Civitavecchia port to Rome ?'s

This will be our first cruise and it will be on Viking Ocean in the Med, we have never been to this part of Europe before. We are both in our early 40's and quite capable of walking distances. We dock in Civitavecchia the early morning of Dec 4th to end our cruise. We have extended in Rome for the next 3 days before flying back home. I have a couple of ?'s That we have been going over with each other and what we should do the day we arrive, and was graciously looking for some feedback from fellow cruisers.

1) Should we get a car from the hotel we are staying at to take us back to hotel (Hotel Artemide) and just leisurely walk around Rome on our own and check-in later? 170 Euros

2) Should we be picked up at port by Rome In A Limo and do one of their tours and then be dropped off at hotel after the tour? 500 Euros

3)Just take the train into Rome from port to city center? 30 Euros

I am pretty sure that our Hotel is close enough to most of the major sites (Except Vatican) so we could do them on our own. I just worry if we do the Hotel car, that we might waste the day if we don't have someone driving us around, and then have to do a little more the next day. We were going to try and plan to go down the Amalfi coast the next day on a tour or take the train and then ferry. Is this too much travelling for 2 days? I feel like this might be a little stressful to try and get all of this in...Our flight leaves at noon on Dec 7th, so not much we can do that day.... Any help would be appreciated, Thank You!

We’re using this service. The cost is 75€ for two if at least four people share the van.

Good reviews On TripAdvisor, too.

Many on our cruise are using their service. We have three van loads. Each can accommodate 8 people.

https://www.civitavecchiaport.org/shared-shuttle-service/

I would never attempt a trip down to the Amalfi Coast when you only have a couple of days in Rome.

As for how to get from the port to the city, that's really a personal value judgement. For myself I can't see the point of paying someone to drive me around the city when I can see more on my feet. In December it's not like you'd want air conditioning.

The transfer would certainly be more comfortable by car or shuttle, it's really up to you. The train can cost as little as 5 euro or as much as 16, depending on the train. The walk from the port exit to the train station is one mile, unless you are berthed in one of the southern locations from which you can walk without bothering with the port shuttle bus. In that case the walk from the ship could between a half mile to a mile, depending on which berth.

Your hotel is within walking distance of Termini, assuming you aren't burdened with a lot of luggage. It's about a half mile, slightly downhill.

We will lend our support to Euro-Cruiser's comment that a trip to the Amalfi coast is not a good use of the OP's limited time. DW and I really enjoy the Amalfi Coast, but this is an area worthy of a minimum of 2 nights (at a hotel or inn on the coast) and our personal preference is to spend at least 4 days (our personal minimum for that area). A first time visitor to Rome would probably get the most from their time by staying in Rome for at least 2 days. If you want to venture out of Rome for a partial day there are options such as going to nearby Tivoli or perhaps Orvieto.

Hank

I will take the advice of your posts, and skip Amalfi, very sound advice. No need to stress, I will have to make it back some other day for that.

I think we have decided to trek from the port to Rome on our own as well.

We will probably end up doing some sort of tour that second full day that we have, and find a couple of nice restaurants to eat at instead of paying the 500 for Rome in a Limo. I appreciate all of the sound advice from all of you.

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Don’t know if you have 3 full days or if one of them is partially eaten up by travel. In any event I usually recommend dividing up ones time in Rome by area and concept. I would devote 1 full day to Ancient Rome, the Colesseum, Palatine Hill ,etc and one full day to the Vatican area. Within those days you can add some other sites as time allows but those are your main points of interest for the day. The third day can then cover other things that you find to your interest. Certainly there are many more things to see depending on your time and speed. Most tours or tourists will of course want to at least say they have been to the Trevi fountain, the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon. Don’t forget time for a wonderful Italian lunch and some gelato. Just don’t try to do everything in one day.

Save the Amalfi for the future.

