Leonardo Express

We did not validate our train tickets when traveling to the airport because we didn’t know we had to – it isn’t indicated anywhere. Not at the kiosks where we bought our tickets, not on the platform, not on the web page, not by the person who looked at our tickets before letting us on to the platform. Nowhere. We were almost to the airport when the conductor looked at our tickets and informed us that we were being fined for $ 50 each for not having a stamp. We watched him collect $ 50 from 6 other tourists in our car who also had no about the validation. So – the train should call it what it is – a tourist tax. It seems the train intentionally ensures tourists won’t know the system so they can be a source for profit. How does Rome allow this corruption and scam? We spent 11 lovely days in Rome and felt very safe. The only criminals we encountered were this train company. Shameful.

Simply the best and easiest way to get from Charles de Gaule/​FCO to Rome!
This is a 30 minute express train from the airport to Termini station in Rome from which you can easily catch a train, taxi or walk to hotels, etc. The train is clean and comfortable and you just take the first seats you like and place your baggage on racks above for the short ride. Any bus or car transport will take up to 3 times as long.
Do note that the tickets are time stamped for your train time. Rather than miss your departure time due to a late plane or waiting on luggage, do not buy your ticket in advance. Once you have all of your stuff at FCO follow the signs to the Leonardo Express. Once you reach the train departure area you can buy your ticket from the clearly marked ticket booth or from the gift shop right beside it. The pricing seemed to be the same. After buying your ticket, you can board the train by scanning your ticket at the kiosk/​scanner at the entrance to the platform.
TIP: If you know when you are leaving to return to FCO for the trip home, you may want to go ahead and buy your ticket for the return in the main Termini station lobby. If you decide to wait then at a minimum check the ticket booth operating hours as they are not open for the first morning trains running to the airport. We bought our tickets the night before and were ready to use them on the first train the next morning which was good because everything was closed at Termini except the early trains that were running. You do not want to get stuck without a ticket and miss your train — if this does happen anyway, just catch a taxi from the station but be sure to ask for one that takes credit cards and the fee unless you have enough cash to cover the fee.

Fraichement arrivés à l’aéroport de Rome, nous cherchons un moyen pour rejoindre Rome. Dans l’aéroport, il va falloir être très attentif pour trouver où est ce train. Une fois arrivés aux quais, et comme nous n’étions pas sûrs de prendre le bon train (il y a plusieurs voies et rien n’est indiqué pour savoir sur laquelle il faut attendre le Leonardo express), nous essayons de parler en anglais avec une personne à un guichet. Peine perdue: elle né nous a répondu qu’en italien et n’a pas daigné faire un petit effort pour se faire comprendre d’étrangers (quelle idée aussi, des étrangers dans la gare d’un aéroport !).
Finalement nous sommes montés dans le bon train (un «contrôleur» sur le quai a bien voulu se faire comprendre). Le train est assez confortable et était rempli ce jour-​là (début mai) moins que la moitié.
Pour 14 euros par personne, vous n’aurez droit à AUCUN service :
— pas de place pour les bagages, hormis sur les emplacements au-​dessus de vos têtes, donc pas pour les bagages lourds
— pas de toilettes
— pas de WIFI (je cherchais désespérément à comprendre le prix.!)
— et surtout IL N’EST PAS RAPIDE: il n’est express que de nom, parce qu’il né marque aucun arrêt, mais il circule assez lentement.
Au retour, nous avons pris l’autre train, celui qui n’est pas express et qui marque donc plusieurs arrêts: notre trajet n’a duré que 10 – 15 minutes de plus, et le billet n’était que de 8 euros par personne.
Plus jamais nous nous reverrons cher, très cher, Leonardo express.

