Thread: question about visiting Rome when in civitavecchia port Italy

hello all,

we are 10 weeks away from our first cruise in the mediterranean. we will be stopping in civitavecchia port, Italy, at 8am on a sunday then leave again around 8pm. we are considering going to Rome by train, we will be 6 adults, two 14yr olds and a 12 yr old, and spend the day looking around, not TOO much walking if possible.

i would like to know if anyone on this forum has done this? we definitely want to be back in time - dont want to loose the ship!
that would be something !

is it wiser to stay in civitavecchia? dont know about trains on a sunday. are they always on time? will Rome be overcrowded? is it worth it? we wont be seeing it all for sure, so maybe it's not worth the trouble?

sorry for all the questions, but it's been on my mind for some time and i thought maybe you kind folks can help us out?

thanks for reading

Rome is full of wonderful sights to see! Don't miss it!

I don't know about the train schedule, but I'm sure some of our other folks will jump in here with your answers.

Are the ship's tours too costly?

hi Char,

we haven't checked those yet, but we dont want a hectic tour. more just walking by and sightseeing than going in cathedrals and museums.

thanks for your reply

Hi Rainbow!!

I think I might be able to answer your questions. I have been in Rome a few times, the last one a few weeks back.
10 weeks from now will be early September right?? It will be crowded but you will be alright.

The train from Chivitavecchia takes aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes. The times I have taken the train it has been on time.
On a sunday there are trains from Chivitavecchia at: 841am arriving Rome at 950am, 851am arriving Rome 1020am, 10.06am arriving Rome 10.57am (this is a Eurostar train and might be more expensive, but not much)

Coming back from Rome you have departures at: 346pm arriving Civitavecchia at 432pm (this is an express), 409pm arriving at 513pm, 439pm arriving 557pm, 5pm arriving 545pm and 546 arriving 642pm (this might be cutting it too close)

Here is the link to the official Train Italy site:

National HomePage - Trenitalia

But since you are 9 travelling you should be able to get a good price with a private car.
The ships "on your own" tour are good too. You pay for the transportation and when in Rome you do your own things.

The main sights of Rome are very close together. I think thery are within a 2 mile radius.
You can easily walk but a taxi would shorten down the time. Also another very good option is the Rome hop on hop off sightseing buses !!!!! I think that would be your best option!!!!!
The buses, and there are many companies, take you to the main sights of the City.

Here are links to some bus companies:
ROME OPEN TOUR - Rome sightseeing tours -Hop on hop off rome tour - Rome Guide hotels in Rome

http://www.rexervation.com/mappa_tour_ot.asp

Rome Hop On Hop Off Double Decker Bus Tour, Rome Hop-on Hop-off Tours | Viator.com

I think since you only have a day in Rome you should consentrate on doing the sights as Trevi Fountain, Palazzo Venezia, Colloseum, Forum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps and the Vatican (St. Peters Square)

I am afraid that you might not have time to go inside the Vatican Museum with the Sistine Chapel.
There are no point what so ever to go inside the Colloseum.

I hope this has been of some help.
If you have any other questions please ask

Lars

I'll be on the Briillance in 7 weeks and when we stop in Chivitavecchia/Rome it too will be a Sunday. My group just opted to go with a Private Tour. We wanted to make sure that we had transportation to and from the port. With our tour we get a lot of walking around sightseeing (no museums).

hi Imyren,

WOW! thanks for all the info. i'll check out all the links and we will be able to plan it beforehand. yes, the hop on hop off were on our minds too.

you've been great help.

Please do check out the trip report section where Lars has done a marvelous review of his cruise.

Rome -- you definitely want to get there as soon as you can and tour as much as you can since this may be the only time some of you will be there.

Enjoy your cruise and Rome!!

I agree with the others here, Rome can be hectic, but it is a must see. My husband and I did Italy by land in 2007 for 2 weeks. We were in Rome for 5 days and even with private guides still could not see it all. But we love history so we do enjoy hitting the must sees and the off the beaten path sees. Do your homework before going in, I was able to get very get info on a site called Trip Advisor, a good forum for travel anywhere in world. Hope you have a nice time. And I know CLF site is very helpful. Also try to study the Rome maps before going in, including bus and subway routes, etc, it will help.
Melissa

thanks for your comments and advice......everyone!

someone who went last week on the same cruise that we are going, mentioned a free shuttle service to the centre of rome. i doubt if this is true, i could not find anything on the net about this shuttle. maybe it is free for those who book the excursions with the ship? we will be getting the train, then walk around or just get a hop on hop off, depends.

thanks again