Yes, this is spot on. We will tour the Vatican area on our second day, the first day we will be doing all of the other sites this beautiful city has to offer, it helps that our hotel is just a short jaunt to trevi and Spanish Steps, and also equal distance almost to the Colosseum as well, thanks again everyone for the input! Very excited to do this cruise!! Now I just need to get on Yelp to see what off the beaten path fantastic restaurants we will be eating at....

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I will take the advice of your posts, and skip Amalfi, very sound advice. No need to stress, I will have to make it back some other day for that.

I think we have decided to trek from the port to Rome on our own as well.

We will probably end up doing some sort of tour that second full day that we have, and find a couple of nice restaurants to eat at instead of paying the 500 for Rome in a Limo. I appreciate all of the sound advice from all of you.

 

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There is quite a bit that you can do in actually 1 1/2 days in Rome. It is a very walkable city, but using a tour may be a good idea. I suggest you research what YOU want to see. There is so much to see and many times without good planning, you may wind up seeing places that hold little interest.

For example, Trevi Fountain, The Colosseum, The Vatican, Spanish Steps among others are all well-known tourist areas. But, if ruins and ancient history are of no interest, don't spend time seeing the Coliseum because you think you 'should'. The Vatican and St. Peter's are a bit out of the center of the city ( by this I mean from the Trevi Fountain it will take about 45 minutes - 1 hour depending how fast you walk or you can take a bus or taxi). This will take up a good amount of time. Be sure to get skip the line tickets if you don't do a tour - the lines are insane.

All of the sights in Rome are amazing, but with such a short window, zero in on what fascinates you and you will enjoy your brief time there. Most restaurants are great. Again take some time and research them and make reservations.

My wife and I are planning on taking the Frecce train. If you purchase your tickets in advance, its about 13 Euro per person for 1st Class seats which has dedicated room for your larger bags, drink service and power sockets. It also is a non stop trip to the main train station.

Right now, on weekdays, the Frecce departs Civitavecchia at 9:16am and 11:16am. If you aren't in a big hurry, plan on 11:16am which will get you into Rome about noon.

Excellent advice on the Frecce train, this is something I have been looking at, and probably what we will end up doing as well. Thank You! I can't see burning 170Euro on a car service when we are fully capable of doing it ourselves, that money will be better spent on food and maybe a tour, a plus is our hotel is only a 1/2 mile from main terminal, it will help us burn some calories from all of the food we will be eating on board!

Hi,

you will have a limited time in Rome and it will take some time to see things that you want to see. Even that you want to burn the extra calories, after few hours you will be tired and probably not enjoying Rome as much as you think. Sooner or later you will need to find a restaurant which might be crowded and maybe expensive.

I would look at other option even if it will be more costly but maybe beneficial. I also would not pay the amount that you have mentioned either for the tour or the transfer to Rome.

We used a smaller company for the transfer that we were happy with and it was a lot less costly. Some posters ( here on CC and Trip Advisor) used that company for transport to Rome and a tour.

Write to them - it costs you nothing. Tell them what you want to do, see what they offer and than choose what you will do.

If you used them ( or some other similar company) - you will have more time in Rome, you will not be dragging your luggage at the port as well as in Rome. You will have a chance to see a lot more and have more energy. You might spent time in some nice family restaurant away from the tourist center ( the driver will take you there) - maybe even save some money on the dinner or lunch.

We just arrived home from a Med. cruise. We spent 3 nights pre-cruise in Rome and our hotel was VERY centrally located that we walked everywhere! Except, the hotel did call a cab for us to get to our early morning meeting place for the Vatican. It was 8 Euros for 3 people. We walked back after the tour.

First Day: We obtained transportation with RomeCabs from FCO to our hotel. This cost a bit extra because he did an orienting tour for us in Rome (VIP tour) and was very nice. This was 110 Euros for 3 people.

Second Day: We obtained directions and a map at our hotel and walked to our tour for the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum. This began at 2:30 pm

Third Day: We took a cab to our early morning "Skip the Line" Vatican tour. We walked back to the hotel and took a nap. We then walked to the Trastevere area to meet our guide for our Food Tour which lasted about 4 hours and was very good!

