Civitavecchia to Rome

[tyme2care]

I am thankful to all on cruise critic for all the valuable information they have provided. I will be heading to Rome in September and my husband prefers to be very cost effective when travelling. Just wanted some information on the following and thanks in advance to all who can help.

 

We'll be in Rome 3 days prior to boarding in Civitavecchia, is the train a safe and easy way to get to the port?

 

We will have luggage. Is it easy to handle luggage if we take the train?

Do we have to check it in or carry on board ourselves?

 

Any idea of the cost?

What's the best way to get a ticket for the train? Ahead of time or on the day we need to get to port?

 

Can we walk with luggage to the port or is taxi better and is it costly?

 

Any other "important" issues I should be aware of?

 

I'm sorry, I'm a novice and hope I'll get some informative info!

[dbh62ark]

I am thankful to all on cruise critic for all the valuable information they have provided. I will be heading to Rome in September and my husband prefers to be very cost effective when travelling. Just wanted some information on the following and thanks in advance to all who can help.

 

We'll be in Rome 3 days prior to boarding in Civitavecchia, is the train a safe and easy way to get to the port?

 

We will have luggage. Is it easy to handle luggage if we take the train?

Do we have to check it in or carry on board ourselves?

 

Any idea of the cost?

What's the best way to get a ticket for the train? Ahead of time or on the day we need to get to port?

 

Can we walk with luggage to the port or is taxi better and is it costly?

 

Any other "important" issues I should be aware of?

 

I'm sorry, I'm a novice and hope I'll get some informative info!

Tyme2care, welcome to CruiseCritic where we love a great debate. :) Yes, the train is very safe and easy. We have ridden the trains in Italy extensively, and we have ridden this route several times. The ease of handling luggage depends on the amount that you carry. You will have some steps too. You take the luggage with you on the train, and it is usually stored in a compartment at the end of the car. I have seen many passengers who have taken their luggage into the car with them, and I haven't seen the train conductors require the passengers to move the luggagel. There are many areas of the train that have 4 or 6 seats that are facing each other, so passengers take their luggage to this area to sit beside their luggage. If you do leave your luggage at the end of your car, you should get up and go watch your luggage at each stop to ensure that no one takes your luggage off either accidentaly or intentionally. As far as taking a taxi from the train station to the ship, that's the great debate. If it's easier to take a taxi and you can find one (we have not seen any shortage of taxis when we have been there, but others have reported a shortage of taxis), then you can take that option. Cod's report of 20 Euro fares are exaggerated. I thought we paid 15 Euros, but my husband and friends advise me that it was either 10 or 12 Euros, and it was well worth it to us so that we didn't have to take our luggage up the hill, and there were 4 passengers in our taxi. You can check train schedules at http://www.trenitalia.it/en/index.html, and you should check yourself prior to traveling and not depend on dated information that has been posted on this thread. The train schedules do change periodically. You can buy a ticket on-line or can wait to purchase at a ticket window at the train station. If you are a non-smoker, that is the most critical issue for riding the Italian trains. Look for the non-smoking symbol on the cars. The train is inexpensive, but keep in mind that you may need a taxi from your hotel in Rome to the Termini train station, ride the train, and a walk or another taxi from the train station in Civitavecchia to the port.

 

I think that answers all your questions but will be glad to help if you need additional assistance.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

 

This is it for me.

Hmmm, it seems you broke your word in post #29. But no worries--check back in June for a photo of the hill that IS there.

[little britain]

Cod and others....I'll be getting off Legend in May - so too early to see the famous photo - ! Can you clarify 2 things please.....

[1] when you get off the ship where will you find the 'free' busses to the port gates? and [2] when you get off the bus at the port gate which direction do you walk to get to the station, and how long is the 4-5 block walk please [with or without hill ;) ]

[Fatfish]

From what I remember there is a small hill from the port entrance towards town and the train station and coming from Rome with luggage you must cross under the tracks via a tunnel and climb stairs to get to station?

[dbh62ark]

Cod and others....I'll be getting off Legend in May - so too early to see the famous photo - ! Can you clarify 2 things please.....

