Civitavecchia (port) // Rome by Train 2024: Your questions answered here!

[Jumping Cruiser]

48 minutes ago, Alatraveler1 said:

Great information on getting from port to Rome for touring, and maybe I missed it in the thread, but I have a question on getting from Rome TO Port for embarkation.  If we depart from Roma Termini via train and select Civitavecchia Porto (and with the extra 6 Euro fee), does a bus take us directly from the train station to the ship or to the free port shuttle stop?  In other words, one bus from station to ship as opposed to bus to port entrance and then additional free port bus to ship?

 

This is usually a direct bus from ship to station, then station to ship on return. No need to board a free shuttle.

[euro cruiser]

The six euro bus goes directly to either your ship or the cruise terminal your ship is using, whichever is relevant. 

[ninjacat123]

On 2/21/2024 at 12:47 PM, Alatraveler1 said:

Great information on getting from port to Rome for touring, and maybe I missed it in the thread, but I have a question on getting from Rome TO Port for embarkation.  If we depart from Roma Termini via train and select Civitavecchia Porto (and with the extra 6 Euro fee), does a bus take us directly from the train station to the ship or to the free port shuttle stop?  In other words, one bus from station to ship as opposed to bus to port entrance and then additional free port bus to ship?

We purchased the Civitavecchia Porto tickets and departed from Roma Termini.  Arrived at Civitavecchia Station.  Exited building (not very big) and saw a bus at the curb.  Rolled our carry ons there and asked the bus driver if he was going to Carnival Pride.  He said "yes" and we got on board.  Bus took us to the Port Terminal building for Carnival Pride.  Very convenient and easy, especially if you are travelling carry on only with a backpack.  Other people got on the bus with larger suitcases so it can be done.

[outlawwillie]

On 2/21/2024 at 1:25 PM, euro cruiser said:

The six euro bus goes directly to either your ship or the cruise terminal your ship is using, whichever is relevant. 

After disembarking from ship in Civitavecchia, we are traveling to Paris for a river cruise. Instead of flying, since we have a couple of days, I am researching train travel. First to Rome and then to Milan on the first day. Second day to Tirano and connect to the Bernina Express to Chur, Switzerland. Last day Chur to Paris.

My question for you is we are a couple in our 70's in good shape. We will each have a large suitcase and a backpack. Will it be difficult to handle the luggage on these five trains. Will we have to be constantly on red alert for theft. I have already booked hotels in Milan and Chur, but can cancel. We are excited for the trains, but if it is going to be too stressful, we can fly to Paris.

I value your opinion.

[euro cruiser]

Well, I can help with the first three segments but I have no experience with the Bernina Express or the train from Chur to Paris.

 

I would suggest paying extra for the Civitavecchia to Rome segment and taking the Frecce train (there is one at 9:25 each morning), this train makes no stops between Civitavecchia and Rome, you will have an assigned seat, and there is room for luggage storage.  Only Trenitalia services this route.

 

EN - Trenitalia

 

You'd have the same kind of train between Rome and Milan.  For this segment you'd have two train companies to consider (Trenitalia and Italotreno), to find the best combination of timing and price for your trip.

 

Italo, italian high-speed train | Book no service fee | italotreno.it

 

From Milan to Tirano you have only Trenitalia/Trennord.  These are regional trains, with no seat assignments and limited luggage room.  They make nine stops along the way, you might want to bring a bike lock to secure your bags so you don't have to worry every time the train stops.

 

In all cases you'll need to get yourselves and your luggage on the train without help.  The easiest way to do this, in my experience, is to have one of you get on and reach down for the bags as the other person pushes them up the steps.

[outlawwillie]

8 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

Well, I can help with the first three segments but I have no experience with the Bernina Express or the train from Chur to Paris.

 

I would suggest paying extra for the Civitavecchia to Rome segment and taking the Frecce train (there is one at 9:25 each morning), this train makes no stops between Civitavecchia and Rome, you will have an assigned seat, and there is room for luggage storage.  Only Trenitalia services this route.

 

EN - Trenitalia

 

You'd have the same kind of train between Rome and Milan.  For this segment you'd have two train companies to consider (Trenitalia and Italotreno), to find the best combination of timing and price for your trip.

 

Italo, italian high-speed train | Book no service fee | italotreno.it

 

From Milan to Tirano you have only Trenitalia/Trennord.  These are regional trains, with no seat assignments and limited luggage room.  They make nine stops along the way, you might want to bring a bike lock to secure your bags so you don't have to worry every time the train stops.

