Favored by low-cost airlines, Ciampino – Rome’s second airport – is closed at night (unlike its bigger counterpart Fiumicino) between the hours of midnight and 4am. The first planes landing into Ciampino tend to arrive around 6am.
If you were planning on crashing in the airport for a night on a bench before an early flight, you’re out of luck and will need to find accommodation.
To get to and from Ciampino in the early hours, your choices are limited:
- Train
The trains do not run at night, but as we discussed elsewhere, they are not a good option to Ciampino anyway. - Coach
The first Terravision coach for Ciampino leaves Termini at 4.30am (good enough, if all goes well, for a 6.10am flight) and the last coach leaves Termini at 9.20pm – supposedly enough time for an 11pm flight. The last Terravision coach from Ciampino at night leaves at 12.15am. - Taxi
Taxis do run all night but the stand can be empty for large amounts of time after midnight. They are also notorious for adding “hidden extras” to supposedly ignorant tourists despite the official fixed price of €30 (within the Aurelian walls – outside the walls of the city they use the meter, which works out more). - Uber
Unfortunately doesn’t exist in Rome other than as a very expensive limo service. Read more here… - Shuttle bus
Shuttle buses that do the rounds of hotels do not usually cover the very early hours: some only start running just after 7.30am. If you have an early or late start, you are better off booking a taxi or better still a Welcome Pickup. - Welcome pickups
Sort of between a taxi, a limo and an Uber, this service combines all the benefits of a private transfer, with modern technology. You get the details in advance of your named driver who will wait for your flight in the airport with your name on a card (up to an hour), speaks fluent English and can provide various tourism-related recommendations. At €44 the price is €14 more than the official taxi price of €30 but you can pay online before you leave using your credit card or PayPal, someone who speaks English will be there to meet your flight with a name card (and will wait for an hour if your plane is delayed), there are no hidden extras, and there is no worry about being ripped off. Book here>
