Ostia Antica from Civitavecchia

[QQRZZA]

Has anyone taken a day trip to Ostia Antica from Civitavecchia? We lived in Italy years ago, and have been to Rome several times. So, on the next visit to Civitavecchia, we are interested in seeing Ostia Antica. I know that it is possible to take the train to and from central Rome, and then get the metro, with a change en route. But ... that gets to be a very involved, and time consuming journey for a one day port call. Any delays or missed connections may well result in a missed departure in Civitavecchia. Any ideas from those who may have "been-there, done-that"?

[I&MsMom]

I've been to Ostia, and been to Civitavecchia, but never tried to connect the two via public transportation. I suspect you are correct, in that you would have to train from Civitavecchia to Rome Termini, then head back out to Ostia. Seems like a lot of unnecessary ground to cover. :confused:

 

Have you considered renting a car? There is a Hertz quite close to the entrance to the port in Civitavecchia. We rented from them on the spur of the moment (no prior reservation) to drive to Civita di Bagnereggio (of Rick Steve fame.) It was very quick. The only thing is, they didn't have a huge inventory of vehicles sitting around, so if you require a large car or an automatic, I would pre-book.

 

I don't recall from my research, but there are at least one or two other companies with offices in Civitaveccia (one had an office too far to walk to). In any event, Hertz was the first we came to and the one we used.

 

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy! :)

[newfarmers]

Hi

we docked in Civ last year and took the train to Ostio. We were on the train at 8 but there was an earlier train in to rome at maybe 7.30. there is a shuttle provided at the dock to get you out to the main gate. from tere you turn right and the station is maybe half a mile or a bit more up that road.

 

Bought the Berg tickets at the station but you definitely don't need to go as far as Termini to change trains. I'll come back to you with more detailed info but we changed trains once directly onto the local Rome line that heads back out to the coast. From the station you went up over a road overpass and it was at the most a five minute walk to the entrance.

 

If you click on the travelpod link below I've written about our day. We had enough time to get back in to Rome and race around to see the sights we missed when we'd flew in a few days before

 

I'll see if I can get the station details if I can find them.

 

Peter

[newfarmers]

I've updated below with station details

 

Hi

we docked in Civ last year and took the train to Ostio. We were on the train at 8 but there was an earlier train in to rome at maybe 7.30. there is a shuttle provided at the dock to get you out to the main gate. from tere you turn right and the station is maybe half a mile or a bit more up that road.

 

Bought the Berg tickets at the station but you definitely don't need to go as far as Termini to change trains. I believe it was Ostiense. It is actually three stations in one. For the Metro it is also Piramide and then it is also Porta San Paulo for the Lido line. We changed trains just the once. At Ostiense you went down an escalator over in one corner after you'd come off the platform, but it was signed (I think). You then walked to the end of the platforms to board the train. This was the originating station fro trains on the Lido line. From the Ostia Antica station you went up over a road overpass and it was at the most a five minute walk to the entrance.

 

If you click on the travelpod link below I've written about our day. We had enough time to get back in to Rome - same train, got off at Circo Massimo instead - and race around to see the sights we missed when we'd flown in a few days before

 

Someone might be able to confirm the above if they have also done this.

 

Peter

[Andym]

I have done lots of research into public transport to Ostia, but the only way seems to be into Rome and then back out. I thing the hire car would be the way to go. Shame the tours don't cover it. It looks a fantastic place to visit.

[Dunmore2]

We had Bob's Limo service pick us up at the pier around 9am in Civitavecchia. They drove us to Ostia Antica (less than one hour) where we walked around for 90 min or so. Then we stopped for expresso and one last pastry ( we paid for ours and the driver's) before we were driven to the airport. I think we were charged 80 E for everything. We arranged it all by internet before we left Canada and I would recommend it to everyone. Very carefree and relaxing.

[Dunmore2]

Sorry, that should be 180 E.

[QQRZZA]

Many thahks to everyone for the input. This will be very helpful. It is surprising that a treasure like Ostia Antica is not on the cruise ship tour menu. A similar treasure is Paestum which can be reached from Naples or the Amalfi coast. Paestum is a wonderful site and has almost no tourist traffic. Anyone interested in Greek temples will love Paestum. They are the most preserved examples, and are uncrowded. Like Ostia, it takes a private tour to visit the site.

