Train from Fiumicino Rome airport to Florence
 

Has anyone travelled recently from Rome airport to Florence by train. I can only find trains with one change in Rome...although when I google it mentions a direct train twice a day. Doesn't appear to be running anymore but not sure. Also, I see there is more than one train company. If I don't buy the ticket in advance, are all trains sold from the same ticket window or do I have to know in advance which train I want? Can I just show up to the ticket window and buy a ticket for the next train from any company? With all the delays in flying these days, I don't want to buy in advance.
Thanks

https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm

looking at trenitalia it looks like la frecciarossa goes only from Terminal to Firenze (and beyond) and a variety of trains take you from the airport into town

Thanks. Yes I saw that...but I also read terrible reports about the train change in Termini...confusing directions...long distances etc. So I am interested to hear from anyone who has done it recently. I have a connecting flight which was delayed an extra 4 hours. So I have to decide if to do a 6 hour wait at the airport for a flight or venture out on the trains and get another 3 hours or so in Florence (only have a day and a half there but not my first time). Any thoughts much appreciated...

Not recently enough to help, the station is laid out simply but it can be a long walk

What time of year?

There's no way I'd wait around for a connecting flight which could be delayed or cancelled while I'm waiting. And you still have to get from Peretola to the city center.

I also haven't been through Termini recently, but yes it is a long-ish walk between the Leonardo Express track and other tracks, but I wouldn't describe the connecting experience as terrible or confusing.

On main routes like Rome-Florence, we rarely buy tickets in advance unless we want to arrive or depart at a specific time. Coming off a flight (esp. these days), I'd choose flexibility over saving money. You can buy the entire ticket at FCO. Just make sure you board the train to Firenze S.M. Novella and not Firenze Rifredi.

>> If I don't buy the ticket in advance, are all trains sold from the same ticket window or do I have to know in advance which train I want? <<

You may buy all the tickets you need from the same window. But if the queue to buy from a person in the window is long, then prepare to buy from a machine.

Leonardo Express will drop you off at the far right (Track 25?) of Roma Termini. You just look for the track number of your intended train from Roma Termini to Florence. It won't be a long walk.

>> Can I just show up to the ticket window and buy a ticket for the next train from any company? <<

No, the two train companies, TrenItalia and Italo, have different windows and different ticket machines. A window/machine only sells tickets of its own train company's. (Unless you are buying from a travel agency, then he/she may sell both.)

By the way, the ticket for Leonardo Express is not train-specific. It is good for 90 minutes after you validate it with a time stamp in a yellow-colored validation machine.

There 24 tracks at Roma Termini. Track 1 and track 24 are 350 meters away. All tracks are at the same level, side by side in the same area. No lifts, no escalators, just the typical European terminal station. As anyone can easily check on Google Maps.

The airport trains from FCO stop at track 24. 99% of Trains going north use tracks 4-8. Everyone should be able to walk in a straight line for 100 meters, turn right and walk in another straight line for 150 meters more while counting down from 22 to 8. Even Americans.
How many reviews have you red? 100? 1,000? Roma Termini is used by 480,000 passengers any given day: no adult would dream of basing his decisions on reviews.

If you want to see on trenitalia.com/en.html all trains going from Fiumicino Aeroporto to Firenze SM Novella, you must fill all the fields. Including the departure hour. Otherwise the system will switch to the hour on your system.

Trenitalia and Italotreno are 2 competing companies so each company has its own machines and counters. Not surprisingly, both electronic and paper "Departures" boards show all departing trains listed by railway company, departure hour, final destination and intermediate stops. 90% of trains going to Milan, Turin or Venice call at Firenze SM Novella.
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At the airport station you can buy a through ticket from FCO to SM Novella. The minimum transfer time at Roma Termini to have a protected connection is 15 minutes. You can ask for a longer transfer time if you want.
Of course this way you are forced to travel with Trenitalia all the way to Florence, Italotreno has no staff at FCO. But you could install both apps and make two separate purchases while walking to the Airport station or while waiting for your luggage. There is free WiFi at FCO.

Of course you can use the 2 apps also to check the schedules of both companies

Thank you all and especially Falcio for your very detailed reply. It was exactly what I needed...although a bit cynical :). Lucky I am not American! And this adult (female 70 years old) will definitely base my decision on reviews - especially yours which was extremely helpful. Isn't that what Fodors is all about? I love the fact that such detailed information is available to me so easily. Again - thank you all!

I get the train from the airport to Termini fairly often, and transfer from there to another train to get home. My daughter made a transfer there just a few weeks ago.

The Leonardo Express no longer arrives at a distant track. It now generally comes in at track 24 or track 25. It is not a long walk to the other tracks.

There is now one daily direct train to Florence from the airport, leaving the airport at 13:53. Like Jean, I wouldn't buy this ticket in advance, nor would I wait around for it. There are very frequent trains from Termini to Florence, and it's not at all difficult to buy the tickets or make the transfer. What follows assumes you'll make the transfer at Termini.

You should definitely buy your ticket to Florence at the airport train station, where there is less confusion.

I always buy two separate tickets, one to Termini station on the Leonardo Express, and the other from Termini station to Florence. One reason is that, as someone said, the ticket to Termini can be used on later trains than the one you bought, but it cannot be used on earlier trains. If you buy a single ticket, it will give you the shortest possible transfer time, whereas you probably want a reasonably longer time to find your track and maybe buy some water or a snack. Also, if you buy a single ticket from the airport to Florence, it will route you through a different station than Termini. In this case the train from the airport is not the Leonardo Express, but a local commuter train, which makes multiple stops, making the trip a little more difficult. Also, at this other station, you will probably have to use an escalator to reach your track for the train to Florence.

