Hi all. I want to make sure I'm reading the Trenitalia train schedules right.

We want take a train from Rome to the Civitavecchia cruise port. I am on the Trenitalia web site and I assume this:

ROMA TE
RO OST
RM TRAS

means the train starts in Rome/Termini and the 2nd stop is in Rome Trastevere? I think it might be easier for us to get on later, so I would just make sure we are there by the time the train is scheduled to leave Termini.

Do we need to book this in advance or can we buy tickets at the Trastevere station?

Most of those trains are regionals and I doubt you will need any sort of advance booking.

You are correct that Trastevere is the second stop.

When you look at the Trenitalia results for Rome to Civitavecchia, at the far right side after every train option you'll see a 'Select' bubble. Click on the bubble for the train you want to take, then scroll down to the red box 'Details by selection' and click on it. Then scroll down to see the selected train listed alone and click on the far-right bubble 'Info.' Scroll down again to see all the stops/times for that specific train. A very few number of trains each day are direct from Termini to Civitavecchia with no stops.

Note that the train only stops at Trastevere for only one minute. If you miss it, you've got a 30-minute or so wait until the next train.

You don't need to book this train in advance. You can buy tickets at Trastevere either at a ticket window or at a self-service kiosk.

Karens, a Regionale train can be booked online ONLY 7 days in advance. If you book online, your ticket is the PDF email sent to you by Trenitalia and you must print this out. Unfortunately, if you buy a Regionale ticket online, you are limited to that SPECIFIC train.

If you buy a Regionale ticket at any train station in Italy or through a travel agent in Italy, the same ticket is good on ANY train on that route for the next 2 months... so if you miss you're preferred train, you can just catch the next one. Regionale tickets NOT purchased online must be validated before riding the train.

Since Regionale trains do not have assigned seating, they "never" sell out - although they may get very crowded and you might find yourself standing on the ride to Civitavecchia. Luggage storage facilities on these commuter-oriented trains to Civitavecchia are limited, so sometimes I have sat "on my luggage" in the doorway on the ride out to the port.

For most folks, it's easier and more practical to just buy the tickets when you're in Italy and in a train station. This gives you tremendous flexibility.

There are also IC and ES trains that head out to Civitavecchia, although their runs are very limited. These trains ARE NOT Regionale trains and DO HAVE assigned seating, more luggage storage areas, etc... and are thus less crowded - and MORE expensive.

After the price changes on June 10, 2012, the Regionale 2nd class fare from Roma Termini to Civitavecchia is now 5.00€. From Roma Ostiense or Roma Trastevere, the next two stops on the way from Rome to Civitavecchia, the fare is now 4.60€.

You might read these two posts, on getting to the port city from Rome, and visiting Rome as a cruiser. They might give you more info and have plenty of pictures:

** http://tinyurl.com/rome-civita ** http://tinyurl.com/civitavecchia **

Good Luck!

Thanks for all the info. Is there a type of train we can book that has air conditioning? And would it be OK to buy train tix on the day of travel?

The IC and ES trains usually have A/C; regionals may not have it and when it is hot the windows will be open for sure.

How much luggage will you have? Although the distance from the station to the port ENTRANCE is easily walked (all flat; sidewalks, about 10-15 minutes) that's to the entrance; your ship may be docked much further on. There will almost undoubtedly be taxis waiting at the station, especially when ships are in port.

I have used the fast track express train to Rome for cruise travelers mentioned in this TA article http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g1...tavecchia.html. AC was working fine, and it traveled nearly empty...