Ancient Ostia Antica Semi-Private Day Trip from Rome by Train with Guide
Recommended by 96% of travelers
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Rome, Italy
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Ostia Antica is known as ‘the better Pompeii’ for the excellent preservation of its ancient buildings, but visiting this vast archaeological site on your own can be overwhelming. On this tour, make exploring easy with round-trip train travel and a walking tour of the ruins with a guide for the entire duration of the excursion. Take in ruins of the Roman amphitheater, Baths of Neptune, taverns, and more with guide commentary to better understand the complex site.
- Hassle-free travel by train to and from the site from Rome with your guide
- See Ostia's highlights with a guide for insights to better understand the ruins
- Small-group tour for a relaxed pace and more interaction with your guide
- Train tickets and Ostia Antica entry tickets included to avoid hidden costs
What's Included
- English speaking tour guide
- Train ticket to and from Rome
- Semi Private group of 12 people max
- Ancient Ostia entrance ticket
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- P.za Ostiense, 11, 00154 Roma RM, Italy
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.
End point
- 00119 Ostia Antica RM, Italy
The tour ends at Ostia Antica, where guests are free to continue exploring the archaeological park at their own pace and can also refresh themselves at the on-site café.
Itinerary
After meeting your guide near the Piramide metro station in Rome, you’ll board your train together for the trip out of the city to Ostia Antica.
While the archaeological site is sometimes dubbed “little Pompeii,” Ostia Antica is anything but little with a huge collection of well-preserved ruins, a steep amphitheater, mosaics, and even a bathing complex. Skip feeling overwhelmed, and follow your guide straight to the highlights, while hearing tales of Ostia in its glory days as the port city of ancient Rome.
Pass along the main street of Decumanus Maximus, admire the Baths of Neptune, take photos from the sizeable amphitheater, and stroll amid the ruined shops and living quarters. After, you’ll walk back to the train station and return to Rome by train with your guide.
While the archaeological site is sometimes dubbed “little Pompeii,” Ostia Antica is anything but little with a huge collection of well-preserved ruins, a steep amphitheater, mosaics, and even a bathing complex. Skip feeling overwhelmed, and follow your guide straight to the highlights, while hearing tales of Ostia in its glory days as the port city of ancient Rome.
Pass along the main street of Decumanus Maximus, admire the Baths of Neptune, take photos from the sizeable amphitheater, and stroll amid the ruined shops and living quarters. After, you’ll walk back to the train station and return to Rome by train with your guide.
1
Rome
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Parco Archeologico di Ostia Antica
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- 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.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Our tour guide, Barbara was very friendly, thorough, and engaging with the entire group. Her knowledge and passion for ancient history made it very easy to follow along. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone that is looking to explore the wonders of Ostia Antica. Great job Barbara!
Reviews
4.8
based on 653 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
Great tour of a lesser-known Roman city with a wonderful guide. Our guide, Alberto, did an excellent job explaining the history of the site and the desire to make more people aware of it.
Perfect tour length as well. He explained our options at the end to stay, go to the beach, or head back to Rome.
Great Pompeii tour with Frederika, she was knowledgable and friendly, and answered everyone’s questions
Luca met us at the train, kept us all together and organizedas a group
This tour was very educational and informative. Our tour guide Alessandra was excellent and very knowledgeable.
Laura provided us with a wonderful tour of Ostia! She was a wonderful guide, full of historical knowledge and insight with entertaining color commentary! She expertly led us through this amazingly well-preserved site.
Ostia is a fascinating site and this is a wonderful chance to experience a large immersive ancient city without going all the way to Pompeii from Rome. Our guide Alessandra was really knowledgeable and great at helping interpret the site and make it come to life. She was friendly and answered a lot of questions from the group, as well as navigating us to amenities like bathrooms, snacks, and water. It can get hot in the sun at midday so bring a water bottle, hat and sunblock.
Barbara was awesome! She had a great attitude & kept us entertained throughout the tour. I highly recommend this tour!
Barbara was great. Knowledgeable and loves her subject. Been to Pompei twice. You do not need to go there.
Awesome day trip. The place was amazing. Over 300 acres. Many buildings & mosaics. Our guide Rob was great, so much knowledge. He took his time taking us through the ruins, he didn't rush us through. We were able to walk all over the place & through the structures unless it was roped off. No crowds, nice ocean breeze. It was a short 30 minute train/metro ride over. At the end we were allowed to stay or go to the beach or return. It was easy to do on our own.
Rob was absolutely amazing. So knowledgeable on many subjects. Kind, funny and the best guide we could have had. The site is huge and awesome inspiring. What an experience. One of the best in Rome. Don’t miss it.
Rob was a fantastic guide; theatrical, informative, patient, friendly and knowledgeable. An easy train ride then an easy pace exploring this incredible site.
You had the rest of the day to stay and explore after the tour ended.
The onsite museum was excellent and the food in the cafe at the rear of the museum was good and not expensive. This tour is excellent value and a wonderful insight into the original city.
Cat was very easy to chat to, she explained everything very well. Her tour was meticulously planned, progressing from the basics to the details. Designed for beginners and curious fans of Ancient Roman history alike.
