Bebe Voyage Logo
  • Join Now!
  • Community
    • Coronavirus
    • Foodie Kids
    • Globetrotting parents
    • Mompreneur Series
    • News
    • About
      • Contact
  • Advice
    • Vacation Rental Directories
      • Plum guide Directory
      • VRBO Directory
    • Baby Passport Photo
    • Travel Health and Medical Advice
    • Planning A Trip With A Baby
    • Family Travel Photography
    • Budget
    • Flying with a Baby
    • Baby Jetlag
    • Entertaining Baby on Board
    • Hotel review
    • Travel & Packing Hacks
    • Responsible Travel with Kids
    • Big Adventures w/Little Ones
    • Raising global citizens
    • Staying Zen While traveling with Kids
  • Destinations
    • Vacation rental directories
      • Plum guide Directory
      • VRBO Directory
    • Family Road Trips
    • Train travel
    • Americas
      • California
      • Caribbean
      • Chicago
      • Florida and SE US
      • Hawaii
      • New York and the East Coast
      • Pacific Northwest
      • Latin America
      • Western USA
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Germany & Central Europe
      • Greece and the Balkans
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • London & the UK
      • Paris
      • Reykjavik
      • Spain and Portugal
      • Stockholm
      • The Netherlands
    • Asia
      • Southeast Asia
      • Sydney
      • Tokyo
    • Middle East & Africa
      • Middle East
      • Southern Africa
  • Gear
    • Baby Carriers
    • Car seats
    • Compact Travel Strollers
    • Cribs and toddler beds
    • Fly beds
    • Food and feeding gear
    • Luggage
    • Travel accessories
    • Travel Apparel
    • Travel Services
    • Travel Toys & Entertainment
  • Shop
    • Guides and Itineraries
    • Favorite Brands
    • Travel gifts
    • Family Travel Books

    Shopping Cart

    No products in the cart.

    Sign in Sign up
    • Join Now!
    • Community
      • Coronavirus
      • Foodie Kids
      • Globetrotting parents
      • Mompreneur Series
      • News
      • About
        • Contact
    • Advice
      • Vacation Rental Directories
        • Plum guide Directory
        • VRBO Directory
      • Baby Passport Photo
      • Travel Health and Medical Advice
      • Planning A Trip With A Baby
      • Family Travel Photography
      • Budget
      • Flying with a Baby
      • Baby Jetlag
      • Entertaining Baby on Board
      • Hotel review
      • Travel & Packing Hacks
      • Responsible Travel with Kids
      • Big Adventures w/Little Ones
      • Raising global citizens
      • Staying Zen While traveling with Kids
    • Destinations
      • Vacation rental directories
        • Plum guide Directory
        • VRBO Directory
      • Family Road Trips
      • Train travel
      • Americas
        • California
        • Caribbean
        • Chicago
        • Florida and SE US
        • Hawaii
        • New York and the East Coast
        • Pacific Northwest
        • Latin America
        • Western USA
      • Europe
        • Belgium
        • Germany & Central Europe
        • Greece and the Balkans
        • Ireland
        • Italy
        • London & the UK
        • Paris
        • Reykjavik
        • Spain and Portugal
        • Stockholm
        • The Netherlands
      • Asia
        • Southeast Asia
        • Sydney
        • Tokyo
      • Middle East & Africa
        • Middle East
        • Southern Africa
    • Gear
      • Baby Carriers
      • Car seats
      • Compact Travel Strollers
      • Cribs and toddler beds
      • Fly beds
      • Food and feeding gear
      • Luggage
      • Travel accessories
      • Travel Apparel
      • Travel Services
      • Travel Toys & Entertainment
    • Shop
      • Guides and Itineraries
      • Favorite Brands
      • Travel gifts
      • Family Travel Books
    Custom Products > Day Trip from Rome: A Kid-Friendly Alternative to Pompeii, Ostia Antica

    Day Trip from Rome: A Kid-Friendly Alternative to Pompeii, Ostia Antica

    • By Jana
    • November 27, 2019
    • Reading Time: 5 minutes
    • Please note that the article may contain affiliate links. Bébé Voyage may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
    • No Comments
    baby walking alone in Ostia Antica

    Many people are unaware that just a 25-minute train ride away from Rome lies the magnificently preserved and kid-friendly Roman town of Ostia Antica (Ancient Ostia). This archeological park is lesser-known than Pompeii, but its ancient buildings, magnificent frescos, and impressive mosaics have been excellently preserved. If you will be staying in Rome, this is an easier day trip than the two-plus hours trip down to Pompeii. Its trees provide shade (something Pompeii is lacking), and the lack of tourists make it an enjoyable visit with kids. 

    baby walking alone in Ostia AnticaHistory of Ostia Antica

    Two-thousand years ago, Ostia Antica once was Rome’s thriving seaport with residents in the hundreds of thousands.  It was a bustling port city with docks, warehouses, apartments, mansions, inns, taverns, shopping centers, a large theater, and many public baths. When the Roman Empire fell, the port was slowly abandoned due to repeated invasions, sackings by pirates and malaria. Over time, mud buried the city, protecting its buildings and treasures so they can still be viewed today.

    How to get to Ostia Antica

    It is easy to use public transportation to get to Ostia Antica. At a metro station, purchase a one-way ticket (BIT) for unlimited transfers between the metro, buses, and trains. Take the metro line B and get off at Porta San Paolo (Piramide Station). From here, you can transfer to the local “Roma Lido” commuter train to Ostia Antica. 

     

    The Ostia Antica train station is across the street from the archeological park. Follow the signs to the entrance, about a 5-minute walk. 

