Hotel Bright

Re: Taxi from FCO to Crowne Plaza Hotel

by mccalpin

1. Is this the Crowne Plaza at 415 Via Aurelia Antica?

2. You should have no problems with haggling or anything of the like. You can go out to the taxi queue, find an official licensed taxi (they are pretty obvious, as they have the lighted sign on top and the medallion of the City of Rome on the side - there will be a bunch of them), hop in, and give the guy the address (already written or printed is ever so much easier, unless you speak Italian). I am absolutely positive they know where this address is - I do and I'm not even a taxi driver.

3. This hotel is outside the Aurelian Walls, so it is not considered in the "city center"...so the fixed fare policy does not apply. But that really won't matter to you, since the hotel is west of the City center, and Fiumicino is southwest of the City center, so the trip is a lot of closer than it would be if you were going other places in Rome.

4. The hotel's website estimates that the fare on the meter will be about 40 euro, and from my recollection, that's probably about right. No way it will be 60 euro. See http://www.crowneplazaromehotel.com/reach-us-hotel-rome-stpeter.htm for the hotel's description. NOTE: ignore the hotel's advice about taking the Leonardo Express and then a taxi. The train runs to Termini which is all the way across town. As you can see, this will cost you almost as much as a direct taxi would, but take you at least twice as long...take my word for it, I used to live not far away from this hotel.

5. The taxi driver will almost certainly take this route:
a. Go out the front of the airport and head east on the A91
b. Head north on the A90 (the Gran Raccordo Annulare)
c. Head east on the Via Aurelia
d. Make a slight right turn on the Via Aurelia Antica - you're there (OK, it will be 30+ minutes)

6. P.S. you will see nothing of Rome itself; you are passing from outside of town to the outskirts of the suburbs west of the Vatican. It's more trees and fields than buildings, and there aren't any tourist sights at all on the way. Oh, well... ;-)

Bill