sarge56

Hello Fodor friends!

It's a long story- but I've booked a flight that is scheduled to arrive at Fiumucino at 4:25pm on Saturday, April 30th and then I need to get on a train to Florence, as I've booked an apartment there.

A couple of questions:
1) If I come with carry-on only, what is the likely timeframe from landing until I can get on the Leonardo Express?
2) If I check luggage, then what is that timeframe likely to be?

(I've bought tickets on the 6:50pm Frecciarosa train to Florence from Termini.)

While I'm thinking I can make that, I'm still nervous that if I don't, I'm going to be arriving in Florence well after dark, and trying to find an apartment I've never been to before, in an area I'm not familiar with (Oltrarno). I should have given this more thought, but water under the bridge.

Now, I'm considering trying to save myself some stress and just get a hotel room in Rome for the night and go to Florence on Sunday morning. So, a couple of other questions if I do this:

1) Is there substantially more train traffic between the cities due to the holiday on 5/1? Or should I still be able to pick up a single ticket on Sunday morning?
2) Since the holiday falls on a Sunday this year, I'm wondering (and I will ask, but appreciate input) if my landlord will be less likely to want to "check me in" on a holiday than he would on a Saturday night (charging me an extra €20 already for checking in after 8pm).

I realize I will incur the extra expense of the hotel room and at the same time waste (lose) my one day of apartment rent. But that may be worth the reduction of stress I'm starting to feel.

Since I'm staying for 3 weeks, and working for a week of that, (thus needing to bring work laptop, etc), I'd like to take a bigger bag and check it. But then I think that if I do only carry-on, then I can get through Fiumicino much faster and increase the chances of making my train from Termini at 6:50.

Head spinning.

All input appreciated!

thanks, fellow travelers!

sandralist

You can eliminate the anxiety about finding your apartment in the Oltrarno after dark by taking a taxi to the apartment. The driver will drop you off at the door. You should also be carrying a cell phone so you can call your landlord if you are confused about where you are.

Since I never check bags (and I always travel with a laptop), so I can't really help with estimating when you will be leaving FCO. Presumably your apartment in Florence has a washing machine, and clothes will dry in a day in Florence in May. You can also buy clothes in Florence if you need them.

But rather than lose the price of the tickets you've already bought, one night of your Florence apartment rental and add the cost of a Rome hotel room, why not arrange for a driver to meet you at FCO and drive you to Termini.

Not to add to your anxiety, but retrieving luggage is not the only thing that can hang you up. I've had my plane land on time at airports and then sit on the tarmac waiting for a parking bay at the terminal. And of course, your plane might be delayed at your home airport for hours. Or you could spend the night in Rome and then find yourself stuck on a train with mechanical difficulties halfway to Florence, with your landord pacing, waiting for you to show up.

I would just try to make the train for which you already have tickets, and if you miss it, call the landlord and tell him/her what happened.

traveller1959

I used to work in Rome, so I have some experience.

First question: Fiumicino is like any other international airport. With handbaggage only, you may be out of the airport in 30 minutes after touchdown. With checked baggage, it may take an hour. But, as always, there are the usual imponderabilities:The plane might be late (or early), the plane needs extra time for taxiing and waiting on the tarmac, you are sitting in one of the last rows (which takes time to deplane), your checked baggage arrives early or is the last piece on the belt (or does not show up at all!).

So, be flexible with your train connection. Buy flexible tickets and take the next available train. The last reasonable connection from Fiumicino Airport to Florence is 18:57 to 21:22. You should get this one or an earlier connection.

Arriving in the evening in Florence will not be a problem if you take a taxi from the station to your apartment and the landlord has agreed to welcome you that late (an extra fee for late arrival on a Saturday evening is more than reasonable).

So, I see no need for staying in a hotel in Rome. But if you do, I see no problem with arriving on a Sunday. A holiday is like a normal Sunday.

Holly_uncasdewar

Hi sarge - I would stick with Plan A, since you'll probably be okay with that train even with checked baggage. In the event you miss it, you'll only be out the train fare, and you might get a partial refund toward a new ticket. I've forgotten how that works. At worst, you may be stuck in a hotel in Rome for the night. I would just check availability at a few hotels near termini the day before you leave, and have that info ready in case you need to find a room at the last minute. I wouldn't bother booking a room ahead of time, as you likely won't need it.

floridagal2

If you don't make your initial train to Florence, why not just take a later one, buying your ticket at the train station, and take a cab to your apartment? At least you will wake up with less stress the next day and already be in Florence.

sarge56

Hey, Holly, good to see you!!

Thanks everyone. Sometimes, it really helps to hear what one already knows!

I will stick with my original plan. I do have the phone numbers for the landlord and his agent. I was already planning on taking a cab. And though I've had no issue with Florence cabs in the past, I have had a Rome cab drop me 2 blocks from my apt- though insisting I was at the right place.

Thanks all!

Seamus

Hi, Sarge!
Are your train tickets at all changeable? If you land FCO on time and get through quickly, you can take a Regionale instead of waiting for the Leonardo Express - transfer at Tiburtina instead of Termini - and get to Firenze a bit earlier.

sarge56

Jim, so good to see you here!!! It's been too long! (I've sent you an email!)

And no, my train ticket is non-refundable, but I bought it right after they went on sale, so it was incredibly cheap. €17.

I thought about taking the regional, but with the stops and the walk to the regional train tracks (it's a hike)... I thought it would probably be a wash. But I may take a look at the schedule for trains out of Tiburtina, in case I do get in late. Thanks for the thought!

Hope to hear from you soon!
Paula