Distance to Rome Airport from Siena and Rome

[Gritsgal]

We are going to stay in Italy for 3 days post cruise-1 day Rome, 2 days in Tuscany--I know, I know...we are prepared to be frustrated, but a little is better than nothing, right?

 

We are renting a car for the trip to Tuscany, not for Rome. Here's my question. We are trying to decide whether to do Rome as soon as we come off the ship and end our vacation in Tuscany. Or should we head to Tuscany after leaving the ship, end in Rome. What are the travel times from each place (Siena and Rome) to the Rome airport (which I understand is not in Rome?):confused:

 

We have never been to Italy and any suggestions of how to do this last leg of our vacation will be so very welcome!

 

Steph

[tkere]

Where are you flying out of? If Rome, I suggest spending the last night in Rome. You can have the day before and maybe even a morning in Rome. Travel in Italy can be hard. There is traffic, etc. I would not chance getting from Sienna to Rome for a flight (plus bring back the rental Car). The airport is 30 to 40 minutes south of Rome.

 

If you fly into Rome, your cruise ship may offer an excursion in Rome from the airport with a transport to your ship too.

[tom_uk]

if you are flying out of Leonardo da Vinci airport at Fiumicino (which you probably are but you might as well check this) there is a train - the Leonardo Express - from Roma Termini to the airport station. It's not too expensive (about €10) and in theory takes only about 30 minutes.

[GSPLover]

We are going to stay in Italy for 3 days post cruise-1 day Rome, 2 days in Tuscany--I know, I know...we are prepared to be frustrated, but a little is better than nothing, right?

 

We are renting a car for the trip to Tuscany, not for Rome. Here's my question. We are trying to decide whether to do Rome as soon as we come off the ship and end our vacation in Tuscany. Or should we head to Tuscany after leaving the ship, end in Rome. What are the travel times from each place (Siena and Rome) to the Rome airport (which I understand is not in Rome?):confused:

 

We have never been to Italy and any suggestions of how to do this last leg of our vacation will be so very welcome!

 

Steph

I would strongly suggest that you become acquainted with maps.google.com. A few simple, and fast, searches can give you a quick visual of the distances between various places. Clicking on the 'from here' and 'to here' links can give you some pretty decent general driving directions and travel times.

 

For the short duration of time you are going to be spending post-cruise, I would strongly recommend the Italian train system. Inexpensive, fast, and generally very reliable. Going to Florence? Parking can be a problem (and expensive too.) In fact, many places that you go, parking can be a problem. I've lived there and have driven there. I'd take the trains (or local buses.) You'll see just as much, if not more, and enjoy things more.

 

FCO (Fiumicino), by the way, is west of Rome. Spend your last day (sans car) in Rome.

[Gritsgal]

GPSLOVER,

 

Thanks for your insights. How does the parking thing work in Florence? Are the public parking areas well marked and what is "expensive"?

 

We have thought about the train, but we are going to Tuscany for the "farm and agriculture tour"..hehe (we are farmers, and while the art is appreciated, it's the landscape we want and I am not convinced, but could be persuaded, that the train will satisfy our love of the land.)

 

We are staying in Siena, I thought we would spend Day 1 driving around, lunch in Florence (try,try to see David), and drive the rest of the day on backroads (I have a good map). Day 2 we are going to do a bike tour of Chianti (sp??) and then drive in the evening. Head to Rome VERY early next morning (ditch the car), and use the train system to do Rome in a day (gulp).

 

I know it's ambitious, but one never knows if we'll ever get this way again...we'll sleep when we are back in our Maryland farmhouse!

 

Grits

[GSPLover]

GPSLOVER,

 

Thanks for your insights. How does the parking thing work in Florence? Are the public parking areas well marked and what is "expensive"?

 

We have thought about the train, but we are going to Tuscany for the "farm and agriculture tour"..hehe (we are farmers, and while the art is appreciated, it's the landscape we want and I am not convinced, but could be persuaded, that the train will satisfy our love of the land.)

 

We are staying in Siena, I thought we would spend Day 1 driving around, lunch in Florence (try,try to see David), and drive the rest of the day on backroads (I have a good map). Day 2 we are going to do a bike tour of Chianti (sp??) and then drive in the evening. Head to Rome VERY early next morning (ditch the car), and use the train system to do Rome in a day (gulp).

 

I know it's ambitious, but one never knows if we'll ever get this way again...we'll sleep when we are back in our Maryland farmhouse!

 

Grits

First of all, most of the historic district of Florence is pedestrian only. That means those that live or work in that area must park elsewhere (if they have a car.) Therefore parking 'close-in' is hard to find. There are public lots scattered around and you could probably expect to pay 25-30 euro/day.

 

If you go to maps.google.com, find Florence and zoom in 2-3 notches you will see some streets turn gray. Those are pedestrian only streets.

 

Alternate suggestion, take a train to Florence. Pick up the car there and do your driving around. When you are ready to go back to Rome, turn in the car and take the train. Train (Eurostar) to Rome is 1.5 hours. Gives you more time in the Florence area.

