I am meeting some freinds in Rome in March. I am able to arrive a few days earlier than they are. They leave on a Sun and arrive Monday. I cam leave Thurs and arrive Fri. I was thinking of taking advantage of that. Someone suggested that I fly to Rome take a train and spend the extra days in Florence then head back on Mon to meet mt friends when they arrive. Is this a good plan or should I just fly direct to Florence and then take the train back to Rome, or is there somewhere else I should check out.
Thanks

Are you arrivng from the US? If so, you cannot fly direct to Florence. You will have to connect and change planes, possibly in Rome, Milan, Paris, London, Frankfurt . . .

I have done both and would not mind taking the train versus connecting to another flight. I hate worrying about missing a close plane connection or hanigng arouns waiting for a longer one when I could be on my way to Florence on an hourly train.

DH and I just did the train from Florence to Rome in September. It's not a bad trip. I agree with Elllen that if you need to wait at the airport for a connection you might as well be on the train already. It's a nice way to see a little countryside too.

Hi M,

You jave to check airline schedules and prices.

If you fly into Rome, you take the Leonardo da Vinci express to Roma TE - 0:30 hr.

You then take the train to Florence - 1:30 hr.

See www.trenitalia.com for schedules and tickets.

Have you researched airfares and routing yet? That might dictate your plan. You don't fly nonstop to Florence from the U.S., but that's true of Rome for us, too. For example, from Denver most flights go to Frankfurt before Rome. You can fly Frankfurt to Florence, too. So, I'd look at the airfare and see what is the difference. You might have the same number of stops for either city. Either way, train or plane, sounds like a great plan!
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To answer some questions from the reply postings:

1. yes I am arriving from the USA

2. I have only researched flights from the USA to Rome and was looking at direct flights only from EWR or PHL (before this off shoot travelling suggestion came to mind).

My next question: If I do the train to Florence should I book & get tickets before leaving the USA or is that necessary?

I agree that the train makes sense. A 1-1/2 train ride is more pleasant than a 1-1/2 hour airport layover. Also, if you flew to Florence you would still need to add the time from the airport into town.

As to when you buy your ticket, it's not necessary but you might be able to get a promotional special price ahead of time that might not be available at the last minute. If you do buy ahead, then do so directly from the Italial Rail system. Website below:
http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

This route has virtually hourly trains. If you are concerned about arriving late and missing your train, then wait to buy tickets til you arrive. You will have to take a shuttle train (Leonardo Express, leaves every 30 mins, takes about 30 mins) from the airport to Roma Termni (main train station) and then switch to a train to Florence. You can and should buy BOTH tickets at the airport ticket booth. By then you'll know which train you can catch in Rome. Allow 10-15 minutes to find the Florence train at Termini.

If you reserve ahead at Trenitalia.com, you have the possibility (not always available)of getting a reduced fare. On a ES train, this might save 10-15 euros depending on class, but you will be tied to a specific train and departure time. You will still have to buy the Leonardo Express ticket at the airport.

Hi M,

They don't offer reduced fares on the F/R trip.

Unless you are traveling on a weekend or holiday, you can buy your ticket to Florence when you buy your ticket to Rome at the FCO train station.

They will put you on the next available ES*. Make sure you ask for it.

Thanks for all this info. It is great and really will help me.