Getting to Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO) Early in the Morning

 On many travel sites, this seems to be one of the most frequently asked questions. Many travelers ask the question differently. Most often it’s phrased as, “I have an early morning flight from FCO and would like to know the best Airport Hotel to stay at – Can you make a recommendation?”

 Like many folks who visit Rome often (or live here), I have a similar response: Please do not waste your last night in Italy sitting in an airport hotel fifteen miles from the city! You should be out enjoying Italy and exploring the city at night. Americans, especially first-time travelers to Europe, are convinced they MUST be close to the airport or they will miss their flight. Not true!

 For the record, there are hotels out by the airport. The “safest” hotel to stay at would undoubtedly be the Airport Hilton. It is “attached” to the airport and you can walk or shuttle to the terminal. If you’ve got that 6 AM flight out of Terminal 1, 2, or 3… you can’t stay any closer to this. From the Hilton website:

 “A pedestrian walkway connects the Hilton Rome Airport hotel to all domestic and international terminals at the Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport. Signs to the Hilton Rome Airport hotel are clearly visible. The walk takes about 5 minutes.”

Okay, what they do not tell you is that if you are leaving from the Airport to the US, you have to leave out of Terminal 5 – not the main terminal, which, yes, is a 5 minute walk. To get to Terminal 5, another 1/2 mile from the main terminal you must ride a shuttle. Unfortunately, Hilton has not updated their webpage since the opening of Terminal 5 in May 2008 – or perhaps they just neglected to update it as this new terminal makes their hotel less convenient – Kind of makes you go “Hmmm” doesn’t it? On their website, a 5 minute walk is listed as a €20 taxi ride from their front door to the Terminal front doors. For more info, go to the Rome Airport Hilton. 

 There is also a Marriott Courtyard near the hotel. From the Marriott website:

 “The Courtyard by Marriott Rome Airport is a 4 star hotel located in the town of Fiumicino just 3 kms away from Leonardo da Vinci Airport. It has 187 comfortable rooms equipped with all modern amenities for business as well as for leisure travelers.”

 They do have a shuttle service. It costs €6 a person and you must have reservations. If you do not make reservations, or the shuttle is unavailable, the taxi fare, as the website to go less than 2 MILES is €25 – and don’t forget to add in a “luggage” charge. I had a friend who looked into this hotel, and although they advertise a 240hour schuttle, they could not guarentee a “service” prior to 7 AM – Definitely check if you have an early morning flight. More info at Marriott Courtyard at Rome Airport.

The last American-based hotel by the airport is the Hilton Garden Inn. From their website:

 “The Hilton Garden Inn Rome Airport is located on the Rome Fiumicino Airport platform (Leonardo da Vinci Airport), in front of Cargo City and within immediate reach of all the major attractions of Rome. The Hotel shuttle bus will take our guests to the Airport, from where connections are easy to Rome centre, the Port, beaches, Fiera di Roma, as well as the biggest shopping mall of Italy, Parco Leonardo.”

 Their website does not say you need “reservations” to ride the shuttle, but that you must contact the hotel regarding their shuttle bus service. I’m not sure what that means? But the transportation service reviews on this hotel have been good. For more info, go to Hilton Garden Inn Rome Airport.  again, this airport could not guarentee an pre-7 AM shuttle, but would call a taxi… might as well stay in Rome.

Other than these three US-hotels, I’m not sure I’d trust any other hotel shuttle service. Okay, there are a few – but I’d be very careful booking as they can be very inconsistent. I’ve talked to many folks that have stayed at “airport hotels” near Fiumicino for the convenience and security, counting on the hotel’s advertised shuttle to take them to the airport. And yes, when they checked in, the shuttle was parked right out front. Unfortunately, you have to have someone to drive the shuttle, and herein lies the problem. At 4:30 or 5:00 AM, often there are no drivers available… and then the hotel will call you a taxi that will charge you from €25-30 to get three miles to the airport. And because you have a ton of luggage, they’ll add on a “luggage fee.” Now this is not all hotels, but this IS NOT an urban legend. Having a shuttle and having a shuttle running at 4 AM are two different things!

I speak to the “shuttle problem” from personal experience! Last year we flew to Madrid, a city I lived in 30 years ago! We had rented a car and wanted to drop it off. I found a brand-new Holiday Inn Express who advertised they were 200 meters from the Barajas Airport. With a 6 AM flight, knowledge of the area, a rental car to drop off, “points” for a free stay, and a hotel advertising a free shuttle… why not?

