Rome to Ponza as a day trip.
 

Time is fleeting and there are still no summer boat schedules I can find for our week in early June. Any hints how I can find the best way to do this on our own. I can, of course, find the train schedules for the trip to and from Rome/Formia

Whew, I left my post for a minute and when I came back, it was posted.

In any case, any hints on finding the boat schedules for June or does anyone know when they might be available?

Meanwhile, can anyone tell me the distance betweent he train station and the boats in Formia. Is this walking distance (no luggage)?

I found this list of schedules; it's a bit confusing as to when some start and stop but there are phone numbers and email addresses that might help--http://www.ponza.it/ponza-arrivi/1a.asp

Ponza would be a long daytrip from Rome. My husband and I did a daytrip to Ponza a couple of years ago from San Felice di Circeo. The hydrofoil from there (summer only) was an hour. We spent all day on the island and returned on the evening boat, arriving in San FdiC around 6:30pm. The trip to either Anzio or Formia is longer and then you will need to catch the train to Rome. Ponza is a lovely island. If I were to return, I'd spend a couple of days there.

Since we are renting in Rome for the week, there is no way we are going to ditch our apartment and spend a couple nights in Ponza. Just want to see it, and see if it might be worth a week's stay another time. The train from Rome Termini (one every hour) is direct and takes an hour and 8 minutes, so even with the boat trip, I don't think it's too much for a day trip. Sure less than all the people who talk about a day trip from Rome to Pompeii!

Thanks for the boat schedule. I'm still working on it. "Solo lunedi" means only Monday for the hydrofoil? That seems odd and isn't what I found on another site that ends for this month. Or does that mean "except Monday"? But following what you provided I see:
Rome to Formia: 7:27 to 8:32, Formia to Ponza: 9:00 to 10:20, spend 6 hours on Ponza and return on the slow boat from 4:30 PM to 7 PM, then train from 7:25 to 8:33. I'd like to think there is another hydrofoil that returns in the late afternoon, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Supposedly two other companies have operations from Formia to Ponza, but I haven't found any schedules for them either.

Patrick - The Caremar hydrofoil only runs on Mondays - and leaves at 08.10.

http://www.caremar.it/pages_it/orari...p;Porto2=Ponza

Check out the other operators - Vetor and Alilauro:

http://www.vetor.it/

http://www.alilauro.it/

Steve

The websites are good from SJ, but unfortunately the first two companies don't have their schedule for June. The Caremar website, when you click on June (giu), it says the schedule is not available. The second company only has the schedule through May 1st available to view. The last company doesn't start the Formia to Ponza route until 6/25. I read this from their website:

Formia - Ponza
dal 25/06 al 10/09

Lastly, I found this website that states the Caremar schedule from January 1 through Dec.31

http://www.viaggipreziosi.it/Cat_Riviera/ponza.htm

It shows that the fast boat only leaves Formia on Monday. Perhaps starting in June they add more fast boats for the season? The slow boat is 2 and a half hours.

Oh Lord, I wish you the best of luck. We stayed a week in Livinio and tried three times to get to Ponza from Anzio. The schedules posted - on a chalkboard at the Anzio dock - kept changing daily, and we kept being told we had to spend a night on Ponza unless we took the early morning boat (which never materialized).
It was a quintessential Italian experience, and we never got there. We did see an amazing night-time flotilla in the Anzio bay one night while we haggled over the next morning's boat schedule to Ponza, though.
Buona fortuna!

Well, maybe I'm still up for the challenge. Funniest thing is that the scheudles only went through May before, now the new ones are posted -- some starting June 16 and others starting June 24. What does that mean? No boats go to Ponza between May 31 and the middle of June?

The schedules for after June 16 are looking good, but from Anzio, not Formia. The one hour train from Rome gives plenty of time to arrive and get to the docks -- IF -- the boat really does go at 9:25 and returns at 5 PM.

Perhaps a local travel agent in Rome can verify all this for us and book the tickets?

Any one know how far the train station is from the docks in Anzio?

Patrick - Your best source of information will be the Rome APT or Anzio IAT offices.

I suggest you e-mail them - or contact them when you get to Rome.

For a map of Anzio see:

http://www.heliostravel.it/mappa/det1.htm

I think services from Formia are likely to be more reliable than those from Anzio in June - but the APT will be able to confirm timetables for you.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Thanks for the map, Steve, at least this one shows which dock is for the alascafi and where the train station is -- although I can't figure out how far a walk that is.

I have now emailed the APT office with my question.
The Monday schedule for vetor from and to Anzio looks perfect, if we can count on them.

Since we arrive on Saturday, and would like to do this starting early Monday morning, it doesn't give us a lot of "checking out" time once we arrive in Rome.

Another update:
I received a very clear email from Vetor. They have confirmed a 9 AM aliscafi and a return at 19:00 Anzio/Ponza. She also confirmed that it is about a 10 minute walk in Anzio from the train to the dock. They suggested I make reservations, but I couldn't figure it out on line and when I call I get a long recorded message in Italian. I emailed back asking if we really needed the reservations. She suggested I call the number again and gave me the business hours. I did. I still get the recording. I took a change and pressed "0" and got a recorded "uno momento, prego", but then nothing happens. I guess we'll take our chances that the 9 AM Monday one won't be filled as they do an 8 AM one on that day also. How busy should they be the first Monday in June?