Rome Airport Mini Guide
People love Rome and probably it signifies romance more than the other great city, Paris does. There’s a timeless feel about it, giving it the soubriquet of the ‘eternal city’ and despite being Italy’s modern capital, it retains much of its historic and architectural glow. Who could resist going there for the great food too, pasta, pizza and the delicious Italian desserts, not to mention gelato!! When the sun goes down, find a spot by one of the ancient buildings and let the sun’s warm glow on the marble walls together with a glass of Peroni, ease away the cares of life!
How do I get to the Roman Idyll?
Italy’s largest airport, Leonardo Da Vinci – Fiumicino Airport, brought over 36 million people to the city of Rome last year. It’s 22 miles from the airport to the historic heart of the city with car, bus, taxi or train being transport options you can consider. Flights arrive at Fiumicino from all over the world including several daily flights from the
UK with a range of carriers including low cost airline easyJet.
What is the airport like?
Very big and very busy sums it up. There are four terminals, demarcated as Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 5 from which satellites and piers stretch out to take the jet bridges from the airport. There is no nominated Terminal 4 at Rome Fiumicino Airport.
What to expect when arriving at Rome Fiumicino Airport?
It’s a well organised airport – it needs to be as the sixth busiest in Europe, and disembarkation is managed via air bridges at the end of the piers radiating from the terminal wings. Most passengers will then move through passport control and into the baggage reclaim area which is found on the lower level.
The airport has pretty much everything you’d need on arrival including first aid facilities and a chapel for prayers. The arrivals hall has an information desk if you’d like more information on these and other airport matters. There are branches of banks and bureaux de change at the airport as well as plenty of cash machines. You’ll need to get a shuttle to Fiumicino station for trips into Rome but the station is only minutes away from the arrivals hall. Car hire is available in the Office Tower reachable by the pedestrian tunnels that run to the car parks. There, you’ll be able to give the final few details and head off into the city.
Rome Fiumicino Airport departures
There are over a hundred shops and nearly sixty restaurants to entertain you at Fiumicino. The shops are too numerous to mention but it is safe to say that you’ll find every fashion label there together with gifts, jewellery, books, travel goods, electricals and more. The Italians love their food and they’d be disappointed to find the standard dropping at the airport. Have no fear though, for the wealth of restaurants serve anything from gastronomic fare to pizza to toasted ciabatta and more. They’ve even laid on free Wi-Fi for you so whilst you munch your lunch, you can surf the web.
Rome Fiumicino Airport is massive, one of the biggest in Europe, and handles tens of millions of passengers a year. With this many people flooding through its doors it makes sense to pre-book your hire car before arriving at the airport.
Once on your way it’s not far to central Rome with all it has to offer in ancient history, great fashion, shopping and fabulous food. You’d need maybe a year to see everything properly but must see sights for a first visit include the Colosseum, the Forum and of course the Vatican City.
Like all
car rentals in Italy, collecting a hire car from Rome Fiumicino Airport is a great option for those seeking independent travel.