We love it when readers reach out with questions. One of our favorites came from a fellow traveler who wanted advice on how to spend a day in Rome from the Civitavecchia cruise port. She had a clear goal in mind: to visit the awe-inspiring Sistine Chapel and experience the grandeur of the Colosseum, all in one day. However, she also wanted to avoid the overwhelming crowds that often accompany organized cruise excursions.

As I began to delve into the topic, I realized that many other people might have the same burning question: As a cruiser, how can you make the most of your limited time in Rome without sacrificing the quality of your experience?

Here are my personal insights and practical tips to help you navigate the Eternal City on your own terms. I know you’re wondering:

I’ll also share tips for touring Rome on your own from Civitavecchia, as well as links to relevant tickets and tours.

🏆 Just looking for transportation? The best value is this 2-way bus from the port to Rome. You’ll get to explore the Eternal City as you wish and won’t have to worry about getting back to the port in time.

Rome, the capital of Italy, is a city brimming with history, culture, and world-renowned landmarks. It is a destination that holds countless treasures, but it can also be overwhelming for first-time visitors. And if you want to see Rome in a day from the cruise port, it’s crucial to plan your itinerary wisely. You’ll need to make strategic choices to optimize your time.

Getting into the city will take some planning. Rome’s cruise port is 40 miles (62 kilometers) away from the city. Here are your options for visiting Rome from the cruise ship.

💡 PRO TIP: It’s worth buying Rick Steves’ Mediterranean Cruise Ports if you’re an independent cruiser. The guidebook covers how to spend your day in various ports: itineraries, must-see spots, places to eat, local currency, how to get into town, even self-guided walks and tours.

Many cruisers book their own guided tours, saying it’s worth the added expense for a once-in-a-lifetime trip. A guide will take you on a well-planned route that will cover top attractions and maximize your valuable sightseeing time.

Among the countless operators that offer tours in Rome, we can recommend Get Your Guide, Viator, and Take Walks from personal experience. You’re bound to find a few Rome tour options that you’ll enjoy.

ⓘ BUDGET TIP: If you’re traveling with others, look for tours that charge one flat fee for your group, not per person. Here is one we like. If traveling solo, check your Roll Call on Cruise Critic. People often look for others who want to split the cost of a group tour.

Check the itinerary carefully to ensure it’s what you want. For example, not all tours go inside the Colosseum.

Things to know:

ⓘ TIP: You’ll be on your feet all day, so wear your most comfortable shoes. Be sure to bring a hat, sunglasses, water, and sunscreen. Your clothing must cover your shoulders and knees if you plan to enter St. Peter’s Basilica.

No matter where you are on the planet, city driving is a challenge, parking is expensive, and you’ll waste precious sightseeing time if you don’t know the streets. That said, cars are convenient if you have other places to visit en route. (You can check prices here.)

Civitavecchia train station is near the port. You can buy your ticket there, but if you want to avoid the ticket line and be on your way, you should buy your tickets in advance online. The official website is Trenitalia, but refunds can be hard to get. Omio‘s website is more user-friendly and their customer service is much better.

Choose the high-speed train to Rome and back; the regular one takes much longer. You don’t want to spend your precious sightseeing hours traveling to and fro!

If you just need round-trip transfer between Rome and the Civitavecchia cruise terminal, this is for you. These buses take you there and back, giving you 6–8 hours to explore the “Eternal City” as you please. The trip will take 60–80 minutes each way and can be cheaper than the cruise line’s transfer service.

Book Your Round-Trip Ride to Rome

As you begin your planning, factor in 1.5 hours to get to Rome from the cruise ship port. Budget 2 hours to get back to the ship, due to Rome’s typical delays and strikes as well as clearing the security line at the port. You’ll end up with 6–8 hours for sightseeing.

Regardless of when your ship docks, it takes time to get a seat on the port shuttle and then walk to the train station. So, you likely won’t board the train in Civitavecchia until 8:30 a.m. or later. Anticipate that you’ll be sightseeing by around 10:00–10:30.

The primary concern is getting back to the ship in time; you don’t want the ship to leave without you! Assuming your “Back on Board” time is 6:00, we recommend heading back no later than 4:00 pm. Agree ahead of time with your travel partners when to head back, to avoid the temptation to see just one more thing and lose track of time.

ⓘ TIP: Your cruise ship’s Daily Newsletter will have a phone number for who to contact in an emergency. Take it with you every day and save the number to your phone. If you are delayed or something happens, you can let them know your status and find out what to do.

