Meeting Letter Western Europe 17 Days Rome - London The following pages contain specific information relating to your tour; please ensure you have the correct information for your tour (the tour name can be found on your email confirmation if you are unsure). Please make sure you have downloaded and read the latest Pre-Departure Information from our website: Pre-Departure Information and you have the latest itinerary for your tour Western Europe. Meeting point for Rome Arriving in Rome Getting around in Rome Arriving in London Important passenger information Emergency contact number MEETING POINT FOR THE START OF THE TOUR (all tours except 03/11/13 &01/12/13 departures) Your tour starts in Rome and finishes in London. Check-in time: 14:30 hrs Location: Camping Village Roma, Via Aurelia, 831, 00163 Roma, Italy, Tel: 0039 06 662 3018. MEETING POINT FOR THE START OF THE TOUR (3rd November & 1st December departures only) Your tour starts in Rome and finishes in London. Check-in time: 14.30 hrs Location: Club House Roma, Via Andrea Alciato, 14/16 – 00167 Rome. Tel: 0039 06 6631841 Your tour is part of a longer tour and the day your tour starts will be day the group are travelling from Venice; the planned arrival time in in Rome is 14:30 although the exact arrival time will be dependent on local traffic and may therefore arrive later than the expected time. You should be back in London on the last day of your tour at around 19:30 hrs – 21:30 hrs, depending on ferry crossing times and local traffic. The drop off point will be in the car park next to Canada Water Tube Station ARRIVING IN ROME Rome has two major airports: Rome's main airport, "Leonardo da Vinci" - still frequently known by its old name, Fiumicino - for scheduled flights and "Ciampino" which handles mainly charter flights and business aviation. TRAVELLING FROM ROME FIUMICINO AIRPORT (LEONARDO DA VINCI AIRPORT) TO TERMINI The airport lies 16 miles south west of Rome and is linked to the city by train and by road. The Leonardo Express is the direct train that serves the route between the airport and the centre of the city of Rome every 30 minutes with a journey time of 30 minutes to the central station, Termini. Ticket costs approximately €11, and are available at the counter as well as news-stands, get your ticket stamped in a yellow validation machine just before using it. Ticket expires 90 minutes after validation. Terravision Shuttle Bus The bus line Terravision serves the route between the airport and the central station of Rome, Termini. Tickets cost approximately €9; the journey takes about 70 minutes with 7 services a day. TRAVELLING FROM ROME CIAMPINO AIRPORT TO TERMINI CENTRAL STATION The airport lies 7 miles south east of Rome. There is no direct train connection from Ciampino Airport to Termini station in Rome. The nearest railway station to Ciampino Airport is Ciampino Città, connected to the airport by the by a 5 minute Cotral or Schiaffini operated bus departing every 30 minutes. Terravision or SIT Shuttle Bus Page 1 We discover, you explore EXPAT EXPLORE Meeting Letter From Ciampino, arguably the most popular direct link to the centre for visitors is the Terravision or SIT coach service. The airport is a relatively small single terminal airport. On exiting customs turn left going through the doors outside. Bear left and there is a coach stand on your left. There will probably be other passengers waiting and an airport-coach representative who will assist you. The journey lasts approximately 40 minutes and costs approximately €4. TRAVELLING FROM TERMINI CENTRAL STATION TO THE EXPAT EXPLORE ACCOMMODATION - CAMPING ROMA (for all tours except those departing 03/11/13 & 01/12/13) By train: From Termini station take a train in the direction of “Civitavecchia”. Please be aware that not all the trains stop at “Aurelia”. From “Aurelia” station follow the road "Via della Stazione Aurelia" for about 400 metres towards Rome centre, where you'll find Camping Roma or take a bus (no. 247, 28, 985) and get off at the first bus stop. By bus: From Roma Termini station take the Metro (Linea A), towards “Battistini” and get off at "Cornelia". Follow the signs for the Piazza Irnerio exit, and after that, via Aurelia. Once you're outside, in front of McDonald's, catch bus no. 246, which will drop you off right outside Camping Roma. By metro / bus: From the Metro station "Cipro" (Linea A, Vaticano) near the Vatican City, catch bus no. 247, which will drop you right off outside Camping Roma. By shuttle: You can use the campsite's “Cipro” shuttle service that travels between the Vatican and Camping Roma at the following times: from "Cipro" station at: 08.30; 09.30; 10.30; 11.30; 15.30; 16.30; 17.30; 18.30. TRAVELLING FROM TERMINI