Layover in Rome
A few hours between two flights at Fiumicino or Ciampino. How much time you really need to leave the airport, how to get into town, where to leave your bags, where to eat kosher and where to pray.
If you are already at the airport and not sure what to do, send us a message — we answer on WhatsApp.
How long a layover do you need?
The rule of thumb: be back at the airport 3 hours before a long-haul flight and 2 hours before a European one. On top of that, allow an hour and a half for the round trip into town. The airport itself treats a 3–8 hour layover as time for something nearby, and 9 hours or more as enough for Rome.
| Layover | Leave the airport? | What fits |
|---|---|---|
| under 5 hours | No | Stay airside: a kosher meal, the prayer room, a rest |
| 5–7 hours | Yes, at a pace | The Ghetto only, without lingering |
| 7–9 hours | Yes | The Ghetto, the Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum, unhurried |
| over 9 hours | Yes | A day in Rome, kosher lunch included |
Three things to check before you walk out. Does your checked baggage go straight through to your final destination? If you have to collect it and check in again, add at least an hour — and if the two flights are on separate tickets, count on a four-hour layover as the minimum. If you are switching between a Schengen and a non-Schengen flight, you will pass passport control again on the way back: with the new EU entry/exit system the queues at peak times can be very long. And remember that the last Leonardo Express from Termini leaves around 23:05 — after that it is night buses and taxis.
Liquids. Since July 2025 Fiumicino allows containers of up to 2 litres in hand baggage, except on direct flights to the United States and Israel from Terminal 1, and for non-Schengen transit passengers, where the old 100 ml rule still applies. Worth knowing if you are carrying drinks or liquid meals.
From the airport into Rome
| From | How | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiumicino (FCO) |
Leonardo Express | €14 | Non-stop to Termini, platforms 23–24, 32 minutes, every 15 minutes · from Fiumicino 05:38 to about 23:23 · you can tap through the gates with a contactless card |
| FL1 regional train | €8 | To Trastevere, Ostiense, Tuscolana and Tiburtina · every 15 minutes (30 on Sundays and holidays) · for Piazza Bologna: FL1 to Tiburtina, then Metro B one stop | |
| Bus | €4–9 | Cotral, SIT, T.A.M., Terravision, Rome Airport Bus · tickets at the Bus Station, online or on board · after midnight the buses are the only option | |
| Official white taxi | €55 | Fixed fare to anywhere inside the Aurelian Walls · Tiburtina €60 · Ostiense €50 · inside the ring road with no fixed fare the maximum is €80 | |
| Ciampino (CIA) |
Ciampino Airlink | €2.70 | One combined ticket, shuttle + regional train to Termini, about 50 minutes door to door — by far the cheapest way |
| Bus | €6–8 | Terravision, SIT, Rome Airport Bus, flibco · to Termini, about 40 minutes | |
| Official white taxi | €40 | Fixed fare to the Aurelian Walls, Ostiense and Tiburtina · minimum €25 elsewhere |
Licensed taxis are white, with TAXI on the roof and a licence number on the doors. Anyone who approaches you at the exit offering a ride almost certainly has no licence. The fixed fares above are for the whole car, not per person — say the fare out loud before you get in.
To reach us in Piazza Bologna the easiest way is the FL1 regional train to Tiburtina and then one stop on Metro B: it costs less than the Leonardo Express and gets you there sooner. From Termini it is three stops on Metro B, about five minutes. A city ATAC ticket costs €1.50 and is valid for 100 minutes on buses and trams but for one metro ride only; the airport train tickets do not include it.
Everything about getting around, the ZTL zones and car hire is on the Transportation page.
If you would rather have a Jewish driver, beyond the ones listed on the Transportation page you can write to us and we will give you more names.
Where to leave your luggage
At the airport — Fiumicino
Left luggage at Terminal 3, international arrivals, near the bus station.
07:00–23:00 · €10 per bag per 24 hours
No booking needed; you pay when you collect. Tel. +39 06 6595 3541.
