Travel Itinerary - Italy
 

Does this sound doable OR should I allow more time for connections?? <BR><BR>AR Rome Fiumicino Airport 0845<BR>DE 0937 train to Roma Termini<BR>DE 1055 ES Train to Venice (next train is at 1255)<BR><BR>I would like to purchase the ES train ticket with a reservation now, but want to make sure I can make the 1055 train to Venice. This is a weekday.<BR>Thank You!<BR><BR>-Mike<BR><BR>

It takes about a half hour from the airport to Termini. If your plane lands on time and your luggage is one of the first off the plane, it can be done. That's up to your own comfort level. Personally, I hate being stressed and give myself the extra time.

I'd say that's playing it very tight. You've left yourself less than an hour to catch the train to Rome, allowing no leeway for late arrival, slow baggage retrieval and/or long lines at customs. I'm not sure how long the train takes, but you don't seem to have much leeway for that connection either.

I think you are cutting it close. I assume you are arriving from the US. About 5 flights arrive from the US at that same time every morning. You can sometimes wait up to a half hour for your luggage. There may also be long lines at immigration. I would allow at least an hour from touchdown to getting to the train station at the airport. If you have never been to the Rome Airport or the Rome main train station before, allow more time to locate the right tracks, etc. I have not tried to take the train from the airport, so others may have a real life experience. You could take a taxi, but with traffic, that is also cutting it close to get to downtown Rome (where the main train station is located).

All - Thanks for the generous advice. I will take the 1255 train and relax! That gives me ~4 hrs to catch the train to Venice. This is best, espicially being my first time.<BR><BR>-Mike

You can buy your train tickets at the ticket counter that sells the train tickets from the airport to the Termini. It saved us lots of time.

Just a comment on the train connection at Termini: <BR><BR>The train from the airport arrives at the end of a very long platform at one side of Termini. It's quite a walk to the beginning of the platform, and then you walk to the platform for Venice. Depending on the car your seats are in on the train to Venice, you might have to walk down this second platform a fair distance. Factor in the crowds of people on both platforms, and this supposedly simple connection can take a lot of time. <BR><BR>Also, if you happen to &quot;just miss&quot; an airport to Termini train, you'll have to wait up to 20 minutes for the next train.

Wise decision, Mike!<BR>Now, when you arrive in Italy you can spend the next few hours anticipating that magnificent first view of the Grand Canal when you emerge from the Venice train station!

Aldso, remeber that if you can't make it on time you do not lose the ticket, you only loose the booking. This means that with the same ticket you can go back to the booking window and ask to book another seat on one of the following train or travel on an Intercity train with no booking required (in this case you might have to stand if all the seats are booked, but you still get to Venice).