For the Rome Termini airport train platform, head toward the highest-numbered main tracks on the Via Giolitti side of the station. The Leonardo Express normally uses platforms 23 or 24, and the actual departure can switch between them. From the main concourse, face the tracks and go to your right. Check the large Partenze board for โFiumicino Aeroportoโ before passing the gates rather than assuming yesterdayโs platform is todayโs.
Platform 24 is at the extreme right-hand side of Termini, beside Via Giolitti, with platform 23 in the same high-numbered area. This is useful because Termini looks enormous when you first enter, but the airport train is concentrated on one side of the station.
The fastest way to find the Leonardo Express
- Find a large departures screen marked Partenze.
- Look for the destination Fiumicino Aeroporto and the Leonardo Express service.
- Read the number under Binario, which means platform or track.
- If it shows 23 or 24, face the railway tracks and walk toward the far right, the Via Giolitti side.
- Have your ticket or QR code ready before reaching the platform-access gates.
- At the platform, check the train display again for Fiumicino Aeroporto and the non-stop service before boarding.
Do not simply follow anyone carrying a suitcase. Termini handles airport buses, regional trains, long-distance trains and several local services, so a crowd with luggage can be heading somewhere completely different.
Which side of Termini are platforms 23 and 24 on?
Rome’s main station runs between Via Marsala and Via Giolitti. According to RFI’s official Termini station information, platform 1 is at the far Via Marsala side and platform 24 is at the opposite extreme, on the Via Giolitti side.
If you enter through the main frontage at Piazza dei Cinquecento, walk through the ticket hall toward the platform gates. Once you are facing the tracks, turn right and keep following the increasing platform numbers.
A useful warning sign that you have gone too far is Binari Laziali. Platforms 25 to 29 are the separate Lazio local-train platforms reached farther along the platform 24 side. RFI notes that they are roughly 500 metres beyond platform 24. You do not need to make that extra trek for the Leonardo Express.
Coming in from Via Giolitti
Via Giolitti is the convenient side of the station if you are already approaching Termini from the east. RFI lists an entrance at Via Giolitti 32 that leads through turnstiles to platform 24 and the central underpass connecting with the other platforms.
This can be particularly handy if your departure board shows platform 24. If it shows 23 instead, follow the internal platform signs rather than walking outside and looking for another street entrance.
Travelers collecting stored luggage are also on the right side of the station already. RFI places the KI-POINT left-luggage facility at Via Giolitti 40, beside platform 24.
Coming from Metro A or Metro B
The Termini metro interchange is below the railway station, on level -1, with the metro area closer to the Via Giolitti side. Follow signs back toward the railway station and trains, then come up to ground level.
Once you reach the main railway level, do not exit into Piazza dei Cinquecento unless you need to. Find the Partenze screens, confirm the track number and remain on the Via Giolitti side for 23 or 24.
With a stroller, wheelchair or large rolling suitcase, staying on the main station level is usually simpler than deliberately looking for an underpass. RFI lists barrier-free routes to both platforms 23 and 24.
If you are connecting from another train at Termini
If a Frecciarossa, Italo, Intercity or regional train brings you into Termini, check your airport departure before walking anywhere. Most platforms meet the main concourse at their buffer-stop end, so you can come forward to the concourse and move across toward the high-numbered tracks.
If you have a comfortable connection, this is straightforward. If the transfer is tight, use the first official departure monitor you pass rather than walking all the way to 23 because you saw that number online. Platform assignments can change.
For travelers deciding how Termini fits into a longer rail trip, the Italy on Foot overview of Rome’s main train stations explains the differences between Termini, Tiburtina, Ostiense and the smaller stations.
What the station signs mean
- Partenze: Departures
- Binario or Bin.: Platform or track
- Fiumicino Aeroporto: Fiumicino Airport
- Leonardo express: The non-stop airport train
- Ritardo: Delay
- Cancellato: Cancelled
- Sottopassaggio: Underpass
- Uscita: Exit
The destination matters more than seeing the letters โFCO.โ Italian railway screens normally use the station name Fiumicino Aeroporto.
Tickets and the platform gates
The Leonardo Express currently costs โฌ14 each way and takes 32 minutes non-stop. Trenitalia states that integrated Rome Metrebus tickets are not valid on this train. Check the official Leonardo Express page before travel for the latest fare and service details.
Roma Termini has controlled access to the departure platforms. Passengers are required to show a valid rail ticket at the gates, so open your QR code before joining the access flow rather than searching through emails at the front.
