civit to rome

[shipcruise]

We have travelled to Rome before and have seen the main attractions. We are looking to do some walking tours. Now, how to get to Rome from Civit. I have checked out the trenitalia web site and am still a bit apprehensive. Not sure if the train is direct or does one have to change trains somewhere.

Better yet, how easy and expensive is it for a taxi? For those of you who have done this, can one "hook up" with a taxi driver easily for the day? I guess I wonder if you could get off the ship and find others to travel into Rome easily enough on your own. I hope to save money over the ships transportation, but not sure. Any suggestions??

[bjm1068]

There is a bus at the port entrance that will take you to the train station. Then simply take the train into Rome. Very easy and very inexpensive. You will not have to change trains and the train runs frequently. There are frequently no taxis at the port. The drivers that are there are looking for all day fares into Rome.

[Jamrenjer]

We had read on another thread that there was a free shuttle bus from the ship to the port entrance and that you would then have to walk or find a taxi to the station.

 

Is this the same bus you are referring to? Is there a cost for it? And is there some sign that lets you know its the bus going to the station?

 

Thanks for your insight!!:)

[shipcruise]

Will we just buy a ticket to Rome? Is it easy to know where to get off the train? I think I would like to be close to the Spanish Steps or to Vatican City. Or does the train make one stop and you taxi to where you want to go?

I imagine that there is a possibility for a shuttle, but that may depend on the cruise line. We are on Oceania.

Sorry so many questions, I really would like to take the train, am a bit gun-shy. Once we were in Venice and did it all on our own. Went back to the port the way we came and low and behold the gates were locked!! We had no clue how to get back in and could not speak any Italian. We were getting a bit panicky, but finally found an alternate route, so it does scare me a bit. I checked the "rome on your own" prices and they were like $80.00pp and that is pretty steep. Thanks again for your help!

[joan24]

Oceania has transportation to Rome. They call it Rome on your own or something similar. I'm not sure of the price, but the tours are on the Oceania website. I think it's about $89 pp. We are taking the ship's transportation from Livorno to Florence. They let you off at a central point and you have several hours to wander around before you need to return to the bus.

Joan

[PETER M]

We were on the Regatta in April. It was very easy taking train, especially to St. Peter's and saved time & money over Oceania's 79.00 shuttle charge.

 

Check out these past posts:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=59139&highlight=PETER &

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=16814&highlight=PETER

 

By all means solicit you new shipmates to share a taxi, which will be 240- 280 per day, but only if taxi wont take you to train station. Recommend sharing if you want to do 2-3 towns such as at Livorno if you wanted Pisa & Florence or Amalfi drive/Pompei. But train was the easiest at Civitavecchia over all other ports.

 

Have fun, the ships are wonderful.

 

Peter M ;)

[bubbadog]

you may want to be cautious of taxi drivers other posts will explain ,take care and may the force be with you lol:)))))))

[shipcruise]

Peter,

So is it really that easy? Can I buy a round trip ticket to Roma San Pietro and arrive in Vatican City? Will I have to change trains and will I know easily when to disembark the train? Are the stops well marked?

thanks, brenda

[PETER M]

Yes it is very easy. Civitavecchia is at the end/start of the commuter train. On the way in it made 5 stops before we saw St. Peter's dome about 6 blocks up on hill. On the way back we somehow ended up on a 1 stop train, and we could see our ship (Regatta) so we knew it was Civi. coming up. Timetables and tracks were displayed and easily read, and the other commuters were most helpfull. Staion signs were well marked.

 

We chose Roma San Pietro to save 15-20 min. rather than the huge Termini main station (which is not really much closer to most of the sites, but does have subway -Metro). At Roma San Pietro on a rainy Sat. morning there were no cabs, but we walked down 1 block to main avenue and flagged one to entrance to Vatican Museum(Sistine) probably 14 blocks for 5.50- 6.00. Of course (especially at Termini) make sure cab has meter.