 

For more on the Florence area, go to http://www.firenze.net

[Hlitner]

The drive from Siena to FCO (the airport) takes approximately 3 hours. Finding the rental car drop at FCO is somewhat frustrating because its hidden inside one of the parking garages and there are very few signs. If you are taking a late morning flight out of FCO, its not reasonable to drive from Siena the same day (trust me on this since we have driven this route several times). In that situation, we normally drive to the airport the evening before our flight, stay at the Hilton (connected to the terminal by a walkway), have dinner somewhere in nearby Fiumcino, and than drop the car before we go to bed. The next morning we simply grab a luggage cart and than walk over to the terminal. There are several other less expensive airport motels which offer transfers. Given this scenario, you might want to end your trip in Rome and drop your car right away since driving (and parking) in Rome is not a great idea. Than you can take the train out to the airport.

 

I would also agree with the other post that you do not need a car in Florence. But, if you plan to explore the countryside (we love the smaller towns of Tuscany) than the car is a good thing. When we drive to Florence we like to stay at the Hotel David since its a bit outside the center of town, has free parking, but is within walking distance of the tourist center (or you can take a local bus).

 

Hank

[tkere]

Grits you can make a reservation to see the David. You go to a seperate side door and wait no more than 5 minutes. The wait can be hours otherwise. The Accademia is very small, so It does not take long to go through unless you are a real big art buff. I called a reservation number in Florence, but there are companies that do it online for about 10 euros extra each (I think I paide 2 euros extra, but paid when I bought the tickets at the museum, not when I phoned).

[Gritsgal]

Gosh, you guys have really come through, just like I knew you would. I love the idea about picking up the rental car in Florence...maybe Siena, where we are staying, and ditching it before we head to Rome. Is it hard to navigate on the train with a large suitcase and backpack?

 

How about the train from the port to Florence? Has anyone done that before?

If someone has a good user friendly site for the train paths, I would really appreciate it.

 

Also, could someone send me the site for David tickets that take you in the side door?

 

Thanks....hope someday can also be of help!

 

Grits

[GSPLover]

Gosh, you guys have really come through, just like I knew you would. I love the idea about picking up the rental car in Florence...maybe Siena, where we are staying, and ditching it before we head to Rome. Is it hard to navigate on the train with a large suitcase and backpack?

 

How about the train from the port to Florence? Has anyone done that before?

If someone has a good user friendly site for the train paths, I would really appreciate it.

 

Also, could someone send me the site for David tickets that take you in the side door?

 

Thanks....hope someday can also be of help!

 

Grits

For an intro to Italian Trains, check my page at http://www.ftroute.com/FCO_ROM_CIV.cfm . It will answer some of your questions above. (By the way, parts of that document were written prior to our cruise last June - the same one you are on.)

 

For David tickets, check for links at http://www.firenze.net

 

E-mail me offline. I can point you to the train paths.

[Hlitner]

Gosh, you guys have really come through, just like I knew you would. I love the idea about picking up the rental car in Florence...maybe Siena, where we are staying, and ditching it before we head to Rome. Is it hard to navigate on the train with a large suitcase and backpack?

 

How about the train from the port to Florence? Has anyone done that before?

If someone has a good user friendly site for the train paths, I would really appreciate it.

 

Also, could someone send me the site for David tickets that take you in the side door?

 

Thanks....hope someday can also be of help!

 

Grits

 

Taking luggage on a train is always a bit of a problem since you will often have to get the luggage up and down steps in the station, up into the train, adn than there is really no good storage area other than at the end of the cars...which means you really have to keep a close watch in case some gypsies decide they need a new wardrobe. We have posted a lot of info on these boards about gettting to the train in Livorno, but the short story is that you would need a taxi from the pier and the taxis are usually a bit reluctant to take those short hauls. The train ride from Livorno to Florence takes about 1:10.

 

As had been said, if you are planning on spending your time in the cities (i.e. Florence, Siena, Rome) renting a car is a waste of time and money. Parking and driving in those cities is more trouble than its worth. The only time you should think about renting a car is when you want to drive in the countryside or visit smaller towns. Florence, Siena and Rome all have decent train service.

 

Hank

[lovetodream]

Man...Foye, Lisa, Hank, Tom and everyone is SO HELPFUL on this board, aren't they? You all are the best! I am learning so much about cruising and everything that goes with it!

 

Plus it's non-stop travel-speak for those of us who love to travel!

 

Having said that ;) yes grits, folks are right. If you intend on driving to the smaller towns in Tuscany, than a car makes sense. But not so for Florence or Rome and certainly, ditch the car and get back to Rome (Fiumicino) the night before your flight. You don't want to make that drive the morning of your flight because as others have stated, it easily can take 3 hours barring unforseen cirumstances. You don't want to stress yourself out so much the day of your flight!

 

One thing about luggage...as others may have seen in posts, I traveled by train, rail, taxi, ferry, hydrofoil, etc a few times from Rome to Sorrrento, Positano, Amalfi, Praiano, etc, etc. First few times (and last time), I carried this 29" monstrosity of luggage, which I am DEFINITELY ditching for our Mediterranean Cruise in October '08!

 

If the transferring from one mode of transportation to another wasn't enough, lugging something so big on the trains, buses, etc was difficult at best! I'm purchasing a 25"-27" wheeled, duffel-bag kinda thing-y for my upcoming cruise because I think the narrower dimensions will make it easier to pull through aisles on trains, etc, etc. pre and post cruise.

 

Point is, try to pack less if you can live with it, especially if you're going to be traveling by rail in Italy with your luggage! As Hank stated, you will have to lug the luggage up and down stairs, and leave your luggage at the end of the train car near the doors. And if you can put it overhead, something lighter will be much easier to lift.