A two day strike sequence lands on a busy Rome travel weekend. On Friday 20 November 2026 the CGIL union has called a national general strike, and the national rail strike then runs from 21:00 on Friday to 20:00 on Saturday 21 November. An air traffic control stoppage was also listed for the Saturday, and has since been called off.
If you are flying into or out of Rome that weekend, your airport train needs a second look. The fastest ride from Fiumicino is a train, which is exactly the problem. This page sets out the windows, the road options, and the later strike dates for the season.
Update, 13 November: the ENAV air traffic control stoppage listed for Saturday 21 November, from 13:00 to 17:00, has been revoked: it is no longer in the official strike register, so flights are not part of this strike weekend. The CGIL general strike on Friday 20 November and the rail strike running into Saturday 21 November still stand, and airport strikes at Milan Malpensa and Venice are still listed for Sunday 22 November.
What is happening
The sequence starts on Friday 20 November with the CGIL national general strike. The rail strike runs for almost the whole of Saturday. The Leonardo Express runs inside that window, so expect cancellations and a reduced service on the Friday evening and through Saturday.
Aviation was due to be hit on the Saturday as well, but the ENAV air traffic control stoppage has been called off, as the update above sets out, so the strike weekend stays on the rails and the roads. Check your train with the operator on the morning of travel, because the cancellations that matter are decided service by service.
The alternatives run on the road. Airport buses from Fiumicino to Termini and the flat rate taxi both keep running, and both will be busier than usual while the trains are out. Keep the road options in reserve even if your train is shown as running, allow extra time, and consider booking the ride ahead.
This is not the last Italian strike of the season. Another national general strike is set for Friday 4 December, with a rail window from 21:00 on Thursday 3 December to 21:00 on Friday 4 December, right on the Immacolata bridge weekend. Ground handling action at Rome airports is listed for Monday 14 December. After that, a strike free period runs from 18 December to 7 January, the clearest window of the winter for Rome travel.
Getting there after you land
Fiumicino (FCO) sits about 30 km southwest of the center. Both trains leave from the airport station: the Leonardo Express for Termini, the FL1 for Trastevere, Ostiense and Tiburtina. The FL1 does not stop at Termini, the one mistake to avoid on this route.
Leonardo ExpressFastest
Nonstop to Roma Termini every 15 to 30 minutes, and immune to road traffic.
FL1 regional train
Right for Trastevere, Ostiense and Tiburtina, but it does not stop at Termini.
Airport busCheapest
Run by SIT, Terravision and Cotral to Termini, and the slowest of the four in traffic.
Taxi, flat rate
One flat price to anywhere inside the city walls from the official white taxi rank.
Four Leonardo Express fares total €56, a euro more than the taxi. The full comparison is set out in Fiumicino to Rome: every transfer option, priced
The full first hour: Rome guide
The ride in, the first ticket, the first meal and where to stay, in one place.
Where to stay, and getting around
The guide names three first night picks. Splurge: Hotel de Russie, on Via del Babuino, a storied luxury hotel between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, with the historic center on foot. Sweet spot: Hotel Artemide, on Via Nazionale, a polished four star a short walk from Termini and the Colosseum. Budget: The Beehive, on Via Marghera, a friendly budget stay near Termini with a garden cafe.
Termini suits the airport trains and the airport bus, so Artemide and The Beehive suit a train or bus arrival. Trastevere suits the FL1, for the evening streets across the river. A Termini base also keeps the road options simple on the strike weekend.
The first hour, sorted
Metro lines A and B cross at Termini; line C serves the eastern suburbs. A BIT ticket is €1.50 for 100 minutes. Day passes run €7 for 24 hours, €12.50 for 48 hours and €18 for 72 hours, with a weekly CIS pass at €24. Validate every ticket on boarding; inspectors fine on the spot. Night buses marked N run the main routes after midnight.
For data, get an Airalo eSIM before you fly and you are online as the plane taxis in. Saily is a good alternative with country and regional plans. A local SIM must be registered to your passport under Italian law, so bring it. Cards work in most places, including metro ticket machines. Keep €30 to €40 in cash for small bars and market stalls.
Eat something Roman first: a plate of carbonara and a suppli, the fried rice ball, at a lunch counter, followed by your first gelato of the trip. The guide names Roscioli as the carbonara benchmark, Trapizzino in Testaccio for street food done right, and Gelateria del Teatro on Via dei Coronari for small batch gelato.
Browse the events calendar for what else is on in Rome, including the December strike dates, and use plan your trip to line up the rest of your stay.
Ostia Antica sits about 40 minutes away, Tivoli about 1 hour.
Get the Rome first hour checklist by email
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, in the Rome guide PDF you can read on the plane.
The checklist, free, from After You Land.
What else is on
The events calendar tracks every guided city, strikes and stoppages included.
Events calendarLine up the rest
Plan your trip pulls the guide, the stays and the bookings for this trip into one place.
Plan your trip