Am scheduled to arrive in Rome at 7:50pm...is it foolish to attempt getting through customs and making it to the station to catch what I think is the last Eurostar to Florence at 9:30pm? It sounds a bit ambitious, but am arriving in Rome later than planned..have no reservations there, but do in Florence...any ideas? Thanks, <BR>Mike

If all went well, that would be enough time for you to make it to the train station. Take only carry on if one is able to do that now. You could take an airport shuttle or limo to the Termini, if they <BR>run at that time. That might cut down on travel time to the Termini. You could go to Tiburtina instead and then on to Florence, but that will get you there at 1:35 in the morning(because I see this is an inter city train) and you could get a taxi to your hotel. Have you ever been to Roma Termini before? I have and now that I am familiar with the setup, I would say "go for it". If you would miss the connection once at the Termini, maybe someone can tell you if it difficult to get to the other station. You would have an hour to catch the intercity at Tiburtina. Good luck!

Dear Sherry, <BR>Thank you very much for the thoughtful reply.I don't think we will be able to avoid having checked baggage...would that change your thoughts on this? <BR>Thanks again, <BR>Mike

Hi Mike <BR> <BR>I think there is very little chance of you catching your train but you don't have much of a choice but to try. <BR> <BR>If you see timing is possible you may want to get a taxi (yellow or white and licensed)to termini station (about 45 mins). <BR> <BR>Otherwise you can get a night train from the Roma Tiburtina station. <BR> <BR>If the worst comes to the worst the tourist information bureau in the termini station is open until 10.00 p.m. so you can get a hotel nearby and take the Florence train in the morning.

Your plane may arrive late (ours did). If its on time: Minimum of 30 minutes to deplane and retrieve your lugggage=8:20. 20-30 minutes to get to and board your transportation to Termini=8:40. 30 minutes travel time to Termini=9:10. 15 minutes to find and board your train=9:25. Your train leaves at 9:30(They usually leave on time.) Very tight!(Maybe you can shave some minutes off of this.) This would make me very nervous. I would expect that something would go wrong and make me late. Next train is 5:20 AM. <BR>One thought is that there may be a later IC train/trains that are not listed on the Rail Europe schedules. You could find out from someone in Rome. You could call a Rome travel agent and ask them. They have all updated travel information via their computer. <BR> <BR>Good Luck

Once again...the generosity of the people on this site continues to amaze me...thanks to all for your input...it looks problematic at best for catching that last train...will probably find a spot for the night and continue on to Florence the next day.... <BR>Thanks again, <BR>Mike

Mike. I did not have checked luggage, so I have no idea how long that would take. The day I was there we arrived at 7:00am. Customs was a breeze that day and we went directly to the ticket window in the airport to purchase our tickets for the train to the Termini and to Florence. Your schedule is pretty tight, and with checked luggage it only deducts from your total time. I know there are threads that will give you reliable hotels near the airport to stay the first night. Then on to Florence in the morning. This Eurostar train is very nice. The trip is short and we used second class and it was more than adequate. You could take an early train, and still have the whole day to enjoy Florence. Because getting there as late as you would, you wouldn't be able to see anything anyway. Have a wonderful trip.

Sherry, <BR> <BR>Do you remember where the ticket window in the airport was? I have heard it is better to buy your ticket to Termini there as opposed to the office in the train station at the airport. <BR> <BR>Do you think with an arrival at 13:00 it will be feasible to catch a 14:45 train from Termini (if flight on time and checked luggage)? <BR> <BR>Thank you for your help.

Hi Nancy. The ticket window for the trains at the airport is right next to the area where you board the trains. You just have to follow the signs to the trains from baggage. I printed up a schedule from Trenitalia. and had it in hand when I went up to the window to show it to the teller. She sold me the ticket to the Termini and the ticket to Florence at the same time. The trains are to the left of the ticket window. A little way over. Really, you cannot miss them. She was very, very helpful. Two people, second class to the TErmini and Eurostar to Florence was about L140,000. When you get off the train at the Termini, you must check the boards in the track area to see which track the Florence train leaves from. You know the times, because you have the printed out schedule from home. I was a little confused and showed the ticket to a conductor and he pointed out which car after I found the correct track . Remember after an all night flight and strange surrounding...well it is a little confusing but not impossible. I had no checked luggage. It took about 20 min to get to the train area to board the train to the Termini, It takes 30-35 min to get to Rome. You can also get the information about the times the train leaves FCO. They are very frequent. We did not make the first train the teller said we could probably make at Termini because we went the wrong way when we got off the FCO train. WE took the next she wrote down. Buy some water before you get on. Unless you have a very late flight like MIke, you will have plenty of choice, Someone on the Forum gave me this advice last year and it worked like a charm. Good luck. You will surprise yourself, it is easy. Do not forget to stamp the Termini ticket at FCO and the Florence ticket at the track.