verified 3 November 2026

Ostia Antica (2026): €18 Tickets, Hours, the €1.50 Train from Rome and What to See (2026)

Ostia Antica, ancient Rome's port and one of the best-preserved Roman towns anywhere, half a day from the city: the €18 ticket valid eight days, the Monday closing, the Metromare train on a €1.50 ATAC ticket, what to see, how long to allow and the site rules.

Conrad Ru
By · Founder of TourliVerified November 2026

I travel, research, and write every Tourli guide myself.

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── ostia antica · tickets and tips

Ostia Antica Ancient Rome's port, half a day from the city

Ostia was ancient Rome's port at the mouth of the Tiber; its name comes from ostium, Latin for 'river mouth'. Tradition says King Ancus Marcius founded it in 620 BC to work the salt pans, though the oldest remains found so far are a fortified camp from the second half of the 4th century BC. By the 2nd century AD it was a busy commercial town of perhaps 50,000 people. Today it's one of the best-preserved Roman towns anywhere, and far quieter than the Roman Forum.

The ticket costs €18 and is valid for eight days at all the park's sites. The park is closed on Mondays, and the train from central Rome costs €1.50 on an ordinary ATAC ticket. It's the first stop in our guide to day trips from Rome, alongside Tivoli and Orvieto. For the city itself, see things to do in Rome.

Ostia Antica (excavations and Museo Ostiense)

The short version. Take the Metromare from Porta San Paolo on a €1.50 BIT ticket, buy the €18 ticket at the gate or online, and allow at least three hours on site. Don't come on a Monday. In winter, aim to be at the gate by about 1pm: the ticket office closes at 3.30pm and the site at 4.30pm, and you'll want the daylight.

What you see. Ostia was walled by the end of the Republic, entered by gates now called Porta Romana, Porta Laurentina and Porta Marina, with cemeteries outside along the roads. Most of what stands is from its 2nd-century peak: the Forum, the Capitolium (the town's main temple), public baths, horrea (grain warehouses), scholae (the seats of trade associations) and insulae, big rented apartment blocks. Walk the Decumanus Maximus, the main street, past the Macellum (the market), to the theatre and the Piazzale delle Corporazioni in front of it, then wander the side streets, such as Via dei Misuratori del Grano, towards the Casa di Diana.

The Museo Ostiense, inside the site, tells the story of daily life in the Roman town in a new display. It keeps shorter hours than the excavations (in winter, 10.30am to 3.30pm with last entry at 3pm) and is always closed on the first Sunday of the month and the Ministry's other free days.

Why the river is in the wrong place. Before the great flood of 1557, the Tiber ran along the north side of the town and the sea was closer. As trade moved to the nearby imperial harbours of Claudius and Trajan from the mid-3rd century, Ostia declined, and by the mid-6th century it was abandoned.

attraction · Ostia (day trip)
Ostia Antica (excavations and Museo Ostiense)
4.7 Google (10,536) Half a day
Viale dei Romagnoli, 717, 00119 Roma RM, Italy
Price: €18 integrated ticket, valid eight consecutive calendar days at all the park's sites; €2 for EU citizens aged 18-25. Audio guide €7 (long) or €5 (short); kids' audio guide €5. Free on the first Sunday of the month. Hours: Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays from 8.30am; closes 4.30pm from 25 October to the end of February (last entry 3.30pm). Closed Mondays and 25 December. The Museo Ostiense opens 10.30am in winter (last entry 3pm) and is closed on free days.
Access: The service road from the ticket office to the Museo Ostiense is wheelchair-accessible, passing the Piazzale delle Corporazioni opposite the theatre; the museum has a ramp. Cars with a disabled badge can use the inner car park, from which a route runs along the Tiber to the Capitolium.
Tip

Pay cash or card at the ticket office, or buy online or in the Musei Italiani app. Picnics aren't allowed inside, but there's a café, the Cafè degli Scavi. Wear comfortable shoes. Train: Metromare to Ostia Antica station.

Book Google Maps Website Verified Nov 2026

Castle of Julius II (Castello di Giulio II)

The Castle of Julius II is the Renaissance fortress in the small borgo (village) of Ostia Antica, a separate site of the same archaeological park. Your €18 ticket covers it for eight days, so if it's open on the day, it's an easy add-on before or after the excavations. The park's other sites, the imperial harbours of Claudius and Trajan, the Museo delle Navi and the Isola Sacra necropolis, are near Fiumicino and need transport; the belvedere over Trajan's lake is temporarily closed.

landmark · Borgo di Ostia Antica
Castle of Julius II (Castello di Giulio II)
4.5 Google (1,242)
Piazza della Rocca, 13, 00119 Ostia Antica RM, Italy
Price: Included in the €18 integrated ticket, which covers all the park's sites for eight days. Free on the first Sunday of the month.
Tip

In the small medieval village (borgo) of Ostia Antica, close to the station. Check its opening days on the park's site before you go.