We got to the hotel about dark the night before our flight. The shuttle was parked out front. We asked if we could go drop our car off, would the shuttle pick us up. Sure, they said. Well, the first problem was that the hotel WAS 200 meters from Barajas…. or at least the end of a runway. But it was about four miles to the Terminal area by road. Yet we dropped the car off, the shuttle was right there and we rode back to the hotel… We made our “shuttle reservations for 4:15 AM and headed off to bed. Okay, this will work!

Wrong! The next morning we headed downstairs at 4:00 AM to catch the 24-hour shuttle service. The desk clerk informed us, that yes, this is a hotel providing a 24-hour shuttle, but no there was no one to drive the shuttle at this time of day and I would have to wait for the driver to come in. He was expected around 7 AM. End result… the hotel called a taxi and I paid €28 to ride to the airport.

As a Royal Ambassador Platinum Priority Club Member for Six Continent Hotels, the highest level you can achieve, I angrily fired off a letter to the company about false advertising, seeking compensation for my taxi ride, etc. Apparently, reading the web later I found out this happened often. I received a form letter back telling me this was a franchise location and thus they were not responsible for, nor would they recoup my transportation costs… Not their finest day!

In Rome, when my wife and a friend were coming back to the States, the same thing happened at a different hotel, which also advertised the “free” shuttle and proximity to the airport….

Thus my position is, unless it’s an IRON CLAD shuttle service, and make sure you KNOW it will be available before you book, then you’re better off staying IN THE CITY and taking a private shuttle or taxi to the airport in the early morning. I realize that may make some folks nervous, but in many cases you’re going to pay for the taxi service anyway – Might as well enjoy Rome!

Getting to FCO from Downtown

So how do you get there? If you have a US flagged carrier, you’re probably not leaving till after 10 AM. Plenty of options for those flights – and inexpensive options too! Let’s look at those first. You can go by private shuttle, taxi service, the Leonardo Express, or the FM1 local train. We’re not going to talk about bus service because with luggage, time restraints, that’s just not a viable option for a 10 AM flight…

The private shuttles and taxis are easily arranged. You can book a private shuttle on line, or have your hotel call for you – although there will probably be a “higher fee” if you work through the hotel on a private shuttle service. Two of the most popular in Rome are www.romecabs.com and www.romashuttle.com . I’ve used both and they are very efficient and prices compare favorably (Romashuttle is sometimes €5 cheaper). You can get to the hotel for €35-50 for a party of two using these services.

For taxis, if you are inside the Aurelian Walls, it’s a flat rate of €40 for up to four people. Just make sure of this when you get into the cab. If you’re at a hotel they will call a taxi for you… just tip the doorman as he either directs or helps load the taxi with your luggage. Allow about 30-45 minutes, depending on where you are in town to get by car or taxi to the airport from downtown. In addition, if you are leaving from T5, the US flagged air terminal, give yourself 3 hours. So if I was leaving at 10:30 AM, I would probably shoot for a 06:45 – 07:00 departure from my hotel.

A cheaper alternative if there are just two of you would be the Leonardo Express. These trains leave from the Termini station, currently from Track #25 – a satellite platform about a 10-12 minute walk on the platforms from the main section of the train station. They leave at 22 and 52 minutes past the hour and travel NONSTOP to the FCO. It takes about 31 minutes to go from platform to platform. It’s safe, comfortable, and air-conditioned! The cost is €14 per person and children younger than 12 travel free if accompanied by an adult (price change eff. 4/2010). The first train leaves the Termini Station at 05:52 which gets you to the airport at 6:23 – plenty of time for that 10:00 flight – or even a 9 AM EU flight! Do make sure to Validate your ticket in the yellow boxes before jumping on the train. See more info on our Arrivng at Fuimicino  or the Train Station at FCO postings.

The least expensive “train” mode of transportation to the airport from downtown is the FM1 or regional train. It currently costs €8.00 a person to travel from downtown to the airport (price change eff. 4/2010). It DOES not start from Termini though… the in-city stations you can take using this train are primarily Roma Tiburtina, Roma Tuscolana, Roma Ostiense, Roma Trastevere, or Villa Bonelli. For most folks, it’s either Roma Ostiense, Roma Trastevere as that’s where most folks stay.