If you intend to visit the Colosseum, you’ll want to go there first, while it’s cooler. (Be sure to read our Roman Colosseum article to get the top tips for visiting this iconic site!)

The distance from the cruise port to the Colosseum is 62 km/38.5 mi, or 80.6 km/50 mi by car.

To get from Rome cruise port to the Colosseum, take the express, high-speed train from Civitavecchia to Roma Termini station (60–90 minutes). Then, take metro line B and get off at the “Colosseo” stop (9 minutes).

The most important thing to know is that all Colosseum tickets have a scheduled admission time, and morning tickets are in high demand. So, if at all possible, purchase your Colosseum tickets as soon as you book your cruise. Try to get a 10:45 or 11:00 slot.

Plan to spend an hour exploring the Coliseum on your own, including time for selfies and other photo opportunities. Guided tours generally last about 90 minutes.

Your ticket includes free admission to the Forum and Palatine Hill, which are adjacent. For planning purposes, you should allow another 1.5 to 2 hours to visit the Roman Forum, plus an extra hour for Palatine Hill.

To see it all in the least amount of time, you should book a guided tour. Most tours last 2½ – 3 hours.

For what it’s worth, we regretted not booking a guided tour when we visited the Forum, Palatine Hill, and Colosseum. We had read up on it beforehand, but we would have gotten so much more out of it if we had a guide to point out the significant stuff and answer our questions. Not to mention, we could have conserved a great deal of energy and avoided weary feet.

If you want to spend your day in Rome at the Vatican, the best way to get from Civitavecchia Port to Vatican City is by train. Buy a return (round-trip) ticket from Civitavecchia to Stazione Roma S. Pietro. Trains run every half hour and the journey takes about 43 minutes.

How to get to the Vatican from the Colosseum. Take Line B towards Rebibbia. At Termini station, switch to Line A towards Battistini and get off at Ottaviano. The trip takes 15–20 minutes.

ⓘ TIP: Be sure to stop for lunch before entering the museums.

The Vatican Museums are extensive, and so is the ticket line. The fastest way to enter is to buy skip-the-line tickets to the Vatican Museums ahead of time.

Visiting the museums on your own, you should expect to spend at least 3–4 hours walking through the most important rooms and visiting the Sistine Chapel.

To see the highlights in the shortest amount of time, you should book a guided tour. Most tours last for about 3 hours. This tour is especially good.

The Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums. You can’t get a separate ticket for the Sistine Chapel alone.

If you ONLY want to see the Sistine Chapel, you will need to walk through the entire museum to get there. It’s the final room, and there’s no shortcut. If you don’t stop to see anything else on the way, it will take 1-2 hours to navigate from the entrance to the chapel, depending on the crowds.

This world class museum complex is full of famous works of art. It’s so massive that it would take days to see it all. You can take virtual tours of many rooms online.

ⓘ TIP: As you exit the Sistine Chapel, you’ll be at St. Peter’s Basilica. You can avoid going through security again if you enter the Basilica directly from the Chapel. This is where Michelangelo’s famous Pieta statue is located.

Yes. It is possible to see both the Vatican Museums AND the Colosseum in one day if you purchase both entry tickets online before you arrive. Not only are Colosseum tickets in high demand, but it can take hours to get through the super-long ticket lines at the Vatican Museums.

Keep in mind that the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum are located on opposite sides of the city. As they are on different metro lines, it will take a while to get from one to the other.

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Depending on how much energy your group has, you can use our article 7 Things to See at the Vatican to see more of the Holy See or head back to the ship early and check out Civitavecchia.

Free sights near both the Colosseum and Vatican City include the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and Campo de’ Fiori, as well as many wonderful churches. Better yet, they have no lines.

Take Walks offers experiences that will fit into your time in Rome. Here is a sampling:

No matter what you decide to do, don’t forget to grab some gelato along the way!

Priorities vary. Some people are happy with visiting just one sight, while others squeeze as much as possible into one day. In, out, back to the ship happy.

You might want to check Rome off your Bucket List or look at a one-day visit as a sampler and immediately begin planning a return trip.

Romans think Rome is meant to be savored, and spend hours eating a simple meal. And no wonder… With 28 centuries of history, there’s no end to the things to see in Rome. No matter how much you manage to see and do, you’ll leave wanting more.

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Linda is multilingual and has been to over 50 countries. Her insatiable love of travel, cuisine, and foreign languages inspired her to create As We Saw It, where she documents her trips, shares practical itineraries, and offers insider tips. She’s passionate about helping fellow travelers save time, money, and hassle, and loves to discover new places to explore.