ostia antica

I've been to both Pompeii and Herculaneum, but Ostia Antica blew me away. The town is absolutely amazing. There is even a building with 2 floors and you can go up the stairs to the top. The state of preservation is fantastic. There are lots of mosiacs and the area beyond the theatre where the guilds had their 'offices' is amazing. It is on my list of places to visit again.

Transportation: take a train B line to pyramid metro. Walk up the staircase or take the escalator and turn left. Do not exit. There is another train that heads to ostia antica. If you have a few minutes to spare, you can go out the train station and take a photo of the only pyramid in rome. After getting out of the ostia antica station, you will see an overhead bridge. Walk across it. Then head straight down a t junction, cross the road and slightly about 70 metres is the site.Cost: cost for entering the site is 8 euro per person. For EU citizen, I think it's free or less than the price.Some of the buildings are intact. About 1/3 of it. It is advisable to read about the history facts before you go. We walked the site and kept guessing what is going on with each building. The map was not really helpful. I would advise it's best to get a guide to enjoy more.

An easy journey by train from Rome-included in our 24 hour metro/bus pass. The site is huge so you need time to really appreciate it. A real sense of walking through a Roman port /town - much if well preserved. In England every bit would be fenced around but here areas are almost wild with grass and brambles growing through the buildings and not a soul in sight(it was early March). This made it quite haunting I understand Pompeii is better organised and labelled but we didn't have a chance to visit Pompeiii. There are no audio guides at present which was a shame and the signs are in technical language translated from Italian by a non-native English speaker, I would guess, but fun to decipher. For example "atmospheric precipitation " instead of "rain"!We were in Rome for 4 nights and spent a long morning here.

A great experience! A must visit - far less busy than Pompeii and the forum. Huge site and lots of interesting buildings. Make the effort and visit!

It was an amazing day trip from Piramide station, Rome. The park is a bit of walk from the Ostia Antica station, but not very far. Please note that it's huge, and you absolutely can not drive any vehicle inside, so make sure you wear your most comfortable shoes. The ruins are marvellously preserved and you are able to walk inside most of the buildings (at least the ones which are not currently being excavated). It's breathtaking and delightfully underrated: no tourist hordes, as in Pompeii. The best time of the year to visit is either April-May or September to mid-November (I was there on 1st November, and I walked around in a t-shirt).It's a little tiresome to walk through the whole thing, including a visit to the little museum in the middle (which is a bit old-fashioned, but some really beautiful Roman pieces of art are on display). There's also a restaurant, little pricey but not horribly.If you plan your visit in the afternoon (I started at around noon), keep in mind that half an hour before closing time (4 pm in autumn/winter) some shouting ladies will start to clear out the park, none of whom speak any english at all. Anyway, it's a huge complex, so I understand the need for them, it was just really funny - I thought I had done something really bad, that's why I have four middle-aged women shouting at me in Italian.So - if you're into Romans, archaeology, or just walking in general, I highly recommend Ostia Antica. And don't forget to visit the bathhouse, where you can go undergroung into the sewers.

Far less visited, far bigger and much more interesting than Pompeii, the excellently preserved ruins of Ostia are only 20 miles from the centre of Rome and can easily be reached by a suburban train that leaves several times an hour from Ostiense that is a part of the Piramide Metro station. Set in an area without any modern buildings, the site is vast, covering some 10,000 acres around a main street that’s nearly a mile long and that is deeply rutted with the ancient passage of four-wheeled carts. Probably founded in the 4th century BC, what was to become a most important Mediterranean port continued to expand and, by the 2nd century AD, it had over 100 inhabitants whose housing, taverns and shops still remain. The many fascinating sites include the Baths of Neptune with a large well-preserved mosaic, featuring the Sea God in a chariot, drawn by four horses, a vast well preserved theatre accommodating 3500 spectators, public baths and a forum. This is not a site that you can rush round in an hour or so. It needs plenty of time to see and marvel at the major buildings. To see even just the main buildings takes about four hours. It is sensible to purchase a guide-book. The site is not open on Mondays.

It was a real pleasure to walk around the ruins of the old port of Rome, and I wished I had have more time to visit all of it. I was astonished to see how huge the site is and amazed by the ability of the ancient Romans to construct all these buildings, theaters, baths, as well as the port itself. It should be visited with good shoes and in good weather.

This is a real hidden gem and probably underrated among Rome travellers. I would prefer it ten times over the Roma Forum - it is in such a good shape and you can really imagine what this city must have looked like some 2000 years ago. It is just stunning.

If you have the opportunity to spend several days in Rome and enjoy antiquity sites, do yourself a favor and visit Ostia Antica. My family (including a 10 and a 12 year old) really enjoyed our time spent at this location. Very easy to catch the train once you are at Piramide Metro station (no additional ticket is required.) Download Rick Steves' Ostica Antica tour and listen to it during your 35 minute train ride, if you want. You can also listen to the tour again once you reach the site. If you have kids, make sure you make it to the ancient latrine - interesting. Decent cafeteria with hot dishes and panini options. Once you are done, take the train a little further to get your feet wet in the Mediterranean Sea. Our family really enjoyed our day in Ostia. It was a very pleasant & educational way to escape the hustle & bustle of the city, while in a beautiful location.

While staying in Rome for a week we decided to take a day trip to Ostia Antica, and it was amazing. Easy metro trip, only about an hour from Rome. The site is awesome, our favorite parts were in the back past the capitolium, so keep walking all the way back. Incredible!

Easy to get to by train from Rome. Big enough to get lost in, which is definitely a plus when you're looking for an immersive experience. Not quite as well preserved as Pompeii, but without the crowds. Also has a museum, cafe and bookshop. Definitely a must see for those looking for ancient history.

I had originally planned for my family and I to visit Pompeii during our recent trip but simply didn't want the expense and hassle of doing so in one day. I'm so glad we decided to go to Ostia Antica instead. I've never been to Pompeii so I can't compare the two but for easy access, vibrant ruins (still being excavated) and history Ostia Antica was a real highlight of our trip. It is really easy to get there and your Rome Pass covers the train cost. We visited on one of the free Sunday's and it was amazing how few people were there once you left the main "road". You wander around, in and through pretty much through everything. Just be respectful of where you are. An audio guide (not available) or tour (next time) would have been a real help. We spent 4 hours just wandering around and having a fantastic time. If you're looking for a break from the historical center this is the place to visit. One note: If you have mobility issues this might be a difficult place to visit given the uneven pavement and overall size of the site.

Just returned from a very full day covering most but not all of the ruins. It really was a maze and well worth going off the main paths to find those little hidden gems - of which there were many. It really was easy to imagine walking around when Ancient Romans would have been there too. We had researched the websites and found it was closed Mondays so planned the rest of our Rome visit around this fact. Went by Metro and train which was really easy and cheap! Will definitely come back again.

The ruins give visitors the impression of walking around an abandoned city: it's truly breathtaking. Work your way to the middle and you will be pleasantly surprised by a nice park, amphitheatre and ruins of a temple. I went on a rainy day but still had a great experience!

This was worth the short trip out of Rome on the train. We chose to spend all day there as I am obsessed with Ancient Rome but it can be seen in 1-2 hours. Do not let anyone talk you out of taking the public transport. It was an easy trip on the train and easily found.