    Tips for Visiting with Kids

    Before:

    • Wear comfortable shoes (No Flip Flops). I think this goes without saying when visiting Rome.  Ostia Antica is a large site with a lot of walking on areas of uneven, bumpy roads. 
    • Don’t bring a stroller. The ancient Roman roads were not built for strollers and would make for a very uncomfortable ride.  For young ones, consider a baby carrier. 

    Mom with kid in Ostia AnticaWe visited with our daughter when she was one year old. The wide-open spaces and lack of crowds made it the perfect place for her to roam around unrestrained. 

    • Consider a guide, audio guide, or purchase a guide book at the bookshop. Having access to information about the site will help make the town come alive with the stories of how the ancient Romans lived. 

    While You’re There

    We choose to purchase a small guide book for 6 Euros in the bookshop. It had rendering overlays of how the city would have looked over photos of how they look now, plus information about the important sites. Since we were visiting with a one-year-old, we preferred to take it slow at our own pace rather than with a guide, and we still have the book to enjoy today. Our daughter was a little too young at the time to appreciate the book, but older children would enjoy seeing how the renderings of Ostia Antica compare to how it looks today.

    • Bring snacks and water. There is a lovely café in the middle of the site, but the site is pretty large. If you have the type of child who gets “hangry,” you may want to consider having something to eat on hand in case you are not near the café. 
    • Wear hats & sunscreen. While there is some tree cover, it still is a massive site and you are exposed to the elements. So, come prepared.

    Ostia Antica Highlights

    Ostia Antica’s main street cuts right through the city called the Decumanus Maximus. Along this street, there are ancient houses and shops and other structures that still stand from the once-thriving city. Walking down this ancient Roman street, you can imagine what it might have been like to live during those times. Some highlights to help kids imagine what it was like to live in Ostia Antica include:

    • Baths of Neptune

      • Since most people living in Ostia would not have had a bathroom in their home, residents had the option to use one of the twenty bath establishments existing in Ostia. The Bath of Neptune was one of these locations, where the citizens went to take a bath and socialize.  There were basins for cold water, warm water, and hot water. The baths were heated by a Roman system called hypocaust that circulated hot air from wood-burning furnaces under the floors.
    • The Theater

      • Built to hold 4,000 spectators, this typical “Roman” theater was the site of traditional tragedies, comedies and parodies, and in the 4th century even water games (tetimimi).
    • Piazzale delle Corporazioni.

    The “Forum of Corporations” was the center of commerce and trade for the Roman Empire during the Age of Augustus. Merchants gathered here to sell and trade goods such as grains, shipping services, and exotic animals such as elephants and giraffes for gladiator battles. The mosaics in front of each stall signified the owner’s occupation. It’s a fun game to guess what the merchant’s trade may have been from looking at the mosaics. 

    • House of Diana
          • A multi-level structure once made up of rented apartments once stood four stories tall, it housed families and was an apartment building in its time. The lower floors were reserved for the middle-class families; the higher floors were for the less well-to-do and servants. The upper class lived in single-unit homes throughout the city.Ostia Antica from above

         

    • Caseggiato of the Thermopolium

      • An ancient Roman tavern were the merchants, craftsmen, laborers, and harbor workers would meet to purchase beverages and food. You can still make out the sales counter with its marble slabs. You can still even see a painting that shows the foods available for guests to purchase: eggs in brine, grapes, olives, and a hot turnip. 
    • Public Latrine

      • What kid wouldn’t be fascinated by a room with twenty seats, connected to basins and water channels, that once served as the public restroom? No private stalls here! 

    mom walking with baby through Ostia AnticaVisiting Details

    The archeological park opens every day at 8:30 am except for Mondays when it is closed. Check the website for closing times as it varies from 4:30 to 7:15 pm throughout the year. 

    The price for adults is 8 Euros. It is free for anyone under the age of 18. 

    About the Author

    Jana is the owner of  www.mypiccoloitaliano.com. My Piccolo Italiano is a blog dedicated to exploring Italian travel and culture with kids! Follow her Instagram @mypiccoloitaliano, and Facebook accounts for inspiration, tips, and information on traveling to Italy with kids.

    • baby, book, carrier, cold, Elephants, Facebook, food, free, highlights, home, italy, kid-friendly, kids, Ostia Antica, park, pompeii, rome, stroller, train, travel, traveling, Trip, visiting, walk
    Facebook
    Twitter
    LinkedIn
    Pinterest
    Jana

    Jana

    All Posts »
    Become a member
    PrevPreviousGo Happy Kids Travel Tray Product Review
    NextEco-Friendly Gifts for the Whole FamilyNext

    Responses

    Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    About Author

    Jana

    Follow Bebe Voyage

    JOIN THE CLUB

    DISCOVER ALL THE BENEFITS OF OUR MULTIPLE LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP
    sIGN UP NOW
    Cool

    Recent Posts

    • Baby Friendly Beaches Around the World

    • Travel Making a Comeback and More…

    • Christmas in London with Kids

    • Christmas in Paris with Kids

    • Travel Essentials for a European Trip…

    Login

     
     
    Forgot Password

    Register

    Who’s Online

    Online 0
    There are no users currently online
    Info
    • Contact
    • About
    • Media Appearances
    Menu
    • Contact
    • About
    • Media Appearances
    Blog
    Connect with Bébé Voyage
    Facebook-square Instagram Pinterest Twitter At
    BACK TO TOP
    © COPYRIGHT BEBE VOYAGE, LLC 2021
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Service
    • Terms & Conditions

    Get the Ulimate
    Family packing List

    Includes just about every type of trip we could think of, various ages, and links to the best travel products we could find.