Civitavecchia to Rome and back in one day

[euro cruiser]

I have made some whopper mistakes while traveling, but somehow always managed to survive them one way or another.

 

The first time I took a train in Italy I got on the wrong one. I was alone and spoke not a word of Italian at the time and, being a well trained American traveler, I was at the station (Termini, in Rome) a full half hour before my train was to leave for Florence. I checked the board dutifully and marched on down to the track my train was scheduled to leave from. At the appointed hour, a Eurostar train pulled in and I got on. I wandered around for a while because I couldn't find the car my reservation had assigned me to. The train pulled out of the station and I just took an empty seat and waited for a conductor to straighten me out.

 

For reasons I still don't understand, it seems like everyone in Italy speaks some English except the conductors on the trains. When he finally arrived to check tickets a good 45 minutes into the trip, he looked at mine and said "non Firenze, Napoli". In other words, the train I was on wasn't going to Florence, it was headed to Naples. They had changed the track during the half hour I sat there waiting and announced it, but of course I didn't understand the announcement.

 

It all worked out in the end. The conductor was so nice, when we made the first stop (in a suburb of Naples), he got off the train with me and explained to the station manager what had happened. She, who also didn't speak any English, walked me over to another track and sat with me until a northbound train came. She explained what had happened to that conductor, and he made sure I got back to Rome and onto the right train for Florence, only about three or four hours after the one I was supposed to be on. No one charged me for the additional rides and they couldn't have been nicer, even though we didn't understand one another's languages. Events like that are only part of the reason I fell so hard for Italy.

[drwong]

Euro, were you on the cruise that was in Rome on July 16? We were sailing on the Solstice on the 17th and had taken a day trip into Rome on the train on the 16th. There was a nice young couple on the train (I think from Canada?) who was on that cruise, and our train pulled into the station around 7:08. We wished them good luck as they ran off to the ship and I wondered if they made it, hoping that the ship departed late.

 

You really have to look at the train schedules. I looked just now at the schedules between Rome and Civi and the time from the main terminal varies from 42 minutes to 85 minutes. (85 minutes was length of the one that we and that poor couple were on). They had estimated the time needed to return by how long it took to travel to the city and they said it took only 45 minutes to get down to Rome in the morning. We were on the train that left at 5:39, and they knew they were already cutting it close even assuming a 45 minute ride.

 

Sue C

 

Hi Sue - thanks for your concerns! Yes, we did make it back aboard the Norwegian Gem after that harrowing experience. We had planned on catching the 4:09 pm return train, but we ended up getting pickpocketed on the subway just as we were arriving at the Terminii train station, leaving us with no cash in hand and found that the only ATM at the station was out of service. Then not realizing that the platform for the Civitevecchia train was a good half-mile run from the station entrance (we had disembarked at the San Pietro Station on the way in), we missed the 4:39 train, forcing us to wait for that 5:39 train!).

 

As it turned out, we weren't the only Gem passengers on that "last" train leaving Rome- there were several others in the other cars of the train that we didn't know about. When we got to Civitavecchia, some of the more aggressive passengers jumped into the only two cabs that were at the train station and rushed back to the ship, stranding the rest of us at the station. Several younger passengers decided to run for the ship, while the rest of us, including one elderly grandmother, decided to take our chances and wait for a cab.

 

After about ten long minutes with no sign of a cab, one of the cruiseport shuttlebuses drove up to drop off the pierside workers and greeters who were no longer needed at the pier. We tried to board his bus, but he signaled to us "no more" (this was his last run and he was going off-duty). Fortunately, one of the Spanish passengers who spoke enough Italian managed to persuade him to make one final run back to the Gem (a fistful of Euros helped) so he offered to let us board and we even managed to pick up several of the running passengers enroute to the ship (port security did stop them at the entrance to the pier complex).

 

Luckily, I always bring along the ship's daily schedule which lists the name and contact info for the ship's port agent. One of the locals on the train allowed me to use his cellphone and we were able to notify the agent that we would be arriving late. I think the Gem ended up sailing around 7:30, but I'm sure they factor that into their schedules.

[drwong]

The other problem we encountered at the Termini Station was the destination sign board - it lists the trains (destinations and departure times), but the track number for the train to Civitavecchia remained blank. Being familiar with US airports where arrival gates commonly change before the plane actually docks, we waited for the platform number to appear on the display for the 4:39 train. It never did.

