Our day in Rome and Civitavecchia

[CruiseIreland]

This is extracted from our trip report from July 2015 in the hope it may be useful for any travellers to Rome.

 

Arrival at Ciampino

Our flight from Dublin was delayed so we exited the arrivals hall at about 9.30. There are two booths in the arrivals hall selling bus tickets. On your left is the Schiaffini booth. This was closed and the guys inside counting money said the bus was finished. Over to Terravision which is on your right as you exit the baggage hall. She said ‘just pay on the bus’. Exited the terminal. Buses are opposite the door about 100m. Terravision bus was full and departing. Their employee was quite gruff and said next bus would be 1 hour, i.e. 10.30. Approached other coach/bus drivers who, if they bothered to reply, grunted and said ‘not to Rome’! There are 3 bays for the transport, Terravision, SIT and Schiaffini, from left to right. At about 9.45, SIT bus arrived and we managed to squeeze on, no logical queuing. 45-50 minutes into Rome Termini. Fare €4 pp.

There is also a bus which does transfers to Fiumicino airport. I think it’s called Prontobus. Ciampino transport site: http://www.ciampinoairport.net/getting-to-rome-ciampino-airport/rome-ciampino-airport-buses.htm

 

B&B in Rome

We looked up Tripadvisor and found a highly rated B&B near Termini, Smart B&B. http://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowUserReviews-g187791-d506220-r288830022-Bed_and_Breakfast_Smart-Rome_Lazio.html

I Google mapped the building but could not make it out. As it happened, the bus drove right past it but there were no signs. We walked back from Termini(5mins) and found the doorbell on the appropriate building. Door was buzzed open, then an inner gate and Isabella, the hostess, arrived down in the small lift. She was wonderful and tried to wrestle the large case from me. We had to go up in two lots but the apartment was clean and spacious. Our room had high ceilings, quirky wallpaper and aircon. Private bathroom was down the hall. Isabella asked what time we would like breakfast and at precisely 9am, knocked on our door with a simple continental breakfast. There are also two ensuite rooms. There are plenty of restaurants nearby, very reasonable for pizza and wine.

 

Walking around Rome

Next morning, Isabella agreed to hold our luggage (actually, she left us our room until 2pm). We walked to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and from there to the church of San Pietro in Vincoli. We walked on a few hundred metres to the Domus Aurea, of which there is only some walls left. Turning around, the Coliseum is just behind the trees. Lines were huge there so we walked on past the Arch of Constantine towards the end of the avenue, along the side of the Forum to the Circus Maximus, where the Ben Hur chariot race would have been set. Alas, there is only a set of walls at one end of the oval field to see now.

 

Continuing along the outside of the Forum, we came to a farmers’ market which was interesting, in a covered building. Clean toilets were available, free, in the market. We climbed up along the outside of the Forum towards the Campodoglio.

 

From there we descended into modern Rome traffic, and into a maze of streets. We found the side streets so much quieter and more peaceful, we just wandered, discovering the Palazzo Mattei di Giove, https://www.google.ie/search?q=Palazzo+Mattei+di+Giove&safe=active&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCMQsARqFQoTCNfqh5r3gscCFUfYHgodriEHVg&biw=1152&bih=597 and wandered on until we came upon the Synagogue. There was a police presence in that street and I think it was because of the synagogue. This brought us out alongside the Tiber and we decided to stop for a sandwich on Via Arenula. Two ham & cheese paninis plus two diet cokes came to €12. We were going to walk back but it was very hot and there is a bus stop right outside the small cafe. We purchased 2 tickets from the Tabachi next door, €1.50 each and soon we were standing on a bus(designated H) back to Termini.

 

Termini to Civitavecchia

After retrieving our bags, we walked into the people scrum that is Termini station. http://www.raileurope.com/europe-travel-guide/italy/rome/train-station/termini-train-station.html Looking around for information boards and ticket offices, we were approached by people wearing official looking lanyards and asking if we wanted ‘information’. I realised these were unofficial touts, at best. I politely shrugged them off and walked around to where there are loads of ticket machines. The machines are simple enough to use but I have always used my credit card in them as I have seen numerous people put notes in time after time, only to have them rejected. Press the flag for the language of your choice and follow the instructions. ‘Compra’ means ‘Buy’. Don’t know why they did not translate that. Tickets to Civitavecchia are €5pp on the Regional train. Intercity or Freccia trains are dearer but allow reserved seats.