CENTRAL STATION TO THE EXPAT EXPLORE ACCOMMODATION – CLUB HOUSE ROMA (for tours departing 3rd November and 1st December only) By Metro: From Termini station, take the Metro (line A) to Cornelia (direction ‘Battestini’). The hotel is just 600m from the Metro station: Club House Roma Hotel Cornelia Metro Station Page 2 We discover, you explore EXPAT EXPLORE Meeting Letter GETTING AROUND IN ROME The city centre is a fabulously beautiful place and meandering through its streets exploring for yourself can be one of life's most delightful pastimes. The Rome Metro has just two lines intersecting at Rome's Termini Station. Although limited, it’s worth using where you can as it’s by far quicker than any surface transport. Rome’s busses are very comprehensive and frequent. For further information on route planning on the Underground, fare costs and maps please see www.atac.roma.it The buses: Public buses run a very comprehensive and frequent system running from about 05:30 hrs to midnight daily. These bus services are supplemented by night services that run all night along the core routes. In general, the busses are used for very short journeys and as a feeder service to the metro and train networks and will often find you have a wide choice of routes going where you need to, especially in the town centre. The metro: the system has just two lines named A and B, the lines intersect at Rome Termini Station, the main public transport hub in Rome. The metro misses much of the city centre; however, there are stations next to the Coliseum / Roman Forum and Spanish Steps and within 5 minutes’ walk of the Vatican. Tickets / fares: All local public transport is integrated in Rome and tickets must be purchased before you board any public transport in Rome. Tickets for both the bus system and metro can be purchased from tobacconists, coffee bars, or vending machines at metro stations and major bus stops. Tickets cost € 1.00 for one Metro ride or 75 minutes on all buses or € 4.00 for a daily ticket, valid for unlimited metro, bus, and train travel within Rome. ONWARDS TRAVEL AFTER THE TOUR There are 5 airports in London, namely London Heathrow, Gatwick Airport, City Airport, Luton Airport, Stansted Airport. The 2 most frequently used airports are Heathrow and Gatwick. Travelling from Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport is 15 miles west of central London and easily reached by public transport. Heathrow Express is the fastest option, with a journey time of 15 minutes to London Paddington Station and departures every 15 minutes. London Underground's Piccadilly Line provides the most cost-effective rail route between Heathrow Airport and Central London, journey time is under an hour and you shouldn't have to wait longer than ten minutes for a train, even off-peak. Travelling from Gatwick Airport There are 2 terminals at Gatwick Airport, namely the North and South Terminals. Gatwick Railway Station is directly linked to the South Terminal and is only 2 minutes away from the North Terminal via the free shuttle service. The free shuttle service runs between terminals every few minutes 24 hours a day. The airport is 30 miles south of central London and easily reached by road or public transport. Gatwick Express is the fastest option, with a journey time of 30 minutes to London Victoria Station and departures every 15 minutes. Southern Trains services to Victoria via East Croydon and Clapham Junction run four times an hour with a journey time of around 35 minutes. First Capital Connect serves London Bridge and St Pancras International Station’s four times an hour with a journey time of between 30 and 45 minutes. Travelling around London on the Underground London has the oldest and largest tube train network of any major city, operating 12 lines through miles of underground tunnels. Its 500 trains cover 260 stations. They operate from 05.30 hrs Monday to Saturday, and 7am on Sundays. The last one leaves between 23:30 hrs and 12.30 hrs, depending on when and where you’re going. The London Underground is divided into six concentric zones, with the inner city itself as number one. The closer you get to the centre, the higher the fare. For further information on route planning on the Underground, fare costs and maps please see www.tfl.gov.uk. Page 3 We discover, you explore EXPAT EXPLORE Meeting Letter IMPORTANT PASSENGER INFORMATION If you have not already sent us your ‘Important Passenger Information’ please click here to complete the online form for yourself and every person travelling in your group. EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBER Should you have any queries you can contact Expat Explore on 0044 (0)207 394 5232 between the hours of 08:00 hrs and 17:00 hrs.