Anything to do in Civitavecchia?

This is a rather "last minute" cruise for us and 6 friends. We have all been to Rome before and a few of our group have some mobility issues. So for most ports we are staying near the port. Just wondering if there are things to see or a nice downtown area close to the port of Civitavecchia?

Not too far away is Tarquina. It is a lovely Etruscan city. You could easily go there for a couple of hours. As far as Civitavecchia is concerned, it is a port city, but it has some decent restaurants and a seaside promenade.

Vicki

We stayed in Civitavecchia pre-cruise last October. We enjoyed our brief stay. There are a few sites (churches and Forte Mischeldiangelo) to see but not much else. Enjoyed the Piazza della Vita (seaside promenade). Perfect place to "chill"

Thanks both of you. A short trip and then just to chill for a little while would probably suit our whole group! :D

There's good information here:

http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/port-civitavecchia-guide-cruise-passengers

There's a nice pedestrian street with shops, I don't recall the name, near the fort.

We think it's a nice town and don't plan to go back into Rome on our next cruise.

There is an open air market close to the pedestrian mall in the city center. It has been under renovation in the last several years. I like markets, and this is a good place to spend an hour or so in the morning. There are coffee shops in the area for an early morning expresso.

http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/civitavecchia-market

To be a bit contrarian, I don't think Civitavecchia has much charm, as Italian towns go. I'd plan to do something in the area if not wanting to go into Rome.

Don't expect much of it, and you won't be disappointed. ;)

Thank you all for the advice. All of us have been to Italy (and Rome) before so being and "older" group (and a couple with mobility issues), this might just be a good day to chill and see whatever is near the port. I really do appreciate the input!

Anyone know a good restaurant in Civitavecchia? We are celebrating our anniversary there.

There's good information here:

 

http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/port-civitavecchia-guide-cruise-passengers

 

There's a nice pedestrian street with shops, I don't recall the name, near the fort.

 

We think it's a nice town and don't plan to go back into Rome on our next cruise.

Thanks very much....I printed out the map which should be a great help!

We had a late flight on our time time in Citavecchia and Rome Cabs arranged a nice half day tour of the country side around there. We saw some small towns, a beautiful castle and beautiful lake. The castle tour was a bit of walking but the rest of easy on the mobility issues. It sounds like you will be happy with a day in town but give this some thought.

Having been to Rome several times, we always opt to stay at the port.

Much easier and less stressful. Good food, nice waterfront, etc. good choice. Enjoy.

We're staying 2 nights before our Nov TA.

Helaine

We have been in Civ. a number of times and see no redeeming value (as compared to other similar size cities) there with perhaps three exceptions.

First, we usually get there after some land travel. There is a good laundromat near the marketplace. It is good for those of us who only travel with carry on. Plus there is an outdoor cafe nearby where you can watch the laundromat door so to speak.

Second, just outside town (north) there is a large grocery store that has an amazing assortment of wine. One of our hosts took us there on the way to the ship.

Third is easy/good train connections to Cinque Terre through Pisa or direct to Rome (vatican, trastevere, termini)

Having been to Rome several times, we always opt to stay at the port.

Much easier and less stressful. Good food, nice waterfront, etc. good choice. Enjoy.

We're staying 2 nights before our Nov TA.

Helaine

Could you please recommend a hotel near to the cruise port.

Anyone know a good restaurant in Civitavecchia? We are celebrating our anniversary there.

Could you please recommend a hotel near to the cruise port.

We’ve tried a few over the years. 80 Fame is great for meat and PaneAmore & fantasia has really good fish. Il Delfino is also good, as is Amare Ristorante. For an occasion, I’d go with PaneAmore & fantasia. Not especially cheap, but nice atmosphere.

On our recent port stop in Civitavecchia, I knew that it was 1st November so I thought we would avoid the bank holiday in Rome. We went to Tarquinia instead.

Now it was a little busy in the train station due to the holiday and the bus schedule when we were in Tarquinia was also affected by the holiday. However despite that, it was a lovely place. It was lovely wandering around the Estruscan Tombs, and honestly Tarquinia is a much more attractive town than Civitavecchia.

The train journey from Tarquinia to Civitavecchia is really short - I would suggest that savvy travellers look at Tarquinia as a pre-cruise option.

This is easily doable. I so wanted to go to Tarquinia. Only problem? Monday was my port day and they are closed on Mondays.

Anyone know a good restaurant in Civitavecchia? We are celebrating our anniversary there.

We always go to Da Baffone, along the boardwalk, sea front. Its recommended on the voicemap audio guide "Stories and Secrets of Civitavecchia" along with the best gelato place, interesting walk through the historic center.

This is easily doable. I so wanted to go to Tarquinia. Only problem? Monday was my port day and they are closed on Mondays.

Even if the tombs and museum are closed, it’s still worth going to Tarquinia. It’s a very pretty walled town. We got the bus from opposite the cathedral.

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We have been in Civ. a number of times and see no redeeming value (as compared to other similar size cities) there with perhaps three exceptions.

 

First, we usually get there after some land travel. There is a good laundromat near the marketplace. It is good for those of us who only travel with carry on. Plus there is an outdoor cafe nearby where you can watch the laundromat door so to speak

We will be between cruises just for the day (getting off the Constellation in the morning and boarding the NCL Spirit in the afternoon) in Civ. Would love to hit up that laundromat as we also are carry-on only travelers. Can you tell us where to find it please? Also, how much difficulty do you think non-Italian speakers will have with understanding the machine instructions and how much time should we allow to wash and dry (completely dry) a load of heavier things like jeans? I remember machines in Italy taking quite a bit longer than those in the US. Thanks!

During our port stop we took a cooking class in Civitavecchia and had a fantastic time!

Laundromat in Civ. that we have used a few times. If you start at the main road, just as it turns, walk straight up towards the market. About three blocks up you will come to a square. On the SW corner there is a subway. Directly across the street/square there is (was) a laundromat.

As I recall the laundromat was not staffed when we used it (unusual in our experience). It was obvious hos much coinage each took. The drier swallows up the most. I think we went in with 10 1E coins but only used 6 or 8. Well worth it. There was a bit of a cafe accoss the street and up a little. We were able to sit, have a drink, and watch the front door. We only ever need to do one load.

We have used laundromats/lavaterias all over Italy and other countries in Europe.. Never had a language problem yet. It would seem that the language of love and the language of laudromats are both somewhat universal. Besides, there is usually a good chance that there will be an Australian about who knows the ropes and will help you. If not, the attendent, whether he or she speaks English, will take care of you.

Second, just outside town (north) there is a large grocery store that has an amazing assortment of wine. One of our hosts took us there on the way to the ship.

How far out of town? Always like a stop in a local grocery store before a cruise to pick up interesting items and some soda for the cruise.

Also, you wouldn't happen to know the name of the store?

I think Conad is one of the largest supermarkets in Civitavecchia, if not the largest.

It’s just a bit north of the port, and is marked on the map here.

Don't know the name of the store outside town it was past the city, past the port. We were staying outside the city. Our host drove us to the port. He asked us is we wanted to buy wine and this is where he took us. It was a very large store. Not too far from the port but on that side of town.

The challenge is that we are not familiar with many of the brands. We prefer buying from a smaller shop. What we do is pick up a couple of likely looking suspects and take them back to the deli section. Then I hold them up shrug if the do not understand English. Invariable they will point ot one of the bottles, or in a few cases the clerk has shook his or her head, walked us back to the wine area, pointed to a different one, and nodded. That is what we went with and it has always been good. At least for reds. We have done this in other countries as well-with good results but always in a smaller store.