Ciampino is Rome’s smaller airport, and it’s where a lot of low-cost flights land. It’s south-east of the city, around 20 kilometres from Rome, and there’s no railway station at the airport itself. I’m happy to recommend flying here, as it’s a small but perfectly good airport, and it doesn’t take long to get from Ciampino to Rome’s city centre once you’ve landed.
Planning a last minute trip to Rome? 🇮🇹
Here are my favourite places to stay & things to do in The Eternal City.
🛌 Places to Stay:
1. H10 Palazzo Galla (an excellent hotel in walking-distance of everything)
2. Mercure Roma Centro (hotel with a rooftop pool overlooking the Colosseum!)
3. Colosseum Corner (cosy place around the corner from Colosseum, I really enjoyed staying here)
🏟️ Top Activities & Tours:
1. Colosseum is a must, of course - I recommend this Underground Tour
2. Skip-The-Line Tickets to The Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel (this will save you hours!)
3. If you've got 4-5 days, consider going on a day trip to Pompeii & Mount Vesuvius, The Amalfi Coast or Tuscany
You’ve got four real options: a direct coach to Termini, Ciampino Airlink by bus and train, a cheap city bus with a change onto the metro, or a fixed-fare taxi. Which one suits you best depends on where you’re staying and when you land. For the rough conversions I’ve used about £0.84 and $1.13 per euro.
Contents
At a glance
- Coach to Termini: From €6.50 (about £5.50/$7.30), 40 to 45 minutes to Termini, runs from early in the morning until around 22:30.
- Ciampino Airlink: €2.70 (about £2.30/$3) for the bus and train, around half an hour to Termini, runs from 05:55 to 23:30 on weekdays.
- Bus 520 and metro line A: €1.50 (about £1.25/$1.70) for the bus and one metro ride, the cheapest option, but with a change.
- Taxi: A fixed fare of €40 (about £34/$45) per car to anywhere in the centre inside the city walls, around 30 minutes.
Finding your transport at the airport
Ciampino is a small airport where arrivals and departures are close together, so you can’t get lost. Once you’ve collected your luggage, you come out into the arrivals hall, and this is where you’ll find the desks selling coach tickets. You can also buy a BIT ticket here for the city buses and the metro.
All the buses stop opposite the international departures hall, and signs point the way to the stops. That goes for the direct coaches to Termini, the Airlink bus to the railway station and the city buses alike. Taxis wait at the exit from the arrivals hall. All the operators are listed on the airport’s page about buses, where you can also see the day’s departures.
1. Coach to Termini with Terravision, Rome Airport Bus and SIT
The direct coach is the easiest option for most people, and it’s my first choice from Ciampino. Three companies run from Ciampino straight to Roma Termini, Rome’s main railway station: Terravision, Rome Airport Bus and SIT. You put your suitcase in the luggage hold, sit back and get off at Termini, where metro lines A and B, the city buses and the trains to the rest of Italy all meet.
Terravision runs direct and allows 40 to 45 minutes to Termini, but in the rush hour the traffic can make the journey longer. According to the airport’s departures board, Rome Airport Bus has the earliest departures, starting as early as around 05:00, and the last coaches to Termini usually leave at around 22:30. Between them, there are several departures an hour during the day. SIT has fewer departures from Ciampino, but some of them continue from Termini to the Vatican.
The catch is late arrivals. If you land after the last coaches, there’s no direct coach to Termini, and your options are then Airlink or a taxi. So if your flight lands in the evening, check the day’s departures on the airport’s page before you travel.
Fares and tickets
A single ticket with Terravision costs from €6.50 (about £5.50/$7.30), and a return costs €13 (about £11/$14.50). Children under 5 travel free, and children aged 5 to 12 travel on a child ticket. Luggage is included in the price, and there’s no limit on the number of suitcases as long as there’s room. If your flight is delayed, your ticket is valid on the following coaches, but not if you’ve bought a discounted ticket. You can buy online or in the Terravision app, and there’s more information from Terravision.
With SIT, a single ticket costs €6 (about £5.10/$6.80) and a return €11 (about £9.30/$12.50), and you can book online with SIT Bus Shuttle. According to the airport, you can also buy tickets from the sales desks in the arrivals hall or on board, but if you’ve got your ticket on your phone, you can walk straight out to the coach.
Buy your ticket for the coach from Ciampino to Termini here, so it’s ready when you land.