The next morning before we needed to get our ride to the port, we walked to the Pantheon  and Trevi Fountain.

When we had "down time", we explored the Campo dei Fiori area.

Our first evening was spent on the hotel's rooftop bar drinking our complimentary drinks and enjoying a very fun lightning and thunder storm.

From the Hotel to the Port: we used a shared shuttle with Rome Limousines. Our driver arrived at the hotel early and it cost 85 Euros for 3.

From the port to our hotel at FCO, we took a shared shuttle with Rome Limousines. The driver was on time and it was 85 Euros for 3.

I hope this helps, because we had never been to Europe and really wanted to enjoy Rome.

On 9/26/2018 at 11:24 AM, RynoWally said:

Excellent advice on the Frecce train, this is something I have been looking at, and probably what we will end up doing as well. Thank You! I can't see burning 170Euro on a car service when we are fully capable of doing it ourselves, that money will be better spent on food and maybe a tour, a plus is our hotel is only a 1/2 mile from main terminal, it will help us burn some calories from all of the food we will be eating on board!

This post is primarily for those with a port day in Rome.  While we certainly agree on using the train (been doing this for over thirty years) we never care if its the Frecce or just a a regular train.  The time difference is only about 20 min (at best) and there are many more regional trains on the route.  I will give you a good example.  The last time we were in Civitavecchia we decided to go to Rome and left the ship around 7:15.  Our shuttle connections worked well and we were at the station in time to grab the 7:44 regional train which got us to Termii about 8:50.  And this cost is less then halff the price of the Frecce....and is even cheaper for those who prefer to use the BIRG ticket.  Now consider the cruiser that decided to wait for the Frecce.  They would not only spend more money, but assuming their train was on time (never a guarantee) they would not get to Rome until 10:03!   That extra 1 1/4 hour in Rome comes in handy during too short port days.  While we might consider the Frecce if we were at the end of the cruise and hauling lots of luggage it would not even be a consideration for a port day.

Another big issue is the BIRG Ticket.  This is something often talked about here by Euro-cruiser, myself, and others.  It is a nicely discounted daily ticket that includes round trip regional (not Frecce) trains to Rome and all days use off Rome's entire public transit system including buses and the metro (subway).  Not sure what the current price is for the BIRG, but it used to cost about 12€.   The regional trains also stop at several Rome stations not even serviced by the Frecce.  For many, going all the way to Termini is not the best move.

I would suggest a transfer by Rome cabs to your hotel.  If you can find another couple to a share with on your cruise the price becomes quite reasonable.  That way you save your time and energy for Rome.   There is more than enough to keep you busy,  I strongly suggest a visit to the incredible sculptures at villa borghese, which needs to be prebooked  online.   Also a walk at night across the angel bridge by castello Sant Angelo.  

On 10/25/2018 at 3:55 PM, Hlitner said:

This post is primarily for those with a port day in Rome.  While we certainly agree on using the train (been doing this for over thirty years) we never care if its the Frecce or just a a regular train.  The time difference is only about 20 min (at best) and there are many more regional trains on the route. 

I found that an intercity train around the time I wanted was just as fast as a Frecce train, at least for my particular travel. 46 minutes by intercity train from Ostiense station to Civi isn't' bad, and on that train, I was able to book a seat.  While the seat might not be important in many situations, going to Civi on the Sunday after Christmas made me think twice about getting a BIRG ticket and going on a regional train with no seat assignment.

I believe a BIRG ticket is still 12 euros.  

Maybe someone already mentioned this, but if not: If you can't find any trains listed under one of the tabs on Trenitalia, it may mean that it's too soon to see schedules.  They are not posted for many months at a time. 

