How to Spend a Day in Rome (From Civitavecchia Cruise Port)

Rome is similar to Florence when it comes to cruising in the sense that both ports are over an hour drive to the actual city. Sigh. I hate that, but what are you going to do about it? Stay on the ship? Absolutely not. You're not in Rome every day, so it's time to get out there, see the major sites, and eat (more like devour) as much Italian food as you can. Here is how we made the most of our port day in Rome (Civitavecchia) aboard NCL.

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First off: Let's get to Rome from Civitavecchia. There are multiple ways to do this, depending on your budget. You could take a train on your own, take a transfer through Viator, book a shore excursion through your cruise line, or the most expensive option is a private transfer. We decided to go ahead and book the "Rome on your own" excursion through our cruise line because we had a credit. If we didn't, I would have probably picked the Viator option just because it's more affordable and we had a good experience with Viator getting to Florence from Livorno (you can read more about that here)

We left the cruise ship at 8am and were dropped off at Piazza del Popolo in Rome a little after 9am. We were told to meet back at the bus at 2:45pm to head back to the ship, giving us almost 6hr of free time to explore. We hit the ground running to make the most of our time in the Italian capital.

Trevi Fountain (20 min walk)

Up first, the Trevi Fountain. Although it's overcrowded, it's beautiful and one of those 'must visit' places when in Rome. Don't forget to make a wish as you throw a coin in behind your back for good luck and to ensure you'll find your way back to Rome one day. Who knows? Maybe you'll run into a handsome Italian man who will mistake you for Isabella and you'll live out your wild fantasys in Rome

Pantheon (9 min walk)

From here, we headed to one of the most well preserved Roman monuments, the Pantheon. If you're looking to enter, note that you have to have a ticket now (I recommend a skip the line ticket) and need to cover your shoulders. It is a temple after all. We had both been in before, so we decided to just check it out from the outside.

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Piazza Navona (5 min walk)

Piazza Navona is a big square in Rome full of fountains and surrounded by shops and restaurants. It is the poppin' place. They were unfortunately working on the fountains when we were there, so they were covered up by massive fences and sheets, but it is still worth checking out

Eat Lunch at Osteria da Fortunata (1 min walk)

I found this restaurant on Tiktok of all places and everyone raved about it, so of course I had to check it out for myself and it didn't disappoint. This one has become touristy due to going viral on social media so it is a little pricier, but it is still that delicious Italian food everyone wants to find when in Rome. They even have people hand cutting and rolling the pasta in the window! It opened at 12pm and there was already a line across the street, so definitely get there right before they open because it is small. We had a caprese app with bread and olive oil and then we each got a pasta as our main dish. The Pasta Carbonara was out of this world!

Colosseum and Roman Forum (25 min walk)

What's a trip to Rome without visiting the Colosseum?! This iconic landmark speaks for itself. If you do plan on going in and doing a tour, it'll probably take a bulk of your port day, but depending how much of a history lover you are, or what you prioritize, it may be worth it to you. This guided tour has multiple start times,lasts about 3 hours, and includes the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.

Spanish Steps (30 min walk)

We headed towards the Spanish steps, which is surrounded by a huge shopping and restaurant area. They have eveything from Louis Vuitton to McDonalds. We just window shopped (help me I'm poor), but it's fun to see the latest and greatest marketing campaigns. Lastly, we headed back to Piazza del Popolo to meet the bus and head back to the ship. (10 min walk)

Here is what our day looked like in map form:

You can check out other things to do in Rome here

Read about getting to Florence from the Livorno cruise port here