CIA: Roma "GB Pastine" - Ciampino (Italy)

There are two main airports at Rome : Fiumicino (FCO) and Ciampino (CIA), which lies south east of the town center and is a Ryanair base.

The runway :
- 2200 x 45 m
- 15-33

The airport website :
http://www.adr.it/ciampino

Ciampino was the main airport before Fiumicino was built. It is now used by LCC and military transport aircraft; it's also the airport for government and official VIP aircraft. One can usually see a lot of Canadair firefighters parked there.


The arrival and departure hall have recently been enlarged, but it is still rather a small terminal.

Transportation from the aircraft to the terminal is usually by bus - there are no airbridges.
At the exit out of the baggage claim area, there are booths that sell the bus and coach tickets to Rome.
There are three ways to go to the city center :
- coach Terravision and others - direct to the Termini railway station. The easiest way, especially if you have heavy luggage. The fare at the moment (june 2012) is 4 euros or around that.
- bus to Anagnina metro end station (1,20 euro) and from there metro to whatever metro station you want, Termini for instance (buy a metro ticket at the newsagent or at the automats - it's 1,50 euro).
- bus to Ciampino railway station (1,20 euro) and then train to Termini (at Ciampino station : train ticket sold at the station).
All three routes take at least 45 minutes, more often like 60 minutes to Termini, still more in case of traffic jam or other hitch on the way.
On the way back to the airport, I like to depart from Termini at the latest 2 hours before ETD (having web-checked).
Tickets for the trip to CIA :
- Terravision : if you didn't buy a return ticket, there is a selling desk near the coach halt via Marsala.
- Schiaffini bus stop is via Giolitti (on the other side of the station). Tickets sold on board (3,90 euros).
- railway : tickets on sale at the automatic selling machines; bus ticket on board
- metro : tickets at the station (1,50 euro); bus at Anagnina (usually at stand n°1) : ticket sold on board (1,20 euro)
- at Anagnina, one can also take one of the buses (for instance to Velletri) that stop on the road at the roundabout in front of the airport (some 300 m from the terminal); good if you don't have large baggage and don't want to wait for the next bus to the airport self. Rather fast as it doesn't do the detour to the Ciampino railway station. Tickets sold at the Cotral window downstairs.

The terminal at CIA is rather plain; not many shops landside - a bookshop, sometimes with Italian aviation magazines (JP4, Volare) - and a small self-service restaurant; airside, a good skyshop with food, beverages, perfumes, etc.
The departure hall is closed 24.00 to 04.30. Ii seems that the toilets in the arrival hall are available 24/24 (to be checked).

The terminal, from outside :






The new check-in hall:


The "Schengen" departure hall is a large square rather noisy that can be crowded at the rush hours :





From the departure hall, one enjoys a good view on the runway : a FR landing on runway 15



Airside, from an arriving FR :

When coming from the north, more often than not, the plane makes a straight approach to runway 15 - if you are on the right, on seat F, you are treated to a fine view of the whole city.

Fiume Tevere, Castel S. Angelo, S. Pietro in Vaticano :


Termini railway station in the foreground - Colosseum, Vittoriano, Forum further in the background :


S. Giovanni in Laterano and, behind, left to right : Terme di Caracalla, Circo Massimo, Palatino:


If you are on the feft side of the cabin, you'll see Roma Urbe, the general aviation field :

atoutprix wrote:There are two main airports at Rome : Fiumicino (FCO) and Ciampino (CIA), which lies south east of the town center and is a Ryanair base.

The runway :
- 2200 x 45 m
- 15-33

The airport website :
http://www.adr.it/content.asp?L=1&idmen=200

Ciampino was the main airport before Fiumicino was built. It is now used by LCC and military transport aircraft; it's also the airport for government and official VIP aircraft. One can usually see a lot of Canadair firefighters parked there.


The arrival and departure hall have recently been enlarged, but it is still rather a small terminal.