[1] when you get off the ship where will you find the 'free' busses to the port gates? and [2] when you get off the bus at the port gate which direction do you walk to get to the station, and how long is the 4-5 block walk please [with or without hill ;) ]

I've been through that port on 3 different cruise lines, and the buses were always near the ship's gangway. Our cruise line charged for the shuttles to the port entrance, but the Civitavecchia port officials also operate a free shuttle bus for the safety of passengers. I don't think you'll have an issue finding the bus, but your ship's personnel should be able to direct you to the bus. By the way, we have dear friends who live in Camberley in Surrey--we just visited with them last August--and they also have a grey cat. :)

 

Donna

[tom_uk]

[1] when you get off the ship where will you find the 'free' busses to the port gates?

 

Where indeed! When we got off Galaxy on June 12 there was some confusion. We were directed straight onto a bus immediately as we got to the bottom of the gangplank. This was a bit confusing as at this point we didn't have our luggage. But it was OK, this bus only took us about 300 yards or so and we all had to get off, right by a big marquee/temporary structure where the luggage had been stored. I think the reason for this bus ride was that Galaxy was moored 'one mooring point' away from the structure, and because the port authority forbid passengers to walk along the dock, X had to provide buses to get that short distance to it.

 

OK, so we found our luggage and then tried to find out where we could get the shuttle bus to the dock gate. We had seen one of these cruising around the outside of the (by now) large group of people in the luggage area and then going back the way it came round the back of the structure, but it didn't seem to stop for anyone. Eventually I spotted an old rusty tin sign on the wall behind the luggage area, and it looked as if that was a bus pick-up point; and because no-one else had spotted it, and because the shuttle bus is prohibited from picking up or setting down anywhere else, the bus hadn't stopped. So we started a queue. But then someone yelled that there was a Celebrity bus doing a run to the dock gate, so we charged back to the luggage area and jumped on that. All in all, a fine time was had by all. So I think the best answer would be 'look for a tin sign on a wall, but keep your ears open as well....'

 

[2] when you get off the bus at the port gate which direction do you walk to get to the station, and how long is the 4-5 block walk please [with or without hill ]

 

There are some good instructions here, with pictures:

http://www.europeportreviews.com/Rome2.htm

[tyme2care]

:) Thank you Donna for the time you took to answer some questions. This info will be helpful! Seems your great debate :rolleyes: about "the hill" will be ongoing. Good luck with that and thanks again! MT

Tyme2care, welcome to CruiseCritic where we love a great debate. :) Yes, the train is very safe and easy. We have ridden the trains in Italy extensively, and we have ridden this route several times. The ease of handling luggage depends on the amount that you carry. You will have some steps too. You take the luggage with you on the train, and it is usually stored in a compartment at the end of the car. I have seen many passengers who have taken their luggage into the car with them, and I haven't seen the train conductors require the passengers to move the luggagel. There are many areas of the train that have 4 or 6 seats that are facing each other, so passengers take their luggage to this area to sit beside their luggage. If you do leave your luggage at the end of your car, you should get up and go watch your luggage at each stop to ensure that no one takes your luggage off either accidentaly or intentionally. As far as taking a taxi from the train station to the ship, that's the great debate. If it's easier to take a taxi and you can find one (we have not seen any shortage of taxis when we have been there, but others have reported a shortage of taxis), then you can take that option. Cod's report of 20 Euro fares are exaggerated. I thought we paid 15 Euros, but my husband and friends advise me that it was either 10 or 12 Euros, and it was well worth it to us so that we didn't have to take our luggage up the hill, and there were 4 passengers in our taxi. You can check train schedules at http://www.trenitalia.it/en/index.html, and you should check yourself prior to traveling and not depend on dated information that has been posted on this thread. The train schedules do change periodically. You can buy a ticket on-line or can wait to purchase at a ticket window at the train station. If you are a non-smoker, that is the most critical issue for riding the Italian trains. Look for the non-smoking symbol on the cars. The train is inexpensive, but keep in mind that you may need a taxi from your hotel in Rome to the Termini train station, ride the train, and a walk or another taxi from the train station in Civitavecchia to the port.

 

I think that answers all your questions but will be glad to help if you need additional assistance.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

 

Hmmm, it seems you broke your word in post #29. But no worries--check back in June for a photo of the hill that IS there.

[KNITWITS]

:confused: Maybe I missed it , but did anyone answer if there were toilets on the train?:eek:

[bunnih0p]

knitwits, I don't know if this helps but I've been on trains in both Spain (couple weeks ago) and France and they had toilets. I would presume that these would also have a toilet.

 

On another note. Does anyone know if the train into rome makes other stops or is it direct?

