Civitavecchia post cruise suggestions not Rome

We will be spending 3 days in Rome pre-cruise. We have an early flight out the day after the cruise so are staying at the Airport Hilton. I know they have a shuttle that will take us to Rome but we are hoping for something or someplace different. Any suggestions where a nice city to visit and have a nice lunch to soak in our last few hours of Italy?

Yep, we do have a suggestion. The ruins of Ostia Antica are quite close to the airport (and the Hilton). If you enjoy walking through extensive ruins it is a perfect match for a stay at the Hilton. Just ask the hotel's concierge to get you a taxi (or arrange other transportation). There is a restaurant adjacent to the entrance to the ruins, but we have no personal experience eating at that venue.

Hank

Thank you - we will look into it!

Tip for Ostia Antica: wear comfortable shoes, as you will be walking ancient paths and roads! We went a number of years ago and were pleasantly surprised at how extensive the site was. We stayed there for 8 hours and had an unforgettable day. (You could certainly do it in much less time, too).

ENJOY!

Tarquinia is an ancient Etruscan city about 15 miles from Civitavecchia, the port for Rome. Since we had previously spent time in Rome, we wanted to do something else while our ship was in Civitavecchia, so we decided on Tarquinia and found Luigi Vitale on Internet. We had a great time with him. He met us at the gangway when the ship docked. Passengers on independent tours must use a shuttle bus, provided by the port, to get into town. Luigi knew his way around the shuttle bus and we soon found ourselves in town. Parking is always a problem, so Luigi had arranged for to take the local bus to Tarquinia. Since we really enjoy getting into the local culture, this was a great idea.

We had a fun 20-minute ride to a beautiful little town and the bus lets you out right in the heart of the historical area. Walking is certainly the best way to see and appreciate Tarquinia. We enjoyed the history, buildings and architecture as well as the National Museum. Luigi suggested we go there rather than going to the Necropolis to see the tombs. He said that we would get a much better idea of what the tombs were like because artifacts from the Necropolis, as well as some entire tombs were displayed at the museum. The display was fantastic. We are not really “museum people”, and we told Luigi that. So, he moved us right through the museum, being sure we saw the highlights. We really appreciated the quick museum tour, as it gave us time to visit City Hall and see the beautiful City Council Chamber that has been in use for hundreds of years. With beautiful churches, towers, streets, plazas and most interesting laundry, it is a great little town to visit. Luigi also knew where the best Gelato was made. After a short bus ride back, Luigi showed us many sites around Civitavecchia. It is a working port city, but it has a lot to offer; many beautiful buildings, churches, food and artwork. There is a lot to see within easy walking distance of the shuttle bus to the ship.

As for Luigi himself, he was a lot of fun, very knowledgeable and willing to tailor the tour to meet our wishes. It seemed like he knew almost everyone in town and he did know everyone at the port. It turns out that he is an interpreter for port security. His English is excellent. He also guides tours to Rome and Tuscany. I am pleased to recommend him in glowing terms.

http://tourguide.altervista.org/ vitale.tourguide@gmail.com

I will be in Civitavecchia in August 2015 and am planning a tour of Tarquinia, an ancient Etruscan (pre Roman) town. It can be reached by 2 regular bus services that run from the Piazza Vittorio Emmanuele just near the Civitavecchia port entrance. Fares are just 1 euro 50 one way. The town is apparently well worth seeing in itself but you can also see the Etruscan tombs and tour this major archeological site. It is open every day but Monday (guess which day of the week I am there). Anyway google Tarquinia.

Yes I am there on a Monday too , do you know what the bus numbers are? and the times?

Glittergal, the buses don't seem to have a number but apparently they are clearly marked "Tarquinia". Try this website http://www.tarquiniaturismo.it/pagina19_getting-there.htm. There are 2 companies providing buses to Tarquinia – Eusepi & Cotral. Google both these for their timetables. Eusepi is a small local company that runs two lines to Tarquinia, I line and the more frequent L line. Both lines use the same stop in Civitavecchia, One way is 1 euro 50. Apparently you can pay on the bus, at least, Eusepi buses, but I did read a couple of reviews that said it is better to buy at the tabac as bus drivers sometimes charge extra. You catch the bus at the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele at the stop across from the cathedral. From what I can work out, Eusepi buses stop at the main square just inside the town gates, Piazza Cavour and is the better one to catch. The less frequent Cotral buses drop off at nearby Barriera San Giuso.

Hope this helps. Let me know how you go and how accurate this is.

Check out this thread for more Tarquinia links:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2111325&highlight=tarquinia

Loved my day there!

Enjoy Italy!

Ooops. Sorry for the last line of my previous post. Didn't mean to shout. Formatting went haywire.