Digital ticket
Trenitalia’s Digital Regional Ticket is automatically validated at the scheduled departure time of the train you selected. Until that scheduled departure, you can change the departure time through Trenitalia’s digital channels. Once automatic validation has occurred, the ticket becomes tied to that train, so do not assume you can miss it and simply use the same digital ticket on the next departure.
Paper ticket
A single regional paper ticket must be validated in a station validating machine before departure. Do this before boarding, not once the train is moving.
Tap&Tap
Trenitalia also allows contactless Tap&Tap payment for the Leonardo Express. One payment card can buy one adult ticket for one passenger, so it is less convenient for a parent trying to pay for several people with the same card. Trenitalia says a tap-out is not required when using Tap&Tap on the direct Termini-Fiumicino service.
If this airport run is part of a longer Italian journey, you can also organize the rest of your trip before travel day so that your rail transfers and hotel locations make sense together.
Luggage, children and accessibility
There is no luggage surcharge on the Leonardo Express, including for large bags. You do not need to buy an extra luggage ticket. Keep bags under control while passing the gates and leave yourself enough time to board without trying to drag several cases through the doors at the last second.
Children under four travel free. Trenitalia’s special Fiumicino fare also allows one child aged over four and under 12 to travel free with each paying adult.
For passengers with reduced mobility, both platforms 23 and 24 have barrier-free access at Termini, and RFI lists tactile routes to both. Leonardo Express trains provide dedicated spaces and accessible toilets.
How much time should you allow inside Termini?
Do not plan your arrival at the station around the train’s exact departure minute. A sensible cushion is at least 15 minutes after you physically enter Termini, and more if you need to buy tickets, retrieve stored luggage, travel with children or transfer from the metro.
The important distinction is between arriving at Termini and standing at the correct gate with a usable ticket. Walking across the concourse, checking the board and getting through controlled platform access all happen after you enter the building.
If you reach the high-numbered side and your track has not yet appeared on the screen, stay where you can see an official departure monitor. Do not commit to platform 23 just because it is frequently used. Platform 24 is also used for the airport service.
If the platform changes
A change between 23 and 24 is much less troublesome than a switch to the other end of Termini because both are on the Via Giolitti side. Follow the electronic boards and station announcements immediately.
If your board suddenly displays a different number, trust the live station information rather than a ticket PDF, travel blog, map screenshot or previous journey. Binario on the current departure board is the number that matters.
If you miss your selected train
If the scheduled departure time has not passed and you have a digital regional ticket, change the selected departure in the Trenitalia app or website before automatic validation occurs.
If the departure time has already passed, do not automatically board the next Leonardo Express with a digital ticket issued for the missed train. Ask Trenitalia staff at the platform area or customer-service desk what needs to be done for your specific ticket. If Trenitalia itself has cancelled or significantly disrupted the service, follow the rebooking or continuation instructions provided by the operator before buying another ticket.
Early morning and late-night departures
Trenitalia currently lists the first Leonardo Express from Roma Termini at 04:50 and the last at 23:05. Trains run frequently during the day, often every 15 minutes, although some time periods have longer gaps. Check the operator on the day because maintenance and timetable changes can alter individual departures.
The staffed Trenitalia ticket office does not cover the entire span of airport-train operating hours. RFI currently lists its Termini ticket-office hours as 06:30 to 21:40, so an early-morning or late-night traveler should not depend on a staffed counter. Buy digitally, use a self-service machine or use Tap&Tap where appropriate.
If you arrive after the final train, an official Rome taxi is the simplest fallback. Roma Termini is inside the Aurelian Walls, and the current official predetermined taxi fare between that zone and Fiumicino Airport is โฌ55 per vehicle. Use a licensed white taxi from an official rank and verify the latest rate through Roma Mobilitร . For a comparison with buses and other airport transfers, see the Italy on Foot guide to travel between Rome and its airports.
Mistakes that cost the most time
- Walking toward platform 1. That sends you toward Via Marsala, the opposite side of the station.
- Assuming the airport train is always on 23. Platform 24 is also used, so check Partenze.
- Continuing toward platforms 25-29. Those are the separate Laziali tracks farther along the high-numbered side.
- Looking only for โFCO.โ The railway destination shown on the board is normally Fiumicino Aeroporto.
- Trying to use a Rome metro or bus ticket. Metrebus tickets are not valid on the Leonardo Express.
- Failing to validate a paper regional ticket. Validate it before boarding.
- Waiting for the staffed ticket office before an early departure. The first airport train leaves before the Termini ticket office opens.
- Reaching the gate with the QR code buried in an email. Have the ticket open before joining the platform-access flow.