[newfarmers]

Many thahks to everyone for the input. This will be very helpful. It is surprising that a treasure like Ostia Antica is not on the cruise ship tour menu. A similar treasure is Paestum which can be reached from Naples or the Amalfi coast. Paestum is a wonderful site and has almost no tourist traffic. Anyone interested in Greek temples will love Paestum. They are the most preserved examples, and are uncrowded. Like Ostia, it takes a private tour to visit the site.

 

Yes, it's ashame that the cruise companies don't visit Ostia when it is 'just' down the coast from Civitavecchia. Like in too many ports the cruise lines are like a flock of sheep and don't dare offer something that little bit different. We were the only couple from 1200 people on Rotterdam who wanted to go sea-kayaking in Dubrovnik and not surprisingly it was cancelled. So we walked to the old town (and walked back) and gave HAL nothing!!

 

It is an easy day trip to Osria via train and well worth it, we were mesmerised. Whatever you do, enjoy.

[cruisemom42]

Many thahks to everyone for the input. This will be very helpful. It is surprising that a treasure like Ostia Antica is not on the cruise ship tour menu. A similar treasure is Paestum which can be reached from Naples or the Amalfi coast. Paestum is a wonderful site and has almost no tourist traffic. Anyone interested in Greek temples will love Paestum. They are the most preserved examples, and are uncrowded. Like Ostia, it takes a private tour to visit the site.

 

I completely agree! Ostia is wonderful and I hope to get to Paestum on my next trip to Italia.

 

However, I suppose the cruise line has to consider that the majority of pax are going to want to go to Rome for the day, as it may be a first (and perhaps only) trip for some.

[mustgo]

We visited Ostia back in the late 70s while traveling around in Europe. It was one of our favorite days and I believe they have uncovered a good bit more. We will return to Rome for 2 days this year and may decide it is worth a revisit. Probably if we go, we will do the train and metro.

[DavidandPaula]

Our plan last year was to hire a car (Hertz in Civit) and look at Ostia and then down to Anzio. Booked the car months in advance but not long before leaving for Europe I read on this board about the Monday closure of many venues. We finished up driving to the North West of Rome for lunch and then North to buy some wine. Invited a Canadian couple we had met on the cruise and had a really great day.

 

I used a GPS for navigation, and aside from a couple of minor detours found it to be very useful. Passing the interchange that turns you of to Ostia and the airport I noticed it was very well signed and very ocvious as to which way we would have gone.

 

David

[islandwoman]

Peter,

 

I would like to go to Ostia Antica by train from the cruise port in Civitavecchia. Can you tell me how long the train trip took you each way? googlemaps is saying 2 hours and 44 minutes.

[Hlitner]

Peter,

 

I would like to go to Ostia Antica by train from the cruise port in Civitavecchia. Can you tell me how long the train trip took you each way? googlemaps is saying 2 hours and 44 minutes.

 

It is a bit complicated. You would first have to get from your ship to the Civitavecchia train station which means taking the free port bus and then transferring to the local bus that goes to the station (or you could walk). That will take you at least a half hour...depending on your waiting time at the port (for the bus to leave) and how long for the next bus. Once at the station you would take a regional train towards Rome and get off at the Ostiense Station which would take you about an hour plus the time you wait for the train. At Ostiense you would get on a commuter train (I would have to look up which train) and I am guessing it would be around an hour to get out to the Antica stop from where you would walk over to the ruins.

 

A much faster (and easier) way would be to simply rent a car at Civitavecchia and drive yourself to the ruins...which should take about 1 hour. Its a pretty easy drive as you would use the main highway towards the airport (FCO) and then on to SR296. It would be about a 1:10 min drive. There is free parking at the ruins which also has an adjacent restaurant...or you could walk about 1 block to a small sandwich shop.

 

There are several major rental car companies in Civitavecchia that are within walking distance of the bus stop (from the port shuttle) so you could look for the best deal.

 

I would suggest you repost this issue on the Italy port board...where a few others might have the exact time table info on the trains. But I think that the 2 1/2 hour (each way) estimate could be close to the truth...especially when you factor in connections. The problem is that its really not too far as the crow flies....but the trains take you out of the way (since you have to head into Rome) and these are all slower regional/commuter trains.

