Rome by train on your own.

[Wineinhand]

Hello, I have booked on Azura and will be in citivecchia for Rome, never been before and wondering how difficult/ fraught this might be. I have googled and there’s an express train but only goes once a day around 9am and back around 4pm. This sounds good but I will worry about missing it, I also read about the Frecce train, is this a commuter train? Does it run more frequently? Can I prebook  it? Does it stop at all Rome train stations? 

Also I would prefer an overview and see the sights just from outside get a feel of the atmosphere of Rome rather than queue to get in the attractions. If so how much am I likely to see. I would obviously go back at some point to go more in depth. 

basically if anyone can help me plan my trip it would be much appreciated. I am used to walking and did google the attractions and their distance from each other. Any ideas welcome. Thanks

[molecrochip]

The express runs straight to Rome Termini station. It takes about 50 minutes.

 

The slower train takes about 70 minutes and stops nearer the Vatican at Roma S. Peitro which is a useful place to alight the train.

 

Usual HOHO options in Rome and metro is fairly easy.

[Harry Peterson]

Like you, we wanted to get to Rome from Civitavecchia, and I explored the various options, including the train.

 

Reached the conclusion in the end though that it was just too risky. All it needed was a problem with the train or the line and then the likelihood of a missed departure and a whole heap of extra hassle and cost.

 

We went for the ludicrously overpriced, by a factor of around 4, Rome on your own coach transfer in the end. Several hours in Rome and we walked several miles to cover all the main sights, spending a bit of time in the more interesting ones. I think it was around 13 miles altogether, but enjoyable in decent weather. In rain or extreme heat it would have been pretty unpleasant though. The old Roman city’s reasonably compact, so walking’s perfectly reasonable - and from our viewpoint infinitely more enjoyable than being stuck on a coach.

[Wineinhand]

Thank you both.

Harry this is 1 of the reasons I’m asking, it’s so cheap to do yourself but is it worth the worry, then expense if you get stuck.

Can you recall what time ship leaves the port? 
 

[bee-ess]

We have used to train to Rome a couple of times but not for a few years. We stopped when they changed where the port shuttle drops which made ot harder to get to the station, We didn't have any problems, I seem to remember there were a number of trains during the day. This link will help

https://www.rometoolkit.com/airport/civitavechia_train.htm

[Harry Peterson]

18 minutes ago, Wineinhand said:

Thank you both.

Harry this is 1 of the reasons I’m asking, it’s so cheap to do yourself but is it worth the worry, then expense if you get stuck.

Can you recall what time ship leaves the port? 
 

In our case it was 1730, as I recall, but it will vary. You just have to balance the costs against the risks, and we decided that as flights would be involved it just wasn’t worth it. If it had meant just a train journey within Italy we’d have taken the chance. Very unlikely that you’d have problems if there are plenty of trains, particularly if you allow for cancellations, but a blocked track would be problematic.

 

Goodness, it is cheap, isn’t it? £5 each way!

 

https://shop.italiarail.com/results?departureStationId=830008010&arrivalStationId=830008409&departureDate=2023-05-17&adults=1&children=0&currency=USD&roundTrip=one_way&aff=S61U

 

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Harry Peterson
Final para added with link

[wowzz]

You could also look at booking a non P&O trip, which I imagine will be considerably cheaper. Here is one I have found.

https://www.getyourguide.co.uk/rome-l33/classical-bus-tour-from-civitavecchia-t51145/

[Wineinhand]

Wowzz that looks a good site , though first look shows returning at 17:30 which if Harry is on point is the time ship would be leaving ! 
 

I am such a worrier perhaps I need to stump up for ships excursion .

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, Wineinhand said:

Wowzz that looks a good site , though first look shows returning at 17:30 which if Harry is on point is the time ship would be leaving ! 
 

I am such a worrier perhaps I need to stump up for ships excursion .

I think you'll find that the timings will alter depending on the actual ship departure times. No point offering a tour that returns an hour after the ship has left !

[Harry Peterson]

Which port follows Civitavecchia? If it’s relatively easily accessible in the unlikely event of rail problems I’d probably take a chance on the train. If it involves flights I probably wouldn’t. Cost/benefit analysis in action! 🙂

[J110]

Hi there we did this last May. We found out the times the p and o express train tour was going and booked the same express train going.

we only did it in the previous port.

at the time there was definitely more than 1 express train running and it did stop at S.Pietro. We arrived just before 10  but  left on a  train before the p and o tour. - the tour got back to civitivecchia at 5.30 pm.

On a previous visit we took the Rome on your own trip which takes away the uncertainty. It used to have 2 drop off and collection points and still gave us plenty of time in Rome.😊
 

 

[P&O SUE]

I have heard they do sometimes call train strikes at last minute in Italy! Don’t want to worry you but I do overthink these things! In the case I heard P&O did actually wait for latecomers that day but it did sound stressful.

