The Harbor City of Ostia

Rome is all about ancient ruins, restaurants, museums, monuments, monasteries, colosseums, and churches – it’s not so much about beaches. So if you’re looking for a beach in Rome, you probably won’t find one. Your best bet is to take a day trip to a surrounding harbor town. The nearest beach to Rome is about a 35-minute train ride away in the harbor town of Ostia. Because it’s the closest beach to Rome, Lido di Ostia Beach is always packed with locals looking for a quick getaway on the weekends and tourists looking to do some sunbathing during their stay. In addition to Lido di Ostia Beach, which is considered a “somewhat clean” beach (ouch!), the harbor town is also home to many ancient ruins as well, and it also has a vibrant nightlife scene and outstanding seafood restaurants. Getting to Ostia is easy via the Roma-Ostia-Lido “trenino” (little train). It’s part of Rome’s metro system. The city's Metro system (www.metroroma.it) has two lines, A (red) and B (blue). Take the Metro to the station “Piramide” (line B), turn left and you will be at the “trenino” station. The Metro runs about every 7-10 minutes, from 5:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. everyday, except Saturday when it runs until 12:30 a.m.