We traveled June 2015.
Using this train was very easy. We did some research and we used the website
for help. This guy is very detailed on how to use this train. So here was our experience with this train.
Every thing we experienced was exactly as written and explained in the website
.
Everyone is worried about validating their ticket to avoid penalties. There was a train attendant/​worker who stood at the validation machine and took each and every persons ticket, validated it in the machine, and returned the tickets to the passengers. I assume this was done to make sure everyone was validated and to make sure the lines did not get backed up. This ensures that you will not get fined.
The train can get packed. You might have to stand the entire duration of the trip. Some people were sitting on the steps and ground of the train.
You have 90 minutes from validation to use the train. If you just miss the train, you can get on the next one in 30 minutes.
There are monitors on the train telling you what stop you are at. So you will know where you are at every point.
You can keep your luggage with you or you can stow it in the overhead compartments. They are very small so many people kept their luggage next to them and their seats.
The tickets still cost $ 14 Euros per person.
There are restrooms in the train station and they are free. Just follow the signs.
No restrooms on this train.

Very much agree with the other review suggesting you take the 8 euro train to Tiburtina rather than this service unless you are staying within walking distance of Termini or your hotel is on the A line. If your hotel is on the B line or you will have to take a cab anyway take the other train (F1?) to Tiburtina and save six euros.

Convenient, inexpensive ($ 14 € each way), direct and comfortable… it is an excellent option to get from Rome’s main airport to the heart of downtown (Termini Station).
I was a bit hesitant to use this mode of transportation as we were unfamiliar with it’s location (at the airport) and neither of us speak Italian, but finding it was a breeze (it was well marked) and it was fairly straight forward to use. We purchased our ticket at the automated attendant and boarded the train almost immediately. Trip to Termini station is approx. 30 minutes.
On our return trip from Rome, we had to go to an actual attendant as the automated teller rejected my PIN. There was no line up and the transaction went quite smoothly, but be forewarned that the attendants are cash only. We got our ticket and boarded a train and were on our way shortly thereafter.
Once en route, a «conductor» came by to verify our ticket (much like they do on the GO trains here)…and we had not validated it (once you purchase your ticket you are required to validate it by inserting it into a machine that date/​time stamps it). The fine for not validating your ticket is $ 100 € per person or $ 50 € if you pay the conductor cash. Our conductor did not make an issue of it and just punched our tickets… but signs were clearly visible on the train advising of this fact… strange that none were on the platforms prior to boarding it as we had not validated them on the way into Rome either. Once purchased, the ticket expires in 90 minutes, so I don’t know what the issue would be… as everyone on it was going to the airport.
At Termini, the station is massive and getting to the train is quite the walk from the Metro (subway)…so if you’re dragging luggage behind you, it is quite the hike.
Also, the train we were on had no place to store your luggage… so people left them at the doors or in aisles… which caused many to roll randomly throughout the train while we were in transit
For ease of use and convenience, I would use this again when if flying into Rome.

A good service to have, but there are better options. Read on and you may be able to save some time, money and stress…
The Leonardo Express is a nice service from the airport to the city, in that it runs every 30 minutes, and takes you to Rome’s main train station quickly. At the airport, the station is in an easy-​to-​find location. The problem isn’t at the airport, however, it is once you get to Rome.
Buying Your Ticket:
There are fantastic automated ticket machines at the station, and they are multi-​lingual. The problem with these machines is that they will not accept most credit cards that don’t have a microchip in them. All European credit cards have this, but as of this writing, most American cards do not. If this happens to you, you will need to go to the «live person» ticket booth, where they WILL be able to take credit cards without a microchip.
Roma Termini Station:
The Leonardo Express arrives at one of the least convenient tracks at the station. It is quite a long walk from virtually everything, as its rail head is not where the other trains are. This may cause some confusion if you are not familiar with the station, so beware. Furthermore, if you are connecting to a train to go elsewhere, you will have quite a walk to get to your other train.
Chaos:
When you arrive at the airport in Rome, you will most likely feel that it is one of the more chaotic airports you have experienced. That is NOTHING compared to the Termini train station. Again, if you have never been, it can be quite overwhelming.
A Better Option:
OK, I promised a better way to get to the city. Rome has many train stations. There is one in particular called «Roma Tiburtina». It is also downtown, very close to Termini. Recently, they have been doing a major upgrade on this station, and it is significantly easier to navigate. What makes this station good is that it is much smaller, but has very frequent trains.
If you are going into Rome, get a normal train to this station. It is cheaper and only adds a few minutes to the ride. Once you are at the station, it is a short walk to get a taxi that will take you anywhere in Rome, without all of the walking and chaos at Termini.
If you are connecting to a train to go elsewhere, Tiburtina is the OTHER station with high speed rail in Rome. Just about every high speed destination ALSO has trains to and from Tiburtina. But you will walk less, not fight crowds, and not get lost finding your track here.