Where to get off
Roma Termini: The terminus for most coaches and the best place to get off, wherever you’re staying. SIT stops at Via Marsala 5 by the station. Monti is within walking distance, and from the metro station below Termini, line A runs towards Battistini and line B towards Laurentina. If you’d like to stay close to the station, you can see hotels near Termini here.
Via Crescenzio (Vaticano): Some of the SIT coaches continue from Termini to Via Crescenzio, close to the Vatican and Prati. That saves you a change if you’re staying in Prati, but there are only a few departures, so check the timetable before you count on it.
2. Ciampino Airlink: bus and train to Termini
Ciampino Airlink is Trenitalia’s combined bus and train ticket. The local ATRAL bus takes you from the airport to Ciampino railway station in around 10 minutes, and there you change to a regional train, which gets to Roma Termini in about 15 minutes. Including the change, allow around half an hour in total, which makes Airlink the quickest option when the roads are busy.
The bus from the airport to the railway station runs roughly every 20 minutes. On weekdays, the first one leaves at 05:55 and the last at 23:30, and on Sundays and public holidays it runs from 06:55 to 22:30. That means Airlink runs an hour later than the direct coaches, and it’s your lifeline if you land late. The departures are listed by ATRAL, and the airport describes the connection on its page about trains.
The catch is the change. You have to get your suitcase on and off the bus and onto the train, and the regional trains are used by commuters too. If you’ve got a lot of luggage or you’re travelling with small children, the direct coach is more comfortable. On the other hand, Airlink is the cheapest way to get straight to Termini.
Fares and tickets
A bus and train ticket to Termini costs €2.70 (about £2.30/$3) and is valid for one journey, so you’ll need to buy a new ticket for the trip back. Trenitalia sells the ticket on its website, in its app and at its ticket machines, and there are Trenitalia machines at the airport too. You can check the fare with Trenitalia.
If you get off at Termini, you’re right by the metro and have the same onward connections as with the direct coach. The Airlink ticket only covers the bus and train to Termini, so if you’re continuing by metro, you’ll need a BIT ticket on top.
3. City bus and metro: the cheapest option
If you want to save as much as possible, you can take one of ATAC’s ordinary city buses from the airport to the metro. Bus 520 runs to the Cinecittà and Subaugusta stations on metro line A and operates from 05:30 to 23:30. Bus 720 runs to Laurentina on metro line B roughly every 20 minutes. According to the city’s tourist office, both buses cost the same as an ordinary BIT ticket.
A BIT ticket costs €1.50 (about £1.25/$1.70) and is valid for 100 minutes. During that time, you can change between buses, and you can take one metro ride, even if you change lines. That means bus 520 and metro line A into Termini or Spagna can be done on a single ticket. The ticket is also explicitly valid on buses 520 and 720 to Ciampino, and you can see the rules on the ATAC website. Children under 10 travel free with a paying adult.
You can also simply pay with your contactless card or phone using Tap & Go. Visa, Mastercard and American Express credit cards work, and so do Mastercard and Maestro debit cards. You hold your card against the reader on the bus and at the metro entrance. Use the same card all the way, and only take out one card, as the reader rejects the payment if it detects more than one. Each person needs their own card. Read more about Tap & Go.
ATRAL also runs a bus straight to Anagnina station on metro line A in around 20 minutes. It costs €1.20 (about £1/$1.35), and you’ll need to buy a BIT ticket for the metro on top. The downside of all three options is changing with luggage and a long metro ride, so I’d only choose them if you’re travelling light.
4. Taxi at a fixed fare
The taxi rank is at the exit from the arrivals hall. From Ciampino, there’s a fixed fare of €40 (about £34/$45) to anywhere in the centre inside the Aurelian Walls, and the fare is per car and includes all supplements. The same fare applies to Ostiense and Tiburtina railway stations, and to Fiumicino Airport it’s €55 (about £46.50/$62). The journey into the centre takes around 30 minutes. The fares are listed on the airport’s taxi page.
The fixed fare only applies when the driver takes you straight to the address you’ve given, without detours and without picking anyone else up. The first suitcase is free, and each extra suitcase larger than 35 x 25 x 50 cm costs €1 (about £0.84/$1.15). If there are more than four of you in a large car, it costs €5 (about £4.20/$5.60) per person from the fifth passenger. If you’re going to an address without a fixed fare, the taxi runs on the meter, and the minimum fare from the airport is €25 (about £21/$28). The rules are set out by Roma Servizi per la Mobilità.
