Rome to Cruise Port - Morning Train?

[Kenhel]

I would appreciate advice regarding train transportation from Rome to the Civi cruise port. When searching for tickets, the train departure times are geared to cruisers who are travelling from the cruise port to Rome in the morning rather than other direction. Trains do not seem to depart Rome until afternoon. Our cruise embarkation is 6:00pm and our goal is to check in late morning/early afternoon. Looking for a train rather than a bus or private transfer.

What I am missing?

Is it best to arrive in Civi the day prior?

Is there a specific train company or site to search for morning departures from Rome? 

[ninjacat123]

What day are you looking for? this is the train site I'm looking at:

https://www.italiarail.com/?_ga=2.259987914.1558859841.1679249962-533654109.1675295075

 

[CruiserBruce]

The problem probably is the website defaults to the local time. So, if it was 4pm when you did the search, it will start with trains at 4pm. I set the time to 10am, nd it shows trains every half an hour.

 

I would be looking at trenitialia.com, and just look out a month or two.

[Kenhel]

Thank you so much. I just did a mock booking on ItaliaRail for next week and it looks like there are frequent direct trips from termini or ostience stations to Civitavecchia. 

[PurpleTraveller]

Last June we got the train from Termini to Civitavecchia. There were trains every half hour or so. We got the 11.12am train that arrived at 12.16pm and cost €4.60 per adult. A really easy and inexpensive way to get from Rome to Civitavecchia and we will be doing the same again next year. Just be aware if you are getting the train from Termini that the train platform for trains to Civitavecchia is a long way from the station concourse so leave extra time to walk to the platform.

 

[euro cruiser]

Italiarail is a reseller, not a train company.

 

The two national train lines in Italy are Trenitalia and Italotreno.  Only Trenitalia serves Civitavecchia.

 

IT - Trenitalia

 

You may not be seeing all the trains because you are choosing a date too far in the future.  Most of the trains to Civitavecchia are regionals and they don't load them into the system more than a few months in advance.  To see what the schedule will look like when you are there, pick the same day of the week for the upcoming week.  Small changes may happen, but you'll get the general idea.

[Kenhel]

All of that information is extremely helpful. Thank you!

[claireruth]

There definitely are morning trains because we took one two weeks ago from Termini to Civi.  I think they left around every 30 minutes.  We had to be out of our Airbnb at 10, and from there we took an Uber to the train station, got our tickets, and made the 10:42 train.  I think the next was at 11:12 or something like that.

[PhotoFlo]

On 3/30/2023 at 6:25 PM, claireruth said:

There definitely are morning trains because we took one two weeks ago from Termini to Civi.  I think they left around every 30 minutes.  We had to be out of our Airbnb at 10, and from there we took an Uber to the train station, got our tickets, and made the 10:42 train.  I think the next was at 11:12 or something like that.

We will each have one 25" rolling luggage and backpack.  Are there steps or escalators to get to and from the platform at Termini or Civi?  And once we arrive in Civi, is it easy to get to the port? 

[claireruth]

47 minutes ago, PhotoFlo said:

We will each have one 25" rolling luggage and backpack.  Are there steps or escalators to get to and from the platform at Termini or Civi?  And once we arrive in Civi, is it easy to get to the port? 

It's a flat walk at Termini, but it was pretty far.  The platform for the Civi train was one of the last ones, so give yourself plenty of time to get there.  When we got off the train in Civi we were on the street side, so that was easy.  There are buses, shuttles, and taxis at the train station that will take you to the port...I don't remember if they were $4 or $6 per person, but we opted to walk thinking it was close, but it was really far, especially with luggage.  I don't recommend it.  We took the shuttle to the train after the cruise.  Leaving Civi the train we needed was on the far side of the station, but there was an elevator to go down to a walkway underneath to get to the correct platform.

[MeHeartCruising]

In Civitavecchia, you may or may not arrive at the track closest to the station.  If you do, there is no need for an elevator or escalator.  If you arrive on a different track, if it works there is an elevator that you can use to go down one level, then walk toward the station, and then another elevator to take you back up to station level.  You may need to wait in line to use the elevators due to crowds getting off the train.  It has also been reported that the elevators do sometimes break down.  
 

