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Ancient Ostia Antica Semi-Private Day Trip from Rome by Train with Guide
Badge of ExcellenceLazio, Italy
From $53.60
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Up to 24 hours in advance.
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Recommendations
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Visit the ruins of Ostia Antica on this tour from Rome. Sometimes known as ‘the better Pompeii’ for the excellent preservation status of its buildings, forums and artwork, Ostia Antica is an archaeological site that was once the port city of Ancient Rome. Travel to and from the site by train, and then take a walking tour of the ruins with a guide. Be wowed by the intact condition of ancient structures such as the amphitheater, Baths of Neptune, taverns and more.
- Half-day Ostia Antica tour from Rome
- See Ostia's Amphitheatre, Forum of the Corporations, Collegiate Temple and public baths
- Small group tour with a professional guide
- Train tickets included
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Train ticket to and from Rome
- Semi Private group of 12 people max
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Meeting And Pickup
Meeting point
- Province of RomeProvince of Rome, Province of Rome, Lazio
Cafe Piramide, when facing the Piramide metro (Line B – the blue line) stop on your right hand side is the cafè, just in view of the train tracks and the exit from the trains. You can recognize the cafè by the red umbrellas on the tables outside.
Start time
09:00 AM
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Your tour starts at a meeting location in Rome, where you’ll meet your guide, who provides your round-trip train ticket. Then hop aboard the train for the ride southwest of Rome to Ostia Antica, which lies near the coast.
When you arrive, take a leisurely walking tour through the ancient ruins, noting their highly preserved state for which this archaeological site is so renowned. Dating as far back as the 4th century BC, the ruins include structures like an amphitheater, the Forum of the Corporations, the Collegiate Temple, taverns and public baths. Once home to more than 100,000 people, Ostia was the port city of Ancient Rome.
Walk along the main road, Decumanus Maximus, while your guide tells you stories about life in town. Admire the intact Roman statues that line the walkways; pass by the Baths of Neptune, crowned by a mosaic that depicts the Roman god of the sea behind a 4-hourse chariot; and take a seat in the amphitheater, which dates back to 12 BC and was built to hold 3,500 spectators. Shops and apartments make up some of the smaller buildings.
When your time at the site is up, you’ll return to Rome by train.
When you arrive, take a leisurely walking tour through the ancient ruins, noting their highly preserved state for which this archaeological site is so renowned. Dating as far back as the 4th century BC, the ruins include structures like an amphitheater, the Forum of the Corporations, the Collegiate Temple, taverns and public baths. Once home to more than 100,000 people, Ostia was the port city of Ancient Rome.
Walk along the main road, Decumanus Maximus, while your guide tells you stories about life in town. Admire the intact Roman statues that line the walkways; pass by the Baths of Neptune, crowned by a mosaic that depicts the Roman god of the sea behind a 4-hourse chariot; and take a seat in the amphitheater, which dates back to 12 BC and was built to hold 3,500 spectators. Shops and apartments make up some of the smaller buildings.
When your time at the site is up, you’ll return to Rome by train.
Rome
Meeting place prior to start the tour
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Parco Archeologico di Ostia Antica
Your tour starts at a meeting location in Rome, where you’ll meet your guide, who provides your round-trip train ticket. Then hop aboard the train for the ride southwest of Rome to Ostia Antica, which lies near the coast.
When you arrive, take a 2.5-hour leisurely walking tour through the ancient ruins, noting their highly preserved state for which this archaeological site is so renowned. Dating as far back as the 4th century BC, the ruins include structures like an amphitheater, the Forum of the Corporations, the Collegiate Temple, taverns and public baths. Once home to more than 100,000 people, Ostia was the port city of Ancient Rome.
Walk along the main road, Decumanus Maximus, while your guide tells you stories about life in town. Admire the intact Roman statues that line the walkways; pass by the Baths of Neptune, crowned by a mosaic that depicts the Roman god of the sea behind a 4-hourse chariot; and take a seat in the amphitheater, which dates back to 12 BC and was built to hold 3,500 spectators. Shops and apartments make up some of the smaller buildings. When your time at the site is up, you’ll return to Rome by train.
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children under the age of 18 might be requested to show their ID card at the entrance of the site, so please bring it with you on the tour.
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
about cancellations.
Traveler Photos
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Traveler Tips
if you are interested in roman urban structures this tour is highly recommended
We preferred this tour to the Pompeii tour, so if you're not sure if you have time for Ostia, I would suggest making the time.
Reviews
5.0
413 reviews
Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 413 reviews
It’s NOT another ‘pile of rocks’
nickysouter, Mar 2023
Small numbers to amazing historical site led by well informed and interesting guide Rob we learned much about history culture and Roman civilisation
A fascinating day
Wendy_P, Mar 2023
Our guide Roberto was considerate, knowledgeable and an excellent story teller. The ancient site was fascinating and not crowded.