 

Most trains at Termini run from main platforms 1-24. The Regional trains to Civitavecchia run from platform 25-29 which are located 400m from the entrance to the lines along the right hand side, at the higher end, i.e 24. You will pass cafes and left luggage signs and the railway police office. Many ‘helpful’ people with official looking lanyards will offer assistance. They are not staff. At the last line, 29, the train sat with no indication on the screen as to what train it was. A ‘helpful’ chap questioned ’Civitavecchia?’. I said yes, and he pointed to the last train. He then pointed to the validation machine which I was heading for anyway. He was a bit miffed when I said ‘thank you’ and didn’t offer him a tip. We hauled our baggage onto the nearest carriage and resigned ourselves to standing for the entire journey. In fairness, I had booked the next train so we were just lucky to get on an earlier one. After a while, I noticed that we were standing in front of the bikes/large luggage room and when the ‘conductor’ came out I could feel a blast of cool air. So, when he went out at the next stop, we sidled in with our luggage, clearing a lot of space in the hall and stood in the bikes compartment. There was a rough, very bouncy, office chair and we shared that and, when he came back, I looked exhausted and breathless, so he just ignored us! We rode this way in reasonable comfort to Civitavecchia.

 

Civitavecchia – Shuttle to the shuttle!

The port entrance at Civitavecchia has been moved further away, to Via Turco, 3. This is a considerable walk from the train station in heat, dragging luggage. On arrival at Civitavecchia, you will probably have to drag your luggage down and back up under the platforms to exit the station. On exiting the station, there will be probably be a coach or orange bus across the street. These are the paid shuttles. Coach is €2, orange bus is allegedly €.80. We used the coach as it was the only one there. Buy your tickets in the coffee shop in the station to avoid the mass retreat to do so. The shuttle trip is about 5-10 mins and we arrived at the port. We unloaded from the shuttle and waited for the free ship shuttle. This drops at all ships so don’t get off until you see your ship. At this stage it was about 3.30 and there was no crowd. Dropped off check in case and walked next door to check in. 5 minutes later, had embarkation picture taken, including the obligatory one of us standing behind a ship’s wheel, and on we went. We entered near a bank of elevators and went straight to our room, which was ready.

 

Disembarkation and the shuttle bus scam

We disembarked at about 10.00am and waited for the free shuttle to the port gate. At the port gate, there seemed only one option and sign, that was for the €2 shuttle back to the train station. No sign of the cheaper orange bus. We queued and paid the €2. As our turn approached, the orange ‘cheap’ bus pulled up and we were told to load on. You have to drag on your luggage on this bus. Clearly, on busy days, they have a deal with the €2 coach crowd. Clever!!

[ROCruiser]

Thanks for sharing!

[dstroke27]

We docked in Civitavecchia, we took the shuttle to the rail station. Boarded a train to Rome, had to switch somewhere along the line to a underground train, and arrived across the street from the Coliseum.

Our Coliseum tour tickets were for 11:30 (we arrived at 10:00). We walked to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. We then boarded a double decker tour bus to go back to the Coliseum, did that tour and then took the bus to the Vatican. After the Vatican we took a cab back to the rail station and hopped a train back to Civitavecchia. It was a little scary touring Rome without a guided tour but we were happy to have completed the adventure.

[CruiseIreland]

Thanks for sharing!

You're very welcome! Hope it helps. Ken

[hawkeyetlse]

I'm pretty sure there is only one bus service between Civitavecchia train station and the port "Infopoint", and the fare is now 2 euros. (Info and timetable here.) They may use different kinds of vehicles, and some of them may look like ordinary city buses, but this particular journey has a higher fare than the city buses that the locals take.

 

There are some regular local bus lines that will take you from the train station and up the Via XVI Settembre, so they will pass very close to the Infopoint. But you have to figure out where to get off, and there will be a short walk from the bus station to the Infopoint. So it's probably worth it for first timers to bite the bullet and pay the 2 euros for the special service. (Note that for some strange reason this service does not run between noon and 2:30pm.)

