Fiumicino or Ciampino Airport: Which is the best airport to get to Rome?

More often than not, cities with more than one airport can give you some sort of a dilemma on picking the right one to travel to and from. Think Frankfurt’s Frankfurt Airport and Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, or Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Narita Airport. Rome’s little travel conundrum comes in the form of its two airports: Fiumicino Airport (FCO) and Ciampino Airport (CIA).

If you’re planning to fly into Rome and don’t want your trip to the Eternal City to be an eternal confusion, then this guide is for you. Here’s the low-down on both airports and what to consider when deciding on which airport is best for your trip.

Also known as the Leonardo Da Vinci Airport, Fiumicino is Rome’s main airport. With five terminals and 36 gates, it is the larger and busier of the two, with more than 43 million passengers passing through its gates. Fiumicino is where most major airlines—like American Airlines, Lufthansa, and ITA Airways—will land, so if you’re traveling internationally, Fiumicino is where you’ll likely end up.

Both human and vehicular traffic is a lot higher than Ciampino, so don’t be alarmed if your luggage takes a little bit longer than usual to come through. To the uninitiated, you might also find its many gates a tad confusing.

However, there is much more to see and do in Fiumicino, with lots of shopping and dining options available. There are also many tours that start from Fiumicino, such as this one-way private transfer and dining tour of Rome, allowing you to enjoy the first sights of the city in style before being ferried right to your accommodation.

Being Rome’s main airport, Fiumicino is slightly better connected to the city than Ciampino, with several ways that you can travel to the city center.

Taking a taxi, train or bus will all get you into the city easily without the need for an airport transfer. Additionally, if you’re making your way to Rome Termini Station from the airport, there are also Express Train tickets that will get you there quickly and conveniently. Bus tickets can cost as little as €5 (USD5.60), train tickets average at €14 (USD15.80), and taxis—clearly the most luxurious—can cost anywhere between €26-73 (USD29.40-82.70).

If you’re not a fan of the crowds, head straight to the car rental desks inside Office Tower 2, easily accessible through the pedestrian tunnels.

Fiumicino Airport is about a 40-minute drive from Rome—often longer depending on the traffic—while the train ride typically takes only 30 minutes. Although Fiumicino is slightly further from Rome than Ciampino, there are more modes of transportation available that will make your commute a little more convenient.

Ciampino is the smaller of the two airports in Rome and its 16 gates mostly serve budget airlines like EasyJet and Wizz Air. This also means that it’s much easier to navigate your way through this airport, making for a more peaceful and fuss-free introduction to Rome.

Ciampino is a no-frills airport that serves to get travelers in and out of Rome. The simplicity makes this airport much easier to figure out, and without the massive crowds that Fiumicino normally gets, you don’t have to wait very long to receive your luggage or get through passport control. And there are enough options that can get you from the airport to the Rome city center.

Like Fiumicino, there are also several modes of transportation to and from Ciampino. The easiest way to get to Rome Termini Station, which is in the heart of the city center, is by bus. Not only are tickets cheap at €5 (USD5.60), there are also several bus services available from the airport: SIT, Terravision, and Romeairportbus-Schiaffini.

While there isn’t a train station connected to Ciampino itself, the nearest one—Ciampino Station—is just a five-minute shuttle bus ride away, thanks to the Trenitalia Ciampino Airlink. Car rental services are also available near the entrance of Ciampino (accessible via a free shuttle service) as well as taxis pickups outside each terminal—though keep your eyes peeled for taxi drivers who may overcharge.

The journey from Ciampino is a slightly faster and more scenic 30-minute drive to the city, where you’ll be able to spot the Via Appia, a historic and charming stretch of cobblestone path that dates back to ancient Roman times. A taste of Rome aside, there’s less traffic to and from Ciampino, making the journey a lot more reliable and consistent.

If you’re coming from a further destination on a major airline, Fiumicino is probably where you will likely end up. But if you’re traveling on a budget, nothing beats the fuss-free Ciampino Airport. While Fiumicino has a slight edge over Ciampino in terms of offerings and connectivity, there are pros and cons of both. What matters most is that you’re in Rome, and it’s time to do as the Romans do.

More like this: