Rome Airport to Civitavecchia Shuttle or other Transportation

[bostonian19]

We are family of three trying to figure out most economical way to get to the boat dock from The airport.  Willing to take local transportation since arriving day before.  

[princeton123211]

So normally I wouldnt tell you to use Uber in Rome because its only black cars (because of regulations) and its significantly more than a taxi. But that only really applies to rides within the city itself. The anomaly we found out is that a ride from the airport to Civitavecchia is basically the same. Fixed rate for a licensed taxi between the two is 120 Euro. I think it cost us about 135 Euro for a black car Mercedes S Class with Uber-- it was much nicer for a similar cost. 

[cruisemom42]

There are a lot of cheaper options, however.

 

OP:  If you are arriving the day before, are you staying at the airport or in Rome?  The local train is direct and easier from Rome proper. From the airport you have to change trains.

 

There are also shared shuttles you can prebook from anywhere around 60-75 euros per couple.

 

[jancl57]

We always fly into Rome 2 days early to enjoy the food and the city!  We have a private car drive us to the port.  It

is pricey, but very comfortable.  Its 155 euros.

 

 

[b_cruise]

You could look at transfers with some recommended companies as well.  I used Joe Banana Limos ( don’t let the Limos scare you lol) as they were reasonable, professional , on time and most of all friendly. 

[Hlitner]

We would not even try dispensing advice (or suggestions) until the OP tells us where they are staying the night before the cruise :). Also, when considering "local transportation" one should factor-in the amount of luggage and their ability to easily handle that luggage for distances, steps, etc.

 

Hank

[victory2020]

How long does it take from the airport to the cruise terminal using taxi/shared taxi?

[cruisemom42]

44 minutes ago, victory2020 said:

How long does it take from the airport to the cruise terminal using taxi/shared taxi?

 

Usually it is just under an hour.

[CruisingSince1982]

On 9/23/2019 at 9:02 PM, jancl57 said:

We always fly into Rome 2 days early to enjoy the food and the city!  We have a private car drive us to the port.  It

is pricey, but very comfortable.  Its 155 euros.

 

 

If we fly in on a red-eye on Friday, arriving early Saturday, would that give us enough time to sight-see? Cruise leaves Monday at 5pm 

[CruiserBruce]

28 minutes ago, CruisingSince1982 said:

If we fly in on a red-eye on Friday, arriving early Saturday, would that give us enough time to sight-see? Cruise leaves Monday at 5pm 

You could easily spend days in Rome. We are going back for our 5th visit in May, only one was less than 3 days. One day gives you a brief intro, adding the partial day of the day you arrive adds depth to that intro.

[cruisemom42]

32 minutes ago, CruisingSince1982 said:

If we fly in on a red-eye on Friday, arriving early Saturday, would that give us enough time to sight-see? Cruise leaves Monday at 5pm 

 

You can do more than on a port-day certainly, but two days is really the bare minimum for Rome.

 

Given your contemplated schedule, keep in mind that the Vatican museum (which includes the Sistine chapel) is closed on Sundays (except for one Sunday a month when it is open, free and miserably packed). So if you want to see the Vatican, you'd have to do it on the half day Saturday after you arrive -- which isn't ideal as you'll likely be tired from your flight -- or on the Monday morning before you head to the port, which is doable. 

 

If it were me, I'd probably advise the following: 

 

Saturday:  Check into your hotel and do whatever you need to do to re-energize quickly -- a shower, change of clothes, a VERY FAST cat-nap (do not sleep for long or you will prolong your jet-lag).

 

Find a sunny piazza near your hotel (preferably one with something to see -- like the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori -- and have lunch.

 

Then do a self-guided walk through historic Rome from the Spanish Steps to Campo dei Fiori (or vice versa), taking in the steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon (go inside), Piazza Navona and Campo dei Fiori.  Rick Steves has such a walk you can follow in his Rome book -- it may differ slightly but offers a variety of this.  Take your time and enjoy. Stop if needed for a gelato or espresso to keep you going. But do keep moving -- the activity and the exposure to sunlight will help you adjust to the new time faster, so they say...

 

Dinner in Rome doesn't really start until 7:00 or 7:30. Try to stay up for it. Do some research to find a spot near your hotel. Then crash.

 

Sunday: A good day to see the ancient sites of Rome. Look into the options available for the Colosseum and decide what you want to do. I find it a bit bewildering all the many different flavors of tours that are offered for a building that -- when all is said and done -- is a single building with a single purpose. (As compared with, say, the Forum....).  It's probably best to do whatever you want to do in the Colosseum first, then visit the Forum, perhaps have some lunch and then Palatine Hill. The official ticket site is here: https://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm   Some of the tours do sell out quickly.

 

If you have only middling interest in ancient Rome, skip Palatine Hill. However do consider walking the six blocks or so to the Baths of Caracalla as they are an outstanding example of Roman building skill, engineering skill, wealth, and the sheer bloody mindedness of building huge establishments like these where even the most common citizens could bathe and hang out. Another site not to be missed is the Basilica of San Clemente, which is also close to the Colosseum -- it is a fascinating look at three different levels of Rome through time: http://www.basilicasanclemente.com/eng/

 

If you DO like your ancient Romans, I also encourage considering a visit to the Capitoline Museums (just north of the Roman Forum) for wonderful sculpture particularly, including busts of most of the emperors and one of the MOST outstanding pieces from antiquity, the monumental bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius on horseback.  (Also a good option if it is either brutally hot or raining, as it gets you inside....)

 

Monday morning: Make reservations for a group tour of the Vatican museum at the earliest offered time, which I believe is 8:30. I would suggest doing the tour that includes the museum and St. Peter's basilica -- the latter can be done on your own, but it may be more time effective to do the full tour of both, which lasts 3 hours). Then return to your hotel, check out (if you haven't already -- most hotels are happy to hold your bags if you need to check out earlier), and head to the port.

 

Notes:  Tickets for either the Colosseum or the Vatican museum should be reserved in advance to avoid huge queues. Pick a hotel that's centrally located, and you can get most places on foot. You probably will want to take a taxi (or use public transportation) to the Vatican, however.

 

[euro cruiser]

On 9/19/2019 at 12:58 PM, princeton123211 said:

Fixed rate for a licensed taxi between the two is 120 Euro. I think it cost us about 135 Euro for a black car Mercedes S Class with Uber-- it was much nicer for a similar cost. 

 

That fixed fare is only between the airport and Civitavecchia, there is no fixed fare from downtown Rome to Civitavecchia.  135 euro is an average price for a car service.

[jancl57]

8 hours ago, CruisingSince1982 said:

If we fly in on a red-eye on Friday, arriving early Saturday, would that give us enough time to sight-see? Cruise leaves Monday at 5pm 

Yes...on our first cruise out of Rome in 2016, we arrived at 7:30 on Monday morning, our cruise left Civitavecchia (sp) 5:00 pm on Wednesday.  We toured the Vatican Monday afternoon and Tuesday we did the Coliseum, the forum, Pantheon & Trevi Fountain.  Very doable.

Edited October 1, 2019 by jancl57