[9265359]

3 hours ago, Wineinhand said:

it’s so cheap to do yourself but is it worth the worry, then expense if you get stuck.

Catch the train and then if the worst happens and you can’t get a train back just take a taxi back to the port - sure it won’t be cheap but you would be gambling a certainty of an expensive P&O tour against the vague possibility of an expensive taxi.

[CaptainPedantic]

Also worth considering the day you are visiting and if you can find out how many other ships are in port and how many of those are turnaround visits...

We have taken the train 3 times as a family of 4 with mixed experiences - but at least we made it back to the ship each time! The first time we did it was perfectly fine but the second wasn't so great - it was the last Sunday of the month (when museums/sites are free to visit), there were lots of other cruise ships in port and the train was completely packed - more like the London underground at rush hour! Standing crammed in for the whole journey was not a pleasant experience, but we did choose to do it a 3rd time and that was also ok. But not as convenient as the first time due to the relocation of the shuttle drop-off, which means an additional shuttle ride to the station (and ticket)...

Our preference is now to take a private taxi transfer - more expensive obviously, but no stress, no fitting in with other people's plans or rigid schedules. 

[tring]

16 hours ago, P&O SUE said:

I have heard they do sometimes call train strikes at last minute in Italy! Don’t want to worry you but I do overthink these things! In the case I heard P&O did actually wait for latecomers that day but it did sound stressful.

 

So true Italian trains can be good, but can do go on strike at times, so not reliable.

 

I always thought of having enough cash to pick up a cab if something like that happened, but with the number and size of ships in Med ports now, I wonder where all those taxis would come from, if they would then block the roads to Civitavecchia completely and how much would the taxi drivers be charging in such a situation.  Not for us, but we have taken trains in other countries for shorter distances, where we would not have competition from so many other cruise passengers effectively stranded if we did need to take a taxi back to the port.

.

 

[Megabear2]

1 minute ago, tring said:

 

So true Italian trains can be good, but can do go on strike at times, so not reliable.

 

I always thought of having enough cash to pick up a cab if something like that happened, but with the number and size of ships in Med ports now, I wonder where all those taxis would come from, if they would then block the roads to Civitavecchia completely and how much would the taxi drivers be charging in such a situation.  Not for us, but we have taken trains in other countries for shorter distances, where we would not have competition from so many other cruise passengers effectively stranded if we did need to take a taxi back to the port.

.

 

Might have changed this year but there was a massive shortage of taxi and chauffeur drivers last year with many bookings cancelled at very late notice including my own from central Rome to Civitavecchia to board my cruise on Celebrity.  

 

As most on here know I had cause to be in Rome a lot between July and September and taxi transport was the big bugbear every time either cancelling or turning up late.  I didn't fair too well with prebooked trips from the airport to central Rome either with three no shows and one advance cancellation.

 

Uber was good, I prebooked with them several times and they always turned up at the agreed price.  However short notice on the day bookings were always at the premium rate, eg from the main station area to the Vatican would be almost treble the price in a taxi!

 

I'm in Rome in September and prices are still extremely high at around €200 each way to Civitavecchia by taxi with the airport company suggested elsewhere in this thread at €350 return.  If anyone is going to use this company please be aware there are already messages about book now for August/September due to capacity issues.

[ollienbertsmum]

On 4/24/2023 at 11:30 AM, tring said:

 

So true Italian trains can be good, but can do go on strike at times, so not reliable..

.

 

Strikes are announced ahead of time.    There is a website that gives this information.  Someone might be able to direct you to it.  

 

I have always gone by train and had no problems apart from playing sardines on one of our trips.  The most crowded times are in the middle of summer - and when lots of ships are in port.  If you are going by train at peak times i would recommend boarding the train at Termini rather than one of the subsequent stops.    We have usually got off at St Peters because the journey from there to Termini is a little tedious, we then do what we had planned for the day (so much to choose from) and then get on at Termini to try and get our seat.  

[euro cruiser]

It's a short trip from bad information to an erroneous conclusion.

 

Wildcat (unannounced) strikes are exceedingly uncommon in Italy, nearly all strikes are announced weeks in advance and published on a government web site here:  Scioperi - mit2

 

Uber in Italy is simply an app conduit to either a taxi or a private car service (what you are linked to depends on the city, each one makes its own contract with Uber).  It will almost always cost more than a taxi because of added fees, but it's comfortable for Americans as it's something they are used to.

Edited April 25, 2023 by euro cruiser

[ninjacat123]

4 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

It's a short trip from bad information to an erroneous conclusion.

