How often do trains run from Civitavecchia to Rome- say in an hour. And how long does the trip take? Thanks

The frequency of the trains varies during the day, but there is generally about 2 trains per hour. The train into Rome takes approximately 1:15 which is actually faster than the tour buses during the morning rush hour. You can find the train schedules at
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_schedules/index...lian_train&WT.srch=1

Hank

Thanks for the link Hank. I can't figure the prices. For Oct 5, the train leaving Civitavecchia at 9.57am will be $28 for two, return. It takes an hour. The train that leaves that leaves at 10.04 takes longer, an hour and 16, and costs $40 for two. Strange?
At any rate. Is the return okay for any train or does on only take the one that matches the fare. Thanks

I believe not all trains from Civitavecchia to Rome stop at St Peter's. Which then is the stop nearest to the Vatican that we can get off at? Thanks

Dear mani8kgm:

the trains leaving on minute 41 need only 46 minutes without transfer (not every hour)
the trains leaving on minute 04 need 53 minutes without transfer (not every hour)
the trains leaving on minute 22 need 1 hours 5 minutes but need a transfer in Roma Ostiense.

The best is to check directly with the Italian State Railways.

Use Civitavecchia as boarding station and
Roma S. Pietro (exact spelling required - otherwise the system will not find the station!) as destination station.

Have a nice trip.

Regards,
HeinBloed

Hi,
We've been having the same thoughts. We are sailing on the Oceania 11/3/06 and they want $96 each for the round trip bus to Rome. We will have 10 hours so I think going on our own is doable. Where is the train in relation to the port? Any info would be really appreciated. thanks

Actually getting to the train station in Civitavecchia is quite easy. The port authority provided a free shuttle bus (and its actually a very nice modern bus) from the ship to the port entrance. When they drop you at the entrance you just walk a few blocks to the station (just keep the water on your right as your walk). You will have no problem finding the station as there will plenty of others going to the same place.

Hank

Hank,
thank you so much for the info I really appreciate it. What do you now about Sorrento/Capri port? Should we do it on our own or pay through the nose for ships excursions?
thank you

Mummyez, I just looked at your itinerary and its really looks like fun. Sorrento is actually not a very common port since, as far as I know, ships must use tenders. Most cruise lines go to Naples. Sorrento is actually more convenient for several reasons, so I am jealous. If you want to only go to Capri, you can easily take the jet boat from Sorrento to Capri for about 12 Euros. I belive those boats run about one per hour and my assumption (I cannot be 100% sure about this) is that you will tender into the same pier (or very close) that is used by the jet boats (we have seen other ships in port using this pier). Its a pretty short ride from Sorrento to Capri (about 20 min). If you want to go to Pompeii, you can simply take the train (its the Circumvesuviania Line that runs from Sorrento to Naples) and get off at the station called Pompeii Scavi (not Pompeii). The ruins are a stone's throw from the train station and that train would take about 20 min. I believe the same train line can also get you to Herculanium (we have only gone there by rental car). Another option is to travel the Amalfi drive and stop at wonderful places such as Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. Its possible to do this very cheaply by taking the SITA public bus which runs along this route,,,but those buses only run about once per 45 min and they can be standing room only. Personally, we like to rent a car and drive...but we are pretty familiar with the region and used to Italian drivers . Here is my advice. If you are going to Capri there is no reason to take an excursion. Its also pretty easy to do Pompeii on your own (admission is 10 euros per person) and either join a tour at the entrance (usually about 10 more euros) or rent a self audio tour. As much as I hate tours, I think its good to have a guide at Pompeii because they can help bring the place alive (assuming you get a good guide). If you want to do the Amalfi Drive, I would suggest you either take the cruise excursion or arrange for a private guide (most do this through the internet). As to Sorrento, you can do this on your own....and get plenty of local info at one of the information kiosks or tourist office. Keep in mind that some of the stores in Sorrento may not be open on Monday morning (which means they would not open until late afternoon). Monday is a strange day in Italy with many things closed...so keep this in mind when doing pre-trip homework. Also keep in mind that most Italian stores close from about 1 -4 PM for their lunch (life is really good). On Capri, the touristy shops do stay open, but some of the exclusive boutiques close for a few hours in the afternoon. In May, we spotted a pair of carfully torn jeans in a Capri boutique for only 600 euros!

Hank

Hank

Thanks Hank,
I am trying to work out the best way to get to the ship from the airport. As my wife and I are both over 70 and pensioners we want to get to the ship by the best and god forbid cheapest means because the exchange rate is horrendous about 0.61USD to 1.00NZD and there is every likelyhood it will worsen. The options we have are not very good either, we can't book our flights and accomodation through Carnival as (a) our travel agent advises us that you can only do this if you live in USA or UK so being in New Zealand doesn't help us and (b) if we could he tells us the cost is a rip off.
So we are left with Travelling from Manchester England on the 12th arriving about midday. This means we have to stay overnight somewhere and travell down to the ship the following day.We could get the train from Rome but my wife is very nervous about that, so what other options have we got?
Peter

@ptur:

Regarding the transfer from Civitavecchia to Rome or v. v. you can get by train to ROMA TERMINI and change to CIVITAVECCHIA. More information at Italian State Railways. The large airport is LEONARDO DA VINCI and you must insert Fiumicino Aeroporto (Exact spelling required!). If you have to get to CIAMPINO airport you have a cheap bus transfer from/to ROMA TERMINI.