[CruiseIreland]

I'm pretty sure there is only one bus service between Civitavecchia train station and the port "Infopoint", and the fare is now 2 euros. (Info and timetable here.) They may use different kinds of vehicles, and some of them may look like ordinary city buses, but this particular journey has a higher fare than the city buses that the locals take.

 

There are some regular local bus lines that will take you from the train station and up the Via XVI Settembre, so they will pass very close to the Infopoint. But you have to figure out where to get off, and there will be a short walk from the bus station to the Infopoint. So it's probably worth it for first timers to bite the bullet and pay the 2 euros for the special service. (Note that for some strange reason this service does not run between noon and 2:30pm.)

There are two bus services between the train station and the info point at Via Turco. One is an orange city bus. Costs 80c. The other is a coach, white and costs €2. At disembarkation, the crowd is so large they just take €2 off everybody and stick you on the first bus that arrives. Clearly a local deal going on there. On arrival at Civitavecchia train station, coming from Rome, you can choose your bus in a more leisurely fashion.

[hawkeyetlse]

I know that the fare for the orange bus used to be 80 cents; we took it ourselves back in January 2015. But the price went up sometime in 2015. The port website has announced the price for the Argo bus (i.e. the public bus service) as 2 euros since at least July 2015.

 

I'm not sure what makes you believe that the true fare for the orange Argo bus is still 80 cents. Was that price posted somewhere officially, or is it simply what you expected the price to be based on perhaps outdated information that you read before your trip? Did you see somebody pay 80 cents and take the same bus as you?

 

I don't know if the white coaches are also run by Argo or if they are a competing service (normally the laws are quite strict about private companies competing with a public transport provider, but who knows in this specific case).

[Terpnut]

Just so I am clear: the free port shuttle no longer stops at Forte Michelangelo and only goes to Via Turco 3, right? If however you don't take the port shuttle and walk the pier, can pedestrians still exit toward the train station at Forte Michelangelo? Thanks in advance!

[CruiseIreland]

I know that the fare for the orange bus used to be 80 cents; we took it ourselves back in January 2015. But the price went up sometime in 2015. The port website has announced the price for the Argo bus (i.e. the public bus service) as 2 euros since at least July 2015.

 

I'm not sure what makes you believe that the true fare for the orange Argo bus is still 80 cents

 

Apologies Hawkeyetise! Out of date info from my pre cruise research. It seems the only shuttle from/to train station is Argo at €2.

 

Terpnut: yes, you can walk out at Fort Michelangelo. This website suggests the free port shuttle will drop you off there but reports from cruisers suggest otherwise.

 

http://civitavecchia.co.uk

[A.Emgee]

Is it possible on disembarkation day to take a FREE shuttle from Via Turco (Largo della Pace) to the area between Fort Michelangelo and the Bramante parking lot, and then walk to the train station? It's the route marked in green on the port map:

 

Edited July 30, 2016 by A.Emgee

[Terpnut]

Is it possible on disembarkation day to take a FREE shuttle from Via Turco (Largo della Pace) to the area between Fort Michelangelo and the Bramante parking lot, and then walk to the train station? It's the route marked in green on the port map:

No, the free port shuttle will not stop anywhere before Largo della Pace. So if getting to the train station is your goal, then you must either (1) walk the entire way from whereever your ship docks, or (2) take the free port shuttle to Largo della Pace and then the €2 shuttle to the train station. Either for safety or profit reasons, the port authority will not drop passengers at or near Forte Michelangelo.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Terpnut

[A.Emgee]

No, the free port shuttle will not stop anywhere before Largo della Pace. So if getting to the train station is your goal, then you must either (1) walk the entire way from whereever your ship docks, or (2) take the free port shuttle to Largo della Pace and then the €2 shuttle to the train station. Either for safety or profit reasons, the port authority will not drop passengers at or near Forte Michelangelo.

