Short day trips out of Rome
Jan 13th, 2015, 09:17 PM
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Short day trips out of Rome
My husband and I are ending our cruise in the port near Rome. Before flying home, we are interested in taking a few day trips by train outside of Rome. We don't want to rent a car. Any suggestions? We could also spend the night and then come back to Rome the next day.
Jan 13th, 2015, 09:57 PM
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You can visit Orvieto, an Umbrian hill town 75 minutes from Rome by train.
See www.trenitalia.com for train schedule from civitavecchia. Click the UK flag top right to read the site in English. Just use the correct day of the week next week. The schedule doesn't change much and they don't list schedules far ahead for ordinary trains like these. The Rome-Orvieto leg, if on InterCity (IC) train, the seat reservation is mandatory.
If you are a typical cruise traveler laden with heavy luggage, a train trip can be a challenge. You need to hoist your luggage a few steps up to train at Civitavecchia, then down in Rome. Then up again in Rome into another train, then down again at Orvieto. Take a taxi to your Orvieto hotel. The funicular you see just outside the Orvieto train station goes up to the town and it is cheap, but you have to haul your luggage into and out of it and there is usually more walk once you reach top to your hotel. If you don't want to bother with your luggage, make it day trip from Rome.
For cruise port logistics, find the book "Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports". See if you can find one at your library for free or get one like this http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-Me.../dp/1612387683 .
Ports included are listed here: http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/ca...tId=163&id=492
See www.trenitalia.com for train schedule from civitavecchia. Click the UK flag top right to read the site in English. Just use the correct day of the week next week. The schedule doesn't change much and they don't list schedules far ahead for ordinary trains like these. The Rome-Orvieto leg, if on InterCity (IC) train, the seat reservation is mandatory.
If you are a typical cruise traveler laden with heavy luggage, a train trip can be a challenge. You need to hoist your luggage a few steps up to train at Civitavecchia, then down in Rome. Then up again in Rome into another train, then down again at Orvieto. Take a taxi to your Orvieto hotel. The funicular you see just outside the Orvieto train station goes up to the town and it is cheap, but you have to haul your luggage into and out of it and there is usually more walk once you reach top to your hotel. If you don't want to bother with your luggage, make it day trip from Rome.
For cruise port logistics, find the book "Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports". See if you can find one at your library for free or get one like this http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-Me.../dp/1612387683 .
Ports included are listed here: http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/ca...tId=163&id=492
Jan 14th, 2015, 03:34 AM
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I assumed you would be staying in Rome and wouldn't be carrying luggage on the train when taking these day trips.
Ostia Antica is actually part of Rome, so it doesn't really qualify as a day trip "outside of Rome". I agree that it makes a nice trip for a day or half-day. It's one of Italy's largest and best preserved ancient cities; the site is actually a little larger than Pompeii. It was once the port of Rome and was a busy and cosmopolitan town.
http://www.ostia-antica.org/
You can get to Ostia Antica in about half an hour from central Rome by an urban train which runs about every ten minutes from the Porta San Paolo station. A single bus/metro ticket will get you from wherever you start all the way to Ostia Antica. Afterwards, you cross a road on a pedestrian bridge, and then follow the signs a short distance to the site.
Apart from Orvieto, which is a beautiful Umbrian hill town, with a spectacular Italian Gothic cathedral, some other good day trip possibilities outside of Rome are:
Tivoli, where there are three villas from different periods you can visit. The earliest is the Villa Adriano (Hadrian's Villa), a beautiful ancient Roman summer villa, built by the Emperor Hadrian. The most famous is the Villa D'Este, a Renaissance Villa, best known for its fantastic water garden. The third, which I've never seen, is the Villa Gregoriana, a Romantic era villa, with natural gardens a waterfall, and a little Greek (or Roman?) temple.
Assisi, which has many sites associated with Saint Francis, including the Upper Basilica, with its beautiful frescoes by Giotto, one of Italy's greatest artists. The lower Basilica is older and darker, but very suggestive. There are other churches and basilicas associated with the saint and his associates, including the Basilica of Santa Chiara (St. Claire). Apart from that, it's a beautiful Umbrian town, with great views over the countryside, good restaurants, and craft shops (from the tacky to the excellent). If you would rather see a lovely little Umbrian Village, Spello is a little jewel, one of the prettiest towns in Italy, and is one train stop closer to Rome than Assisi. You can get to both Assisi and Spello by train from Rome. There are a few direct trains, which are worth seeking out, because otherwise you have to change trains in Foligno (or Orte). There is a direct train at 7:58 that takes about two hours to Spello, a bit more to Assisi. The train takes a scenic route through the countryside of Lazio and Umbria. You'll see castles and hill towns from the train. Once you get to Assisi, you have to take a bus (which meets the trains) up to the town. Spello is walking distance from its station.
