What to do during a long layover: the best options in Rome

Do you have a few hours between your flights and you don’t know what to do? Maybe you’re wondering if you can leave the airport during a layover? We’ll answer you right away. First of all, if you’re at Rome Fiumicino, both the airports and the nearby Eternal City offer many opportunities for fun, discovery and relaxation, but certainly yes, when you have a long airport layover, naturally you can leave the airport. Obviously, the advice is to do that only when your connecting flight is several hours later. Otherwise you risk missing your plane!

Therefore, you’ll have calculate it carefully, before deciding what to do if your flight has a long layover. If you’ll have a wait of a few hours or less, you might want to stay at the airport and dedicate yourself to shopping, enjoying typical Italian gastronomy, or relaxing in the lounges. If, however, you have more than several hours ahead of you, then why not leave the airport and discover the countless cultural and historical gems located in the vicinity, and then treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in one of the lounges at Fiumicino before your flight.

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A long layover? Relax in the lounge

On a long layover at Rome Fiumicino Airport, one of the best options to relax and recharge is to take advantage of one of the exclusive airport lounges. Whether you are a business traveller or a tourist looking for a moment of peace and calm, the lounges at Fiumicino offer quiet and comfortable environments, without needing to leave the terminal.

HelloSky Arrival Lounge & Air Rooms

A wonderful novelty is the opening of the HelloSky Arrival Lounge & Air Rooms. HelloSky offers 29 Air Rooms designed for travellers that can be booked for various amounts of time, from several days to just a few hours. However, if you just need to shake off some of the tiredness of the trip and be impeccably presented for any of your next commitments, you can simply purchase a shower service. https://www.adr.it/hellosky

Located in an area open to the public, and easily reachable from both terminals and the ABCD multi-storey car parks, the HelloSky lounges are ideal for those who need a little corner of tranquillity before or after a flight. In addition to Wi-Fi, drinks and comfortable seating, you can order hot dishes and even rent equipped meeting rooms.

The Plaza Premium and other lounges

In boarding areas A and E, on the other hand, you’ll find a wide choice of lounges, including:

Plaza Premium (in Area A for passengers travelling in the Schengen Area, and in Area E for those travelling in the Extra-Schengen Area): Elegant and refined lounges with services that include freshly prepared dishes and drinks, superb relaxation areas, showers and an internet connection. They are accessible to all passengers, regardless of their travel class, and can also be easily booked via the website
Emirates Lounge: reserved for Emirates passengers, and offering a luxurious atmosphere with exclusive services.
ITA Lounge: the perfect choice for ITA Airways travellers, with services ranging from welcome refreshments to a relaxation area.
British Airways Lounge: an oasis of peace and quiet for British Airways passengers, with various dining and relaxation options.
Primeclass Lounge: a versatile lounge that welcomes passengers from different airlines, offering premium comfort and services.
Prima Vista Lounge: Known for its elegant design and high-quality amenities, this is another great option for those looking to relax between flights.

Remember that many of these lounges are accessible to all travellers, regardless of their travel class or airline. Booking access to one of these VIP Lounges can turn your long layover into a pleasant and relaxing experience, offering a refined and tranquil atmosphere, ideal for recharging before your next flight.

A flight with a long layover?: shopping, food and art experiences at the airport

Sometimes your layover isn’t quite long enough to leave the airport or take a relaxing break in a lounge. Or maybe you just want to make the most of your time between one flight and another to buy someone a gift or treat yourself, or simply satisfy your gastronomic curiosity. Well, there’s an opportunity in such cases to discover everything that the Roman terminals have to offer, including indulging yourself in an exclusive shopping experience, with plenty of luxury brands and personalized services.

What to do during on a long layover: shopping at the airport

The choice of luxury boutiques, perhaps with the advice of a professional Personal Shopper made available free of charge by Fiumicino Airport, is extremely wide. For example, you’ll find brands of the calibre of Boggi, Burberry, Prada, Bulgari, Victoria’s Secret, Dolce & Gabbana, Montblanc, Fendi, Gucci, Furla, Max Mara, Moncler, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes, just to name a few.https://www.adr.it/LuxuryGuide/personal-shopper.html

In the Tax Free Mall, a shopping area hosting 50 stores and covering over 10,000 square metres of surface area, you’ll have the opportunity to make the most of tax-free shopping, saving 22% in VAT, compared to the prices of the shops in the city, in the case that your flight is headed to a non-Schengen destination, and not belonging to the European Union, regardless of your nationality or country of residence. Here you’ll also find Aelia Duty Free stores, offering an exclusive assortment of perfumery, cosmetics, spirits, confectionery and fine food - everything you need to treat yourself or give someone you care about a special souvenir from your trip, such as a unique gift of selected tasteful and refined products, or even something to refresh your airport outfit

A long layover at Rome Fiumicino: what to eat

There’s certainly no shortage of gastronomic offers at the airport, whatever your appetite. Indeed, there’s a range of everything from cafés to fast food outlets, refreshment points, international cuisine and pizzerias, through to ice cream parlours and wine bars. Those who want an authentic Italian gastronomic experience can, for example, stop off at Eataly, Farinella, Panella, La Fucina, Rossopomodoro, Semplicemente Roma, or the new Sophia Loren restaurant. To find out more about what and where to eat, consult our guide on the airport restaurants.

A long layover at Rome Fiumicino: art at the airport

Rome Fiumicino Airport is not just a transit point for international travel, it is also an unexpected art museum, welcoming you with a unique preview of Rome’s cultural richness. The airport has become a true “widespread museum”, where you can explore exhibition itineraries that are the fruit of collaborations with various Italian cultural institutions, bodies and associations.https://www.adr.it/arte

Leaving the airport during a stopover and visiting Rome

Finally, let’s assume you have several hours of waiting ahead of you before your connecting flight, and you therefore decide to leave the airport during your stopover. You should know that, in the case of the Leonardo Da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport, you don’t need to go too. In the vicinity of the airport, there are, in fact, several historical sites, such as Portus Castle (Episcopio di Porto), the Museum of Roman Ships (Museo delle navi romane), or the wonderful Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica.https://www.prolocofiumicino.it/castelli-torri/episcopio-di-porto https://www.ostiaantica.beniculturali.it/it/aree-archeologiche-e-monumentali/museo-delle-navi-di-fiumicino/https://www.ostiaantica.beniculturali.it/it/home/

Alternatively, you can travel a little further and reach the city of Rome by train. Fiumicino Airport is, in fact, conveniently connected to the city centre by the fast Leonardo Express, which takes you to Roma Termini station in just 32 minutes, with departures every half an hour. Once you arrive in the historic centre of the capital, there’s certainly no shortage of attractions you can reach on foot: from the National Roman Museum, at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, to the Baths of Diocletian, and the monumental circular square of Piazza della Repubblica, through to the celebrated Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, and the charming neighbourhood of Rione Monti, to mention just some of the attractions close to the main station, Roma Termini.https://www.trenitalia.com/it/treni_regionali/lazio/leonardo_express.html

Similarly, Ciampino Airport is connected to Roma Termini by the Ciampino Airlink service, with approximately 30 minutes of bus and train travel time between the airport and the city centre.https://www.trenitalia.com/it/treni_regionali/lazio/ciampino-airlink.html

Those with a long airport layover are, therefore, truly spoilt for choice by all the shopping and dining on offer, without forgetting the various VIP lounge options, for those looking for maximum relaxation between one flight and another.

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