civitavecchia to ostio antica - by taxi or train?

I will be in Civitavecchia on April 19 (with Viking). I'd like to go to Ostio Antica. I believe it is one hour by taxi, but 2 hours via train. I'm thinking of going by taxi to save time. Has anyone else done this? What sort of cost would this involve? Any other suggestions?

Going by train would take a fair chunk of time, definitely. It is about an hour from Civitavecchia station to Ostiense station -- the station in Rome where you would transfer to the line (Roma-Lido, a commuter line) for Ostia Antica. The trains to Ostia leave about every 15-20 minutes. I can't remember how long the ride is from there to Ostia, maybe another 20-25 minutes.

So yes, it would take a minimum of 2 hours because you also have to get to the train station in Civitavecchia via a shuttle bus to the port gate and then walking or by local bus to the train station!

On the other hand, a taxi one way from Civitavecchia to Ostia Antica will cost i the vicinity of $120. I haven't researched to see if there is a mandated fare for a return trip with taxi waiting for you a set amount of time, but it's still likely to run around $250.

The only fixed fares for taxis in Rome are back and forth to the airports. From Civitavecchia to the airport is €120 each way.

Given that as a starting point, and adding some money for waiting time while at the site, I would start negotiating with drivers for €250 and see if you can get any takers. Be prepared, however, to go as high as €300 or more.

Have you considered just renting a car for the day? There are several major rental car agencies in Civitavecchia (Europcar and Hertz to name 2) and a 1 day rental of a small car will be a lot cheaper than a taxi. The drive is relatively easy (very easy if you have a GPS) and the time you save would also give you some extra time to do some other things.

Hank

On our med cruise we decided to go to Ostia Antica even though we've been before as well as Rome, etc...

Here is how we did it and it worked very well! Docked and off the ship at 7a. We took the free shuttle to the drop off point outside the port and walked 20 min to the train station. We made sure to catch the 7:44 dep which had less stops and was the fastest. We arrived at Roma Ostiense at 8:35. Afterward it was a short 5 min walk to the Roma-Lido line rain towards Ostia. The schedule doesn't matter just get on the waiting train as it departs every 10 min or so. I recalled arriving at the entrance gate around 9:15a. We stayed until 1230pm and even had a bite to eat at the cafe. We had been before and loved it so didn't need alot of time there. We really had the place to ourselves.

Afterward I wanted to do Rome from the Sky which is the elevator to the roof of the Victor Emmanuel monument (best views of Rome). The views were awesome and it didn't take long. From Rome Lido line you can walk to the Metro and your 5 min from the Forum, Colosseum. Afterward we decided to find a cafe we loved while walking towards termini station because we wanted to make sure to have a seat on the train going back. We ended up arriving back around 430p in civitavecchia and walking to port shuttle bus area. It wasn't a rushed day. If you want to spend a day at Ostia it's very doable. All you need is the 12 euro BIRG ticket and it takes care of all transportation. Don't forget to validate it in yellow box before leaving civitavecchia. No need to take expensive taxi just to save 30 min maybe? The site doesn't open until 830a

Begs the obvious question given that the Roman ruins at Ostia Antica are vastly superior to those at the much over hyped Pompei - why don't the cruise lines run a shore excursion from Civitavecchia to Ostia Antica ?

Begs the obvious question given that the Roman ruins at Ostia Antica are vastly superior to those at the much over hyped Pompei - why don't the cruise lines run a shore excursion from Civitavecchia to Ostia Antica ?

Excellent question. They could even design a tour that covered both the Appian Way and Ostia Antica (with lunch). To be honest, DW and I avoid cruise line excursions like the plague.....since we enjoy being by ourselves (no groups) and doing things that are just not conducive to being in a large group.

Hank

Let's not give the cruise lines too much credit for original or out-of-the-box thinking, it's not what they specialize in. They are producing a mass market product and they develop their products within the narrow confines of what "most" cruisers want. It's funny how they take all kinds of risks to save money but not so many risks on the revenue development side.

Begs the obvious question given that the Roman ruins at Ostia Antica are vastly superior to those at the much over hyped Pompei - why don't the cruise lines run a shore excursion from Civitavecchia to Ostia Antica ?

A) Because they are not vastly superior? :cool:

I've been to both sites several times. Pompeii has much more to offer than Ostia. The interiors in many of the houses are better preserved, the period is earlier, the amphitheatre is outstanding, for starters....

Now if you really like ancient Roman horrea (warehouses), then Ostia is definitely the better place.

B) Some cruise lines DO run excursions to Ostia Antica.