Anywhere (other than Rome) accessible from Civitavecchia

[Denn33]

This summer, I'm doing a 20-day HAL mediterannean that is made up of 2 back-to-back 10 days from Civitavecchia. I am trying to figure out if there is anything we can do on the 10th day when we get back to Civitavecchia (some passengers will be leaving, some coming aboard. We'll be in port 11 hours. Since we're staying 2 days in Rome pre-cruise and 2 days post-cruise, I'm not that interested in making the effort to get there for the day. Does anyone know of any other interesting places that are accessible from Civitavecchia? (I assume there isn't much to see or do there).

[HeinBloed]

Go to Blockbuster and get DIANE LANE in UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN and MARISA TOMEI in ONLY YOU - maybe you like POSITANO and would like to make a trip to this coast - if you have not done it already from Naples.

 

Alternatively: go OSTIA - the historic port of Rome.

 

What about PISA (it's 2.30 hrs by train from Civitavecchia)???

 

Regards,

HeinBloed

[carlmm]

In Tarquinia north of Civiavecchia important remains of the Etruscan culture can be seen. The necropole has beautiful paintings. Other artifacts are shown in the National Museum of Tarquinia. Very interesting and definitely worth a visit.

 

Or just stay in Civitavecchia. Some information can be found in the response to a former question http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=473904

This includs my statement:

"There are a number of sights in proximity of the port entrance. In addition to the link posted above, information in Italian can be found at http://www.civitavecchia.it/a-spasso/monumenti.asp .

An example of a walk trought the city center:

Right at the port entrance their is the Fort Michelangelo. Straight ahead you reach the Trajan theatre, toward the center there is the cathedrale, San Francisco. Small streets lead to the Pius VI chamber ovens, the tower and gate of the bow, the church fo prayer and death, the ancient hospital ... Reaching the waterfront there is another fortress and going back to the port entrance one passes the fountain of Bendedic XIV."

Strolling the streets of Civitacecchia gives you also the chance to get a better feeling of non-tourist Italian feeling.

 

If you have eleven hours you migth be able to do both in a day or you allow yourself some more leisurely speed.

[zaandam_2]

i'll 2nd tarquinia. it was very interesting.

[dbh62ark]

Denn33, I've been in and out of Civitavecchia on several cruises; we spent a few hours there once and did not like it (and we LOVE Italy!). Since we've spent time in Rome, we have hired http://www.romeinlimo.com to drive us around during a port stop in early June this year. We are going to a small village that is only reached by footpath named Civita de Bagnoregio. It looks awesome and was featured recently in Travel & Leisure. For our other stop that day, I read that the cathedral in Orvieto is (was?) covered in scaffolding, so we are choosing between Tarquinia, Bagnaia, and Viterbo for our other stop that day. I spent a few hours in Viterbo several years ago and found it to be very charming. Have you considered Tivoli? There are a lot of options, but my review of the http://www.trenitalia.com web site indicated that to go to several places I've mentioned, we would need to connect to go through the Rome Termini station, so we were concerned about spending so much time commuting that day and decided to hire a driver. Like HeinBlod, we loved Ostia Antica, but I think you would need to go through Rome to go there too. The train from Civitavecchia is cheap and easy if you can find an itinerary for the day that works for you. Some other board members rented a car in Civitavecchia to go to Civita de Bagnoregio and Pitigliano, so if you do a search on the boards, you'll find information on that option. I think this is definitely do-able by rental car, so our choice to hire a driver is just a personal preference. If you sail before May, I'd appreciate any information that you can leave for us. I've listed some links below that I found in my research.

 

Have a great cruise,

Donna

 

http://www.romeartlover.it/Bagnoregio.html

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=bagnoregio&m=text

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=orvieto

http://www.romeartlover.it/Bagnaia.html

http://frommers.com/destinations/rome/0064020292.html

http://flickr.com/search/?q=viterbo

http://www.romeinlimo.com/etruscan-tour.htm

[Denn33]

Thank you all for the suggestions--this is great! I'll definitely have to put some time in looking in to all of these options.

