Welcome to the Civitavecchia cruise port guide. Civitavecchia is the cruise gateway to the incredible city of Rome. Civitavecchia is a small town of about 50.000 on the coast of Italy. From here you are about 80 km / 1,5 hours drive from Rome which many consider to be the best destination in Europe. Civitavecchia is not the most exciting town to visit. You’ll find your local market, the cathedral and fort Michelangelo here, but that is about it. If you want an easy day in port it is a nice spot to hang around, but most people will chose to go to Rome. Rome’s history spans more than 2500 years to the time Romulus and Remus fought each other to be King of this new town they established. Since then it has been the capital of the mighty Roman Empire, part of the Papal states and later it would become the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Its significance in history already tells us this city is a gem to explore. There is history to be found on every single street corner. The sites will tell you about the birthplace of the western civilizations, the birth of the capital of the Catholic church, the greatest empire to rule the European continent and much more. Read our Civitavecchia cruise port guide underneath for all the info you need when visiting this port of call.

A ship docked at the Civitavecchia cruise dock

This will be your view from the ship when you are docked in Civitavecchia. There is a very long cruise dock where often all the ships are docked one after the other.

Most docking spots have a terminal building with limited facilities. They are mainly used for days were the ship needs to embark and disembark large amount of guests.

The port of Civitavecchia provides a shuttle bus to get out of the port. The drop off locations of the shuttle bus has changed a couple of times over the years, but it seems they nowadays drop people off at the cruise centre at the egde of the city centre.

Drop off location port shuttle bus Civitavecchia

This new cruise centre is where the port shuttle most likely will drop you off. Here you will find tourist information and the local bus to the Civitavecchia train station.

Also visit our cruise port guides for:

Naples
Malta
Barcelona
Cartagena

Cruise Port Guide Civitavecchia – Italy: docked

Civitavecchia has a large number of docking locations as you can see on the map above. Most cruise ships dock at the finger pier or commercial pier. For most of the docks the port provides a shuttle to the city centre, however if you are close to Fort Michelangelo you can just walk into town. Check with your front office on board where you will dock and if this shuttle bus will be provided. They are usually notified about this 24 hours in advance.

Transportation

If you are planning on staying in Civitavecchia you do not need transportation. You can just take the shuttle bus into town. However if you want to go further afield you can chose to go by taxi, train or bus.

Taxis in Civitavecchia

Taxis will be at waiting at the dock as you walk of the ship. You will also find them in the town of Civitavecchia. Official taxis are white and they have a meter. Keep in mind that the prices are quite high. It costs about 10 euro to get from the cruise dock to the train station and about 160 euro one way from the cruise dock to Rome city center.

Train to Rome

Civitavecchia has a train station that will provide services to go straight into Rome. It is wise to check the schedule ahead of time through the following link: http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en Also keep in mind the trains can be on strike and therefore it is always wise to check again a day before your visit to Civitavecchia. The location of the train station is marked on the map. From the port you can walk (2 km) to the train station which will take you approximately 30 minutes depending on where you dock. You can also chose to take the taxi from the dock to the train station if you can find a taxi willing to do a short ride for you. You can also take the shuttle bus to the city center where a local provider usually provides another shuttle service to the train station.

Bus to Tuscania or Tarquinia

Why not do something different and visit Tuscania or Tarquinia? At the cathedral in the town of Civitavecchia you will find a local bus stop. From here you can catch the bus to Tuscania or Tarquinia in the North. Keep in mind these buses only go about every 2 hours.

Car Rental

You could also choose to rent a car for a day and make your own road trip. There is a hertz car rental next to the train station in Civitavecchia. Make your online arrangement to be sure a car is waiting for you.

FAQ about Civitavecchia

– What do I do if the trains go on strike? the trains can go on strike at any time. Worse case scenario is that you will have to take a taxi of about 160 euro back to the port. – Will there be a shuttle bus service available? Most of the times that is the case, although there are exceptions, depending on where you dock.