Car Service Naples to FCO?

[mevs904]

I am trying to help my cousin who is completing a southern Italy tour on October 18 and needs to travel from Naples to FCO. Her flight to JFK leaves at 12:20 pm and she is not comfortable with the tight time table that would come with taking an early morning train. At this point she is thinking about a car service or taxi from her Naples hotel to FCO. Is this the best option for her? Does anyone have experience with a Naples/FCO private transfer?

[euro cruiser]

It's certainly possible but it would be an expensive option (in the 300 - 400 euro range).

 

If the tour is in Naples overnight the night before could she not leave the tour early and get a hotel room in Rome for the last night? I guess that's the economic evaluation, if it would cost as much, or nearly so, to spend that last night in Rome vs. the car service, why give up the last night of the tour.

[mevs904]

Thanks, euro cruiser. At this point I don’t think that she’s ready to give up the last night. It’s a farewell dinner and kind of a culmination for the group (Rick Steves tour). I just checked and saw that there was an early Alitalia flight that would be a little less expensive than your estimated cost of a private transfer. I also looked into Rome Cabs but am not sure if they can initiate a transfer from Naples.

[euro cruiser]

There are lots of professional car services based in Naples, because of the time of day a car service from Rome won't work for two reasons. First, they'd need to leave Rome in the middle of the night, and second the driver isn't allowed to drive that many hours without a break, so they'd have to leave Rome even earlier to fit in the break.

 

A car service from Naples will need to leave no later than about 6 AM to safely make it to FCO three hours prior to flight time.

 

A flight transfer will also need a significant amount of pad time because you won't be able to link it to the transatlantic flight. She'll need time to claim her luggage at FCO and re-check her luggage for the JFK flight then go through security and passport control. Pretty much the only flight that would work is the 6:20 AM from Naples, arriving to FCO at 7:10 AM. That leaves her with a lot of time to kill at FCO but also no fallback if the flight is cancelled for some reason. There would be time, however, to arrange a last minute car service or just jump in a taxi if the flight is cancelled.

[Twickenham]

Her flight to JFK leaves at 12:20 pm and she is not comfortable with the tight time table that would come with taking an early morning train.

 

Well, the earliest high-speed train that day leaves at 5:10 am, getting her at FCO at 7:07, over 5 hours before her flight, so I would be quite comfortable with that. Heck, I'd probably even go with the 6:10 train, as there are at least 4 other high-speed train options after that which would get her to FCO with at least 3 hours to spare. I would definitely be favouring the train over any road option, as this is a week day and you would potentially be hitting rush-hour traffic.

[euro cruiser]

If, after looking at her options, she is willing to reconsider the train she does have several choices.

 

The earliest arrival to FCO would be 7:07 AM (departs Naples at 5:10 AM).

 

After that there are departures at 6:10 (arrives 8:07), 6:40 (arrives 8:37), 7:00 (arrives 8:52), 7:08 (arrives 9:07) and 7:30 (arrives 9:22).

 

So you can see that she would have a lot of options and can go as early as will allow her to feel "safe".

 

There is no way a car service can get her there as quickly, given the speed at which the train travels.

[mevs904]

Thanks, everyone. I will get back to her with this information. I believe that part of her reluctance to take the train is because her husband has a slight mobility issue and she’s worried about the transfers. I’ve only. Been to Termini once, but I believe that the distance to get to the FCO was cypress is not long. I tend to agree with those of you who are recommending the train.

[euro cruiser]

Yes, the Leonardo Express uses tracks 23 & 24 at Termini, which are part of the main trackhead. It won't be much of a walk at all from the Naples Frecce train to the Leonardo Express. Of course, there's also a walk from the airport train station to the terminal (including needing two elevators to get under the roadway and back up again), so I can understand why she might add all that up and opt for the easier, albeit longer and more expensive, option of a car service from door to door.

 

The top rated car services on TA for Naples are here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187785-Activities-c59-t182-Naples_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

 

She can easily e-mail a few and get quotes.

 

(I frequently travel with one or more disabled family members and I've learned from hard experience that sometimes the transportation choice has to be driven by their needs, not necessarily what makes the most sense to me or what I would do if I didn't have them with me.)

[mevs904]

Thanks again, euro cruiser. Excellent advice. You are great!

[mevs904]

Just to bring this thread to closure...my cousin has decided to go with the early train option. Her earlier reluctance was partially due to the fact that Alitalia was not allowing them to choose their seats before the day of the flight. They followed up with Alitalia and explained her husband’s physical issue (partial foot amputation) and they now have an aisle seat for him. As a result she’s not as concerned about getting to the airport as early as possible. She appreciated all of the information that I conveyed from the above posters. Thanks again everyone!