Arrival in Civitavecchia

[ann2201]

We are going on Splendida on 25th February and am now looking at excursions. We have visited Rome before on another ship and one of their 'see Rome on your own' excursions. This time I would like to try and do it ourselves and am looking at Smart Cruise Tours for the transfer. However MSC itinerary notes arrival at 9.00 and the tour bus leaves between 9.15 and 9.30am. Is this too tight or could we be off in time to catch the prebooked SCT. The amount of the ship's own excursion for this transfer seems really expensive at £40 each.:(Would appreciate advice from those whohave done this cruise.

[AmoMondo]

That's really tight for timing. If the ship docks at 9, I'd not expect people to start being allowed off until 9.30 and those on MSC excursions will be allowed off before other passengers. Have you considered getting the train?

[ann2201]

Hi AmoMondo,

 

Thanks for yourreply:) Will need to forget that one then.

I had checked the train out and but understand you need to get a shuttle out of the port then a bus along to the train station. I think from memory I wasy a bit wary of where we got off. Previously got off the excursion bus near the Vatican I think so was easy to get back there to pick it back up. This tour is much the same pick up and drop off as we had previously, so felt a bit more confident than getting a train into the middle of Rome:(

regards

Ann

[mairead224]

Dont know if this will help but these are the notes I took with me last year. This was written by another CC member.

 

Here's a step-by-step guide to traveling from Civitavecchia to Rome by train:

Go to Civitavecchia's railroad station.

 

Civitavecchia's railway station is a short walk from the port, so don't bother with a taxi unless you're traveling with a steamer trunk

 

The railroad station in Civitavecchia is only about four blocks--or 300 meters at most--from the south or main entrance of the cruise port.

From your ship, take the free shuttle bus to the port entrance (next to the Forte Michelangelo) and walk along the Viale Garibaldi. Bear left where the road slopes uphill; the station is on the Viale della Repubblica. (The port entrance is just to the right of the fortress on the left side of the photo, and the railroad station is identified with a train icon on the right.)

If you want more detailed directions or a printed map, stop at the tourist office's kiosk by the port entrance.

2. Choose a station in Rome.

 

Most trains from Civitavecchia to Rome complete their journey at Roma Termini, the city's main railroad station and the hub of Rome's public-transportation network.

However, many trains also stop at intermediate stations such as Roma San Pietro (close to the Vatican) and Roma Trastevere (where you can catch the No. 8 tram to the Centro Storico). Depending on where you're headed, you may prefer to finish your journey at one of these stations.

3. Check the timetable.

 

In the station, look for a yellow Partenze (Departures) table that shows train times and platforms. Or click here to view a timetable in PDF format and check the platform number when you're in the station.

Trains depart for Rome at least twice an hour from early morning until late in the evening. Nonstop trains take about 45 minutes to reach Roma Termini; commuter trains, which stop at intermediate stations, usually require 1 hour 15 minutes or longer to cover the same distance.

4. Buy your ticket.

 

You can buy tickets in several ways:

· At the ticket counter. Look for a window just inside Civitavecchia's station entrance. (The clerk may or may not speak English.)

· At the station newsstand. This can save time if there's a line at the ticket counter.

· From a Trenitalia ticket machine. Trenitalia's "Biglietto Veloce" vending machines have multilingual menus, and the large tickets they produce can be used on national or regional trains. (See our step-by-step "how to buy a ticket" instructions.)

· From a Rete Regionale ticket machine. These machines require fewer steps to purchase a ticket than the Trenitalia machines do, but menus are in Italian only. (Look for a regional ticket machine along the front wall of the Civitavecchia station as you enter.)

Also:

· On IC and other national trains, you'll need to decide between a second- and first-class ticket. (First class is about 50 percent more expensive, but you get a little more space and the car may be less crowded.)

· You can buy a one-way or roundtrip (return) ticket, depending on your travel plans.

Please note: You do not need to buy tickets online before your arrival in Civitavecchia. The Civitavecchia-Rome line is a commuter route, with plenty of departures and no reserved seats on trains.

5. Find the platform, stamp your ticket, and board your train.

 

Look for a yellow Partenza (Departures) table or an electronic sign in the railroad station to find the platform number for your train.

· Important: When you reach the platform, validate your ticket in the yellow stamping machine before boarding the train. Otherwise, the conductor can charge you a hefty fine.