 

In all cases you'll need to get yourselves and your luggage on the train without help.  The easiest way to do this, in my experience, is to have one of you get on and reach down for the bags as the other person pushes them up the steps.

I wonder if there is a way to ship luggage to Paris from Rome. We could just use our backpacks for two nights. It would probably make the trip a lot easier. Thanks for replying to my questions.

[euro cruiser]

UPS (as well as other companies, this is just the one I'm familiar with) offers shipping from Italy to France.  You can contact them directly for a quote, but be prepared to pay more than 100 euro to ship two large bags.

 

You're right, however, it will make your trip much easier if you can do this.  I'd consider adding a third bag, a large, lightweight folding tote/duffle that can fit inside your large bag until you need it for the train ride.  That would offer you more flexibility than just backpacks, as well as better security.  Remember to never pack anything you can't afford to lose in a backpack, it's the most insecure travel option.

 

Edited February 27 by euro cruiser

[phaye02]

I’m staying at Crowne Plaza Rome hotel, do I go to Roma Termini then take train to Civitavecchia port. TIA

[euro cruiser]

6 hours ago, phaye02 said:

I’m staying at Crowne Plaza Rome hotel, do I go to Roma Termini then take train to Civitavecchia port. TIA

No, that would be way out of the way.  Your hotel is quite a bit outside of the historic center so you're going to spend a fair amount of your time getting into town and back.

 

When you're ready to take a train to Civitavecchia I would ask the hotel to call a cab for you to the Roma Aurelia station (a little under two miles) and get the train from there to Civitavecchia.

[phaye02]

On 3/2/2024 at 1:56 PM, euro cruiser said:

No, that would be way out of the way.  Your hotel is quite a bit outside of the historic center so you're going to spend a fair amount of your time getting into town and back.

 

When you're ready to take a train to Civitavecchia I would ask the hotel to call a cab for you to the Roma Aurelia station (a little under two miles) and get the train from there to Civitavecchia.

 

[phaye02]

Thank you very much for reply. I changed hotel to Comfort Hotel Bolivar so it near Roma Termini. I’m using https://www.trenitalia.com/ It can’t find any solutions for Roma Termini to Civitavecchia Porto on 4/2/24.  It can only find following for Roma Termini to Civitavecchia ( Tutte Le Stazioni ). Would I be able to take Uber or bus from Civitavecchia station to Cruise port? Very appreciate if I should take Regional or Intercity City? Couldn’t tell the difference. Are they all bus? Thanks 

[euro cruiser]

For future reference, be aware that April 4 2024 in Italy is styled as 4/2/2024.  Day/month/year

 

I don't know why they are not showing the bus right now but I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Regional trains make more stops than IC or Frecce trains so they generally take a little longer to make the trip.

 

Also, and more importantly, IC and Frecce trains are seat assigned while regionals are not.  The seat assigned trains can only carry as many people as there are seats, while the regionals will just keep pushing people in.  

 

There is no need, nor any good reason, to purchase regional tickets in advance since they can't sell out and the price never changes.

 

On the other hand, prices on IC and Frecce trains changed based on availability so you can save by purchasing in advance.

 

Also note that the Lazio regional tracks, the ones you'd use to take a regional train to Civitavecchia, are three full city blocks from the main part of the station.  The IC and Frecce trains depart from the main track head in the station.

 

 

[euro cruiser]

If they haven't loaded the buses into the system when you purchase your ticket don't worry about it.  As long as a cruise ship is departing there will be buses at the train station and you can pay the driver (not the normal practice in Italy).

 

They don't have Uber in Italy as you understand it (amateur driver with a personal car). Some cities have contracted with Uber to use the app locally but it just connects you with a professional driver.  What type of driver depends on the city and the contract they created.  For example, in Rome you are connected to a car service, in Naples you're connected to a taxi consortium.

 

[euro cruiser]

For what it's worth, the most comfortable option is the Frecce.  There is one at 11:57 that arrives to Civitavecchia at 12:40.  If you purchased now the fare would be just under 10 euro, about double the cost of a regional.  There is an earlier IC at the same fare if you're in a rush to sit around the terminal in Civitavecchia (9:57 arrives 10:43).

[phaye02]

3 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

For what it's worth, the most comfortable option is the Frecce.  There is one at 11:57 that arrives to Civitavecchia at 12:40.  If you purchased now the fare would be just under 10 euro, about double the cost of a regional.  There is an earlier IC at the same fare if you're in a rush to sit around the terminal in Civitavecchia (9:57 arrives 10:43).