 

Thanks

[dbh62ark]

:confused: Maybe I missed it , but did anyone answer if there were toilets on the train?:eek:

There are restrooms on all the trains I've ridden in Italy, including this route, but I try not to use them for short rides because sometimes they're clean and sometimes they're not . . . .

 

Donna

[dbh62ark]

knitwits, I don't know if this helps but I've been on trains in both Spain (couple weeks ago) and France and they had toilets. I would presume that these would also have a toilet.

 

On another note. Does anyone know if the train into rome makes other stops or is it direct?

 

Thanks

Bunnih0p, the train makes a few stops between Civitavecchia and Rome but not a lot. The stops on the train are listed on the http://www.trenitalia.it/en/index.html site (some trains are regional trains). Sometimes it's better to wait a few minutes for a faster train that doesn't stop as much, but it usually will just save you a few minutes and probably isn't worth the trouble on this route.

 

The train station for the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica is Roma San Pietro and like trains in other European cities, you'll see the signs in the station. The train station for other sites in Rome is Rome Termini. You'll need a good map of Rome if you're going independently. http://www.viamichelin.com might be good enough, and you'll find one in the guide books such as Frommers.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[coxswain]

Thanks Donna !!

 

 

 

 

jj.....

[dbh62ark]

You're welcome, Coxswain.

 

Donna

 

P.S. I absolutely LOVE Ireland and hope to go back in the next year or two. Such a beautiful country with very friendly people. :)

[JAKE3337]

I have never been to Europe before. We will be saiing on the Transatlantic Galazy arriving May 14th in Rome.

 

We will be staying at the Crown Plaza St. Peters in Rome for 2 nights.

 

Does anyone know how far this is off the train route. Just looking for the easiest and cheapest way to get from port to the hotel. Can we walk from port to the train station, get off the train and walk to the hotel?:confused:

 

Thank you

[Cruising Retired Army SGM]

And I am SO tired of board members quibbling with me over this when I am just trying to do a favor for those toting luggage in that area, so I'm going to take a photo of that dang hill when I'm there in May and will post it when I get back. ;)

 

Donna

 

Donna, I will save you the trouble of posting a picture. I am doing research for my June Freedom cruise I found a Google Earth photo of the port which shows the front gate by the old fort and also the train station which is just down the beach. I will post the thread and all you have to do is go down to post #6 and it will answer all the questions.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=454741

[Joanne G.]

We will be staying at the Crown Plaza St. Peters in Rome for 2 nights. Does anyone know how far this is off the train route. Just looking for the easiest and cheapest way to get from port to the hotel. Can we walk from port to the train station, get off the train and walk to the hotel?:confused:

 

Thank you

 

The Crowne Plaza St. Peters is some distance from the Termini train station. Not within walking distance at all. From our experience at the Crowne Plaza, a taxi ride from the train station to the hotel would be about $10 - $12 euro including tip.

 

Maybe there is another train stop near the Crowne Plaza. Or a metro stop. Hopefully someone else can help you with that information.

[chezcruiser]

I agree that the train is a good way to get into Rome - but having a plan (e.g. knowing which subways to take and having reservations at the Vatican) will help make the most of your day there.

 

Here's an excellent website with details on taking the train from Civitavecchia to Rome. http://www.europeportreviews.com/Rome2.htm

 

Thanks for the information. Newe to Europe and any information that saves money helps.

[chezcruiser]

I am thankful to all on cruise critic for all the valuable information they have provided. I will be heading to Rome in September and my husband prefers to be very cost effective when travelling. Just wanted some information on the following and thanks in advance to all who can help.

 

We'll be in Rome 3 days prior to boarding in Civitavecchia, is the train a safe and easy way to get to the port?

 

We will have luggage. Is it easy to handle luggage if we take the train?

Do we have to check it in or carry on board ourselves?

 

Any idea of the cost?

What's the best way to get a ticket for the train? Ahead of time or on the day we need to get to port?

 

Can we walk with luggage to the port or is taxi better and is it costly?

 

Any other "important" issues I should be aware of?

 

I'm sorry, I'm a novice and hope I'll get some informative info!

 

great questions.

 

Looking forward to the cruise to and will also be spending a couple of days in Rome pre cruise. Doing back to back so will have all up 5 days Rome. The cheapest options are always favourable to the budget. Also looking for some tips on trip to Pisa and Florence from Livorno. Any comments would be appreciated.