A cab from LEONARDO DA VINCI/FIUMICINO airport costs about 150,00 EUR. You can get cheaper transfers if you google "Airport Transfer Rome Civitavecchia". There are some options.

Sorry - but I did not unterstand the Manchester part:

If you need to travel within Europe very cheap, especially from/to UK you should visit:

Ryanair
EasyJet
Opodo
British Airways (very cheap one-way flights out of UK!!!)

If you need accomodations I would recommend:

HRS Hotel Reservation System
Hotel.de

If you need more information for cheap travelling within Europe feel free to send me an PM.

Regards,
HeinBloed

Thank you HeinBloed for your advice.
Peter

Ptur, I gather that you are from NZ, and I must tell you that NZ is one of the most wonderful places in the world. When spending a few days in your country we discovered that the Kiwis are among the warmest, funniest. most hospitable folks on earth. The previous post does an excellent job with your options. Unfortunately, there is no easy and inexpensive way to get from FCO to the port. The train is certainly the least expensive, but a real pain in the behind. Because the train route takes you are out of the proper route (you have to go back to Rome before you can head out to Civitavecchia) it takes over 2 hours for the relatively short trip. However, if you can handle your luggage and the walking involved with getting on and off trains, this is the only option that has a reasonable cost. But, even with the trains you must get from the train station in Civatavecchia to the ship, and taxis are not always in plentiful supply for the short trip. Without a taxi you would have to walk several blocks (perhaps 2 kilometers) from the station to the port entrance where you could take the free port shuttle bus. This all seems rather trying for folks in their 70s (I am younger and still don't like this option) so you might want to take a deep breath and look on-line for a reasonable transfer company (I am not sure anyone is reasonable). Our personal solution to the Civitavecchia problem is that we always spend time in Italy before or after a cruise and we use rental cars to get to or from the port, but this only is a good option when you are keeping the car for several days or weeks.

Hank

I read so many things on so many treads that I am confused. What is the best way to do Rome : Take the train to San Pietro, walk towards termini and take the train to Civit. from Termini, or take the train to Termini and walk towards San Pietro and take the train back from there. And why ? thank you all you experienced travellers !!!

The confusion you express results from the fact that Rome is a very large sprawling city with many many places to see. Although I am not a big fan of tours, I often recommend that a first-time visitor to Rome "bite the bullet" and take the full day tour (offered by the ship) or book a similar private tour. The reason is that tours can often bypass the long lines to get into the Vatican museums (this includes the Sistine Chapel and is closed on Sundays). The basic itinerary for most first time visitors includes the Vatican Museum and St Peters, a walk through the area that has the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, a visit to some of the ruins including the Colluseum, Palantine Hill etc. You can do this on your own, but it requires some homework. As to the train, you are referring to the train that runs from Civitavecchia (port) to the Rome Termini station. From that main train station you can utilize your feet, taxis, and the subway to get to all the places on your itinerary. Expect to find a long line to get into the Vatican Museums (worth the wait). St Peters is normally pretty easy to see (you do not need to take the tour to get into St Peters) although special events can sometimes ruin any plan. Personally, I would take the subway from the termini station over to the Vatican, and than work my way back towards the other sites based on your priorities. If you have good weather you might want to leave time for lunch at a well-placed outdoor cafe. One of our favorite places is the Piazza Navonna which has some wonderful fountains, a few cafe/restaurants, and great people watching. It is hard to do it all in one day, so if you are going to do Rome on your own you will need to prioritize. Also keep in mind that the train to and from the port takes about an hour (each way) and you need to allow some extra time for the return journey in case the train happens to be running late.

Hank

Thank you Hank for your answer.

Thank you from me too Hank. You are a wealth of information. I truly appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

Thank you again, and happy sailing.
Eileen

first this is a great site can i ask if the train from civitavecchia can be picked up near the ship or do i have to get to a station in the city

Obelisk, When you get off the ship in the large port of Civitavecchia, there will a shuttle bus, provided free of charge by the port authority, that will take passengers from the pier to the port entrance. They do this because its a long walk and they don;t want folks walking around the busy port complex. The shuttle bus will drop you off at the main port gate. You simply exit and go to your right along the street always keeping the water on your right. In about 4 blocks you will come to the small train station (it will be on your left on this same street). Here is a link that provided a wonderful description with pictures of the route. http://www.europeportreviews.com/Rome2.htm

Ron and I took the train all the way to the Rome Airport, our hotel was only a few miles away.

Lesson learned: If we are in the same situation again. Find a hotel in the city versus close to the airport. The day flying out you could take the express train to the Airport. If we had a really early flight take a taxi from Rome to the hotel close to the airport if we would have to wait hours for the Free Shuttle.


When we tried to get a taxi no one would take us from the Rome Airport to our hotel a few miles away. They wanted the Rome City pick-ups. We were shocked to find out the Taxi driver had the right to refuse us and all but one did. The one who said "Yes" was 40 Euros for a three mile drive.

We were told we could of called a local taxi company to pick us up. Our hotel had a shuttle and I called for a pick up. Since it was off season we had to wait several hours before the shuttle was scheduled for the airport pick-up. But neither of us speak Italian and didn't want to try to get a local taxi when a free shuttle would be arriving at 3:30 p.m.

Ron isn't too adventuresome so I was really proud that we went all the way from the Port to the Rome Airport with no problems due to the trains. We took the "Cruise Transportation" from the Rome Airport to the Port -- we were lucky to have dinner mates who had come to the port via the train and convinced Ron it was really easy. It is.