Transportation from the aircraft to the terminal is usually by bus - there are no airbridges.
At the exit out of the baggage claim area, there are booths that sell the bus and coach tickets to Rome.
There are three ways to go to the city center :
- coach Terravision (and others) direct to the Termini railway station. The most expensive, but easiest way, especially if you have heavy luggage.
- bus to Anagnina metro end station (1,20 euro) and from there metro to whatever metro station you want, Termini for instance (buy a metro ticket at the newsagent or at the automats - it's 1 euro).
- bus to Ciampino railway station (1,20 euro) and then train to Termini (at Ciampino station : train ticket sold at the station).
All three routes take at least 45 minutes, more often like 60 minutes to Termini, still more in case of traffic jam or other hitch on the way.
On the way back to the airport, I like to depart from Termini at the latest 2 hours before ETD (having web-checked).
Tickets for the trip to CIA :
- Terravision : if you didn't buy a return ticket, there is a selling desk near the coach halt.
- railway : tickets on sale at the automatic selling machines; bus ticket on board
- metro : tickets at the station (1 euro); bus at Anagnina (usually at stand n°1) : ticket sold on board (1,20 euro)

The terminal at CIA is rather plain; not many shops landside - a bookshop, but without any aviation magazines - and a small self-service restaurant; airside, a good skyshop with food, beverages, perfumes, etc;

(...)

(LOL! The panel in picture has a big error, because the sentence "volare a prezzi corti" is not correct...the exact sentence it's "volare a prezzi bassi" [the error stay in the meaning of "cheap price"...someone has thought that "cheap" means "corti", but the the english translation of the italian "corti" is "short"!!!] )

+1
I agree any part...this is an intelligent thread!

Just I would like to add some little tips...

1 - It's possible to take 2 daily trains from Ciampino railway station to Roma Tiburtina railway station [...Roma Tiburtina is the 2nd main railway station in Roma] and one train from Roma Tiburtina station to Ciampino station [this is the location of Rome Tiburtina » http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=roma+tiburtina&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.909425,79.101563&ie=UTF8&ll=41.911571,12.529392&spn=0.022611,0.038624&z=15&iwloc=addr. It's close to San Lorenzo...a place where it's easy to have fun, especially in the Friday/Saturday night ].
The train from Roma Tiburtina to Ciampino station, in particular, is really usefull because it's the only train that run in the night...here I've linked the detail of this train » http://orario.trenitalia.com/b2c/TimeTable?stazin=roma%20tiburtina&stazout=Ciampino&datag=4&datam=2&dataa=2009&timsh=10&timsm=00〈=it&nreq=5&channel=tcom&sort=2&npag=1&det=1&solotreno=0&noreservation=0&economy=0. For better and detailed infos, please connect to the website of the italian train company at this link » http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=3fdbe14114bc9110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD.

2 - The ticket price for trains that run between Roma [Termini / Tiburtina] and Ciampino railway station is € 1,30 one way [...€ 2,60 with return]. These tickets can be purchased directly into the italian train company website, at this link » http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=3fdbe14114bc9110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD, then it's possible to print them [...like the "Check'in go" boarding card]; this kind of tickets doesn't require validation and permit the direct access into the trains.

3 - The trains to/from Roma Termini have a frequency of 15-20 minutes and travel the distance between the two railway stations in about 20 minutes. However...in case of planned strike, some trains are always guaranted.

[If someone wanna spend some days in Rome and need a place where sleep, please...contact me by PM ]

If someone need the complete and updated timetables of bus, for move to/from Rome, this is the right URL [in italian language]...

Timetables for...

Ciampino airport « » Rome Termini railway station [city center]
Ciampino airport « » Rome Anagnina metro terminal [metro A]
Ciampino airport « » Ciampino railway station
Ciampino airport « » Fiumicino airport [direct]

http://www.schiaffini.com/serviaerociampb.htm

As regards the bus connection Ciampino - Roma Termini : a new company, Sitbus, is now established and offers one-way trip for 4 euros. Not to be outdone, Terravision has cut its price in half, to 4 euros also !
Bus + train to Termini is 2,5 euros, and bus + metro is 2 euros, but both involve a connection; direct coach to Termini is still a bit more expensive, but not that much, and is much more easy if you have heavy luggage.

Beware : the ticket Termini - Ciampino costs 6 euros if bought at the Termini counter.

At Termini, even you have a bus ticket bought somewhere else, you now have to ask for your "boarding pass" to the bus at the desk inside the Terravision terminal.

The view on the Vaticano, on approach to Ciampino (from an F seat) :





Landing at CIA :





To the A gates :





Boarding :