 

Total transportation cost was 15.00 PP vs. Oceania's 89.00, plus as it was a torrential rain we could return to ship 2-3 times per hour rather than wait for ship's one departure at 6:30 I believe.

 

Once you get that that Civi. taxi, it's all downhill. Honest.

 

Peter M :)

[usavvy2]

We were in Rome on 9/16 w/private transportation from Civat. to Rome. Cost was $40pp USD for 4 of us using Bob's Limo. Was advised by native Italian NOT to take public transportation and only use white or yellow taxis and to ALWAYS ask approximate cost before agreeing to ride if you go that route. Stayed a few days in Rome; heard from another couple that the train they were on was evacuated for a bomb scare (9/16 or 9/17). They said at first they didn't realize what was happening that EVERYONE was getting off at a certain stop but a fellow passenger said "BOMBA" and they realized they should get off too. I guess it depends how much risk you want to take vs. amount of $$ you want to spend. What's the likelihood that the train will be delayed vs. on-time?

[PETER M]

There are 3-4 options to get from Civitavecchia-Rome, all have distinct advantages/ disadvantages. Cruisers should make advance plans to a reasonable level that they feel comfotable with. And than have a fallback plan.

 

Usavvy2 makes some valid points on taxi smarts. One-way 160. ,40 PP isn't a bad rate; neither is for a few dollars more can get English guide to ferry from site to site for 100-150 PP. Price is comparable to cruise price, but a lot more flexible and time efficient, very good value.

 

Some nay-sayers will say : What If ? traffic jam, broken fanbelt/tire,etc.,- ship wont wait, but will if on ship tour bus. This is a correct assumption, and the ship's tour provide the best insurance, and a no-brainer decision.

 

There are no guarantees for this option , for example our cruise. It was a torrential all-day storm in Rome. Vatican tour for $150. had to stand in rain for 2.5 hours to see Sistine Chapel for approx. 2-6 min. , squished elbow-elbow. One man slipped on steps, broke leg and air-vac'd to US. One bus lost their group (wrong side of square/ replacement driver), another bus broke down and 2 hour wait for substitute; people had left coats umbrellas on bus , and the rain came again.

 

Those poor people on the ship's tour. BUT the ship waited and sailed 2 hrs. late. Obviously on this day train or taxis were better options than the ships 8 buses, not one of who had a positive experience.

 

We beat the buses to the Vatican by 15-30 min, saw lineup and told taxi to keep driving. When our shoes were soaked, we had choice of 2-3 trains per hour and were back on board in 1 hour from downtown Rome. My wife was so happy with the money we saved , she bought 2 pairs of snazzy Italian shoes.

 

Granted this storm was a isolated expeience, as was USavvy2' bomb scare(terrorist ? hoax ? some-body's left lunch ??). Again this train line is a commuter line of 35 miles, with frequent service. The chance of major delay is minimal, however there's always Bob's Taxi to fall back on if stranded.

 

My wife too was petrified of missing ship; I had a more romantic notion of a night train to Napoli/Livorno at an Italian Inn.... , what a travel memory that would have been.

 

Brenda, Life sometimes deals us lemons, lemonade or Limoncello!

Whatever your choice , I hope you have a memorable day in Roma

 

Pete :cool: :) ;)

 

 

 

 

.

[usavvy2]

forgot to mention - we were NOT trying to make it back to the ship, we were just finishing our cruise so no worrying about having to be back to ship that evening. (If so, probably would have done cruise excursion - Rome on your own if offered b'c distance is greater than a few miles and too much risk for my risk-adverse mental health.) Also, we did run into heavy traffic - problem on the highway which driver indicated was abnormal. I didn't really mind we were stuck in traffic too much as I didn't have an engagement scheduled - just checking into a hotel. We ran into terrible rainstorm on the way into Rome - hail and everything - which driver said would ruin the grapes for the harvest. Once we got near Rome, they never got the rain we experienced on the way there. But I did wonder how those folks with flights out of Fiuminico that morning fared. Did they make their flights or not with all that traffic?