mnatella

We are leaving Friday for Italy...Yahoo!!
I am trying to decide if I should hire a car to pick us up at the airport in Rome and take us to our hotel in the Spanish Steps area or take a taxi.

Anyone know approx. cost of taxi from airport to Spanish Steps area.

I am being quoted about 40 euro for a car.

Thanks!

NYCFoodSnob

Ever heard of a "search" feature? This question has been answered a million times here, and recently, with more great replies than all the guide books published can offer.

To cure your laziness, I suggest you walk.

Grasshopper

It will vary by traffic and time of day. I think the 40 euro for a car quote is decent. I just paid 37 euro, plus tip for a taxi from near Piazza Navona to the airport at 7 am with very little traffic.

mnatella

Dear NYCFoodSnob:
Get a fricken life.

If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything.

Don't you have nothing else to do with your time instead of firing off nasty emails.

Thank you to everyone else who was able to help me with my first trip to Italy.

nytraveler

That's "Dont' you have anything else" - grammar please. Also, just because someone suggests you do a search why become abusive - we're not your servants or paid employees.

mnatella

I caught the grammer mistake after it was too late.

Why waste your time posting nasty messages. I don't get it. If you don't like the question someone asks then just DON'T TYPE anything.

If you decide to offer valuable information then do it. But be nice about it. This is my first trip to Italy and first time using this site as a resource for planning a trip.

sha

I agree with you 100%. We all have a common interest- travel. It's great fun reliving our experiences and helping others. Let's try to take a high road and eliminate the sarcasm and nastinesss that sometimes invades this wonderful site.

LoisL

I've just returned from Rome, where we also stayed by the Spanish Steps. On the way from the airport, it cost us 40E. On the return, we had a car service that cost us 50E. There were three of us as passengers. I don't know if that made a difference.

NYCFoodSnob

Is someone hyper-sensitive? I think so. My goodness, I posted a smiley face. Doesn't that make it obvious I was yanking your chain? I have a life, sweetie, but you need medication.

Any poster with half a brain would realize I did you a favor by telling you to search. All the really great answers have been posted recently and, chances are, people aren't going to repost all that wonderful information anytime soon. You ingrate!

ThinGorjus

Don't mind NYFOODSNOB, her sister, Violet, won't lend her the Mercedes.

Don't take a cab from Fiumicino to the Piazza di Spagna, take the train to Termini Station, then hail a cab to your hotel. You will save about half that 40 euros. The train is very easy to take. When you pass Customs and proceed to the Arrivals Area, turn left and proceed to the train (there are many signs). You have to buy a ticket. The train will take you to Termini Station. The station is only a few blocks from your hotel. I have stayed in Termini area and have easily walked to the Spanish Steps/Piazza di Spagna. Good luck.

Grasshopper

The train cost 9,50 euro. The taxi will cost you another 9 or 10 euro. If there are two of you, plus a lot of luggage, the 40 euro for the car starts to make more sense.

ThinGorjus

You are right, I was thinking of only one person, Grasshopper. However, 2 tickets at 9.50E=19E plus 10E for the taxi is 29E. (I don't think it will be 10E to go a few blocks, but I may be wrong.) However, you can take a bus from Termini to Piazza di Spagna. My parents have taken this bus and it was a paltry sum.

LeslieC

For a party of two or more, the train to the termini + taxi or bus really doesn't make alot of sense to me, especially with alot of baggage in tow and fatigue after an overseas flight.

If you do decide on a taxi (over a car service)just be sure to go out of the baggage area at FCO to the official taxi stand. There are very agressive men inside the baggage area who will ask if you need a taxi, take your bag and lead you out to the curb to an unofficial taxi at an inflated price. I knew to avoid these and yet my husband went ahead and handed his bag to this man and I had to insist that we were not going with them!

mnatella

Thank you everyone!!!

pudge

mnatella, I appreciated the post. It's always helpful for questions to be asked again for updated information or comments from recent travels. the food snob shouldn't even have opened to post if it was such a problem. And for some reason I picture the food snob as a Red Lobster fanatic and thinks that lame Food TV show "Semi-Homemade cooking" is gourmet. Don't worry mnatella, your question was great. Don't be discouraged by anyone that buy's wine by the box.

dcespedes

NYCFS--I thought your reply quite amusing

ira

> I caught the grammer mistake after it was too late.<

Now, you can work on your spelling.

ThinGorjus

Well, Leslie, you are right if money is no object. However, some people are on budget and saving 11E may be important, especially if you use the train to get to Fiumicino for your return flight (that would be a savings of 22E).

I am one of those people for whom travelling via the train was an adventurous experience.

There are far too many precriptive grammarians on this board, ira.

ThinGorjus

prescriptive grammarians.

Parker

I just returned from Rome and ended up hiring a car from a booth at the airport. It was 50 Euros plus tip with a coupon for a ride back for 31 euro. Our apartment was also at the Spanish Steps and there were three of us. Sounds like others got a better deal. We planned on taking the train but after three flights and no sleep for 24 hours, we changed our minds.

On the way back, we decided to take public transportation as we had learned how to use all modes by then. So we took the metro to Termini and the train to the airport. A little bit more expensive (there were four of us now) but it was our last experience of this kind.

Just be aware that there are places where there are no escalators or elevators (or sometimes they're broken) so if you have excess luggage, it is a lot of hard work to drag your luggage up a long flight of stairs - even with wheels! I wouldn't do it again (too old and too many breakable souvenirs in hand).