Google Maps Website Verified Nov 2026
── tickets · 2026

Ostia Antica ticket prices, and who pays less

Full price: €18 for the integrated ticket, valid for eight consecutive calendar days at all the archaeological sites and museums of the park.

Reduced: €2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 25, valid the same eight days. Other free and reduced categories are on the park's concessions page (gratuità, agevolazioni e riduzioni). The park warns that the price can rise during temporary exhibitions.

Where to buy: online through the park's official ticketing (CoopCulture, linked from ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it), in the Musei Italiani app, or at the ticket office, which takes cash and cards. You don't need to book. Groups pay the same prices as individuals.

Audio guides: €7 for the long route or €5 for the short one, in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish; a kids' audio guide (Italian and English) is €5.

── hours · mondays

Opening hours by season, and the Monday closing

The excavations open Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays at 8.30am, and close every Monday and on 25 December. Closing time changes with the season; last entry is an hour before, when the ticket office also closes:

  • 25 October to the end of February: closes 4.30pm.
  • 1 to 31 March: closes 5.15pm.
  • 1 April to 30 September: closes 7pm.
  • 1 to 24 October: closes 6.30pm.

The Museo Ostiense opens Tuesday to Sunday, at 10.30am from 25 October to 31 March and 9.30am from 1 April to 24 October. In winter (to the end of February) last entry is 3pm and it closes at 3.30pm; in March, 3.45pm and 4.15pm; April to September, 5.30pm and 6pm; 1 to 24 October, 5pm and 5.30pm.

For help on the day, the park's information line is 06 39967950.

── free days

Free first Sundays

Every first Sunday of the month is #Domenicalmuseo: entry is free at all the park's sites, each at its own hours, and there's no booking. The next ones are 6 December 2026, 3 January 2027 and 7 February 2027.

The Museo Ostiense is closed on first Sundays and on the Ministry's other free days, 25 April, 2 June and 4 November. For how free days work across Rome, see the best time to visit Rome.

── the train

Getting there: the Metromare train from Piramide

Take the Metromare train, formerly the Roma-Lido line and now run by Cotral, from Porta San Paolo station, next to Piramide on Metro (subway) Line B, to Ostia Antica station. The site entrance on Viale dei Romagnoli is under a kilometre's walk from the station; the medieval borgo and the Castle of Julius II are close to the station too.

The ticket: ATAC's €1.50 BIT is valid for 100 minutes, and ATAC lists the Metromare (urban route) among the trains it covers within Rome; Ostia is inside the city. Validate it at the Roma-Lido turnstiles. Contactless tap&go also works at the Roma-Lido gates.

Evenings: while infrastructure works continue (since 19 August), the last weekday trains from Porta San Paolo and Cristoforo Colombo leave at 9pm, with replacement buses until 11.30pm. That only matters if you stay on to eat in Ostia.

By car: the park has an unattended car park, open 7.30am to 7.30pm. Don't leave valuables in the car.

── on site

Site rules worth knowing

No picnics inside the archaeological area; there's a café and vending machines. Dogs are welcome on a lead, and you must clean up after them. Drones are banned: the site is in Fiumicino airport's no-drone zone. The ground is uneven, so wear comfortable shoes, and in warm months the park asks visitors to wear light colours and skip perfume, because of wasps and hornets.

To price the rest of your trip, see our Rome trip-cost guide, and for a base near the Metro, where to stay in Rome.

More Rome guides

Planning your Rome trip? Save Ostia Antica to a day-by-day plan with Tourli, the app that turns travel guides into actionable itineraries.

── frequently asked

Frequently asked questions.

How much is a ticket to Ostia Antica?
€18 full price for an integrated ticket valid for eight consecutive calendar days at all the park's sites, including the excavations, the Museo Ostiense and the Castle of Julius II. EU citizens aged 18 to 25 pay €2. Audio guides cost €7 (long route) or €5 (short route). Entry is free on the first Sunday of the month.
How do you get to Ostia Antica from Rome?
Take the Metromare train (formerly the Roma-Lido line, now run by Cotral) from Porta San Paolo station, next to Piramide on Metro (subway) Line B, to Ostia Antica station. ATAC's €1.50 BIT ticket is valid on the Metromare within Rome, and Ostia Antica is inside the city. The site entrance is under a kilometre's walk from the station.
Is Ostia Antica open on Mondays?
No. The park is closed every Monday and on 25 December. It's open Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays from 8.30am; from 25 October to the end of February it closes at 4.30pm, with last entry and the ticket office closing at 3.30pm.
How long do you need at Ostia Antica?
Allow at least three hours on site, and half a day with the train each way. The excavations cover a whole Roman town, with streets, apartment blocks, baths, warehouses, a theatre and temples, and the Museo Ostiense inside the site adds more if it's open when you are.
Is Ostia Antica free on the first Sunday of the month?
Yes. Every first Sunday of the month entry is free at all the park's sites, each at its own hours, with no booking. The next one is 6 December 2026. The Museo Ostiense is always closed on the first Sunday and on the Ministry's other free days (25 April, 2 June and 4 November).
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