Thank you very much for your time and many careful, detailed explanations.  Your insights and advice are invaluable to our trip.  I greatly appreciate it.

[BethesdaSC]

On 3/5/2024 at 3:44 PM, euro cruiser said:

 

 

Also note that the Lazio regional tracks, the ones you'd use to take a regional train to Civitavecchia, are three full city blocks from the main part of the station.  The IC and Frecce trains depart from the main track head in the station.

 

 

When you reference the Lazio tracks, do you mean this looonnng walk she takes to the platform?  I have IC tickets so I will NOT have to make this trek, correct?  Thank you! I’ve read that the specific track is announced pretty close to boarding time; how much time are we talking approximately?

[euro cruiser]

Yes, that's the three block walk I mentioned.  This is only relevant for regional trains, the IC and Frecce trains leave from the main track head.

 

The track announcement is usually about 15 minutes prior to departure.  Each train has a "planned" track but changes can and do happen, so knowing the planned track is only a starting point, you must wait for the announcement.    The first time I took a train in Italy (more than two decades ago, but the same thing could happen today) the planned track changed at the last minute and I didn't hear the announcement (I didn't speak a word of Italian at the time).  I wound up in Naples when I intended to go to Florence.

[Hlitner]

I want to mention a real life scenario.  On one visit to Civitavecchia, DW and I made our way to the train station (we probably walked from the pier), bought a BIRG ticket, and were heading to the platform to catch the next regional train which was just arriving at the station.  We passed some folks from our cruise who were sitting on a bench and made a quick stop to see if they needed help.  They told us they had pre-purchased IC tickets (to Rome), had reserved seats, and were waiting for their train which was running nearly an hour late.  In the time those folks waited, they would have missed at least 3 regional trains/Freece.  Their train into Rome was, perhaps, 20 minutes faster, but it also took away some of the other train stations (such as Trastevere).  Those folks wasted more than an hour of their day in Rome waiting for that "faster" train.

 

We have long preached a simple rule of independent travel, which is to try and keep the maximum flexibility and be willing to change your plans "on the fly."

 

Hank

[euro cruiser]

Trenitalia restarted the Civitavecchia Express for 2024 on April 1st and it will run through the end of October.

 

There is one run per day from Civitavecchia departing at 9:07, it makes only two stops at Roma S. Pietro and Roma Ostiense.

 

There is one return that departs from Ostiense at 4:30 and arrives to Civitavecchia at 5:20.  This also stops to pick up passengers at S. Pietro.

 

Only as many tickets are sold as there are seats, 718.

 

One way tickets are 10 euro, return tickets are 15.

 

Announcement here:  Regionale di Trenitalia riparte il Civitavecchia Express - Trenitalia

[jjt]

I just booked a roundtrip cruise for our family of five out of Civitavecchia and started reading this board for transportation advice. We arrive into FCO the afternoon before the cruise and plan to spend 3 days in Rome after the cruise before flying home. Based on what I've read it sounds like the best plan after the ship returns is to take the train from the port to the Roma Termini and stay in a hotel close by. I checked and there are tickets from Civitavecchia, but not from the port. However, it sounds like I can just take the bus over to the train station and pay the bus driver (credit card?).

 

What about before the cruise? Should I go directly to Civitavecchia from the airport? I am leaning that way to make the logistics easier and to also make sure we don't miss the ship. Also, it seems like there are some interesting sites and things to do near the port. If we do this, what is the best way to get there? Thanks!

 

[euro cruiser]

If you're staying for three days I would consider staying somewhere more central than the train station.  It's not a bad area, it's just not very convenient and you'll waste a lot of time going back and forth.

 

There is no train station at the port in Civitavecchia, when you select "Civitavecchia Porto" as a stop on the Trenitalia site it sells you the bus that runs between the port and the train station.  The fare is 6 euro and you can pay on the bus (not the norm in Italy, usually you have to have a ticket before boarding a bus).

 

Note that there are several different types of trains between Civitavecchia and Rome. The regional trains are the slowest and least expensive but also the most frequent.  These regional trains do not offer seat reservations and they are often very crowded, so there's a good chance that you will stand for all or part of the hour long trip.

 

The Civitavecchia Express train does not have seat reservations but they only sell as many tickets as there are seats.  It means you will get a seat but your family may not be able to find seats together.

 

There are a few IC (intercity) trains on this line, with these trains you get assigned seats.  The fare for these trains is around the same price as the Civitavecchia Express (10 euro one way) but the price goes up as you get closer to the travel date (just like airline tickets).

