Places to stay in Ostia?

Do you have to stay in Ostia?
It’s an easy day trip from Rome and Feb/March isn’t exactly resort/beach weather

we will have already been in rome 6 days, then through Tuscany and this is the end of our trip. We choose Ostia because our son wants to see the beach and we thought it would be close to the airport for flyout day

Ostia is a beach town about an hour from Termini in Rome by subway and train. You change at the Piramide subway station for the Porta San Paolo train station. The line ends at Ostia, which is a beach town that wouldn't seem like a worthwhile destination that early in the year, unless your goal is to stick your toes into the Mediterranean. There are several hotels there but I've never been.

Ostia Antica, on the other hand, is a very good day trip from Rome, especially if you're not getting to Pompeii. It's reached by the same train, but the stop, "Ostia Antica," is shortly before the line ends at Ostia. It's a short walk from the station to the archeological site. There are places to eat nearby, and I believe a small cafeteria within the site, but not lodging that I know of. Even one night there would be more than you'd need to see the place. I had a good walk through in a long afternoon, a full day would be plenty.

EDIT -- I didn't see your last post till I finished the above. Booking.com shows various hotels under Lido di Ostia, that would be a good place to start looking. Rome2rio.com shows tram, bus, and taxi service between Lido di Ostia and FCO, but I have no experience with these. You'll want to be sure of your transportation and allow plenty of time ahead of your flight.

Tyrrhenian Sea not Mediterranean

We stayed in Ostia at a more "beachy" time of year and I have to agree that the beach at Ostia is underwhelming. In winter, I'm not sure what you'd find. Ostia Antica is definitely worthwhile. Hopefully someone who knows will chime in with a recommendation of a more interesting place to stay that's convenient to Fiumicino. I'm guessing you could also find some suggestions by searching the forum.

Yeah, not really for beach, especially in March. To be honest, I would just stay in Rome before you fly out, easier to get to the airport, more stuff to do. If needed, cut a few days from Rome earlier to accommodate. Some possibilities? Orvieto is nice for a day or two, and Naples and Sorrento are handy for 3 days or more (Pompeii, pizza, limoncello) If he wants to see the beach, take the train out from Rome for the afternoon and take a stroll.

I agree with Paul, Orvieto is very nice and easy from Rome. You could shorten Rome at the beginning and start Tuscany a few days earlier. You are off season so it shouldn't be too difficult. I personally like splitting Rome into two stays. We drove through Tuscany and returned the car in Chiusi. Then we had a pleasant stay in Orvieto for two nights before our last few nights in Rome and flew home. We really enjoyed Ostia Antica, even more than Pompeii, and it was very easy from Rome for the day. It was early summer and the train was full of teens off to the beach. I find most beaches off season rather lonely.

We visited Ostia right before turning rental car back in at airport and spedingt the night at FCO. Ostia and FCO are very close to each other.