As for touring in Rome, I'm going for some cheap alternatives like the bus that goes past a whole lot of attractions (the 40 maybe?) and taking public transportation a lot.  The ATAC site has a route or journey planner that's very helpful, and probably there's an app as well.  I'm planning to get a day or 24 hour ticket so I don't have to pay every time I get on a bus, tram, metro train, etc. 

bennybear or someone else: If I'm not hijacking this thread, I was wondering if you knew how to get to the Terrazza del Pincio inside the Borghese park area.  Can you just walk up steps from Piazza del Popolo or exactly how do you reach the viewing terrace over Rome?

I'm on Viking Ocean as well - but at the end of the month.

I'm stopping in Civitavecchia on my cruise in January. It's only a port day, so I was thinking about getting the BIRG train ticket to Rome (S. Pietro). But I'm wondering, with the travel time and time to dis/re-embark, how much of the 10 hours in port will I actually have in Rome?

Ten hours is a rather short stop in Civitavecchia, what are the actual hours and day of the week?  With that we can estimate which trains you might make and then you can back into the amount of time you'd have in Rome.

9:00-19:00 on a Monday, on the Sinfonia 27/12 departure. I have a "get there when I get there" mindset for the morning, but I want to make sure not to miss the boat in the end. (pun intended)
The good thing is that it's the last port of call of the cruise (7/1), so I would be in tune with the drill (hopefully) by then. My last cruise was in 2010, so I'm rusty. It's also my first MSC.
How long before departure time should I be back to the port?

For a 19:00 departure the all-aboard time will be 18:30.  When planning public transit it's a good rule of thumb to take the next to the last one (train, bus, ferry, whatever) that will get you back in time so you have a fallback option.

You need to allow about 30 minutes to get from the Civitavecchia train station to your ship, whether you take the bus to the port entrance or walk.  Adding a little extra pad to be on the safe side, I'd want to be on a train that gets me back to Civitavecchia no later than about 17:30 - 17:45.

Using the current timetable (there will be a reset in December so there may be some small changes, you'll need to check again after the changes are posted) that would mean the 16:12 regionale arriving at 17:13, the 15:57 IC arriving at 16:45 (but you cannot use the BIRG ticket on this train) or the 15:42 regionale arriving at 17:05 if you're really risk averse.

At the other end of the day, the first train you can reasonably make would be the 9:43 arriving at 10:48 but it's more likely that you'll wind up on the 9:58 arriving at 11:18.  This is a much slower train so there's a lot of incentive to do everything you can to make the 9:43.

Therefore, the longest possible day would give you about five and a half hours in Rome.

My day in a Rome wit train from Civitavecchia 

On ‎10‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 10:30 AM, nini said:

We just arrived home from a Med. cruise. We spent 3 nights pre-cruise in Rome and our hotel was VERY centrally located that we walked everywhere! Except, the hotel did call a cab for us to get to our early morning meeting place for the Vatican. It was 8 Euros for 3 people. We walked back after the tour.

First Day: We obtained transportation with RomeCabs from FCO to our hotel. This cost a bit extra because he did an orienting tour for us in Rome (VIP tour) and was very nice. This was 110 Euros for 3 people.

Second Day: We obtained directions and a map at our hotel and walked to our tour for the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum. This began at 2:30 pm

Third Day: We took a cab to our early morning "Skip the Line" Vatican tour. We walked back to the hotel and took a nap. We then walked to the Trastevere area to meet our guide for our Food Tour which lasted about 4 hours and was very good!

The next morning before we needed to get our ride to the port, we walked to the Pantheon  and Trevi Fountain.

When we had "down time", we explored the Campo dei Fiori area.

Our first evening was spent on the hotel's rooftop bar drinking our complimentary drinks and enjoying a very fun lightning and thunder storm.

 

From the Hotel to the Port: we used a shared shuttle with Rome Limousines. Our driver arrived at the hotel early and it cost 85 Euros for 3.

 

From the port to our hotel at FCO, we took a shared shuttle with Rome Limousines. The driver was on time and it was 85 Euros for 3.

 

I hope this helps, because we had never been to Europe and really wanted to enjoy Rome.

What hotel did you stay at in Rome & would you recommend it?