 

Wildcat (unannounced) strikes are exceedingly uncommon in Italy, nearly all strikes are announced weeks in advance and published on a government web site here:  Scioperi - mit2

 

Uber in Italy is simply an app conduit to either a taxi or a private car service (what you are linked to depends on the city, each one makes its own contract with Uber).  It will almost always cost more than a taxi because of added fees, but it's comfortable for Americans as it's something they are used to.

Is there a website for that strike info in English?  Do you know how far in advance this information is made public?  TIA!

[euro cruiser]

No, there's no English language version but once you spend a little time with the site you can figure most of it out.  The hard part for non-Italians is knowing what all the different unions are, and if they're big enough to make an impact.

 

It's made public as soon as the strike is called, sometimes as much as a couple of months ahead of time.  Many times strikes are cancelled before they happen, so you have to keep an eye on that.

 

I have no data to back this up, but it seems to me that strikes called for Fridays generally wind up happening.

 

Also note the hours of the strikes, most start after morning commuting hours and end before evening commuting hours.  Once in a while there's a big, national strike but they're pretty rare.

[ninjacat123]

4 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

No, there's no English language version but once you spend a little time with the site you can figure most of it out.  The hard part for non-Italians is knowing what all the different unions are, and if they're big enough to make an impact.

 

It's made public as soon as the strike is called, sometimes as much as a couple of months ahead of time.  Many times strikes are cancelled before they happen, so you have to keep an eye on that.

 

I have no data to back this up, but it seems to me that strikes called for Fridays generally wind up happening.

 

Also note the hours of the strikes, most start after morning commuting hours and end before evening commuting hours.  Once in a while there's a big, national strike but they're pretty rare.

Ok, so it looks like the farthest out date is beginning of June.  DH and I will be on the train Saturday, Oct 14 from FCO to Venice early in the morning.  I hope this works out!  Our train experiences from Amsterdam to Paris to Chartres and back worked out really well last summer. Thank you for your insight!

[Hlitner]

If you are going to be constantly obsessed by negative thoughts such as unannounced train strikes, taxi accidents, pestilence, etc., than perhaps you need to stick to the Cruise line excursions.  For those of us who are long time DIYers, it is simply about doing your homework, having a Plan B,C, etc. 

 

Also think about worst case scenarios

such as “is it possible to catch up to the ship the following day?” If not possible, than you need to be a little more careful in planning.  Perhaps you need to be back to the area near the port, somewhat earlier.

 

Much of DIY planning is just using common sense.  When it comes to 

Rome, do not rely on the last possible train and have enough Euros to cover the cost of a return taxi, if this becomes necessary.

 

Hank

[ollienbertsmum]

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

If you are going to be constantly obsessed by negative thoughts such as unannounced train strikes, taxi accidents, pestilence, etc., than perhaps you need to stick to the Cruise line excursions.  For those of us who are long time DIYers, it is simply about doing your homework, having a Plan B,C, etc. 

 

Also think about worst case scenarios

such as “is it possible to catch up to the ship the following day?” If not possible, than you need to be a little more careful in planning.  Perhaps you need to be back to the area near the port, somewhat earlier.

 

Much of DIY planning is just using common sense.  When it comes to 

Rome, do not rely on the last possible train and have enough Euros to cover the cost of a return taxi, if this becomes necessary.

 

Hank

Oh Hank, such wise words.  You probably know that I am a keen DiYer on my cruises, however I am also a keen overplanner to avoid all of those worst case scenarios.  Despite this, in 17 years of cruising I have never had any worst case scenarios. Not even any pestilence.  I did however avoid a measles epidemic in Cascais near Lisbon after seeing it on the news the day before.   “What is the worst that can happen?” Is the best question to ask.  

[Kathscof]

On 4/25/2023 at 2:40 PM, ninjacat123 said:

Ok, so it looks like the farthest out date is beginning of June.  DH and I will be on the train Saturday, Oct 14 from FCO to Venice early in the morning.  I hope this works out!  Our train experiences from Amsterdam to Paris to Chartres and back worked out really well last summer. Thank you for your insight!

Just to add on, sometimes the strikes are only for CERTAIN types of things, there are sometimes only local bus/train strikes vs national or extra-urban bus/train strikes.  But Italians work around them, so there are options.  I knew about strikes during my visit to Italy and it ended up that the waterbus drivers in Venice were on strike the only full day I had in Venice.  So I walked.  I utilized the buses on the arrival and departure days and worked around it.  

 

When you arrive at FCO, go to buy your train ticket at the machine and it won't sell you a ticket for a train that doesn't exist.  Easy peasy 🙂  Also, I have never incurred a national (frecce, the fast trains) train strike, so things are already looking up for you!