 

Hank

Edited January 3, 2017 by Hlitner

[islandwoman]

Thank you, Hank. That's what I needed to know.

[Hlitner]

Thank you, Hank. That's what I needed to know.

 

I will reiterate that you should also post this on the Ports of Call/Italy board. Some of my CC friends, who know even more than moi, would then see your question and probably toss out additional info/ideas.

 

As to renting a car in Italy, this particular drive is not difficult...especially if you have a GPS (or working cell phone/GPS) to guide you through the area near FCO (airport) to the proper road and exit for the ruins. You also need to consider that most lower cost rental cars (and sometimes the only available rental cars) are manual shift (stick shift). If you cannot handle a stick...then you are either going to pay a hefty premium (to get an automatic) or possibly will not even be able to get a car. Automatics need to be reserved far in advance...making sure that the rental car agency is aware that you really MUST have an automatic.

 

I should have added that we are big fans of Ostia Antica. The ruins are quite extensive and also very impressive for those of us who like this kind of thing. But Ostia also involves a lot of walking (mostly in a flat area) and sometimes climbing on stones. It took us about 3 hours to walk through the area....and we were rushing :)

 

Hank

Edited January 3, 2017 by Hlitner

[Flatbush Flyer]

Many thahks to everyone for the input. This will be very helpful. It is surprising that a treasure like Ostia Antica is not on the cruise ship tour menu. A similar treasure is Paestum which can be reached from Naples or the Amalfi coast. Paestum is a wonderful site and has almost no tourist traffic. Anyone interested in Greek temples will love Paestum. They are the most preserved examples, and are uncrowded. Like Ostia, it takes a private tour to visit the site.

 

 

Ostia Antica is a regular Oceania excursion from Civitavecchia.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[euro cruiser]

It is a bit complicated. You would first have to get from your ship to the Civitavecchia train station which means taking the free port bus and then transferring to the local bus that goes to the station (or you could walk). That will take you at least a half hour...depending on your waiting time at the port (for the bus to leave) and how long for the next bus. Once at the station you would take a regional train towards Rome and get off at the Ostiense Station which would take you about an hour plus the time you wait for the train. At Ostiense you would get on a commuter train (I would have to look up which train) and I am guessing it would be around an hour to get out to the Antica stop from where you would walk over to the ruins.

I'll pick it up from here. At Ostiense you'd transfer to the Roma-Lido commuter rail line at its starting point, Porta San Paolo. There is an underground passageway that connects the two stations or, if you prefer, you can walk outside (less than half a mile, just around the corner).

 

There are at least four trains each hour (approximately one every 15 minutes). You can see the route here: http://viaggiacon.atac.roma.it/?service=trovalinea&linea=LIDO&percorso=LIDOA

 

The Porta San Paolo - Ostia Antica ride takes about 45 minutes.

Edited January 4, 2017 by euro cruiser

[ACJV]

We had a private driver who took us from Civitavecchia to Ostia. It was expensive, but it seemed to be the most efficient way, other than renting a car. It is an interesting place, but I would have liked having a tour guide. I would recommend going there. Train seemed too complicated.

Vicki

[Hlitner]

Thanks Euro-cruiser. My motivation in getting the thread reposted on this forum was that I knew you would be able to enhance the train info and help the OP. While the train is an option, we have always thought it was lousy option from Civitavecchia because of the time element (is can take 5 hours round trip...once you factor in waiting times). A rental car does it in less then 2 1/2 hours round trip. Here is the link to the Website (in English) of the Ostia site:

http://www.ostiaantica.beniculturali.it/en/orari-ostia-antica.php

 

We have long been fans of this place (and posted this on CC many times over the years) and think it is a perfect place to visit, for those that are spending a night at one of the FCO area hotels. From Civitavecchia, it is more of a hassle...but actually easy (and reasonably priced) for those with a rental car. Any of the reputable private tour providers (Rome-in-Limo, Romecabs, etc) will also happily take small groups for a day visit. The main advantage of a rental car is that you will save several hundred Euros.

[euro cruiser]

It is cumbersome by train, I agree.

 

For those who are interested, I can lay it out for perspective.

