The excavations of Ostia, Rome's port city

What it is

Ostia was the port of Rome, at the mouth of the Tiber, and came to have tens of thousands of inhabitants. When the river receded and the port moved, the city emptied and silt covered it. Today you walk through it as through a neighbourhood: the decumanus maximus, the main street, runs from end to end among warehouses, baths, multi-storey houses, taverns and temples. Unlike Pompeii, here you see the city of merchants and dockers, with its brick blocks of flats.

Hours and entry

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:30. It closes at 16:30 from 25 October to the end of February, at 17:15 in March, at 19:00 from April to September and at 18:30 from 1 to 24 October; the ticket office and last entry, an hour before. Closed on Mondays and 25 December. The integrated ticket costs €18 (€2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 25) and is valid for eight consecutive days for all sites in the park: excavations, museum, Julius II castle, Porto necropolis and imperial harbours. The first Sunday of the month is free. There are audio guides for the long route (€7), short (€5) and for children (€5).

Getting there

By train, the Roma–Lido line leaves from Porta San Paolo, next to the Piramide metro stop, and stops at Ostia Antica: from the station you cross the footbridge and in a few minutes you are at the ticket office. By car, along via del Mare or the Ostiense to viale dei Romagnoli, 717; there is an unattended car park from 7:30 to 19:30.

What you need to know

You cannot eat or picnic inside: there is a café and drinks machines. Dogs are allowed on a lead. From mid-December to the end of March the mosaics are covered to protect them. There is a wheelchair-accessible path from the ticket office to the museum.