6. Get off at the correct station in Rome.

 

If you're going to Roma Termini, just stay on the train until it reaches the end of the line and everyone gets off.

However, if your destination is an intermediate station like Roma S. Pietro or Roma Trastevere, you should be ready to disembark quickly when the train arrives. (If the doors don't open automatically after the train stops, look for a green button by the doors.)

___________________________________________________________________________Rome Stations

 

The terminus in Rome City Centre, Termini Station, is the main public transport hub for Rome in the city centre.

The trains travel at quite a speed from the outskirts of Rome to Civitavecchia but are frustratingly slow within Rome taking a circuitous route around and into the city centre. Of a typical 70 minute journey, 30 minutes will be spent within the Rome urban area.

For many people it can make sense to get off at other stations than the Rome terminus at Termini, especially if you are on a day trip or going to Fiumicino, Rome's main airport.

Traveling from Civitavecchia a typical train will stop at S Pietro (40 mins), Trastevere (50 mins), Ostiense (55 mins) and finally Termini (70 mins). S Pietro is around 10 minutes walk to the Vatican and St Peter's Square. Trastevere is the interchange for a frequent airport train to Fiumicino Airport. Ostiense is an interchange with the Rome Metro which can take you direct to the Colosseum or Spanish Steps.

Rome Once we get there:

Avoiding Lineups

 

There are three potential line ups you will want to avoid (thanks to others who've posted similar advice in the past - it saved us a ton of time!)...

 

1. Coliseum tickets: The line up for Coliseum tickets can wrap around the building. I can only imagine that by 10AM it can be an hour or more long. Don't waste time in this line. Buy your combo (forum/coliseum/palentine) ticket at the Palentine Hill ticket office which is half a block south of the Coliseum. There is absolutely no line up there.

2. Vatican Museum tickets: The line up for the Vatican museum tickets can wrap around the Vatican wall... Again, I can't imagine how long the wait in this line is, but I would guess an hour or more. Buy your Vatican Museum tickets in advance online. I suggest picking the 2PM time slot for the day you are in port based on my walking itinerary below. Print the voucher out and take it with you. Proceed right inside without waiting in line and save valueable time.

3. Entrance to St. Peter's Basilica: This line is to clear security for St. Peter's Basilica and it can wrap all the way around St. Peter's square. This line up is probably visible from space! Even if you don't plan on going to the Vatican Museum, but still want to see St. Peter's Basilica, I would recommend buying Vatican Museum tickets online, swallow the added cost, and in doing so, you bypass both the museum and the Basilica line. Enjoy the museum (or breeze through it if it has no interest to you) and when you get to the Sistine Chapel, use the group tour exit to land yourself in the Basilica secured area without having to wait in the security line (since you already cleared security to enter the museum). At the back end of the Sistine chapel, there is the regular tourist exit on the left and the group tour exit on the right (with your back to the altar). Take the right exit. If there is security there, just blend into one of the tour groups there to get through. You will decend a long stair case and end up at the Cupola ticket line (short) which you can join if that's on your todo list or go down to the Basilica from there.

Walking tour - the most efficient way to see all the sights

 

There are plenty of alternates to this, and you can obviously plot your own route, but this particular itinerary and route was planned with a lot of thought and consideration. The primary goal was to cover all the key sights in one day without killiing ourselves. It assumes you can get off the ship around 7:30AM and don't need to be back on board until around 8PM. You may need to cut or adjust accordingly if your ship's time in port is different.

 

Besides seeing everything easily in a full day, it has a few other side benefits:

- You won't be among the massive crowds that opt to visit the Vatican in the morning (although I'm not sure they are any better in the afternoon when several ships are in port on the same day)

- You will avoid some walking late in the hottest part of the day when you are most tired

- You will see all the sites that have opening hours while they are open

- You will be able to skip the least important sights at the end of the day if you're short on time

- You will have a seat on the train back to the port at the end of the day

 

My recommended route is shown on the attached map.

 

The blue line represents a rough walking route, red lines represent metro travel

 

I'm not going to explain what these points of interest are. They either need no explanation or Google and Wikipedia are your friends in that regard.

