When I was there very close to Ostiense Station

there were a few taxis but

ostia-antica.org might look at holiday schedule closes a lot

I would try for an overnite probably would not

risk this WAY too risky time wise and crammed for me

you need hours to tour it properly.

Good luck!

Ostia Antica scavi, as well as all other public admission sites, is closed on New Years day, sorry.

dave

Should have put this in my first post. When you say a 5 hr. layover, do you mean EU-EU, EU to non-EU, or non-EU to non-EU. Do you have a flight into and out of Rome? I hate to say it but you are pretty much stuck in the airport, due primarily to the date.

If any part of your leg entails international travel, outside of the EU, then you have to factor in the time it will take you to check in and/or out. To get from FCO to Rome is 1.5hrs RT, so that knocks your max time down to 3.5 hours. Forget Ostia, as nothing will be open on New Years day and just getting back and forth to Rome will simply not be worth the chance of missing a flight or the costs involved if you take a taxi or shuttle.

I haven't checked to see the holiday schedule for the trains, but it will be far below the normal operations, plus they will start late and end early.

Sorry,

dave

Thanks, daveesl -- per their website Ostia Antica " ...is closed on Mondays, December 25 and May 1." Is this not their official website, http://www.ostia-antica.org/visiting.htm?

Think you'll find that this is actually the official website - Rome's Superintendency for Archaeology

.... in English:

http://archeoroma.beniculturali.it/en/archaeological-site/ancient-ostia

... in Italian:

http://archeoroma.beniculturali.it/siti-archeologici/ostia-antica

Both versions seem to be in agreement....

- Closed Mondays, 25 December and 1 May.

- Aperto tutti i giorni tranne il lunedì, il 25 dicembre e il 1° maggio

... although only the Italian one gives the site's October to mid-February opening hours, which are from 08.30 to 16.30.

Peter

Sorry about that, I should have checked, just so used to things being closed on NY. Since it is open, then yes it is doable with a taxi.

dave

Thanks for the verification that it is open on 1 january. My question is will we be able to get a taxi to return to FCO? R there typically taxis at Ostia Antica or at the station that is nearby?

I don't know whether cabs will be hanging out at Ostia Antica on New Years Day, but I'd be prepared to find none. Will you have a working mobile phone? Get the cell phone number of the cabbie who drives you there from FCO, and one for another cab company to be safe.

Call a reputable taxi service in advance, the kind that specializes in airport service, and make two reservations: One to take you from the airport to the entrace of Ostia Scavi (the correct name of the ancient excavations), and one to pick you up at the same place and return you to the airport.

if you get stuck and panicked with no cab in sight at Ostia Antica, walk to the town of Ostia Antica. It's about a 10 minute walk from the excavations. Although a great many things will be closed in town that day, you might find a bar or restaurant open, and there are a couple of small hotels and b&bs right nearby. They should have people at their desks, and you can ask them to call your taxi service.

http://www.rodrigodevivar.com/in/where.html

http://www.relaxstefania.com/page_eng/info.html

If all else fails, you can approach a passing local and ask them to help you call your taxi service. Most Italians carry cell phones and are willing to help out a stranger.

I've never used this taxi service, but I believe it gets good reviews. You can put up a separate thread asking for recommendations:

http://www.rome-shuttle.com/

One more thought: I would call Ostia Antica, not just rely on the website.