Ostia Antica tour from Rome: Half-day ruins walk with guide

Walk the main street of a Roman port city frozen in time

A half-day morning tour from Rome to Ostia Antica, the archaeological site of Imperial Rome's historic port at the mouth of the Tiber River, with a local guide and hotel pickup. You follow Via delle Tombe to the Porta Romana gate, then walk the Decumanus Maximus, the main thoroughfare, past the Terme di Nettuno's black and white mosaics, Agrippa's theatre, the Forum's public buildings, and the House of Diana. The tour ends at a museum displaying sculptures unearthed on site.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Ancient Ostia Antica ruins

• Meet at the designated meeting point
• Travel to Ostia Antica
• Enter through Porta Romana gate
• Walk along Decumanus Maximus street
• Visit Terme di Nettuno mosaics
• See the theatre built by Agrippa
• Explore the Forum and public buildings
• Discover House of Diana and Thermopolium
• Visit museum with ancient sculptures

The experience

Thirty minutes from Rome, Ostia Antica sits where the Tiber meets the sea. The site is compact, shaded and arranged so you can walk it in a single morning without backtracking. Your guide meets you at the coach and speaks English, Spanish or Italian, and earphones let you hear clearly as the group moves through the ruins. The coach holds up to 50 people, so you're never alone, but the site itself is spacious enough that you don't feel crowded.

The walk starts at Via delle Tombe and enters through the Porta Romana, one of three city gates. From there the Decumanus Maximus, the main street, cuts straight across the ancient city. You'll see the Terme di Nettuno with its Neptune and Amphitrite mosaics in black and white, the theatre built by Agrippa, and the Forum at the center where the city's public life happened. The Capitolium temple, the Basilica and the thermal baths all stand near the Forum. Your guide explains what daily life looked like here before the Barbarian invasions abandoned the port, and how 14th-century excavations brought the city back into view. Near the Forum you'll find the House of Diana and the Thermopolium: an ancient Roman bar with a marble counter and a fresco showing the fruit and food that were sold there. A museum at the end of Via dei Dipinti holds sculptures found during the digs.

The tour runs four hours total, including the 30-minute coach ride each way. You travel in an air-conditioned coach and get earphones so you don't strain to hear the guide over the group. The minimum group size is six people, so departures are guaranteed once that threshold is met.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned coach transport from Rome.
• local guide in English, Spanish or Italian.
• earphones for hearing the guide.
• entry to Ostia Antica archaeological site.

Before you book

Lasts 4h, from € 165 per person, with a live guide in English, Spanish and Italian and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesNext departure: 14 May 2027

Book up to8h before

AgesAdult (8 and older) · Child (3 to 7 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 25 · max 9 per booking

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and Italian

Audio guideEnglish, Spanish and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Greenline Tours

Is this one for you?The coach departs from a Rome meeting point and handles all transport, so you don't need a car or need to navigate to the site yourself. The 30-minute drive and four-hour total time fit easily into a morning or early afternoon without eating into the rest of your day in the city.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 7 years); Infant (under 3): free.

How do I get from Rome to Ostia Antica on this tour?

You're picked up at a meeting point in Rome and travel by air-conditioned coach. The drive takes 30 minutes to reach Ostia Antica at the mouth of the Tiber River.

What is the Decumanus Maximus?

The Decumanus Maximus is the main thoroughfare of ancient Ostia, running northeast to southwest across the city. Your guide walks you along it from the Porta Romana gate through the heart of the ruins.

What mosaics will I see at Ostia Antica?

The Terme di Nettuno displays beautiful black and white mosaics representing Neptune and Amphitrite, the sea god and his wife.

What is the Thermopolium?

The Thermopolium is an ancient Roman bar near the Forum with a marble counter and a fresco depicting the fruit and foodstuffs that were sold there in antiquity.