At Roma Termini
KiPoint left luggage on the platform level, Via Giolitti 40, near track 24.
07:00–21:00 daily · from €6
A staffed counter; walk-ins accepted.
In town the simplest option is the left luggage at Termini station above: a staffed counter, no booking needed. There are also the app-based networks (Radical Storage, Bounce, Stasher, Nannybag) hosted by cafes and shops, around €3–5 a day, but they are booked and paid online only and nearly all want a QR code at drop-off.
Eating kosher
At the airport
Fiumicino has packaged and frozen-at-source kosher dishes, marked as such, in departures after security. The kosher dining point is on the upper floor of the Plaza, departures zone E — Chef Market. Always check the seal and the hechsher on the package; the range changes.
Having food brought to the airport
The delivery apps (Glovo, Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Moveedo, Just Eat) only deliver inside Rome: for the airport, or anywhere outside the city, you need a taxi or a private driver — not Uber, which does not do deliveries. The Shabbat meal suppliers — a separate service, not run by Chabad — also cater during the week with notice. For packaged goods, KosherFood ships from Milan across Italy for next-day delivery.
What you can buy in the airport shops
Whole fruit and sealed water and soft drinks are no problem. Beyond that, the list of kosher products commonly found in Italian supermarkets — with brands and trusted certifications — is on the Kosher Food in Rome page, together with the full Ari list.
In town
Coming from the airport the nearest kosher place is Dolce Kosher, then Kasher Roma 5778: both are in Monteverde–Marconi, dairy with Chalav Israel, and both sell bread. Almost all the other kosher restaurants are in the Ghetto and in Piazza Bologna: both are about half an hour on foot from Termini. Full table with supervision and notes on the Kosher Food in Rome page.
Tefillah and minyan
Fiumicino has a multi-faith prayer room in Terminal 1 arrivals, entrance opposite door 6 — reachable without a boarding pass — and a second one in boarding area E, non-Schengen, next to gate E18. Either way, the airport is full of quiet corners where you can daven undisturbed.
For a minyan, the closest ones to the airport are not in the centre but in the Monteverde–Marconi area: Chabad Monteverde, the Tempio dei Colli Portuensi, with davening every day; Beth Shalom at Via di Pozzo Pantaleo 52, Italian rite, all services daily; and Bet Yackov at number 46 on the same street, on Shabbat and festivals. Always check the times before setting out. Every minyan in the centre, with times, is on the Synagogues and Minyanim page.
To enter the synagogues on Shabbat or a festival you must fill in the security form by 14:00 on Friday at security.romaebraica.it.
If your layover falls on Shabbat or a festival
This is the case where it really is worth writing to us before you travel. We can arrange meals and, if needed, somewhere to stay — we will not leave you at the airport. Remember that once Shabbat has come in you cannot buy tickets, pay a taxi or collect a bag from left luggage.
What to see in a few hours
With 4–6 hours: the Ghetto. Portico d’Ottavia, the Great Synagogue with the Jewish Museum, Tiber Island. All on foot.
With 6–9 hours: add the Arch of Titus and the Colosseum, an easy walk from the Ghetto, and if there is time the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.
With more than 9 hours: it is worth having someone show you around — see Jewish tours of Rome.
Staying comfortable at the airport
Fiumicino has free wi-fi, paid lounges, showers and rooms rented by the hour, and fast-track security at €10 per person (free for children up to 12 with a paying adult). There is plenty of seating on the third floor of departures if you would rather just wait there. Prices and hours change often — the current ones are on the airport services page.
If the wait is long enough that you would rather sleep properly, there are hotels beside the terminal and a few minutes away by shuttle. Find a room near Fiumicino → Find a room in central Rome →
This is an affiliate link: the price is the same for you, and a small commission goes to Chabad Piazza Bologna.
Get in touch
Phone and WhatsApp: +39 333 813 0919 · office +39 06 9436 8049. If you have a question about your layover — times, kashrut, minyan — just write to us: we answer outside office hours too.