 

If you can make the 8:42 regionale veloce train you should be at Ostiense by 9:36. If you move quickly you can probably make the 9:45 train from Porta San Paolo, or at worst the 10:00. That would put you at the Ostia Antica station between 9:30 - 9:45 AM and tickets purchased and on the site minutes later. Allowing time to get from your ship to the port exit, and then from there to the train station, I would say that best case door-to-door is two hours.

 

You could spend four hours on site, then return to the station to get the train back to Porta San Paolo and connect to the 3:21 (15:21) regional veloce train back to Civitavecchia. If you want more time on site there are plenty of later trains back.

[anthonyy7]

We love Ostia and back in 2014 we visited it again on our port stop. We wanted to see the very back of the site which we didn't have time previously. Our ship arrived at 7am and we made sure to be the first one off. We took the ship bus to the "new" drop off location. We walked at a fast paced to the train station and purchased the transit pass for 12 euros. We caught the 7:44 am and arrived at Ostiense at 8:36. From there we transfer to the Rome Lido line. It's a nice short walk from the train station to the ruins. It opens at 830am so we walked right in not too long after 9am. We spent about 3 hrs there including having lunch and using the wifi at the cafeteria. Afterward we took the train back and metro 2 stops up to Colosseum. We walked over the Victor Emmanuel monument and rode the glass elevator up to the roof for amazing views. Afterward we strolled back to termini station because we wanted to stop at a gelati place we like. We ended up getting back to Civita around 6 which gave us plenty of time to leisurely walk back to the ship shuttle pick up point.

 

If you just plan on going to Ostia then you should have lots of time. It's never really crowded which is a good thing. If you take the train, don't forget to validate that ticket! We almost missed that early train because we were searching for the yellow box!

[poss]

Compared, say, to Pompeii? We'll sadly not be doing the Pompeii excursion on one of our port stops, since from everything I read, the walking would not be good for my elderly husband. I'd like to do Ostia on our Civita stop (ship has an excursion that goes there). Am I correct that touring Ostia is considerably less taxing than touring Pompeii? E.g. does one come and go from same place so that if someone can't do the whole three hours (or whatever), it's not a problem to meet up with the group when they come back that same way?

Thank you.

[Hlitner]

Compared, say, to Pompeii? We'll sadly not be doing the Pompeii excursion on one of our port stops, since from everything I read, the walking would not be good for my elderly husband. I'd like to do Ostia on our Civita stop (ship has an excursion that goes there). Am I correct that touring Ostia is considerably less taxing than touring Pompeii? E.g. does one come and go from same place so that if someone can't do the whole three hours (or whatever), it's not a problem to meet up with the group when they come back that same way?

Thank you.

 

We would suggest that walking around Ostia is going to be difficult for anyone who has mobility problems....unless you are using something akin to a wheelchair to lessen the walking. Although Ostia might be a little smaller than Pompeii...it is still a pretty expansive area that would require more then a mile of walking to see just part of the ruins. The good news is that a majority of the walking is on a relatively flat surface...but once you start exploring the actual ruins...you have the usual rough surfaces.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

Compared, say, to Pompeii? We'll sadly not be doing the Pompeii excursion on one of our port stops, since from everything I read, the walking would not be good for my elderly husband. I'd like to do Ostia on our Civita stop (ship has an excursion that goes there). Am I correct that touring Ostia is considerably less taxing than touring Pompeii? E.g. does one come and go from same place so that if someone can't do the whole three hours (or whatever), it's not a problem to meet up with the group when they come back that same way?

Thank you.

 

I think the walking at Ostia is comparable to the walking at Pompeii in most ways except two (which may be important for your husband): 1) The walking paths are much less uneven, as they are mostly dirt paths except for a few 'roads'. 2) It is much less crowded than Pompeii, so easier to watch where you are going and go slowly without getting pushed or hurried along.

 

At either place -- Pompeii or Ostia -- the site is very large, but I'm sure any guide could figure out a way to provide your husband with a waiting spot, if needed. When I visited Pompeii with my 76-year old mom who had a bad knee at the time, she was able to walk around part of the site, then the guide advised her where to 'peel off' and walk a relatively straight and easy path to the exit where she could sit and wait for the rest of us to finish.