[Denverite]

If you only have a few hours, then Tarquinia/Tuscania are probably doable from Civitavecchia. We were there in November 2006 (actually on our way to the ship from the Tuscany area) and toured with Stefano of Rome cabs (romecabs@yahoo.com). Stefano knows quite a bit about Etruscan history and was able to take us through the fascinating museum and explain some of the history to us. It was really helpful to have someone explain what we were seeing instead of just doing this on our own. We also stopped at a farm for wine tasting and wild boar tasting very near the port.

 

In answer to another poster, the cathedral in Orvieto indeed does have scaffolding. We absolutely loved Assisi (the Basicila of St. Francis of Assisi) is probably the most amazing church I have ever seen, but you would not have time to go there in just a few hours.

[ehogan]

We are stuck in Civitavecchia for an overnight on our cruise in March.

Since we have spent many days in Rome and the only tour options Carnival is offering is into Rome, we are also looking for an alternative.

 

I think we will try Tarquinia. The Train from Civi to Tarquinia is 15 minutes and 4 Euro return and the National Museum and the Etruscan Necropolis (20 minute walk from the museum)(combined entrance fee 6.5 euro)are both open on Sundays. Frommer's has a pretty positive write up on the town.

[dbh62ark]

In answer to another poster, the cathedral in Orvieto indeed does have scaffolding. We absolutely loved Assisi (the Basicila of St. Francis of Assisi) is probably the most amazing church I have ever seen, but you would not have time to go there in just a few hours.

Thanks for leaving this information. It's always good to know in advance to avoid disappointment. I looked at Assisi for our day tour but also thought that area of Umbria was too far for a day trip from Civitavecchia.

 

Donna

[dbh62ark]

I think we will try Tarquinia. The Train from Civi to Tarquinia is 15 minutes and 4 Euro return and the National Museum and the Etruscan Necropolis (20 minute walk from the museum)(combined entrance fee 6.5 euro)are both open on Sundays. Frommer's has a pretty positive write up on the town.

I wasn't interested in Tarquinia initially because I'm not interested in the Etruscan tombs but then found a lot more of interest in Tarquinia after I did some reading. If you're interested in fountains, our tour company has noted that there are a lot of fountains in Tarquinia too. See http://www.romeinlimo.com/etruscan-tour.htm.

 

Happy travels to all,

Donna

[veramoore]

I too have done the sights of Rome and would like to go somewhere else, particularly if it is not so crowded.Your trip to Civita de Bagnoregio sounds interesting. I checked the romeinlimo site but did not see anything like this. Is it accessible by train? How far from the port is it? Can you do it on your own or do you need a driver?

I am floundering, we are a family of 7, 2 children 10 and 8 years. I'm looking at tours but the cost is causing heart palpations!

Anyway my question is what else can you do if you don't go to Rome?

 

Thanks

Sharon

[I&MsMom]

Hi! We just got back, and we had an overnight in Civitavecchia on the Carnival Freedom. It was raining in the morning, and we couldn't decide what we wanted to do with the day. By the time we finished breakfast, the rain had stopped, so we decided to rent a car. The Hertz office is an easy walk from the port (on the main street that fronts the water; as you exit the port go right, and it is a couple of blocks down, next to the Hotel de la Ville and Hotel Mediterraneo). We were able to get the car quickly, with no previous reservations. There is also an Avis and Eurocar (sp?) in Civitavecchia, which we passed on the way out of town, but I'm not sure if they are within walking distance of the port.

 

We made our way to Civita di Bagneregio, passing the outskirts of Viterbo (which seemed larger to me than I had been expecting). It took us about 2 hours to get there, as we got stuck behind a series of tractor trailers, and it was slow going. On the way back, we had better luck and it only took us 1.5 hours, even with a stop at a bar (cafe) for refreshments.

 

It was a nice drive through the countryside, no autostrada involved. Other than a brief shower as we were having lunch, it was a beautiful day.

 

Civita di Bagneregio was lovely. It's a hike up, though. Also, the parking was a bit confusing. In the end, just drive all the way through on the one way road, and you will be met by a parking attendant (woman with a baby in her arms). It's one euro per hour to park. There weren't a lot of spaces left on a Monday in April, so I'm not sure what they do with all the cars in the high season or the weekends.

