Abruzzo without a car

If you land at Rome Fiumicino or Ciampino, you can reach Abruzzo without renting a car.

• Direct bus from Fiumicino: FlixBus leaves from Terminal 3 for L’Aquila (at least 5 departures a day, from about 2 h 35), Pescara (at least 4, about 3 h 25) and Teramo (at least 5, about 3 h 25). Times and tickets on flixbus.it.
• Train + train: the Leonardo Express runs non-stop from Fiumicino to Roma Termini in 32 minutes; from Roma Termini or Tiburtina, trains run on the Rome–Avezzano–Sulmona–Pescara line.
• Train + bus: from Roma Tiburtina (Tibus coach station, about 350 m from the railway station) TUA buses leave for L’Aquila and for Avezzano–Sulmona, along with buses to Pescara.
• From Ciampino: first reach Roma Termini, then continue by train or bus as above.

Abruzzo International Airport is in Pescara, a few minutes from the centre.

• TUA4FLY: direct bus between the airport and Pescara Centrale (railway underpass). Ticket €3, valid 90 minutes across the Pescara–Chieti area; buy it on the TuaGO app or on board with a contactless card (no cash), and activate it before boarding. Times do not change if flights are late.
• TUA city lines 8 and 38 to central Pescara and the station, and frequent buses to Chieti.
• Changing at Pescara Centrale: buses to L’Aquila (about hourly), Teramo, Avezzano, Sulmona–Roccaraso–Castel di Sangro, Ortona, Lanciano and Vasto, Naples and Rome.
• Taxi: Radio Taxi Pescara 085 35155; fares published by the airport: central Pescara €20, outskirts €25, Chieti €35.

Official information: abruzzoairport.eu and tuabruzzo.it.

• Rome–Avezzano–Sulmona–Chieti–Pescara: the only line crossing the Apennines and the most useful for Avezzano (Marsica, Ovindoli, Abruzzo National Park) and Sulmona (Majella, Scanno, Roccaraso). Trenitalia trains and also TUA trains Pescara–Rome: note that Trenitalia tickets are not valid on TUA trains (buy them on TuaGO, at TUA ticket offices or on board).
• Adriatic line (Ancona–Pescara–Bari): along the coast, with Frecce and Intercity trains; main stations Giulianova, Pescara Centrale, Ortona, Vasto-San Salvo.
• Terni–Rieti–L’Aquila–Sulmona: links L’Aquila with Sulmona and the line to Rome; it also stops at Molina-Castelvecchio Subequo (Valle Subequana).
• Teramo–Giulianova and Avezzano–Roccasecca (towards Cassino and Naples).
• TUA (former Sangritana) lines around Lanciano and the trabocchi coast.

Times and tickets: trenitalia.com and tuabruzzo.it.

TUA is the Abruzzo Region’s transport company: it runs intercity and city buses and some of the trains.

• Information: freephone 800 14 28 80, Monday to Saturday 7am–8pm. Times and journey planner on tuabruzzo.it; service updates also on TUA’s Telegram channel.
• Tickets: the TuaGO app (activate tickets before boarding), ticket offices and resellers; on many lines also on board.
• L’Aquila–Rome: single €13, return €20 (October 2026), with a limited number of promotional fares. In Rome, tickets are sold at bay 8 of the Tibus coach station at Tiburtina.
• Sulmona–Avezzano–Rome: €10 from Avezzano, €16 from Sulmona, one way (October 2026).
• To the mountains and parks: lines Rocca di Mezzo–Ovindoli–Avezzano, Pescasseroli–Avezzano, Pescasseroli–Opi–Villetta Barrea–Civitella Alfedena–Barrea–Castel di Sangro, links from Sulmona to Scanno, Roccaraso, Pescocostanzo, Campo di Giove and Pacentro, and from L’Aquila to Lucoli, Rocca di Mezzo, Campotosto and Montereale. Many runs follow the school calendar: always check the timetable for your day.

• Pescara–Rome: besides TUA, services by Di Fonzo, Di Febo, Di Carlo and Prontobus (list published by Abruzzo Airport).
• Pescara–Sulmona–Roccaraso–Castel di Sangro–Naples: SATAM and TUA coaches.
• FlixBus links L’Aquila, Pescara and Teramo with Rome (including Fiumicino airport) and many Italian cities.
• Southern coast: Pescara–Lanciano–Vasto–San Salvo with Di Fonzo, Cerella and TUA.

• Ski buses from Rome: on winter weekends BusForFun runs «Ski Days» from Rome (EUR and Tiburtina) to Campo Felice, Ovindoli and Roccaraso, with return trip and ski pass. The Campo Felice service is also listed on the resort’s official website (departures from Rome EUR Magliana at 6:30 and Tiburtina at 7:15). Dates and bookings on busforfun.com.
• Campo Felice by public transport: Rome–Pescara train to Avezzano and TUA bus to Rocca di Cambio, or a bus from L’Aquila (Collemaggio terminal) towards Rocca di Mezzo (campofelice.it). Lifts 0862 914507.
• Ovindoli: TUA line Avezzano–Ovindoli–Rocca di Mezzo. Monte Magnola lifts 0863 705058.
• Campo Imperatore: from L’Aquila bus terminal, AMA city line M6 reaches the cable car base (Fonte Cerreto) via Paganica and Assergi; then up by cable car. Cable car ticket office 0862 606143.
• Roccaraso and Alto Sangro: SATAM/TUA coaches on the Pescara–Sulmona–Roccaraso–Castel di Sangro–Naples line and TUA buses from Sulmona.

• Abruzzo National Park: train to Avezzano and TUA bus to Pescasseroli; the TUA Sangro valley line runs between Pescasseroli, Opi, Villetta Barrea, Civitella Alfedena, Barrea and Castel di Sangro.
• Scanno: train to Sulmona and TUA bus.
• Majella: buses from Sulmona to Pacentro, Campo di Giove and Pescocostanzo.
• Altopiano delle Rocche: TUA buses from Avezzano (via Ovindoli) and from L’Aquila.
• Upper Aterno and Lake Campotosto: TUA buses from L’Aquila to Montereale and Campotosto.
• Valle Subequana: L’Aquila–Sulmona train to Molina-Castelvecchio Subequo.

• L’Aquila: AMA city buses (ama.laquila.it), tel. 0862 319857; the bus terminal is at Collemaggio. Radio Taxi L’Aquila 0862 25165.
• Pescara and Montesilvano: TUA city buses and the V1 «La Verde» trolleybus on a dedicated lane: pay on board by tapping a contactless card, phone or smartwatch on the validator.
• VAIMOO bikes: with a TUA ticket you get a year of bike sharing for €2 with 180 hours included, in Teramo, on the Teramo coast (Giulianova, Tortoreto, Alba Adriatica, Martinsicuro, Roseto, Pineto, Silvi) and in Chieti, Ortona, San Vito Chietino and Francavilla al Mare.

The Sulmona–Carpinone railway, closed to regular service since 2011, was reopened by Fondazione FS for tourist trains: it is the «Transiberiana d’Italia», climbing from Sulmona towards Campo di Giove, Palena, the Cinquemiglia plateau and Roccaraso. Trains run on set dates with vintage carriages. Calendar and bookings on fondazionefs.it.