Ostia Antica is a massive archeological site situated at the mouth of the Tiber River. It was in fact Rome’s harbour thousands of years ago but due to silting the area is now three kilometres from the ocean.
Ostia Antica is one of the best day trips that you can do from Rome and many are of the belief that it is better than venturing south to the ruins of Pompeii. This is because of the preservation of ancient housing, beautiful and detailed mosaics, excellent signage within the ruins as well as the short distance to get there from Rome itself.
How to Get to Ostia Antica from Rome
Ostia Antica is very easy to get to from the historic centre of Rome. Simply go to the Piramide metro stop (buy a metro ticket from the ticket machine for 1.50 Euro). This metro ticket is valid on the Roma-Lido line to Ostia Antica. Go through the turnstiles with your ticket and follow the signs to Rome-Lido Treni. Lido (the beach near Ostia Antica) is the furthest point that the train stops at, so this is the direction you need to go in. Hop on the Rome-Lido train (departing from one of the platforms – just ask) and within twenty minutes or so you’ll reach Ostia Antica. The train works similarly to the metro and has signposts within showing the different stops.
As soon as you get out of the train station at Ostia Antica, walk over the bright blue footbridge and follow the road. The road takes a left and Ostia Antica is through the large gates – you can’t miss the entrance.
Getting back is just as easy – go back along the footpath to the train station, go through the turnstiles and stay on the first platform in the direction of Roma. If you need to hop back on the metro, the train to Rome stops at EUR Magliana so you can easily get off there or continue to the Piramide as well.
What Can I Expect?
Ostia Antica is a gem of a place. You can see intricate mosaics, ruins of ancient houses and Roman baths, a museum containing sculptures and much more.
What I loved about the ruins is that one can actually visualize and imagine what life was like in the fourth century BC. Other ruins (in particular, Villa Adriana/Hadrian’s Villa) are not as well-preserved and lack the beautiful detail of Ostia Antica.
Top Things to See at Ostia Antica
- The arcades of ancient houses
- The baths and mosaic floors
- The museum
- The synagogue
- Jars from the Warehouse of the Doli
- The Theatre of Decumanus
- The bakery
- The Temple of the Goddess Roma
- Taberna of the Fisherman
- The Necropolis
- Latrinae – public latrines
Brief History of Ostia Antica
Ancus Marcius (who was the fourth king of Rome during the seventh century BC) founded Ostia Antica. However, archeological remnants date back only to the fourth century BC.
Pirates sacked and set Ostia Antica alight in sixty-eight BC, but the pirates were later defeated and the town was re-built.
More recently, the archeological site caused a stir in the 1960’s when the Ostia Synagogue was uncovered – the earliest synagogue to be discovered in Europe. Excavations also reveal that the town had a fishmonger, taverns, firefighters as well as a palestra and an amphitheater where battles were held.
During the late Roman era the town became popular with aristocrats from Rome itself. It was later abandoned in the ninth century due to numerous invasions by Arab pirates.
Culture Vulture Tips
- Purchase a map for 2 Euro at the ticket office. Ostia Antica covers a massive area and a map will help you explore and find all the relevant places. The map also gives you a bit of history about the area.
- Wear very comfortable walking shoes with a strong grip. There are lots of loose stones and uneven footpaths.
- Bring your own packed lunch, some water and a good book. If it’s a nice day then you can sit and have your picnic at the amphitheater or at certain spots near the ruins and enjoy the sunshine. There is a restaurant available where you can purchase sandwich takeaways too.
- Browse the bookstore for postcards and I suggest you take a look at the guidebooks for about 7 Euro – these are relatively thin books explaining the history of the area in depth and also outlining the most important areas within Ostia Antica. This is a must for culture vultures! Buy the guidebook and then read while you enjoy some lunch.
- Don’t rush through the ruins. Take your time and spend a good few hours exploring the area.
- I suggest you don’t go to Ostia Antica during the tourist season. Rather go at the off-peak season – you’ll have more freedom to explore and relax without the chaos of tourist groups.
- When you’re done exploring the ruins, I suggest you take a stroll into the town of Ostia Antica itself (5 minutes from the entrance of the ruins). There’s a lovely church and exquisite old houses in a small courtyard area that is not to be missed! This is a beautiful, charming town I would definitely visit again.
Have you been to Ostia Antica before? What did you enjoy the most?
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Elizabeth Joss-Bethlehem
Elizabeth Joss-Bethlehem is the founder and main writer at The Museum Times. She works as a university lecturer by day and is an avid travel blogger and arts and culture enthusiast by night. Elizabeth started The Museum Times out of the need to give smaller, lesser-known museums more exposure.
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I was in Ostia Antica this week too! Sadly not to visit the incredible ruins, but I did have a nice wander around the very pretty medieval bongo, and a very good lunch at Bistrot Piazza Ravenna. Lovely lovely pictures.
Thanks Gillian – absolutely loved my day there too and will definitely spend more time in the borgo itself.
I was there with some visitors today and apart from about a zillion boyscouts who kept popping up everywhere, we had the place to ourselves. Head past the Forum to see better-preserved frescoes and mosaics (the Baths of the “Seven Wisemen”, for example) and very few people. Thanks for the nicely written post.
Hi Tom, thanks so much for taking the time to read my post 🙂 I honestly think that visiting Ostia Antica at this time of year is the best. It may be chilly but you get to explore!! It actually reminded me of a secret garden.
I adore, adore, adore Ostia Antica! Personally for me, it’s a lovely place to be at compared to the crowds of Centro Roma as it’s a lot more peaceful so you could appreciate the area a lot more 🙂
So true!! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog post – this means a lot to me. I’ll definitely go back to magical Ostia Antica soon!
Definitely – Ostia in January is heaven. We visited two different years just after new year, and had the place (virtually) to ourselves all day – – and we were there ALL day! Great place. We enjoyed rambling round all the ‘suburban’ bits too, streets and streets of ‘ordinary’ Roman homes, where else could you do that?! THe mix of ruins and pleasant greenery & shade is intoxicating: one of my favourite days out anywhere.
What was the best thing, though? According to my daughter, the super-thick creamy hot chocolate done by the little cafe between ruins and station. Discovered them at Carluccio’s (cioccolato fiorentina they call it there): fantastic. To tell the truth, I loved standing on the station platform waiting for the train as well – but maybe I am getting old!
Thanks so much for your comment 🙂 Means a lot to me. I’m glad you loved it just as much as I did. I also spent a long time there – about half a day. I unfortunately didn’t find that awesome hot chocolate place you mentioned, but I have had some of that super thick hot chocolate in Rome itself. Amazing!!
i was born in Ostia Antica, and growed up there.
I miss it indeed.