Roma Ostiense “shares” the Piramide Metro station (Linea B), so you can ride the metro to the station and then catch this train. Roma Trastevere can be reached by bus or more commonly, the #8 tram. From Ostiense the train takes about 31 minutes to arrive at FCO. From Trastevere, it takes about 28 minutes. All train dead-end at FCO so when it stops finally (the last time) you are there! The first trains from Ostiense and Trastevere depart around 05:15-05:20 AM (see Trenitalia schedules for your date) and arrive at FCO terminal at 05:48. Again, validate your ticket if you are riding the FM1. 

It is important to remind you that all US flagged carriers (and EL AL flights) departing from FCO will require you to depart from the new Terminal 5. Terminal 5 opened in May 2008 and is a direct response to “911 concerns.” Thus, the security at T5 is “tighter” than other parts of FCO airport. For this Terminal I would recommend you be here 3 hours in advance. Once you complete your “check-in” you then get bused over to the Gate G – a satellite terminal behind security. Terminal 5 is a free-standing terminal NOT connected to the Airport or other terminals. It’s about 900 yards from Terminal 3 – so make sure your taxi driver takes to T5 and not Terminal 3, from which US flights formerly departed.

If you are leaving to a connection, say FRA, CDG, or AMS on an NON-US Flagged airline, then you can be here about 2+ hours early as you’ll be leaving from Terminals 3, 2, or 1. Many lines for EU flights do not open until 2 hours before flight time – depends on the size of the airline.

Getting to FCO from Downtown – EARLY!

But many of you are making connections. We often fly out from FCO on the 6 AM flights – because these flights are the cheapest! So how do you get there early enough to check-in? The trains do not start running till 05:15 AM, the metro starts about 05:30 AM, the “day” buses begin their routes at 05:30 AM, and the first Leonardo does not leave until 05:52 AM…

For a 06:00 EU flight, connecting in say Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, or Paris, you need to be at check-in at least 1.5 hours in advance. They will STOP allowing check-in about 30 minutes before the plane is scheduled to depart (depending on the airline as some say 45 minutes – check yours!). The challenge at FCO and other European airports, especially with “connector” flights, is that possibly only two desks are open to check in your flight — and EVERYONE has to go through these two desks. So get there at least 1.5 hours if not 2 hours before you are scheduled to leave. Some counters will not even OPEN until 1.5 hours before the flight… but you still have to be “in line” when the counters do open!

So now, with a 30 minute trip to the airport, you have to leave at 03:45-04:00 to make that check-in time. Based on the option listed above these are really only four ways you can do this….

1- Take the COTRAL bus service from in town. This bus service runs all night from various points in Rome. The challenge is you need to be close to a pick up point because only the “night” buses are running. There’s no metro this time of the morning. The buses take about 50 minutes from Tiburtina station to FCO this time of day. Check out their website, using the English option: http://www.cotralspa.it/ENG/collegamenti_Aeroporti.asp .

2- Stay at FCO. Yes, many people just head out to the airport and crash! I’ve found many folks sleeping there in the C Terminal area at 04:45 AM. This is primarily for you younger folks with only carry-on luggage… but it can be done.

 3- NOW for the rest of us…. the best option may be a taxi. If you are staying in a hotel or B&B, the concierge, manager, or owner can call the day before and schedule a taxi for you. We do it often and have NEVER been left stranded! If you have an international capable cell phone they will even send you a text message when the call is sent to the appropriate cab. You can agree on fixed rates in advance. We pay €45-50 this time of day. Again, this is a common practice and if you’ll get support if necessary from the larger hotels.

 4- Or your last option, book a private shuttle. We also do this – just including it in the price of those 6 AM tickets! The prices are perhaps €5 higher than the taxi service but we’ve used Alfredo’s team at www.romashuttle.com probably 12-15 times and they do a good job. Stefano and the team at www.romecabs.com also do an excellent job! Usually both these folks are waiting on the curb when we come down from our apartment. And on occasion, when we’re running late, they will call us from downstairs!

So those are your options…. Yes, it will cost you about €25 more to stay downtown and then ride a taxi or private shuttle (our two recommendations), but you paid THOUSANDS to fly over here. Why would you want your last night to be in a drab airport hotel? Stay up late, catch the ride to the airport… SLEEP on the flight home – You’re in Roma!

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