Things to Do in Civitavecchia on a Port Day

The Trips Compared

The table compares the bookable trips from Civitavecchia by price, length, rating and the kind of traveller each suits. Prices, durations and ratings are the ones each tour's listing shows.

How to Choose Between Them

Count your hours ashore first. The Food Tasty and History Tour in Civitavecchia runs 3 hours, so it fits a call where all-aboard comes early, and it keeps you on foot near the port gate. The Tarquinia tour runs 5 hours and leaves town, so it suits a long call.

Both carry free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, which helps if your ship changes its schedule. Neither is a Rome trip. For the Colosseum or the Vatican, the port-day tours are compared on civitavecchia rome tours.

A Port Day Plan by Hours Ashore

The table matches the time you have ashore to the stops that fit it. Opening hours come from the city of Civitavecchia, the Ministry of Culture museum pages and the port's own guide.

Start at Largo della Pace

Port shuttle buses run from the Rct cruise terminal to the Largo della Pace Service Center. The information point there is open daily 06:30-19:30 and hands out a free brochure in Italian, English and Spanish. Pick it up before you set off, since it marks the sights on a town map.

From Largo della Pace, Civitavecchia station is about 20 minutes on foot or 6 minutes on the direct Civitavecchia Servizi Pubblici bus.

Hours and What You Can See

Only the inner courtyard is open to visitors, and only at weekends: Saturday and Sunday 10:00-13:00 and 16:00-19:00, with free admission. On a weekday call you see the walls and bastions from the seafront, which still makes a good photo stop.

The Fortezza gate leads straight to the fort at the end of Via Giuseppe Garibaldi. It is also the natural walking route to the station, about 600 meters away along the sea.

Who Built It

Pope Julius II commissioned the fort from Donato Bramante in 1508, and the cornerstone was laid on 14 December 1508. Work ended in 1537. Its four bastions are named San Giovanni, Santa Ferma, San Colombano and San Sebastiano, and San Sebastiano hides a secret escape tunnel.

Visiting the Museum on a Port Day

The museum sits inside an eighteenth-century building commissioned by Pope Clement XIII, at Largo Cavour 1. It opens Tuesday to Sunday 08:30-19:30. On a Monday call it is shut, so plan the fort exterior, the old town and the seafront instead.

The long opening day means it fits both an early arrival and an afternoon after a walk through the old town.

The Etruscan Tombs at Monterozzi

UNESCO inscribed the Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia on the World Heritage List in 2004. The Monterozzi site at Tarquinia holds about 6,000 rock-cut graves, 200 of them painted. The necropolis opens daily 09:00-17:00 from 25 October to 27 March, and 09:00-19:30 from 29 March to 12 October, with last entry at 18:30 in summer.

Bus or Tour

On your own, go from the port to Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, 10 minutes on foot or 3 minutes on the CSP bus, then ride the Cotral bus for about 25 minutes to Tarquinia. Check the return times before you leave, since the ship will not wait.

The Tarquinia and Etruscan Ancient City Tour handles the transport for $89 per person over 5 hours. It is rated 4.5 from 73 reviews.

Free Stops Near the Port

Forte Michelangelo's inner courtyard is free on Saturday and Sunday, 10:00-13:00 and 16:00-19:00. Piazza Leandra is the oldest square in the city, and preparatory drawings for Vatican frescoes were found under the wallpaper of a house there. The port's own list of ten sights adds the marina and the Pirgo, the market, Civitavecchia Cathedral and the Church of the Prayer and Death.

In summer, Piazza della Vita hosts stalls and carousels for children. The Largo della Pace information point, open 06:30-19:30, hands out its town brochure free.

From the Ship to Town

Shuttle buses run from the Rct cruise terminal to the Largo della Pace Service Center, and cruise passengers also get a special shuttle between the station and the cruise terminals in both directions. Port shuttles sometimes drop passengers far from the center, and the walk into town can take about fifteen minutes.

The port has three pedestrian entrances: Varco Fortezza, Porta Livorno and Varco Vespucci. The Fortezza gate is about 600 meters from the station and leads straight to Forte Michelangelo.

Roman Baths Outside Town

The Taurine Baths and the Ficoncella thermal baths both sit outside the old town, so they need a taxi or a car. Openings at the Roman baths are limited, so ask at the Largo della Pace information point, open 06:30-19:30, before you set off. La Frasca pine forest, another green stop on the port's list, is about 9 kilometers from the port.

Train Times to the Main Sights

The table gives the port guide's times from Civitavecchia station to the main Rome areas, including the last leg on foot, metro or bus.