 

Finally there are also a few high speed trains.  These are more expensive but they make no stops along the way and you have reserved seats. 

 

EN - Trenitalia

Edited April 15 by euro cruiser

[jjt]

1 hour ago, euro cruiser said:

If you're staying for three days I would consider staying somewhere more central than the train station.  It's not a bad area, it's just not very convenient and you'll waste a lot of time going back and forth.

 

There is no train station at the port in Civitavecchia, when you select "Civitavecchia Porto" as a stop on the Trenitalia site it sells you the bus that runs between the port and the train station.  The fare is 6 euro and you can pay on the bus (not the norm in Italy, usually you have to have a ticket before boarding a bus).

 

Note that there are several different types of trains between Civitavecchia and Rome. The regional trains are the slowest and least expensive but also the most frequent.  These regional trains do not offer seat reservations and they are often very crowded, so there's a good chance that you will stand for all or part of the hour long trip.

 

The Civitavecchia Express train does not have seat reservations but they only sell as many tickets as there are seats.  It means you will get a seat but your family may not be able to find seats together.

 

There are a few IC (intercity) trains on this line, with these trains you get assigned seats.  The fare for these trains is around the same price as the Civitavecchia Express (10 euro one way) but the price goes up as you get closer to the travel date (just like airline tickets).

 

Finally there are also a few high speed trains.  These are more expensive but they make no stops along the way and you have reserved seats. 

 

EN - Trenitalia

Thanks for the information. I will try to stay closer to the sites in Rome and not worry about transportation from the train to the hotel.

 

Do you have any advice on my question about pre-cruise? Should I go straight to Civitavecchia from the airport the day before, and what is the best way to get there? Thanks!

Edited April 16 by jjt

[euro cruiser]

That's a tough question for me.  I love, love, love Rome and would go out of my way to spend just a few hours there, but I realize that not everyone feels the same way.  I don't think you said where you are coming from, if from North America the first day might be a bit of a haze for you, you lose six hours in transit and you've got three kids to deal with ... so in your case it might make sense to ease into your trip, knowing that you'll have time in Rome later.

 

You can get to Civitavecchia by train from the airport, you take a local train to Rome Trastevere and change there for another local train to Civitavecchia.

[Girr]

I think you'll find the majority here are really not fans of Civitavecchia - especially when Rome is so close.  However, I can understand why you're thinking about it after traveling a long day with a family.

 

Things to consider:

 

1.  Trains from FCO do not run directly to Civitavecchia.  You have to take the train to Rome, and then transfer to another train heading to Civitavecchia.  You can transfer at Ostiense which will save you dealing with Termini, but it's still a transfer.  If you haven't read thru all the threads you need to inform yourself about steps, non-reserved seats, pickpockets, lack of luggage storage, etc.  Civitavecchia finally has one or two elevators, but everyone is trying to use so it can be another pain.  The major issue (at least for me) is there is no assistance with luggage - it's up to you and your family to get it on/off.  Travelling with older teens makes this easier; however, toddlers add to the strain.

 

2.  If you're going out the day before the cruise there's really no reason to purchase the shuttle to the ship.  If you're hotel isn't near the train station having to go back to the train station to get the shuttle isn't in your best interest (especially if you have to get a taxi).  If you do stay near the port there is a free shuttle available which is relatively easy to reach,  When booking your hotel see if they can arrange a taxi (although it can be a challenge to find a larger taxi).  

 

3.  Civitavecchia is a rather "average" port city.  You might want to check out Ostia.  It will also come with transportation headaches, but it's (IMO) a much better option.

 

4.  Taking the train post cruise into Rome.  Keep in mind, the day you go out to Civitavecchia passengers are spread out over time (probably 8 am to 1 pm).  That can't be said post cruise.  Check out how many ships are in port that day and do the math.  Several thousand people (with a lot of luggage) all rushing to get into Rome isn't a pretty picture.  As already mentioned, standing room only is a very real thing - plus there's no guarantee you and your family will be standing together.  Add in summer heat, you can't see family members, luggage, etc. -- well it can be stressful.  

 

5.  I know private transport can be expensive, but please price it out and consider all the variables in making your decision.  

 

Edited April 16 by Girr

[jjt]

Thanks for all the help. Lots to consider. After the cruise I figured I would book the express train so we would all have a seat. There is one available at 11:16. Now I'm thinking before the cruise it might make sense to stay in Rome, enjoy the evening there, and then take the express train to Civitavecchia in the morning. My kids are older so they can take care of their own luggage.