The best tour we took in Italy
Timothy_T, Nov 2022
Ostia Antica was hands-down our best tour experience we took in Italy. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, took her time to explain things and answer all our questions. She spoke flawless English as well, and had a degree in ancient history, so she knew all her stuff. And she was excellent at picking out the best tidbits to toss into the history to keep it interesting.
Ostia Antica itself is incredible. It's much like Pompeii, in that it is very well-preserved ancient ruins, but I would recommend Ostia Antica over Pompeii any day. For one thing, Ostia is much less crowded, and it's arguably better preserved. There are two-story buildings that you can actually climb up and explore the second floor of- and the views from there are worth it. Ostia has all of the things you'll want to see in Pompeii (like bathhouses, shops, homes, and restaurants), and they are in at least as good shape-- many of them still have the original paintings still in place.
I can't recommend Ostia Antica higher as a place to visit-- if you're in Rome, take the trip (it's a 40 min train ride from Rome). Totally worth it.
Response from Host, Dec 2022
Hey there!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us an amazing review. Everyone at City Wonders is delighted to hear that you loved your tour with us.
It was our pleasure having you for this memorable experience. We hope to see you again on some of our other unique tours in the future. On behalf of our entire team, thank you for choosing City Wonders. Feel free to follow us on our social media pages such as Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook to keep up with our exclusive content.
Instagram: citywonderstours
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Kind regards,
Edgar J.
City Wonders
Fantastic Guide!
Lauri_V, Oct 2022
Our tour guide, whose name I believe was Barbara, was outstanding. She knew so many interesting things about this area- even about trees! She made the tour exceptional.
I would caution people with any kind of foot or ankle problem or a balance issue that the terrain here is hard to navigate. You walk on ancient stones that pave the area.
It was also very very hot the day we went and there’s not much shade, so if that’s an issue for you, think about it.
Excellent place and excellent guide!
Kathleen_V, Oct 2022
What a wonderful day! Ostia Antica is amazing and such a beautiful setting. We’ve been to Pompeii and I highly recommend this experience. The ancient site is in amazing condition and the guide was so knowledgeable and really helped us understand what life in Ancient Rome was like.
A Hidden Gem
Chuck_A, Oct 2022
Ostia Antica is a hidden gem. Everyone visiting Rome should go. The group was a good size and very friendly. Our guide (Angelica) was informative and engaging!
Great site to visit - and an even greater Guide!
RICHARD_S, Oct 2022
Our Guide was Angelina from City Wonders and she made this tour very memorable! The site itself is a revelation as it is not as publicized as more famous ruins such as Pompeii or Herculaneum, but some of the ruins are in very good shape with mosaics and frescoes in excellent condition - and it is only a short train ride from Rome! A bit of a hidden gem. However, it was Angelina that made this tour really great - she has a very deep knowledge of Roman history and customs and her enthusiasm for the topic was infectious. She answered many questions in depth, and all of us on the tour left with a far greater understanding of the history of the site, and Rome in general, after this tour. I would rate it 5/5... or higher if it was possible - A highlight of our trip.
Our trip to Ostia Antica
Sandra_B, Sep 2022
We had Angela, an art history professor, who gave us a lot of history and background information about Ostia. She was friendly, personable, had a good sense of humor, and extremely knowledgeable. Two suggestions, however—(1) Stop for frequent photo breaks. (2) Plz provide voice transmitters/headsets so we can actually hear the tour guide as she walks in front of us while the rest of us have stopped to take pictures. We missed several pieces of information as we stopped to take pictures. Frustrating.
Definitely a Must See
Beverly_B, Sep 2022
This tour was one of the most memorable parts of our recent trip to Italy. Apparently this tour is not always available, so make sure to book it if you see it. I am glad I did the extra searching to find it. A short train ride from Rome with your guide and small group and you are in another world. Our guide, Roberto, was FANTASTIC. Friendly, funny, knowledgeable and you could tell he really loved teaching us about this amazing place. Since it is one of the lesser known tour sites, the crowds are small and you can really take your time and explore. If you like archeology and history, this tour is for you. It was a nice break from the regular "touristy" things we did.
Bonus, once the guided portion of the tour is done, you can stay longer and explore on your own or use the return ticket provided and take the train a few stops further to the beach. (Once you activate the ticket, you have approx 90 minutes to complete your travel or another ticket is just a few euros).
Loved the details about Ancient Roman life
Christie_S, Aug 2022
We really enjoyed all of the details on Roman culture and daily life that Angela was able to describe to us. Her English was perfect and she so many interesting stories and tips to share. I highly recommend this tour.
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Product code: 3731OSTIA
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