Prati is just outside the city walls, so the fixed fare doesn’t apply there, and you pay what’s on the meter. Official taxis are white with a TAXI sign on the roof and the licence number on the doors. The airport warns against other cars at the exit, as the driver may not have a licence. Say the fare out loud before you set off, and ask whether you can pay by card.
Private transfer
If you’re landing late with children, or there are several of you with lots of luggage, you can book a private transfer from Ciampino to your hotel here. The driver waits in the arrivals hall with a name sign, and the price is agreed in advance, so you don’t have to queue for a taxi.
Onward travel around Italy straight from the airport
If you’re not heading into Rome, you can often travel straight on. Long-distance coaches to other Italian cities, including Naples, Pescara and Milan, also leave from the stops opposite the departures hall, and they’re listed on the airport’s departures board. If you’re continuing by train, take Airlink to Termini, where trains run to every part of the country.
If you’re connecting to a flight at Fiumicino, a taxi between the two airports costs €55 (about £46.50/$62) at a fixed fare. And if you land at Fiumicino next time, I’ve also written a guide to getting from Fiumicino to central Rome.
Getting back to the airport
The direct coaches also run from Termini to Ciampino, and with Terravision and SIT you can buy a return ticket when you land, so your trip back is already paid for. The Airlink ticket is only valid for one journey, so you’ll need to buy a new ticket for the trip out. Check the coach company’s timetable for the journey out to the airport the day before, as the departures from Termini don’t always fit in with early flights.
If you’re on an early morning flight, a taxi is the safe option, as the first coaches and Airlink departures aren’t always early enough. Check-in times depend on the airline, and the airport refers you to the airline’s own rules on its page about departures.
Which option should you choose?
Here’s what I’d recommend, depending on where you’re staying. The neighbourhoods are the same ones as in my guide to where to stay in Rome:
Monti: Take the coach or Airlink to Termini and walk the last stretch. Monti is close to both Termini and the Colosseum, and you can see hotels in Monti here.
Pantheon and Navona: Take the coach or Airlink to Termini and then a taxi or city bus for the last stretch. If there are two or more of you with suitcases, the fixed-fare taxi all the way is a good choice, as it’s quite a distance from the metro.
Trastevere: Take the fixed-fare taxi. By public transport, you’ll have to change at Termini, and it’s a long walk with luggage.
Prati: Take a SIT coach that continues to Via Crescenzio, or the coach to Termini and metro line A towards Battistini. Remember that taxis run on the meter here.
Testaccio: Take the coach or Airlink to Termini and metro line B towards Laurentina to Piramide, or take the fixed-fare taxi.
Landing in the evening: After the last direct coaches at around 22:30, Airlink is your cheap option until 23:30. If you land even later, it’s a taxi.
For three or four people: Take a taxi. At €40 (about £34/$45) for the whole car, it doesn’t cost much more per person than the coach, and it takes you to the door.
Practical tips for getting from Ciampino Airport to central Rome
Buy your coach ticket online. That way you can walk straight out to the coach instead of queuing in the arrivals hall, and with Terravision your ticket is also valid on the next coaches if your flight is delayed.
Only use official taxis. They’re white with a TAXI sign on the roof and wait at the exit from the arrivals hall. The fixed fare of €40 applies inside the city walls, so state the address and the fare before you set off.
Only take out one card at the reader. If you pay with Tap & Go on the bus and metro, you need to use the same card all the way, and the reader rejects the payment if it detects more than one card at once.
Check the departures board if you’re landing late. The airport’s page shows the day’s departures for all the coach companies, so you can see whether you’ll make the last coach.
Choose your hotel with the connection in mind. If you stay near Termini, all the direct coaches and the Airlink train stop right on your doorstep, and you can see hotels near Termini here. Monti is within walking distance of the station, and you can see hotels in Monti here. If you’d like to stay somewhere local with good food, Testaccio is just one ride on metro line B from Termini, and you can see hotels in Testaccio here.
For help choosing the right neighbourhood, read my guide to where to stay in Rome, and you can find ideas for your trip in my guide to things to do in Rome.
Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇
• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
• GetYourGuide is the best place to book tours & activities with free cancellation
• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers
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