Ostia Antica Day Trip from Rome: Explore the 'Better Pompeii' with Semi-Private Guided Tour

Embark on a journey to Ostia Antica, deemed ‘The Superior Pompeii’ by authorities in the field. Just a stone’s throw away from Rome, experience this fascination in an intimate small group capped at 12 individuals! Ideal for those yearning to delve into the intricacies of antique Roman ruins but pressed for time to visit Pompeii.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Rome - Meeting place prior to start the tour
  • 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…
What's Included
  • Round-trip train ticket from Rome
  • Knowledgeable English-speaking guide
  • Exclusive semi-private group (max 12 people)
  • Admission to Ancient Ostia included
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
  • 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.
  • While our day trips are typically of a fixed duration, external factors may occasionally extend tour times slightly. We appreciate your understanding and planning as we strive to provide you with the best possible experience.
Location
P.za Ostiense, 11
Piazzale Ostiense
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 white umbrellas on the tables outside.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(498 Ratings)
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Aleksandr_f
Dec 12, 2024
Visit Ostia - Great guide with a sense of humour, knowledgeable about the site. The site is sadly not receiving enough visitors due to the location requiring a short trip outside of Rome. On the other hand, you can have this large place all to yourself. Very cozy.
Review provided by Viator
Bina_a
Nov 19, 2024
Fascinating ancient city, wonderful trip - The whole trip was outstanding. The ancient city came alive, especially due to our excellent guide, Barbara. She was both very knowledgeable & had a very interesting style of sharing her understanding, constantly encouraging us to give our own interpretations of what we saw. This kept us totally engaged over several hours.
Review provided by Viator
Aaron_s
Nov 16, 2024
Well worth the visit - Barbara was great, very knowledgeable and was able to speak go the history of Ostia the entire time we were there - it felt like she covered everything and didn’t leave feeling rushed, or that we’d missed sections of it like some tours. Ostia itself is well worth the visit, and much bigger than expected - plenty to see and take in.
Review provided by Viator
Bonnie_v
Nov 15, 2024
Outstanding Ostia - Barbara was a very informative guide. Especially liked the beautiful tiles. Every floor told a story.
Review provided by Viator
Kelley_o
Nov 9, 2024
Access to history and beauty! - Truly amazing and humbling to visit all the ruins in Italy. This one is off the beaten trail a bit and is very cool to go through. SUPER ACCESSIBLE! The main bathhouse was so well preserved and you could see the way the walls were heated with clay pipes. Just be careful if you are on a cruise as it takes up to 1 1/2 hours to meet the group from the ship dock in Civitavecchia. Obviously the same amount back, so be aware of your time.
Review provided by Viator
Aaron_o
Nov 7, 2024
Amazing and powerful experience - This was an exceptional tour. Our guide, Cat, was so knowledgeable and had everything set for us. It was easy to meet up, transport was handled for us, and the whole itinerary was very well thought out. The tour ended in Ostia Antica and we choose choose to stay the rest of the day on our own, return to Rome, check out the medieval town nearby, or head to the beach. Cay had great suggestions for everyone. I chose to stay the rest of the day in Ostia Antica exploring the ruins on my own. I have to say, this was the most powerful and meaningful experience I have had with ancient ruins, including Pompeii and Herculaneum. The thing with the busier sites that I’m now realizing is that they still feel alive, in a way. Ostia had more preserved mosaics and marble facades, inside and out. And more sort of every day details seemed apparent. It felt more like there were signs of life there, but the total lack of visitors drove home the point that this is a dead civilization. It was so powerfully apparent to me and the sort of tragic feeling is still with me. Absolutely amazing. I now believe that it is better to visit Ostia Antica over the better known sites and this is a really great tour to do so.
Review provided by Viator
Susanp148
Nov 2, 2024
Wow! Amazing ancient city preservation - Outstanding! Great tour guide! It's not really a "train" ride in the conventional sense - it's like the Bay Area Rapid Transit - but it gets you where you want to go. Ostia Antica is amazingly well preserved - soooo much better than Pompeii if you want to see a truly ancient city. It's a lot of walking, so wear comfortable, closed- toe shoes.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trailblazer148516
Oct 29, 2024
Great guide to a fascinating place - Barbara was a wonderful guide- knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The group was relatively small allowing everyone to stay together.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anne_f
Oct 27, 2024
Great tour of Ostia! - Our guide Caterina was fantastic and had such great energy! Highly recommend this tour of Ostia Antica. It's really helpful to have a guide explain the history. She made it come alive for us!
Review provided by Viator
Michele_o
Oct 25, 2024
So interesting, so much to learn! - Our guide, Angela, was so knowledgeable, she brought Ostia Antica to life! Simply fascinating! Thank you!
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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