[corkpopr]

Ok let me add a couple of things to this. we just got back in dec, the prior nov. and the prior may. we took the train both directions once and one way twice. you want the express train 50 minutes instead of the comuter 1 hr 10 minutes. there is one stop on the express prior to rome termini and about nine on the comuter. rome termini station is huge and there are 24 active tracks. the rome to civiteveccia train is usually on tracks 1-4 and they are 400 meters from the lobby of the station. individuals will offer to grab a cart, load your bags, have you follow them to the train, and hump your bags onto the train for 5-10 euros which in my opinion is a bargain considering that two cups of coffee costs 8 euros!

 

for some reason, the train always is on track 3 of 4 at Civiteveccia. you want a car in the middle if you are coming from rome because it will put you 50 feet or less from the stairwell at the station. you take your bags off and go down 30 concrete steps, go under the other two tracks and then up the 30 steps to the station. as you pass thru the station, gypsy cab drivers (no meters) will offer to drive you to the ship for 12-20 euros depending on what they can get away with. if you walk it is easy unless it is july or august. take your time. after you get into the entrance of the port there are free shuttle buses that take you to your ship. there are no hills, i was there 4 weeks ago and walked it for the 3rd time. if you were to spill a glass of water in the train station parking lot or on the steet, or on the sidewalk along the seawall it would stand in place and not run off in any direction. now, that being said, the seawall is 20 feet above sea level and to get down to the free shuttle buses you do have to go down 20 feet if arriving or up 20 feet if leaving.

 

Lastly, do not stay anywhere near the airport in a hotel unless you have an 9 am or earlier flight out. being in rome is the highlight of the trip if you allow it, being at an airport hotel is, well an airport hotel. i would not recommend any hotel within 10 blocks of rome termini station but go on romehotels.com and you will discover more choices than you could imagine!

[JAKE3337]

The Crowne Plaza St. Peters is some distance from the Termini train station. Not within walking distance at all. From our experience at the Crowne Plaza, a taxi ride from the train station to the hotel would be about $10 - $12 euro including tip.

 

Maybe there is another train stop near the Crowne Plaza. Or a metro stop. Hopefully someone else can help you with that information.

 

Is the hotel ok and would it be a place you would recommend? $12 E is much better than the $250 canadian that my TA quoted for a private driver from port to the hotel. So would you recommend taking the train from port to the Rome Termini train station and then a taxi from there? It seems to save quite a bit of $ that we can spend on other excursions. Thanks for your help!:)

[Joanne G.]

We were satisfied with the hotel. Our room was big and the bathroom was spacious. The pool area was attractive, though we never used it. It's an American-style hotel - no particular Italian charm. The on-site restaurant is very expensive. There's a charming, more reasonably-priced restaurant called Arturo's nearby. The hotel is not near any of the major attractions. For sightseeing, you will need to either take their shuttle bus (free but only at certain times) or a taxi. It's fine for a couple days pre-or post-cruise, but not so great for a land vacation because of the inconvenient location. We ended up there because of the hotel package we booked though Celebrity.

 

As for the transportation - just so there's no misunderstanding, the 10-12 euro that I mentioned is my estimate for a taxi from the main train station in Rome to the Crown Plaza. Transportation between the port and the hotel is a different matter. The hotel package we booked through Celebrity included the transfers. Passengers staying at the hotel who had booked independently could purchase transfers for, if I recall correctly, $80 (U.S.) per person. This was the summer of 2005.

 

The port is some distance from Rome, so anything other than the train is probably going to be expensive. We didn't take the train, so I can't either recommend it or discourage you from taking it. While we like saving money as much as the next person, our main concerns for transportation to and from the port were convenience and simplicity. Thus Celebrity's transfers fit our needs.

[JAKE3337]

Joanne C - Thanks very much for the information. We also chose the Crowne Plaza based on it being recommended for the post cruise on Celebrity. We are sailing on the Galaxy from San Juan May 1st. We ended up paying the deviation charge to Celebrity and took the same post cruise hotel and saved over $600 canadian.

 

I did understand your $12 E also. I think that is what we will do. Take the train $13 E per person to Rome Termini and then take the taxi from there. It just gives us that much more money for spending. Thanks for the suggestions about the restaurant also. :)

[Joanne G.]

I'm happy to help! Have a great trip.

[JAKE3337]

Thanks Joanne G :)

[tomko2]

I favour simplicity so can anyone tell me how much it would cost to take a taxi/limo from an hotel near the Vatican to the Port and from the Port to the Airport?

Many thanks