 

We ran around the station looking for an information booth or a Travelers Aid station where we could obtain information on the Civitavecchia departures, but found nothing. And contrary to television and movies, very few Italians speak English. A local gentleman finally pantomined the direction to the correct platform, which was in a separate part of the station, blocks from the main part of the terminal. (for future cruisers, go to the rightmost part of the station, walk two or three blocks down a pathway, make another right at the Leonardo Airport Express platform, and then a left towards platforms 29-31. The Civitavecchia-bound train (hopefully) will be leaving from one of them.

[CintiPam]

We had planned on catching the 4:09 pm return train, but we ended up getting pickpocketed on the subway just as we were arriving at the Terminii train station, leaving us with no cash in hand and found that the only ATM at the station was out of service.

 

Very sorry to read this. Please post more about precisely what happened? Were you wearing a money belt?

[CathyCruises]

Termini is such a zoo! We always try to avoid it, and find that if we head back from San Pietro it is a shorter ride and since the station is tiny there is no confusion. It's usually better to go to St. Peter's after noon anyway, and we take a train about 3:30 or so, which puts us into Civitavecchia in plenty of time. There are a few cute sidewalk cafes there--fun to sit and enjoy an aperitif after a hectic day in Rome, knowing that you have plenty of time to get back to the ship at your leisure.

 

FYI I have always seen tons of shuttle buses at the port entrance--3 or 4 at at time. It would have to be pretty darn late in the day for the shuttles to have stopped running.

 

Cathy

[marie61]

I was reading all along thru these posts, happily thinking, hey, I can do this train thing on my own...then it was one horror story after another!

 

Now, I'm thinking--this is supposed to be a vacation, fun and stress-free....an organized tour, while pricey, is looking much better. :rolleyes:

[euro cruiser]

Don't be dissuaded Marie, it's really quite easy. Yes, things can go wrong, but look at these as lessons learned and things to avoid. Knowing in advance where the trouble spots are can make it even easier.

 

For example, there's really no reason for someone going from Civitavecchia to Rome and back to ever set foot in Termini. It's out of the way for most of the things a casual visitor is interested in seeing, and it adds time to your travel that a one day visitor can ill afford.

[janoma]

Thanks Sue...you're right...I must have been looking at the wrong sheet (the old timetable or Florence maybe?)...but you're right, the one I'd planned to shoot for is the 4:09, with the 4:39 as the fallback. I'm trying very hard to limit what we try to see to enjoy them all.

[cruisemom42]

I was reading all along thru these posts, happily thinking, hey, I can do this train thing on my own...then it was one horror story after another!

 

Now, I'm thinking--this is supposed to be a vacation, fun and stress-free....an organized tour, while pricey, is looking much better. :rolleyes:

 

 

It's pretty straightforward, if you do your homework. Unfortunately, some people only get part of the information that they really need in order to make a DIY day work for them.

 

For example (and not meaning to pick on a previous poster, just for sake of illustration), it's important to map out your day in Rome. What train station (you have several to choose from) is best for you? Study a detailed map of Rome (or use Google maps) to get to know where things are located. Plan a busy day but know when to cut things short in order to give yourself a reasonable cushion of time to get back. Understand the differences between types of trains, and make sure you read the schedule correctly.

 

Frequent readers of this forum, or folks who study their guide books, probably would've realized where the trains to Civitavecchia depart from at Termini, and hopefully would've read one of the many long, detailed discussions about pickpockets.

 

Another poster on another board recently kept lamenting the lack of signage in Rome. I had to chuckle a little -- I haven't ever noticed a lack of signage. You just have to know where to look (and, just possibly, be able to read a little basic Italian!).

[Terpnut]

I'll chime in and add that I took the train during our B2B turnaround day in Roma on my own quite successfully. Taking the train from Civitavecchia to and from Roma Termini was really no problem at all if you do just a little homework! I spent the time seeing San Giovanni in Laterano, ate lunch, visited San Clemente, missed San Pietro in Vincoli because I caught it during their two-hour siesta closing, and then Santa Maria Maggiore before heading back to Termini.

[janoma]

Cathy - my only reason for thinking of getting on at Termini for the return was a previous post that indicated you might not get a seat after Termini (and I expect we'll be quite done in!)...did you find that to be true? I expect 50% of the cruisers to be on the 4:09!