 

On the recommendation of several people, we choose to eat at Antico Forno. The food was OK, but let me just say, I hope they are gearing up at the beginning of the season, and this is not how they plan to operate going forward. When we arrived at 1:15, the place was packed (and there are only about 10 tables for 4). We were told to come back at 1:45. We did, and waited another 30 minutes. Eventually, the chef came out of the kitchen, and pretty much asked everyone at the tables to get a move on, which was not much appreciated by those lingering over their meals. Apparently, they had a group reserve for 30, and 40 showed up. OK. It was only after we were seated that the service got really bad. Suffice to say, we had to ask for the wine three times after initially ordering it. We all ordered pastas. And we waited, and waited. Everyone else had bread baskets, and DD was really hungry, so we eventually asked if we could have some bread, too. But it took our actually asking. Eventually, DD's and DH's pasta arrived after about 30 minutes. DS and I waited an additional 20 minutes for ours. DH's veal arrived with the second round of pasta, and only after we asked about the potatoes we ordered were we informed they had run out. Thank goodness for the wine!

 

Truthfully, lunch took forever, but it was pleasant none the less. The town is really picturesque. I think it is safe to say we were the only ones from the Freedom there that day.

 

On the way back, we stopped in a little town of Monte Romano (you drive right through the center), where there was a traffic-free piazza with all of the children riding their bikes, skating and playing hopscotch. We stopped for a beverage and ice cream, and the kids had a blast.

 

We left Civitavecchia around 10 am, and didn't return until a bit before 7. By showing our sign and sail card, DH was able to drive (literally) right up to the gangway to drop us off. He then went to park, and he got gas and returned the car the next morning, while I waited with our luggage.

 

It was a great day, and a wonderful way to end our adventure.

 

Hope you all enjoy whatever you decide to do!

[dbh62ark]

Sharon, this is the link to the Rome in Limo tour that I referenced: http://www.romeinlimo.com/etruscan-tour.htm. I'm not interested in the tombs so was interested in the water route. Tuscania is located near Civitavecchia so should be easy via rental car (or maybe train, but I don't see a train station listed on the Trenitalia site). As noted by ehogan, Tarquinia is an option via train. Here's the link to the Frommers info on Tarquinia: http://frommers.com/destinations/rome/0064020291.html.

[dbh62ark]

I too have done the sights of Rome and would like to go somewhere else, particularly if it is not so crowded.Your trip to Civita de Bagnoregio sounds interesting. I checked the romeinlimo site but did not see anything like this. Is it accessible by train? How far from the port is it? Can you do it on your own or do you need a driver?

I am floundering, we are a family of 7, 2 children 10 and 8 years. I'm looking at tours but the cost is causing heart palpations!

Anyway my question is what else can you do if you don't go to Rome?

 

Thanks

Sharon

Sharon, I'm sorry for the delay (I just saw this question). Travel & Leisure or one of those magazines featured Civita de Bagnoregio in an issue in the fall. The photos were amazing, so I started planning a tour around that village because I could see that it was do-able from the port of Civitavecchia (we've already spent time in Rome). As I continued to research options in the area and also asked questions on these boards, I changed my mind several times--the cathedral in Orvieto is covered in scaffolding, etc.--and eventually decided that we're going to Bagnoregio, Bagnaia, and Tuscania via private driver during our port stop. I haven't researched and don't have info on doing these villages by train. As noted, you can also rent a car, but I wouldn't try to do three villages in one day by rental car due to timing. http://www.viamichelin.com will give you an idea of the locations of these villages if you decide to rent a car.

 

I understand about the tour costs. One inexpensive option for you would be to take the train into Rome, but I advise you to do a lot of research so that you have a plan when you arrive in Rome. Also, watch out for the gypsies (pickpockets). I personally think that would be overwhelming with young children (my niece is 8, and I wouldn't do that with her), but that's a generalization, and you know what your children can't and can't handle. Have you considered trying to find another family on your roll call board to split the cost of private drivers? I don't like Civitavecchia, so I would suggest that you check a map for Italy to research options in the area that you can reach by train if you don't want to hire a driver or rent a car. The Trenitalia web site is http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html.

 

Some of the ports will offer you options that are inexpensive and easy to do from the ship's dock. And some of the ports like Civitavecchia are more of a challenge, but you'll find a lot of good information on these boards. You might also try http://www.slowtrav.com.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[snowmouse]

We have a later flight out of Fuminicio (sp??) following our galaxy cruise, 6pm. Since we will have already seen Rome pre cruise, I was looking for something to do that we could do with a driver sort of 'on the way' to the airport. I looked at Celebrity's post cruise excursion w/ transfer but only one was offered, an overview of Rome.

