We are planning a day trip to Ostia Antica in March. We would like to see as much as possible—the main ruins, the harbor, the castle and the necropolis. It seems that all guides only offer a three hour tour from Rome to the main ruins. We can get there on our own…early enough to spend the day. Any suggestions on a private guide that will go more in depth — or even a book? Thanks!
Posted by
Los Angeles
1203 posts
There are a number of videos on YouTube covering the site.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10674 posts
I was there last week with a guide. We were on the grounds for 2.5 hours with an excellent guide and a very energetic, interested, well-traveled group from France. We covered a lot and felt satisfied. The harbor today is 5 kilometers away but there's a didactic at the entry explaining the ancient harbor and the changing of the course of the Tiber.
We passed the castle on our way there and didn't see the necropolis. We had spent a day visiting an Etruscan nécropole and the National Etruscan museum filled with objects from the burial site, so the Ostia necropolis wasn't a priority, nor was the castle. But the site itself is huge and we felt satisfied and ready to rest after 2.5 hours on the ground. Wear hard-sole shoes for the uneven stone pavements. I have no book to recommend .
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11799 posts
We enjoyed self-touring with the Rick Steves guidebook. It was so thorough that as I read for our group of three, someone tagged along to listen to the narrative! Just take the train out and spend as long as you want.
Posted by
3460 posts
Bets - Do you have the contact details for the guide you used for Ostia Antica?
Posted by
Atlanta
5236 posts
We also did it on our own with the RS book as Laurel did. We were able to take our time, spend more / less time at certain areas, and move at our own pace. Getting there is easy peasy on public transit.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
8159 posts
Chuck, this is a website created by some scientists that gives an in depth looks at Ostia Antica. It's been around forever--in fact, I used it back in 1997 when I first went to Ostia, and has a lot of information about the history and science. I would suggest looking at it ahead of time so that you will be more familiar with Ostia once you get there. https://www.ostia-antica.org/
Posted by
146 posts
Another vote for using Rick Steves. It was very easy to take the train there.
Then we walked to the beach when we were done. A very nice day when you need to escape the crowds of Rome.