Ciampino – Rome- Fiumicino pick up

Hi all,

I know some of you are thinking about staying in Rome for a couple of days before the beginning of the excavation, or flying into Ciampino airport and then transferring to Fiumicino to be picked up from there. I got asked for directions, so here is some info.

If you are flying into Ciampino- there is no direct bus between the two airports. The only way to go directly is to take a taxi, and if there are a number of you sharing then it makes sense to do so. Taking taxis in Rome is however never straightforward, as there are quite a number of illegal taxis out there, and even registered ones are likely to try to charge you more. If you are to take a taxi make sure you do it through the airport taxi stand, like the one you see here.

You will notice that prices for most frequent destinations are clearly written at the front, with all extras included (sometimes they try to charge an extra fee per piece of luggage). Ciampino-Fiumicino transfer is 50 euros. Even when getting a taxi through them it is probably a good idea to get the driver to confirm this fare to you before you set off.

Alternatively, the easiest way from Ciampino is to take a shuttle bus into Rome and then a train to Fiumicino. This is neither expensive nor too complicated. There are a number of companies offering shuttle transport, and even the airline you are flying with might have their own. There is no need to book it in advance, you can do it once you land from one of the stands in the arrivals area. Buses go every 20min or so, and tickets start from 4 euros one way, depending on the time of the day. What is particularly convenient is that the majority of them terminate at the Termini train station in Rome, which is where one catches a train for Fiumicino.

Once at Termini you can buy a train ticket from a ticket counter or one of many ticket machines in the hall (they are easy to use and one can change language to English). Trains go every 30min, and that’s roughly how long it takes to get there too. Tickets are 14 euros one way. The trains usually leave from platform 24, last platform on the right when facing the trains. The train is called Leonardo Express and destination is Fiumicino Aeroporto.

One warning: just having a ticket is not enough, you also have to validate it before you board the train. This is not very obvious, not written anywhere on the ticket as far as I remember, and where one is meant to do this is not clearly signaled either. This is a ticket validating machine, and they are scattered on the side of the platform (can be yellow as well).

Make sure that you validate your ticket- conductors regularly check tickets and if you have an unvalidated ticket you will be fined.

Once at Fiumicino please make your way to Terminal 3 arrivals. This is where all UK flights come. Don’t worry if you find yourself in a different terminal- it’s all really just one building with multiple entrances, not really sure why they call them terminals, and it’s easy to walk between them. Everybody will be picked up from Arrivals of Terminal 3. Once we know everybody’s flight/arrival times we will coordinate pick up. It can be quite hectic in there- one of us will stand by the Meeting Point sign in the arrivals area (large orange column), holding a placard saying ‘Portus’, or if it’s really packed there we’ll be by the green info stand just behind it- see the photo.

Think that’s it. Let me know if you have any further questions!