 

Our party will includen our children, 16 and 10 and my FIL85, so that does eliminate anything too adventurous. Any ideas?

[vetralla]

The Etruscan triangle of Tarquinia, Tuscania and Vetralla is perfectly doable as a day trip...inexpensive and no tourists.

Viterbo is a larger city (72,000) surrounded by 12th century walls and has the best preserved medieval section in Europe. Vitorchiano is another walled gem of a town. If you only have l day, avoid Civita di Bagnoregio which has become "Disneyfied" since a certain Mr. Steves has written about it...and that bridge is not easy on knees over 65.

The Orvieto Duomo is now without scaffolding - magnificent as always.

[Thoth]

When a cruise leaves from this Civitavecchia does one need to be there a day early? There is a cruise that I'm considering for next April which leaves on a Tuesday> If I took the cruisline's air would I leave home on Monday, or would I need to fly on Sunday and spend the night in Italy ?

Thanks for answereing my dumb question.

[mochuck]

When a cruise leaves from this Civitavecchia does one need to be there a day early? There is a cruise that I'm considering for next April which leaves on a Tuesday> If I took the cruisline's air would I leave home on Monday, or would I need to fly on Sunday and spend the night in Italy ?

Thanks for answereing my dumb question.

I would play it safe and come a day early. If your flight is delayed for any reason you could miss your cruise. That's what we're doing anyway. We're also coming in early to recover from the 23 hour flight.

[Thoth]

I would play it safe and come a day early. If your flight is delayed for any reason you could miss your cruise. That's what we're doing anyway. We're also coming in early to recover from the 23 hour flight.

 

Thanks for the feedback. 23 hour flight? That's a long time on an airplane.

[hajekfam]

Thanks for the feedback. 23 hour flight? That's a long time on an airplane.

If you look the poster was from Australia.

Actually it is good to go in at least a day early even if your flight is only 8 hours. It gives you time to acclimate to the time chage. We have seen so many cruisers wiped out on the first day after the hassles of dealing with the airport, luggage, and time changes that we consider the first day a wasted day.

Besides the air time, you also would arrive in Rome and have about an hour to 1.5 hour trip to the port. If your luggage gets lost, you have an extra day for it to catch up to you.

We normally fly in a day early before any cruise, in Europe we fly in a couple of days early - after all that flight time, we feel that we want to get more than just the port time. If we had a cruise that left on a Tuesday, we would definitely arrive no later than Sunday - no extra time off work by leaving on the weekend and more time to sightsee!

[Thoth]

If you look the poster was from Australia.

Actually it is good to go in at least a day early even if your flight is only 8 hours. It gives you time to acclimate to the time chage. We have seen so many cruisers wiped out on the first day after the hassles of dealing with the airport, luggage, and time changes that we consider the first day a wasted day.

Besides the air time, you also would arrive in Rome and have about an hour to 1.5 hour trip to the port. If your luggage gets lost, you have an extra day for it to catch up to you.

We normally fly in a day early before any cruise, in Europe we fly in a couple of days early - after all that flight time, we feel that we want to get more than just the port time. If we had a cruise that left on a Tuesday, we would definitely arrive no later than Sunday - no extra time off work by leaving on the weekend and more time to sightsee!

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I did notice that the other poster was from Australia, that's why I attempted to be sympathetic to the miles they had to travel to take their cruise. I flew to and from Japan once through Atlanta =15 hours, I have flown to the Middle East and back also. Last year it took 24 hours to get from Qatar to South Carolina.

Since I no longer consider flying part of the fun, I keep asking myself do I really wish to fly to Europe in order to cruise? While I love Europe, I hate getting there. I'm 6'.1'' around 220 pounds and have found that they just don't configure coach seating for me. What if I don't get an exit seat or bulkhead?

another problem is I work weekends off 2 days during the week, so that too could be an issue with leaving a few days early. Sounds like I better stick to Miami cruises, doesn't it ?

Perhaps when I call the cruise-line, we might be able to sort something out. Again, thanks !