There are several very nice towns in the Castelli Romani area, a region of hills, lakes, and little towns. Some examples are Nemi, Castelgandolfo, and Frascati. Most can be reached by bus or train from Rome, and there are some buses that go from one to another.
If you'd like to visit a seaside town, both Anzio and Nettuno are easily reached by train from Rome, and their train stations are within walking distance of the seaside. At Anzio there is a large cemetery and memorial commemorating the war dead of the British Commonwealth who were killed during the Allied landing of WWII. There are also the ruins of Nero's summer villa. At Nettuno, there is an American war cemetery; Nettuno also has a well preserved medieval center.
Sperlonga is not quite as easy to reach from Rome, but it is perhaps the prettiest seaside town near Rome. You have to take a train and then a bus to get there.
The closest beach to Rome (actually in Rome) is Ostia Lido, just a stop or two after Ostia Antica.
Ostia Antica is actually part of Rome, so it doesn't really qualify as a day trip "outside of Rome". I agree that it makes a nice trip for a day or half-day. It's one of Italy's largest and best preserved ancient cities; the site is actually a little larger than Pompeii. It was once the port of Rome and was a busy and cosmopolitan town.
http://www.ostia-antica.org/
You can get to Ostia Antica in about half an hour from central Rome by an urban train which runs about every ten minutes from the Porta San Paolo station. A single bus/metro ticket will get you from wherever you start all the way to Ostia Antica. Afterwards, you cross a road on a pedestrian bridge, and then follow the signs a short distance to the site.
Apart from Orvieto, which is a beautiful Umbrian hill town, with a spectacular Italian Gothic cathedral, some other good day trip possibilities outside of Rome are:
Tivoli, where there are three villas from different periods you can visit. The earliest is the Villa Adriano (Hadrian's Villa), a beautiful ancient Roman summer villa, built by the Emperor Hadrian. The most famous is the Villa D'Este, a Renaissance Villa, best known for its fantastic water garden. The third, which I've never seen, is the Villa Gregoriana, a Romantic era villa, with natural gardens a waterfall, and a little Greek (or Roman?) temple.
Assisi, which has many sites associated with Saint Francis, including the Upper Basilica, with its beautiful frescoes by Giotto, one of Italy's greatest artists. The lower Basilica is older and darker, but very suggestive. There are other churches and basilicas associated with the saint and his associates, including the Basilica of Santa Chiara (St. Claire). Apart from that, it's a beautiful Umbrian town, with great views over the countryside, good restaurants, and craft shops (from the tacky to the excellent). If you would rather see a lovely little Umbrian Village, Spello is a little jewel, one of the prettiest towns in Italy, and is one train stop closer to Rome than Assisi. You can get to both Assisi and Spello by train from Rome. There are a few direct trains, which are worth seeking out, because otherwise you have to change trains in Foligno (or Orte). There is a direct train at 7:58 that takes about two hours to Spello, a bit more to Assisi. The train takes a scenic route through the countryside of Lazio and Umbria. You'll see castles and hill towns from the train. Once you get to Assisi, you have to take a bus (which meets the trains) up to the town. Spello is walking distance from its station.
There are several very nice towns in the Castelli Romani area, a region of hills, lakes, and little towns. Some examples are Nemi, Castelgandolfo, and Frascati. Most can be reached by bus or train from Rome, and there are some buses that go from one to another.
If you'd like to visit a seaside town, both Anzio and Nettuno are easily reached by train from Rome, and their train stations are within walking distance of the seaside. At Anzio there is a large cemetery and memorial commemorating the war dead of the British Commonwealth who were killed during the Allied landing of WWII. There are also the ruins of Nero's summer villa. At Nettuno, there is an American war cemetery; Nettuno also has a well preserved medieval center.
Sperlonga is not quite as easy to reach from Rome, but it is perhaps the prettiest seaside town near Rome. You have to take a train and then a bus to get there.
The closest beach to Rome (actually in Rome) is Ostia Lido, just a stop or two after Ostia Antica.
Jan 14th, 2015, 09:19 AM
#7
I would be tempted to take the Sitbusshuttle from Civitavecchia to Siena if the times work out for you (20€). It departs Civitavecchia at 10:30 (there is also an afternoon departure) and arrives Siena at 1:00. Stay in Siena a few days (or 1 night if that is all you want) and take the Sena bus from Siena to Rome for your last night. Get off at Piazza Gramsci if you stay in the center of the Siena (the other stop by Sitbus is the train station which is a bit out). The Sena bus to Rome departs from Piazza Gramsci too and has about 10 departures to Rome daily.
http://www.sitbusshuttle.com/en/nuov...iumicino-roma/
http://www.sena.it/Home/78-1-en.html
http://www.sitbusshuttle.com/en/nuov...iumicino-roma/
http://www.sena.it/Home/78-1-en.html