OK, here are the steps to take:

Buy two tickets, first the Leonardo Express. Buy this ticket for the first train leaving. If you miss it, just take the next train.

Buy another (FrecciaRossa) ticket from Termini to Florence S.M. Novella. As Jean says, make sure it goes to Santa Maria (S.M) Novella. (The ticket machine will show you at which station it stops.) For this train, I would leave a comfortable cushion, considering that the Leonardo Express takes about 35 minutes, and you might have to wait half an hour for the next train. I would leave an hour and a half.

The easiest way to buy these tickets is from the machine. You can choose English as the language, and it accepts foreign credit cards. There is a ticket window, if you prefer, but I much prefer the machine.

The ticket for the Leonardo Express must be stamped in a little machine by the tracks before boarding the train. There are signs reminding you to do this.

The FrecciaRossa trains that stop in Florence can leave from any track, but I think they usually leave from around track 7. The final destination of the train on the illuminated schedule board will usually be Milano or Torino, but it will show intermediate stops on a moving subtitle. The train number will be printed on your ticket, so you can check that. The ticket also shows your carriage (carrozza) and seat number. When you board, the doors of the carriage show which rows are closest to that door.

The FrecciaRossa trains stop first at Tiburtina, the other Rome station, and after that the next stop is Florence.

Using the wonderful SBB [swiss rail] app I found several trains a day where you change at Roma Tiburtina, [which may be an easier change than Termini] and a frecciarossa at 13.53 that goes direct from FCO to Firenze arriving at 16.11. My trenitalia app confirms that that is the only train which does not require a change. i strongly suggest downloading the SBB app as well as the Trenitalia app as it often has more information than its Italian equivalent.

One of the major disadvantages of transferrring at Tiburtina is that you have to take a local commuter train from the airport to get there. These trains have no provision for luggage, and you usually have to drag your suitcases up and down steps, because most commuter trains are double deckers. These trains make numerous stops before they get to Tiburtina, and Tiburtina is not the last stop. Other than having to block the aisles with your luggage, you would have to be alert to the station stops to make sure you get off at the right one.

I haven't changed at Tiburtina lately; they've since greatly expanded and refurbished the station. It's a through station, so the tracks are elevated (or underground), meaning you have to use elevators or escalators to get from one track to a other. At Termini all the trains pull into a track head, so you can walk from one track to another on the same level. This may not make a big difference, but I think a transfer at Termini would be easier if you have a lot of luggage.

In any case, all of the trains to Florence stop at both Termini and Tiburtina.

Termini is a much larger station than Tiburtina, with shops, restaurants, banks, and a food court. If you have a long wait, which I usually do, Termini is much more comfortable.

Trenitalia and Italo are slowly moving their high speed services to through stations. In Florence they're building a whole new station for high speed trains. If you consult the schedules for Fiumicino to Florence, they will almost always show a transfer at Tiburtina. This is one of the reasons I recommended buying two separate tickets from the ticket machine.

The other reason is that buying the tickets in a single transaction often gives you an uncomfortably short connection time. If you miss a Leonardo Express train, you can use the ticket on a later train, but if you miss the Frecciarossa train to Florence, you have to get a new ticket, because these trains have reserved seats.

I think the best app for train travel in Italy is thetrainline.com It covers both Trenitalia and Italo trains. They are agents for both companies, not bulk resellers.

Train from airy to termini
 

You will catch the airport shuttle from Rome airport to Rome termini and you then go directly to Firenze, I prefer Italia train company as it is only a few platforms to run 2. Find your carriage first then your seat number , the luggage is usually at the end of each carriage , if you can find space of it or overhead if not 2 heavy. I have been going to Italy for a long time so have a system . One of us stands at the top of the stairs on the train and the other hands up the cases. Don’t take the world as u have to lug it and it’s hard work . Less is best , believe me 🌻

Italo trains from Rome termini
 

The last time I was Rome termini ( and have going for years before Covid) Italotreno does have a sales window as I always buy my ticket from them as if you ask you get a discount for seniors

Trenitalia also has a discount for seniors, even more than 10%, depending on the train. I believe you have to be enrolled in their loyalty program to get it, and I think only Italian residents can enroll.

The senior discount, like their other discounts, can sell out, and aren't sold on the day of the trip.

No point going to Termini in this situation. Take the regional FL1 to Tiburtina. Save yourself €6. Catch the same Italo or TrenItalia train to Florence.

If you have a smartphone with data you can also just buy your ticket with the app.

I can't remember if Tiburtina has a bank but it has all the rest. Even has a grand piano if somebody wanted to play. Tiburtina being smaller means it's less hectic. I'd say much easier for anybody not sure about the whole process.

As I said, I haven't been in Tiburtina for a while, maybe 10 years. However, there's still the issue of the F1 commuter train. I take this train if I'm staying in Trastevere, but I wouldn't call it an easy choice, especially for someone with luggage. The trains are almost all double deckers, which means you either go down some steps to the lower level or up to the upper level. This can be problematic with luggage, depending on how much you have. The storage space is totally inadequate, so the aisles are often blocked with suitcases.

You also have to keep track of the stops. Tiburtina is the 10th stop after leaving the airport. The stop just ahead of Tiburtina is Tuscolana.

I've always found Termini to be busy, but very straightforward in getting thru the termina and to your platform.

You can watch the "big board" for your train info and see most of the tracks from one spot.