We arrive at FCO at 8:45 on a Sunday in November. Can we make a 10:55 ES train from Termini? The next option is 12:55.

Also, if we try for the earlier and miss it, our reservation is not refundable, which is only $20. But will it be difficult to rebook?
Thanks!

If your plane arrives on time you should be able to make it, but barely.

No problem rebooking, altho you pay another seat reservation fee.
You might try flying into Venice or Milan instead.

I expect you will catch the 10:55. But if you miss it your next connection is Rome Termini 11:30, Florence 13:05 to 13:25, Venice Santa Lucia 16:31. Both trains have restaurant cars.

[email protected]

Hi Fitz,

We arrived FCO on Sunday, Sept 14 on a flight scheduled to arrive at 8:40. Our longest wait was for our luggage. Everything else went smoothly.

We arrived at the track at Rome TE in time to see the 11:30 leaving the station.

I suggest that you plan on the 12:55.

Spend your waiting time at the train station having a light lunch and a glass of wine while people watching.

Fitz,

Since you are quoting inflated prices in $, I assume you've been dealing with Eurail.

First of all, ES tickets always include a seat reservation and can be exchanged for FREE, provided there are seats available on the train you intend to take.

Given that you will be travelling on a midmorning or midday Sunday and that train service between Rome and Venice is reasonably frequent, I would not bother booking anything in advance - just purchase your tickets at the airport train station in Rome when you arrive. ES tickets from Rome airport to Venice (including the shuttle train from FCO to Termini) cost EUR 53,73 in 2nd class and EUR 75,94 in 1st. Again, these tickets include a seat reservation on the ES and can be exchanged for free.

Since you would need to catch the 10:07 shuttle train from FCO to Termini in order to make the 10:55 ES, it will be a close call. There is an additional connection between the 2 trains you mention but it requires a change in Bologna. See:
www.trenitalia.com
for full schedule and pricing info. The italian version of the site works far better than the english one.

Flying on a low-cost carrier is actually about the same price as the train, but I couldn't find convenient schedules for you - either you would have a very short layover or need to wait until evening...

Hope this helps,
Andre

Oops - meant RAIL EUROPE, not Eurail

Andre

Thank you very much. As always, excellent information and advice.

Fitz