Castle Gandolfo

We are considering taking the Ship's excursion to the Pope's Summer Estate and Private Apartment at Castel Gandolfo but it is very expensive. As we are cruising in July, we wanted to escape the heat in Rome. We wondered if anyone has been on this excursion and if so, whether it is worth the cost. Any advice would be much appreciated.Many thanks.

I think this is a great idea for a summer visit, it's still new enough that the crowds haven't converged in the massive quantities they do in Rome and it will be cooler up there.

There are options for individuals to visit, if that interests you. You can purchase your tickets from the Vatican Museums web site.

The easiest would be a private tour with a car and driver, but that likely costs as much or more than the ship's tour unless you find others to share it with. Have you tried posting on your roll call? I'll bet there are others on your sailing who have been to Rome and would welcome an alternative idea for a hot July day.

Castel Gondolfo as a port day visit is not a great DIY day unless you do it with a car service. Even renting a car isn't a good solution because there is minimal parking available in the area.

You can get there by train from Civitavecchia but it takes nearly two hours each way and the only reasonable morning trip departs at 7:44 AM. If you can't make that train it's not worth going (for a port day).

That 7:44 train gets you to the Castel Gandolfo train station at 9:41, after a change at Termini. Note too that there are only ten minutes to make the change and you've got to get from the auxiliary tracks to the main track head for the Castel Gandolfo train (approximately three blocks) so you've got to move lively, as they say.

Once at the Castel Gandolfo train station it's only a half mile walk to the palace entrance but much of that walk is uphill (200' elevation change, according to google maps).

So, huffing and puffing, if the trains are all on time you should be at the palazzo entrance around 10 AM.

To get back, assuming you need to be on board around 6 PM, your choices are a 2:51 PM train (arrives Citivavecchia at 4:45 PM) or a 3:51 train (arrives 5:44).

If you lean toward the safe side and take the earlier train that means just about five hours to tour the palace and gardens, so not too bad.

Info on guided tour of Villa Barberini gardens: http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/ville-pontificie-e-giardini/ville-pontificie-di-castel-gandolfo/villa-barberini-e-il-suo-giardino/visita-guidata-giardino-e-antiquarim-di-villa-barberini-per-sing.html

Info on visiting the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo: http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/ville-pontificie-e-giardini/ville-pontificie-di-castel-gandolfo/il-palazzo-apostolico-di-castel-gandolfo/visita-al-palazzo-apostolico.html

Many thanks for the detailed information. We're thinking it may be easier with the ship's excursion as it's a distance from Civitavecchia.

Yes, the easiest ways are a private tour or the ship's tour. The private tour can cost less and offer a more personal experience if you can find even one other couple to share the cost with you.

I laid out how it is possible by public transit for the truly intrepid but I'm not advocating for it, by any means.