This Tour is a must see. The ruins are spectacular.,not far from Rome and much quieter than Pompeii. Our tour guide Laura was filled with knowledge and history about Ostia Antica. Look no further and book this trip!
It was a well organised and fascinating tour. The guide - Rob - was very well informed and highly entertaining. He has great knowledge from his studies and he used it to explain the various aspects of the site to us. It was also a well paced tour - with Rob making good use of the shade on a very hot day. Full marks.
What a great day I had on the Ostia Antica tour! Everything from the booking to the meeting point was so simple and well planned. Liv, the tour guide, was absolutely fantastic! So knowledgeable and very enthusiastic! You can tell she really loves what she does and I learned so much from her. I was just amazed at her depth of knowledge.
Ostia Antica is really beautiful, and even better with a guide.
I highly recommend this tour.
Ostia Antica is truly a hidden gem! Just a short train ride from Rome, this ancient Roman town is so well-preserved, and unlike Pompeii to the south, so much less crowded! I feel like if you had to choose between the two sites, I would visit Ostia - similar time period, but way less crowded! Of course, Pompeii has the story behind it of the eruption, but if you are in Rome, Ostia Antica is well worth the visit.
And, we cannot say enough about our guide, Alberto. He was incredible! He made Roman history and the town of Ostia come alive with his amazing story-telling! Thanks for making this visit for special for us, Alberto!
Insane how few people go to Ostia Antica, where there are no queues and it's a vast area to explore. Houses, villas, busnisses, temples, public buildings, restaurants, bathouses, lavatries...you name it, there's a ruin of it there. Rob was amazing as a guide and shared a lot of knowledge with us. Would recommend to anyone looking for that piece of history, without the major crowds.
Much confusion due to the delay of our guide. We called 2 times for up dates. Agent said they would call us but we never heard back. Finally tour guide showed up and was very apologetic. She said they should contact us about the delay, but no one called. She was wonderful, but the tour operator lacked in communication.
Ostia Antica may not be Pompeii but the mosaics are certainly worth it. Alberto was very warm and accomodating.
I’m so glad we found this tour. Laura was so knowledgeable and engaging — the best guide we had in Rome. And the site was fascinating, beautiful and not at all crowded. We got out of the city for a morning and learned so much.
Our tour guide, Rob, was enthusiastic and animated throughout the entire tour. He really made life in Ostia come to life. I wish the tour was longer the site is HUGE!
This is a real hidden gem when visiting Rome. Ostia Antica is an ancient city that once flourished as a bustling port thousands of years ago. To see the evidence of this civilization was amazing! Laura, our guide, was passionate about the history of this site and shared so many interesting details! The small group size was perfect for the opportunity to ask questions and interact with Laura and others in the group. It was easy to find the meeting spot and the company was excellent at communicating. We would definitely recommend this tour.
I almost skipped Ostia Antica in favor of more time in Rome — huge mistake that would have been. Alexandria is an exceptional guide who doesn’t just recite history; she makes you feel like you’re actually living it. She described daily Roman life so vividly — the merchants, the taverns, the apartment buildings still standing today — that I forgot I was standing in 2,000-year-old ruins.
She read the group perfectly, kept everyone engaged, and her depth of knowledge went well beyond a standard tour script. Warm, enthusiastic, and genuinely brilliant.
If you’re visiting Rome, do the day trip to Ostia Antica. Book Alexandria. It was the highlight of my entire Italy trip.
Rob was an outstanding tour guide. His knowledge of archeology, geology, botany and history was both delightful and informative. He made Ostia Antica come alive. He was also very attentive to the varied needs of the group regarding pacing and safety.
Very informative tour through ancient Ostia! We had beautiful weather and our guide was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, ready to answer any and all questions. Make sure to bring walking shoes as Ostia is big and beautiful and it's fun to 'get lost' there after the tour!
Great place to tour around , we found a statue hidden inside one of the tunnels and were surprised it wasn’t labeled nor advertised lol . Nevertheless it was a great find and was the highlight of our trip! The place is full of history and amazing , take your time looking around and be careful as the terrain is uneven . Also be aware that the ticket includes entrance to the palace across the street in front of the front gate . Our tour guide was nice but not so chatty about the history and the train was delayed so lots of waiting . Overall it was still a great tour! One of our favorites!
This was an EXCELLENT tour and guide. We travel a lot and, while the low price made me cautious, the reviews convinced me to try it. Our guide was very knowledgeable and I feel we were much better able to understand the buildings and culture of the site. Highly recommended!
Visiting Ostia Antica again did not disappoint. Liv, our guide, was a rich source of interesting facts and social history bringing the site alive. Would definitely recommend.
Rob was a fantastic guide. He brought the 1st Roman city to life. He is so knowledgeable and really knows the history and the facts. You can tell Rob loves his job and people. He made us feel like we were back in time, truly imagining what it looked like and how the Romans lived. Best tour and Rob is the best. Highly recommend.
Our tour guide, Barbara was very friendly, thorough, and engaging with the entire group. Her knowledge and passion for ancient history made it very easy to follow along. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone that is looking to explore the wonders of Ostia Antica. Great job Barbara!
This is an amazing experience, not to be missed. Our tour guide was Alberto and he’s knowledgeable and interesting.
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