How To Get From Rome’s Fiumicino Airport To Rome

Nathaniel Mellor
Jun 13, 2023
6 min read

Updated: Jan 10

Getting from Rome's main airport to the city center has never been easier

Affiliate Links Used in This Article:

Private Car/Taxi: GetTransfer

Leonardo Express to Termini: Omio

Bus from FCO to Rome: Omio

We don't represent these companies. By using the links to purchase a trip, stay, or experience, we receive a small commission and deeply appreciate your support.

Rome has two major airports. FCO and CIA. This is about getting to Rome's historic center from FCO. For the CIA article, click here.

View of Fiumicino, the town, from above. — The view of Fiumicino as you land in Rome.

FCO (or Leonardo da Vinci — Fiumicino) Airport is the major airways hub for Rome, and most of Italy. It’s the home of ITA Airways, the successor of Alitalia Airways which went bankrupt in late 2021.

CIA (or Ciampino) Airport is Rome’s second airport. If you visited Rome between 1960 and 2007, then you would have arrived at FCO since CIA was only open to charter and private airplanes. (Unless you arrived to Rome on a private plane. In which case, welcome to my humble budget-traveling article.)

If you are arriving from anywhere outside of Europe, chances are, you will arrive at FCO. When CIA opened back up to normal travelers, it was restructured towards low-cost or budget airlines. This means it’s the hub for airlines like WizzAir, RyanAir, EasyJet, and almost explicitly services European countries.

Now that we’ve cleared up the question of “which airport” let’s talk about getting to Rome’s city center, or centro.

How to Get to Rome's Historic Center from FCO Airport in a Taxi

I’ll be honest, I dislike it when a blog or article recommends using a taxi, just like I’m doing now. It’s the obvious choice, right? Like, I’m on the website trying to find out what other options exist. Okay, enough with the italics.

Why have I included “taxi”? So you know I’m not forgetting this as an option. And because, if we're being honest, it's by far the easiest option.

Taxis from FCO Airport will cost about $60. They should cost exactly €50 from FCO and €31 from CIA if you're going to the historic center of Rome, but in the recent years a number of allegations have been levied against the Roman taxi drivers up-charging on the set rate.

However, potential scandals aside, if you’re traveling with a family, it’s a great choice. Door to door service, plus you get to see some of the city as your drive through.

How to avoid a taxi scam in Rome

If you've decided to take a taxi since you're traveling with a lot of luggage, or maybe because you want to be dropped off at the front door of your hotel, you'll want to avoid a scam.

The first way is to agree on a price before leaving. That way, in case the driver tries to back out, you can feel confident knowing that you're honoring your part of the agreement.

Second, it's a common tactic for taxi drivers to not take card because the card machine is "broken". As you might imagine, this isn't true. All taxis will take card, you might just have to insist. Sometimes it takes you saying, "Well, I guess I can't pay then" for the machine to start working again.

Third, pre-book with a company like GetTransfer or any other taxi company/private car company. This way, you can pay with card ahead of time and know that's one part of your trip you don't have to stress over.

For anyone thinking, “I’ll just get an Uber,” let me be the first to inform you that regular Uber doesn’t exist in Italy. Rome and Milan are two of the only cities that allow Uber, and only Uber Lux, Uber Black, and Uber Van.

Taxi unions are powerful in Italy, and protests are common. These prevent companies like Uber from gaining a strong foothold within Italy.

How to Get from FCO Airport to Rome's Historic Center with the Train

There are two trains from FCO to Rome's Termini, and it's important that you check to make sure you're on the right one.

Chances are, you'll want to go to Termini, Rome's central train station. (Not sure of the difference? Check out our article here looking at the two major stations in Rome.)

However, some of you might be trying to make your way over to Tiburtina, or maybe you're staying around Ostiense. In which case, you'll want a different train.

Leonardo Express from FCO to Roma Termini

Perhaps the second-easiest way to get to Rome’s historic center is the “fast train.”

The Leonardo Express runs directly from the FCO Airport to Roma Termini, Rome’s central train station. It takes roughly 30 minutes and it’s a direct trip. There are dedicated luggage spaces, plenty of seats, and bathrooms on board.

Unlike some of the other train options, the ticket you buy for the Leonardo Express is good for any of their time slots. Miss the 4:12? That’s okay, you can take the 4:32 without having to buy another ticket. So, don't panic!

You can either buy the tickets at the station through the kiosks or ticket desks, or online with a website like Omio or Trenitalia (this is the English-language version).

The Regionale Trenitalia

This is the second train option from Rome's FCO to the center of the city.

This is also where I urge you to pay special attention. Here's a screenshot from Omio's website, looking at trains from FCO to Roma Termini.

A screenshot from Omio comparing two trains.

At first glance, everything looks pretty straightforward. The Regionale is cheaper by €7 and only takes 20 minutes more. Not bad, right?

Well, it also includes a transfer at Roma Ostiense, which is less-than-ideal, so it's important to look at everything before booking.

Likewise, I've often seen people at the kiosk just buy the next ticket available, and this might the ticket to Tiburtina, or to Ostiense, or to Trastevere and not to Termini, which can toss an immediate wrench into plans.

How to Get from FCO Airport to Rome's Historic Center on a Bus

There are TONS of bus options from FCO to Rome. Most of them are around $5-$10 a ticket and take about an hour. There is a dedicated bus are at FCO which can be a little difficult to find—especially if you're jetlagged—so don't be afraid to ask!

Likewise, most of the buses don't have a specific seat number, but instead just guarantee you a seat. So if you're traveling with a partner or family, consider the fact you might not sit together. Lastly, they tend to take about 45mins-1hr, depending on traffic, and it's unlikely there are toilets on board.

If you’re looking for a super budget way of getting into Rome, buses are a great option.

I won’t list all the bus providers, because there are many, but websites like Omio will show you options and have links to where you can buy tickets. Rome2Rio, while not in the business of selling tickets, is another great tool at exploring all the options for arriving at Rome’s Termini.

How to Get from FCO Airport to Rome's Historic Center with a rental car

If you're feeling brave, or if you're simply renting a car for your trip through Italy and want to pick it up at the airport in order to have the most options available, you can always drive into Rome.

While it sounds daunting, it isn't nearly the traumatic experience it sounds like it might be. While some of the signage is a little unclear (just a tiny airplane symbol in the corner of a much larger sign, usually), it's still pretty straightforward. Plus, the drivers around Rome are competent with a car and are aware of how they work, unlike some other places *cough* Naples *cough*.

All you have to do is exit the airport, hop on the A91/E80, and get off at Via Cristofo Colombo.

As for renting a car, it's beneficial if you can drive manual. However, if you can't don't fear! Plenty of cars in Italy are automatic, it just means it might be a nicer/bigger car (like an Audi, rather than a Fiat Panda, for example).

You can use a tool like DiscoverCars to compare different prices and drop-off points to find the best deal.

If you're headed to Rome and are looking for hotels around Termini station that safe and well-reviewed, consider some of our favorite below!