There are TWO free port shuttles - the red route services Dock 25, and the green route services the other piers. I'm aware that the RED free port shuttle will not stop between Dock 25 and Largo della Pace. I am talking about taking the RED shuttle to Largo della Pace, and then hopping on the GREEN free port shuttle to get closer to the port exit by Fort Michelangelo.

According to what what it says here:

http://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/en/new-bus-stops-cruise-passengers-port-civitavecchia

there is supposed to be a FREE shuttle between Largo della Pace and the other cruise docks (10-13) with an intermediate stop either at Molo del Bicchiere or Bramante. From either of those locations it would be about a 12 minute walk out of the port to the train station.

 

Edited July 30, 2016 by A.Emgee

[hawkeyetlse]

The last time we were there, the shuttle picked us up at the intermediate stop next to the Fort, to go back to the ship. The stop definitely exists, but I don't know under what conditions the shuttles actually stop there. Communicate with the driver and see what happens.

[euro cruiser]

"We hauled our baggage onto the nearest carriage and resigned ourselves to standing for the entire journey. In fairness, I had booked the next train so we were just lucky to get on an earlier one. After a while, I noticed that we were standing in front of the bikes/large luggage room and when the ‘conductor’ came out I could feel a blast of cool air. So, when he went out at the next stop, we sidled in with our luggage, clearing a lot of space in the hall and stood in the bikes compartment. There was a rough, very bouncy, office chair and we shared that and, when he came back, I looked exhausted and breathless, so he just ignored us! We rode this way in reasonable comfort to Civitavecchia."

Sorry, the usual quote function isn't working, I suspect because of the size of the original post.

 

I want to make a few points for future readers. First, regional train tickets like this one purchased in the station are not for a particular train (even though the system has you select one when you buy it) so the OP did not do anything wrong by getting on the next available train. New rules implemented in the past month have placed more restrictions on regional train tickets than used to exist but what the OP did was and is still proper.

 

Second, their experience is why I suggest train users consider one of the reservation required trains when traveling with luggage to or from a cruise. It's still a fantastic bargain vs. the cost of a private transfer (more than €120) or a shared one (at least €40 per person) but it's far more comfortable. Your choies are far more limited, however. There is only one IC train that will work for most embarkation times, at 9:57 AM, arriving at 10:45. The fare is €11 if purchased at the last minute but you can save a little if you purchase in advance.

 

There are two Frecce trains that would work, at 11:57 (arriving 12:39) or 13:57 (arriving 14:37). These trains are the most expensive purchased at the last minute at €15,50 but you can achieve significant savings in advance as Super Economy fares are only €9,90. In the scheme of all you are paying for a vacation the additional €5 per ticket vs. the regional train seems like a pittance for the increased comfort these trains afford. Again, it is still more than €50 per person savings over the shuttles.

 

Finally, the link provided by the OP is fine for reading about trains but if you are going to purchase tickets on-line buy them from the source at http://www.trenitalia.com.

Edited July 30, 2016 by euro cruiser

[Terpnut]

There are TWO free port shuttles - the red route services Dock 25, and the green route services the other piers. I'm aware that the RED free port shuttle will not stop between Dock 25 and Largo della Pace. I am talking about taking the RED shuttle to Largo della Pace, and then hopping on the GREEN free port shuttle to get closer to the port exit by Fort Michelangelo.

According to what what it says here:

 

there is supposed to be a FREE shuttle between Largo della Pace and the other cruise docks (10-13) with an intermediate stop either at Molo del Bicchiere or Bramante. From either of those locations it would be about a 12 minute walk out of the port to the train station.

What I am try to say is that, having docked both at 12 and 25 in the past 13 months, neither shuttle route will stop at or near Forte Michelangelo. So I was answering based on my experience on both the red and green routes--everything went to Largo della Pace. But my experience was sole from cruise terminal toward Largo della Pace so I cannot answer whether transferring to the green route from Largo della Pace toward 12/13 will have that intermediate stop. I will add that, the routes you are talking about will only run if there is a ship along that route so even if there is an intermediate green stop near the fort, make sure there are ships in port at 12/13 or that shuttle won't even be running! This happened when we were in Civitavecchia in July--Brilliance OTS docked at 25 and there was no green route service since nobody was out there!

Edited July 30, 2016 by Terpnut