Civitavecchia Cruise Port Disabled Access by John Sage

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Civitavecchia Cruise Port Disabled Access

The journey from Civitavecchia to Rome with a disability by public transportation is complicated but doable for many disabled travelers.

The biggest Civitavecchia disabled access obstacles are that there are no wheelchair ramps on the two buses you need to take in Civitavecchia, you have to reserve assistance at the two train stations 24 hours in advance, the taxis waiting at the train stations won’t have wheelchair ramps, and there are severe cobblestones between many of the tourist sights in Rome.

If you want to take public transportation to get into Rome, you MUST provide advanced notification to Trenitalia if you need assistance. This will ensure that you get:
1) The wheelchair lift at Civitavecchia train station
2) The wheelchair lift at Rome Termini train station
3) A spot in the train car with an accessible bathroom
4) The transportation from the distant train platform at Termini station to the exit, and
5) A train platform at Civitavecchia that does not require walking through a tunnel underneath the tracks

Sage Travel Tip: If you’ve already been to Rome, the train from Civitavecchia
can save you some money. If you only have 1 day in Rome,
hiring a private driver will allow you to make the most of your time.

I gave the Civitavecchia cruise port a 3 Star Sage Accessibility Rating because disabled cruise passengers can reach the tourist sites with minimal assistance. The reason Civitavecchia disabled access did not get a higher rating is that the port shuttle does not have a wheelchair ramp, so slow walkers will need to step into the bus and wheelchair users will need to be lifted in.

Choose from 8 accessible shore excursions in Rome

Civitavecchia cruise port accessibility is not as good as other places such as the Naples cruise port, the Monaco cruise port, and the Barcelona cruise port.

Disabled Access inside the Civitavecchia Port

Disembarking your cruise in Civitavecchia presents no accessibility challenges on most cruise ships. Your cruise ship should have a ramp at the exit.

The Civitavecchia cruise dock is extremely long! If you are unable to get up the step into the port shuttle bus, you may end up rolling 3 km just to get to the port entrance….not a fun way to start a long day in Rome! The cruise ships will dock at some point along the long dock. The 2.75 km long port dock is shown in the map below.

Civitavecchia Disabled Access Map

When you get off your ship, you will see many private tour guides waiting for their tour participants. If you book a wheelchair accessible Rome excursion, this is where the tour guide and driver will meet you.

Almost all of the shuttles to reach the port entrance have multiple steps to get into them.

One shuttle is a low-floor bus but it does not have a wheelchair ramp installed. The height from the pavement to the bus floor is larger than a typical curb.

The shuttle will take you past the security gate and past the Fort Michelangelo.

When you disembark the bus, it will pull up to a curb which makes for a flatter transfer than when you got on.

Follow the crowds and go up the wheelchair ramp to the Civitavechia disable access exit of the port.

When you exit the port, turn right towards the train station.

Accessibility between the Civitavecchia Port and the Civitavecchia Train Station

From the port exit where the shuttle drops you off, the Civitavecchia train station is 600 meters away.

There is a bus that you can get on at the port entrance and get off at the next stop which is the train station. The bus is low-floor but does not have a wheelchair ramp installed.

Alternatively, walking from the port to the train station is 600 meters. When you leave the port entrance, turn right so that the sea is on your right. Follow the smooth flat pavement.

The first 350 meters of the route from the port entrance to the train staiton is flat. The flat portion of the route is shown in the map below.

After seeing the huge statue of the famous WWII photo, turn left when you see a road heading slightly uphill (near the trees shown in the photo on the right).

The street heading up to the train station has 4 star flatness. The street is paved (and uncrowded) and the sidewalk has cobblestones.

The last 250 meters of the route is along a street with a slight hill (4 Star Sage Flatness Rating). The uphill portion of the route is shown in the map below:

Aerial image of the sloped street leading to the train station:

Disabled Access at Civitavecchia Train Station

There is a ramp at the entrance of the Civitavecchia train station.

If you have not already purchased your train ticket, you can buy it from the Fast Ticket electronic ticket machine to avoid the long lines at the ticket counter (Note – you need to reserve wheelchair assistance to get onto the train at least 24 hours in advance).

There is a flat exit to the train platform.

There is a ramp to go across the train tracks (and avoid the tunnel underneath them that has stairs) but access to it is “strictly forbidden”. Don’t worry….the train to Rome will depart the nearest track if you have made reservations in advance.

The photos below show the stairs to the other train platforms. There are no elevators at the other platforms.

Your train to Civitavecchia will most likely be crowed. It will be very busy with commuters and tourists going from Civitavecchia to Rome in the morning and in the opposite direction in the afternoon.

The train staff at the Civitivecchia station can bring a handicapped lift if you need it.

Some trains are more modern with a space for wheelchair and a wheelchair accessible bathroom. On the ride to Rome, I had to stay in the luggage area where the bicycle riders stay.

Rome Termini Station Wheelchair Access

The trains from Civitavecchia arrive at the furthest train platform from the train station exit. The route from that train platform to the Sale Blu (disabled passengers) office is 850 meters and is shown in the map below.

If you have made reservations in advance, someone will meet you at the train with a wheelchair accessible lift.

The driver will bring bring a wheelchair passenger + one other traveler to the Sale Blu office which is near one of the train station exits. This is where our tour guide will meet you if you have booked an accessible Rome cruise excursion by train.

The train station exit near the Sale Blu office is flat (no stairs).

Sage Travel Tip: If you have taken the train from Civitavecchia into Rome,
you will probably need to concentrate on the Vatican OR the central Rome sites.
You probably won’t have time to see both areas.

Getting back to Civitavecchia

Buses and taxis will drop you off in front of the Termini train station. Go through the train station lobby with stores and towards the train platforms. Turn left to go to Sala Blu and meet your assistance to get onto the train.

The Civitavecchia train station has a large gap from train to the platform. Modern trains are lower and provide almost level access.

To summarize, a day visiting rome by public transportation will involve:
1) shuttle bus inside the Civitavecchia cruise port (no wheelchair ramp)
2) public bus (no wheelchair ramp) or walking/rolling 600 meters from port to train station
3) showing up 30 minutes before your train departs
4) finding assistance onto the train that you have reserved at least 24 hours in advance
5) 1 hour to 1.5 hour train ride to Rome’s Termini station
6) taxi (no wheelchair ramp) or bus with wheelchair ramp to Centro Storico or Vatican
7) several hours visiting the tourist sights (see Getting Around Rome in a Wheelchair)
8) taxi or bus back to Rome Termini
9) showing up 30 minutes before your train departs
10) assistance onto the train that you have reserved at least 24 hours in advance
11) 1 hour to 1.5 hour train ride to Civitavecchia station
12) taxi (no wheelchair ramp) to ship or 2 buses (no wheelchair ramp)

The whole journey by public transportation including waiting time will take about 4 hours. Although it takes a good bit of your day, traveling to Rome by public transportation is doable for disabled cruise passengers!

Choose from 8 accessible shore excursions in Rome

View 8 accessible shore excursions in Rome

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