Are you planning to visit Rome this summer? Don’t worry about being in the busy warm city the whole time, instead beat the heat by traveling to Rome’s beaches! You may have heard the common myth that there are no easily accessible beaches near Rome, but this is indeed a pure myth! Rome is surrounded by beaches that are just a short train ride away, or an even shorter car ride away if you’re planning to rent a car during your holiday. There are plenty of beaches close to Rome for you to choose from and here are our top 3 beaches in Rome that we choose to visit on the weekends.
Lido di Ostia Beach | Close to Rome
Ostia beach is possibly the easiest beach to reach by public transportation from Rome as il Lido di Ostia is a very popular spot for tourists and locals alike. It is great for a quick day trip should you not have much time you can actually spend at the beach if you have other plans that day. As this is a very popular beach, there are plenty of amenities that you may need making it extremely easy to go to if you’re visiting Italy. There are a range of restaurants and small shops where you can pick up any sun cream or towels that you may need, there’s even some lovely bars where you can pick up an aperol spritz to enjoy on the beach! In the summer season this long stretch of beach gets split into two areas; the free area and the Stabilimenti Balneari area. The Stabilimenti Balneari area are what Italians call ‘private beaches’, or better those beaches where you pay an entrance fee – usually 5 euros or so – and you can enjoy the beach alongside several amenities, like snack bars, showers, toilets, changing rooms, that they have connected to the beach.
How to Get to Ostia Beach | Public Transport routes
If you don’t plan to rent a car while you’re in Rome, taking public transit to Ostia beach is extremely easy! Depending on what your departure point is, the trip could take from just an hour to two hours, so I would recommend, if possible, getting to the departure point that has the quickest route and going from there. The easiest way to travel to the beach is by taking the metro line B (Laurentina) to Basilica San Paolo or EUR Magliana and then take a short 1 minute walk to the train station. From the train stations you will take the train to Cristoforo Colombo (Regional Line) which should take around 30-40 minutes depending on your train.
Santa Severa Beach | Castle on the Beach
If you’re looking to mix history & relaxing in one trip, this is the beach in Rome that you need to visit. Santa Severa, named after its homonymous martyr, is believed to have been an ancient Roman port under the name of Pyrgi, whose tower stood tall and uninterruptedly inhabited between the 7th century BC and the 5th century AD. The tower then expanded and a castle was erected in the 10th century AD, which now – after many years of closure – will be open to visitors between April 25th and September 25th. The beaches near the castle are a bit more remote with mostly locals visiting the beach, so you won’t find the same amount of amenities and stabilimenti you might find in Ostia, but you can still find some restaurants and bars. Our top tip is that you make sure to bring a towel, sun cream and some snacks with you.
How to Get to Santa Severa Beach | Public transport routes
Traveling from Rome to Santa Severa beach is extremely easy by public transport although you should be prepared to walk at least 10-15 minutes from the train station to the beach. The easiest way to travel to this beach is by starting your journey at Termini train station (Rome’s main train station), here you can buy a return regional train ticket from Rome to Santa Severa (Direction Civitavecchia) which will take around 1 hour.
Top tips:
Make sure to buy a return ticket as there is no ticket machine in Santa Severa for you to buy your ticket.
Be sure to give yourself enough time in Termini train station as it can take a while to purchase your ticket and to walk to the platform as the train is normally located on one of the furthest away trains which can take around 5-10 minutes to walk to. Once you’ve reaches Santa Severa train station, you will have to walk around 10-15 minutes from the train station to the beach.
Santa Marinella Beach | Gorgeous sandy beach
Santa Marinella beach is located just a little further north than Santa Severa. This beach has a mix of both rocky areas as well as some gorgeous sandy parts. As this beach is extremely easy to get to, there are many amenities around the beach where you can pick up some food or drinks. This beach is similar to Ostia beach whereby it is split up into two sections; one free area and one area that you have to pay for. It should be said though that the free area is normally quite small therefore you have to get there early to get your spot on the beach. The Stabilimenti Balneari area is where you can choose a sunbed and umbrellas for around €10 euros and then you will get access to the private bathrooms, showers & changing rooms.
How to get to Santa Marinella beach | Public transport routes
Getting to Santa Marinella is similar to Santa Severa Beach. The easiest way to travel to this beach is by starting your journey at Termini train station (Rome’s main train station), here you can buy a return regional train ticket from Rome to Santa Marinella (Direction Civitavecchia) which will take around 1 hour an 15 minutes. Once you arrive at the train station it is a 5 minute walk to the beach.
Top Tips:
When you arrive at Santa Marinella train station, we recommend that you buy your return train ticket as there is only one ticket machine, therefore, it gets very busy with everyone buying their tickets in the evening.
If you’re planning to spend the day visiting Santa Marinella beach, we recommend that you visit one of our favorite seafood restaurants, Molo 21, Lungomare Marconi 21, Santa Marinella.