hands down the best way to get into the heart of Rome. you can take a bus for 6 or 7 euros but be warned, you’ll sit in traffic for at least an hour and a half. Pay 14e and get into Termini station in 30 minutes!
it’s fast, clean, efficient & easy to purchase tickets at the station. Just make sure you get your ticket validated in one of the boxes at the entrance of the station. If you don’t you can get fined for this by one of the guys that walk through validating your ticket.
no wifi but whatever… it’s only a 30 min ride!

Ich denke nicht das das die beste und preiswerte Möglichkeit ist um in die Stadt zu kommen: Der Bus vom
Fiumicino Airport (
) zum Hauptbahnhot Termini fährt kostet nur 6EUR (online sogar nur 4EUR) statt 14EUR für diesen Zug auszugeben, der auch nicht viel schneller ist. Man kann auch einfach mit dem normalen Zug, dem Regionalzug FR1 zum beispiel in die Stadt fahren, zum Beispiel bis Trastevere Bhf. und das kostet nur 8EUR.
Also überzeugt bin ich vom Preisleistungsverhältnis noch nicht
Es gab übrigens keine Kontrolle

No, this is not an express train to Leonardo da Vinci’s birthplace. Far from it. It is the direct link between Roma Termini (Rome’s main train station) and the Leonardo da Vinci International Airport at Fiumicino, a suburb of Rome near the sea, or vice-​versa.
Kudos for having this train route. I couldn’t imagine sitting in a nasty crowded bus after a long flight to go from FCO into Rome. Kudos for the reasonable cost, far less than that of a taxi, and for being part of Trenitalia, meaning you can also buy the tickets for connecting higher-​speed trains to other points in Italy at the airport train terminal. And kudos for having it come into the MAIN city train station, and sitting on a dedicated track at an edge of the station, which makes it easy to identify among all the other trains coming and going from this hectic train hub. (Milan’s train to its international airport, also way out of town, does NOT leave from Milano Centrale, the city’s main station. A hop on Milan’s subway system to another city train station is needed).
A star is deducted because the rolling stock can, at times, be dingy. Also, if you are coming into Rome for the first time aboard this thing and go through the endless mid-​rise housing blocks full of graffiti, you will never believe you are headed into «the Eternal City.»

It s difficult to figure out where to buy the tickets as everyone seem to sell them. Use the machines if you can, as there is less chance of being charged a fee.
Make sure you are there on time as it is not always clear which platform the train is leaving from. Also, the first part of the train was nt leaving when we were at termini station. Don’t forget to stamp your ticket before boarding.

Beste und preiswerte Möglichkeit um in die Stadt zu kommen. Ein ganz normaler durchschnittlicher Flughafen-​shuttle-​Zug. Der Bus ist unwesentlich günstiger, braucht aber wesentlich länger. Ein Taxi kostet mehr und ist dennoch nicht eher in der Stadt.

I am quite happy with this service.
We couldn’t buy at the mashines, they were out of service.
Instead of queing at the agencies, we opted for buying an instant ticket at the check-​in counter on the platform. That costs you an extra Euro, but in our case granted us 30min+ in beautiful Rome.
Btw: You CAN go with a local train, that much we managed to assess, at approx half the fare and double the time. But we did not manage to gather the details quick enough and any minute longer outside in the sunshine seemed more worth it.

First: It is good that such a thing as the airport express exists.
BUT
1. mind the fact that it is advisable to buy a ticket at one of the machines — other it cost you 1 Euro in agency fee.
2. Be there early: the trains leave at platform 25 which is as far away from the station entrance (Termini) as possible.
3. Being early is also a good idea, as the train is very crowed (leaves every 30 mins … and collects passengers in the meantime).
Trains to Termini Station start at 6:35 in the morning, with trains running at 5 and 35 minutes after the hour. The last train of the day departs at 23.35 (11:37pm)
The train covers the 37 km in around 31 minutes.