads here on FT. I am so excited, I haven't been to Italy for 27 years, when I was in my early 20s.
We are staying at the Albergo Del Senato which is right next to the Pantheon, so from looking at the map, I would rather spring for a cab directly to the hotel rather than try to walk there from Termini.
For the tour, I ended up booking a 3:00 Walks of Italy tour of the Colosseum and Forum and Palatine Hill. That gives us plenty of time in case the flight is delayed and we can dump our bags at the hotel and get some food before the tour starts. I hope we will be up for the three hour tour (three hour tour . . . ) after the not-so-long flight, as Perche mentioned. But it should help us power through the day so we can go to bed closer to local time. Sadly, the tour that included the underground areas was all booked.
The next afternoon we are doing a Context tour "ARTE VATICANA" which includes St. Peter's, the Vatican museum and of course the Sistine Chapel. I picked both tour companies based on many comments in other threads here on FT. I am so excited, I haven't been to Italy for 27 years, when I was in my early 20s.
Apr 24, 2017, 1:38 am
#208
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: AA
Posts: 8
I made the MISTAKE of staying near FCO the night before my flight. Really stupid idea. None of the airport hotels are very close, they are close as the crow flies, but a long drive, they are not so terribly affordable either and getting transport from Rome via Taxi and to the FCO via taxi were both fraught with difficulties. STAY IN ROMA, live and learn.
Apr 24, 2017, 4:30 am
#209
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,567
I made the MISTAKE of staying near FCO the night before my flight. Really stupid idea. None of the airport hotels are very close, they are close as the crow flies, but a long drive, they are not so terribly affordable either and getting transport from Rome via Taxi and to the FCO via taxi were both fraught with difficulties. STAY IN ROMA, live and learn.
.
As for taxis to/from FCO, I really don't see what difficulties you're talking about. By the way, even if you stay in Rome and live and learn, you'll be facing the same difficulties. It's clearly your choice where you spend the night.
Apr 24, 2017, 9:22 am
#210
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: YOW
Posts: 1,024
Thanks everyone for the helpful replies!
We are staying at the Albergo Del Senato which is right next to the Pantheon, so from looking at the map, I would rather spring for a cab directly to the hotel rather than try to walk there from Termini.
For the tour, I ended up booking a 3:00 Walks of Italy tour of the Colosseum and Forum and Palatine Hill. That gives us plenty of time in case the flight is delayed and we can dump our bags at the hotel and get some food before the tour starts. I hope we will be up for the three hour tour (three hour tour . . . ) after the not-so-long flight, as Perche mentioned. But it should help us power through the day so we can go to bed closer to local time. Sadly, the tour that included the underground areas was all booked.
The next afternoon we are doing a Context tour "ARTE VATICANA" which includes St. Peter's, the Vatican museum and of course the Sistine Chapel. I picked both tour companies based on many comments in other threads here on FT. I am so excited, I haven't been to Italy for 27 years, when I was in my early 20s.
We are staying at the Albergo Del Senato which is right next to the Pantheon, so from looking at the map, I would rather spring for a cab directly to the hotel rather than try to walk there from Termini.
For the tour, I ended up booking a 3:00 Walks of Italy tour of the Colosseum and Forum and Palatine Hill. That gives us plenty of time in case the flight is delayed and we can dump our bags at the hotel and get some food before the tour starts. I hope we will be up for the three hour tour (three hour tour . . . ) after the not-so-long flight, as Perche mentioned. But it should help us power through the day so we can go to bed closer to local time. Sadly, the tour that included the underground areas was all booked.
The next afternoon we are doing a Context tour "ARTE VATICANA" which includes St. Peter's, the Vatican museum and of course the Sistine Chapel. I picked both tour companies based on many comments in other threads here on FT. I am so excited, I haven't been to Italy for 27 years, when I was in my early 20s.
If you are looking for a quick snack on the day you arrive, directly across the piazza from the Del Senato is a small shop called Antica Salumeria – you can get good sandwiches and baked goods there. Also beer/wine and meats and cheeses. There is a room at the back with tables where you can eat.