Underground Colosseum Tour

[wistraveler]

Hi!

 

I want to book the Underground Colosseum Tour on Sunday, May 11th. We will be coming from a cruise and therefore need to travel from Civitavecchia to Rome to get to the tour. We are planning to take the train. Our ship is scheduled to arrive in port at 7AM. My question is, would we have a problem making it to the Colosseum for the 9:40 AM tour? We would really like to take the tour at this time rather than later, but I would like to know if those of you in the know think the trains are likely to be full or if since we will not be with a ship's excursion, we might not make it off the ship in time to catch a train that will get us to the Colosseum on time. Also, how often do the trains leave Civitavecchia? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[euro cruiser]

I'd be comfortable with this.

 

It's fairly reasonable that you would make the 7:50 train, which gets you to Roma Ostiense at 8:34. From here you'd walk through the tunnel to the Piramide metro station and take the subway two stops to the Colosseo. You'd be there well ahead of time.

 

If you don't make that train there is one at 7:58 that will work as well.

[cruisemom42]

It is possible, but it could be pretty tight timing.

 

You shouldn't have a problem getting off the ship (most ship tours aren't going to be leaving the moment the ship is cleared), so just wait near the gangway and plan to be the first off.

 

The real issue will be riding the shuttle to the port entrance. It's impossible to predict how long you may have to wait for it to fill up and leave.

 

It looks like there are a couple of trains that leave for Rome around 7:30. If you can catch any of these Regional trains, you should be fine: 7:30 or 7:34 or 7:44. All of these can be used with the BIRG ticket and all stop at Ostiense, which is the best Rome station for your purposes.

 

There's also an IC train that leaves at 7:50, but you can't use the BIRG ticket for an IC train.

 

All of the above-mentioned trains should get you to Rome with enough time to take the metro onward to the Colosseo stop (if you need more detailed info, just ask).

 

If you are later than this, there is still a chance you could make it by taking the 7:58 Regional train. It arrives at Ostiense at 9:06, giving you about a half hour to get to the adjacent metro station, ride the metro 2 stops, and get off at Colosseo. It's possible, assuming you aren't required to be somewhere to pick up your ticket any earlier than 9:40. However, that would be your last viable option.

 

Here's a link to a current schedule for the trains from Civitavecchia to Rome and also Rome to Civitavecchia (valid thru mid-June).

 

http://www.civitavecchia.net/travellers-trains.html

 

The trains don't change much from season to season but it's always a good idea to check the schedules again just prior to leaving for your trip.

[acruisergirl]

Cruisemom42,

 

Thank you for providing the link to the current train schedule.

 

My husband and I were also thinking of traveling from Civitavecchia to Rome and return, using the train as our means of transportation. Our ship is scheduled to arrive at 6:00 AM and will depart at 6:00 PM. Do you think we will incur any travel problems on Jun 2 because I've read this day is a National holiday in Italy?

 

Pat

[cruisemom42]

Cruisemom42,

 

Thank you for providing the link to the current train schedule.

 

My husband and I were also thinking of traveling from Civitavecchia to Rome and return, using the train as our means of transportation. Our ship is scheduled to arrive at 6:00 AM and will depart at 6:00 PM. Do you think we will incur any travel problems on Jun 2 because I've read this day is a National holiday in Italy?

 

Pat

 

I don't think you will run into any problems. You'd want to check on the official (Trenitalia) website for your date. I just tried it and it looks like they already have the schedule up, including the regional trains.

 

From Civitavecchia to Rome, there are trains at 7:34 (Regionale), 7:50 (Inter-city, not BIRG eligible), and 7:58 (Regionale).

 

From Rome to Civitavecchia, there are return trains at 15:57 (Inter-city), and 16:12 (Regionale), the later of which gets you back at Civi at 17:13. Anything else would be too late.