 

1. Start by getting off the train at Roma Ostiense station.

2. Walk to Paramide metro station through the tunnel and ride to the next station, Circo Massimo

3. Walk up the street and notice Palantine Hill on your left... mid-block buy your combo ticket at their ticket office (see avoiding lineups above)

4. Proceed to the Arch of Constantine and the Coliseum

5. Enter the Coliseum without waiting in line as you already have a ticket

6. Head to the Forum and explore that using your combo ticket

7. Leave the forum via the north west corner and come around a large building there to get an excellent vantage point of the forum from above at street level

8. Head out front of the giant white marble monument to Victor Emmanuel II

9. Proceed to the Pantheon by zig zagging up the streets

10. Enjoy the Pantheon (free)

11. Head to Piazza Navona for lunch. If you followed this itinerary so far, you will probably arive here around noon and you will want to leave here around 1:15 or 1:30. There are lots of sidewalk cafes, arts and craft vendors in the square, amazing architecture and a few beautiful fountains.

12. After lunch (around 1:15 to 1:30), cross the bridge towards the Supreme Court building and then pass by the Castle of St. Angelo

13. Head towards the Vatican, but before entering the main square, turn North and head around the wall to the Vatican Museum Entrance. With your pre-purchased ticket in-hand, proceed directly inside without waiting in line. If you follow this itinerary, buy tickets for 2PM.

14. Enjoy (or not) the extremely crowded museum and Sistine chapel (there are some stunning rooms but they are hard to appreciate in thick crowds). Exit through the group entrance (see Avoiding lineups above)

15. Head up the Cupola (top of the Basilica). You can pay either 7-Euro for an elevator ride part ways (and climb 350 stairs) or 5-Euro to climb all 550 stairs. It's probably worth the extra 2-Euro to save your energy.

16. After the Cupola, you will end up in St. Peter's Basilica (see Avoiding Lineups above).

17. Head out through St. Peter's square and the main gate of the Vatican but turn north again and retrace your earlier route but instead of going to the Museum Entrance continue north a few blocks to the metro station.

18. Use your BIRG ticket for the Metro and Watch out for pickpockets - this is where they like to operate

19. At this point it will probably be around 4PM. If you still have time left in your day (see below about calculating what time you need to leave Rome), take the train to Spagna and complete the rest of the itinerary outlined below. If you are short on time, you can simply skip one or both of the last two points of interest and continue on the metro to Termini to catch the train back to port.

19. Exit the metro at the Spanish Steps. Good designer shopping is in this area if you prefer and have time.

20. Work your way to the Trevi Fountain.

21. Get back on the metro at the nearest station and head to Termini

22. Exit the Metro at the Termini train station.

 

Calculating when you need to leave Rome

 

Be sure to work backwards from your required back on board time, subtracting 15-20 minutes for getting from the train to the ship and subtracting the duration of the train ride. Then I would pick the train leaving before the last one that meets your schedule needs. This gives you some added buffer in case the train is late or something else happens. Of course, if you get to Termini earlier than planned, just take the next scheduled train.

 

Example:

Back on board: 8PM

Train to ship: 20 min

Train Ride: 65 min

Leave Rome by: 6:35PM

Last train before this: 6:28PM

Train before that: 6:00PM <- Shoot for this train

 

Returning to the Port

 

At Roma Termini station, check the monitors for the next train to Civi or talk to the ticket agents in the station. Your BIRG ticket covers your return trip. It may be a 10-15min walk from the main terminal to your train platform so be prepared if you are trying to catch a train that is leaving in minutes or are cutting it close to your required departure time.

 

Check train times using the Trenitalia site

 

Use stations Roma Termini and Civitavecchia (one way) for the date and approx time you desire

 

You will see a time table that shows the trains and the length of journey

You should find that trains run about every half hour or so around the end of the day.

 

Summary

 

We had a fabulous day, saw everything we wanted to without being stressed, and did so without spending much money at all.

 

I hope this helps and saves you from feeling like you need to spend a lot of money on a private/ship tour in order to see and enjoy everything.

 

Our total cost for this day was:

BIRG: 9

Combo ticket: 12

Vatican ticket: 14 (purchased in advance)

Cupola ticket: 7

= Total: 42-Euro per person plus food/drinksthe Plaza St. Petro

[ann2201]

Thanks very much Mairead224. Really has given me a bit more confidence in going by train although am not sure we can be quite as organised as we do like to 'dither' and stop for coffees/wine etc:) Our last visit with friends was great and we did see a lot. But this time on our own I think we would like to take Rome at a slower pace. Hopefully this won't be our last visit as I just love Italy and all things Italian!

Thanks again

Ann