There are steps that you can walk down and back up if you want to or need to.  They may be faster than waiting for the elevator if you can manage the luggage.  If the elevator is not working, you will need to use the stairs if you arrive at an outer track. 

Edited April 5, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[euro cruiser]

There are three different types of trains that travel between Rome Termini and Civitavecchia.  The Frecce trains are seat assigned and capacity controlled and make no stops between Termini and Civitavecchia, and these trains leave from the main track head at Termini.  They are the fastest at about 50 minutes.  There are only four Frecce trains each day on the current schedule.

 

Once or twice a day there is an IC (Intercity) train.  These trains are seat assigned and capacity controlled and they make one stop along the way.  They take about the same amount of time as the Frecce.  These trains also leave from the main track head at Termini.

 

The other type of train are the regionales, which make up the bulk of the trains each day.  These are not seat assigned or capacity controlled, so it's possible that you may stand for all or part of the trip.  These train make between five to ten stops along the way and 70 - 85 minutes to make the trip.  These trains leave from the southern regional tracks at Termini, which are located on the Via Giolitti side of the station.  It's about one third of a mile from the main track head to these tracks.

 

The easiest way to see the train schedule is to go to the source, Trenitalia.  Don't look at your actual travel date unless it's very soon, just pick the same day of the week in the next week or two, that will show you what will be.  They don't load all of the regional trains into the system very far in advance, which is why you just look at a close-in date.

 

EN - Trenitalia

Edited April 5, 2023 by euro cruiser

[PhotoFlo]

Thank you Claire, MeHeart and Euro, that information is very helpful!!

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, PhotoFlo said:

We will each have one 25" rolling luggage and backpack.  Are there steps or escalators to get to and from the platform at Termini or Civi?  And once we arrive in Civi, is it easy to get to the port? 

There are no steps in Termini station but if you take the regionale train to Civi it is a long walk to the auxiliary platforms from the head of the station (like a couple of city blocks long).

 

You will have to get your bags up 2-3 narrow steep steps onto the train. With two people the easiest is to have one person board first and have the second hand the bags up.

 

Civi does have an underpass that you may have to use, depending which tracks you arrive on. Since last year however, there are elevators.

 

At Civi station you can get a bus to the port entrance. Taxis are not always available. And at the port entrance you have to get on the free port shuttle to your specific ship.

 

I won’t lie, it’s a bit of a slog. Especially when you can get a shared shuttle direct from your hotel to your ship for around 40-45 euros per person ( for a couple).

 

[PhotoFlo]

Thank you!  Your posts are always so helpful!

[Kenhel]

Thank you. We have booked at Hotel Smeraldo in Rome. Does the Trenitalia morning route from Rome to Civi Port pick up at the Trastevere station? This station appears to be a 30 minute walk from the hotel. 

[euro cruiser]

It's easy to take the tram down Viale Trastevere from your hotel but it's equally easy to take any of several buses from Largo Argentina (a block from your hotel) to Termini and leave from there.

 

The benefit of Termini is that it allows you to choose a fast train (Frecce or IC) with seat assignments, because only regionale trains stop at Trastevere.

 

Even if you decide to take a regionale, it's better to get on at Termini where you stand a decent chance of actually finding a seat.  By the time that same train gets to Trastevere the odds are much, much lower.

[gail-s]

On 4/4/2023 at 8:59 PM, euro cruiser said:

There are three different types of trains that travel between Rome Termini and Civitavecchia.  The Frecce trains are seat assigned and capacity controlled and make no stops between Termini and Civitavecchia, and these trains leave from the main track head at Termini.  They are the fastest at about 50 minutes.  There are only four Frecce trains each day on the current schedule.

 

...

 

EN - Trenitalia

Looking at the prices for the Frecce between the port and Rome there are different options, Base, Economy, Super Economy, etc.  I have no problem paying the Base if it means I get a seat and my luggage won't be lost, but has anyone ever done anything else with success?  If I know I'm most likely not going to make a change to my trip, I'd think the Economy would be just fine too.  

[euro cruiser]

All tickets on Frecce trains are assigned seats, regardless of train section or fare type.  For the short ride from Civitavecchia to Rome I'd get the cheapest seat available.