Rome Airport Train: How to Get From Fiumicino to the City Centre

Rome Fiumicino Airport, the main international airport serving the Italian capital, is connected to the city centre by a high-quality train service.

In this guide, I will explain everything about the Rome airport train and talk you through all the available options.

Rome airport train

If your flight arrives at Rome Fiumicino Airport and you need to reach your accommodation in the city centre, there are several travel options available.

Although many tourists take a taxi, the train is a stress-free and comfortable way to travel between the airport and Rome, and it costs significantly less.

The railway station at Fiumicino Airport is directly connected to the terminal and is just a short walk from the arrivals hall.

There are two different train services you can take between Fiumicino Airport and the heart of Rome, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Let’s take a look at both of these train services:

Option 1: the Leonardo Express

The Leonardo Express is the fastest and most premium Rome airport train, offering a non-stop connection from Rome Fiumicino Airport to Roma Termini, the main railway station of the Italian capital.

There is a Leonardo Express departure from Rome Fiumicino Airport every 15 minutes, and the train takes 32 minutes to reach Roma Termini.

At Roma Termini, you can connect to local public transport, including the metro, to reach any part of Rome you wish to visit.

You can also change at Roma Termini to long-distance and high-speed trains operated by Trenitalia, the Italian national railway company, as well as those run by Italo, a private high-speed operator.

This makes the Leonardo Express the most convenient option if you are arriving at Fiumicino Airport but actually need to travel onwards to destinations elsewhere in Italy, such as Florence or Naples.

There are no reserved seats on the Leonardo Express, so simply store your luggage in the designated luggage racks or overhead racks and take any available seat.

Note: if you are using a Eurail or Interrail Pass for your train travels, you can only use the Leonardo Express if you hold a first-class pass.

Option 2: the regional train

From Rome Fiumicino Airport, you can also take a regional train into the city.

This option is the FL1 regional train line, which departs from Fiumicino Airport every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends and holidays.

The FL1 regional train connects Rome Fiumicino Airport with the stations of Roma Trastevere, Roma Ostiense, Roma Tuscolana, and Roma Tiburtina.

Roma Ostiense provides a convenient connection to the Rome metro network, while Roma Tiburtina offers some connections to long-distance and high-speed trains.

The travel time from Rome Fiumicino Airport to Roma Ostiense is 31 minutes.

Regional trains have no assigned seating, so you can take any available seat you want.

Keep in mind that the FL1 regional train does not stop at Roma Termini, making the Leonardo Express the only truly convenient option if that is where you need to go.

Which Rome airport train is best?

The main advantage of the Leonardo Express is its speed and comfort, offering the quickest way to reach Roma Termini from Rome Fiumicino Airport

The main advantage of the regional train is that it is cheaper than the Leonardo Express and can be quicker if you need to be near the stations it serves or connect to line B of the Rome metro.

However, the regional train also has some drawbacks.

It is often more crowded at rush hour because many commuters use it, and it lacks the dedicated luggage space of the Leonardo Express, making it less convenient if you are travelling with many bags.

Buying tickets

Tickets for both the Leonardo Express and the FL1 regional train from Rome Fiumicino Airport have a fixed price, so it makes no difference whether you buy your ticket weeks in advance or on the spot.

You can buy train tickets at the railway station at Fiumicino Airport, although there are often long queues at the ticket booths and machines.

To save time, it is therefore best to buy your ticket online in advance, which you can do through the reliable booking website Omio.

Use the search tool below to find the best airport train connection on the day you need to travel!

 

Conclusion

There are two train options from Rome Fiumicino Airport to the city centre: the Leonardo Express and the FL1 regional train service.

The Leonardo Express is the premium express, travelling non-stop from the airport to Roma Termini, the city’s main railway station.

The regional train service connects the airport with several secondary stations in Rome, but does not stop at Termini.

Which train is the best option for you will mainly depend on where you actually need to be in Rome, so be sure to check which train provides the fastest connection to your destination.