I'm currently in Rome and enjoying my trip so far. I was thinking of going to Ostia Antica in a couple days and I had a couple questions.
1) Ticket availability seems good, but should I buy online before I leave my hotel or can I just show up and expect there to be tickets available?
2) According to the website, the bag storage is closed (in addition to the cafeteria). Do they allow small bags to be brought onto the site?
It is a big park poorly attended so I think you could just buy tickets at the gate. We did. We had day bags and nothing was said. It is all open air. Not an enclosed museum. And if the cafeteria is close there is nothing inside.
We simply waited and got tickets when we arrived at the site. Seems to me we had small day bags and did not have to store them.
We just visited Ostia Antica the day after our VFR Tour ended late last month. There's no need to buy tickets in advance, unless you get a price break. Tickets "at the door" were 19 Euros. I didn't even know they had a bag storage area?!? I saw numerous people with backpacks.
I visited Ostia Antica as part of a Rick Steves tour in September 2022.
Question 1: there is an office. I'm sure you can get a ticket there if you prefer. Look for hours.
Question 2: I carried a small bag my whole time there.
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Ostia Antica; it is a fascinating site.
Rick has a free audio guide for Ostia Antica. I found it helpful. You can find it via his Rick Steves' Audio Europe app.
You can walk up and get tickets. Often, there's no line. They don't seem to monitor bags.
Thanks everyone for the replies! I was able to buy tickets on the spot (no line) and I have to say, Ostia Antica might have been the highlight of my Rome trip. Very glad I went.
