Ostia Beach – a beautiful sandy beach near Rome
Even though Rome has more than one beach, Ostia beach is the closest one and the easiest to get to because of the Ostia Lido train that connects one to the other.
Once your there, you can choose to which “beach establishment” you would like to go to. Some are more famous than others because they might have a restaurant with excellent fish food or because they organize disco dancing with live music in the evening. Some of the more famous one’s are Spiaggetta, Shilling and the Faber beach.
In Ostia the beaches are sandy. It is more a darker sand because it contains sulfur which by the way is very healthy! Some beach establishments charge an entrance fee for the day or you can rent an umbrella or long chair – these beach long chairs have sort of a hood placed on top of your head to protect your face from the sun. You can choose to put it up or down! The prices range from Euro 6-10 for a long chair.
Changing rooms and bathrooms are free of charge. Showers are available too but they usually charge a small fee like Euro 1.00 and you get a token for the hot water which will last for a couple of minutes. All places have at least a cafeteria or a restaurant; you don’t have to bring your own food and drinks because everything is available on the spot. If you have smaller kids, some establishments have really nice playgrounds, so have a look or ask!
Ostia even has free beaches but of course they’re not so clean and you wouldn’t have any facilities such as bathrooms or showers. Plus, many times it wouldn’t have a life guard…
During the summer months and especially on Sundays it can be that the chairs and umbrellas will be sold out if you come too late in the day. If your establishment has a restaurant, make reservations for lunch as soon as you get there. Some locals will just come to eat even If they weren’t on the beach.
After a day at the beach you can visit the new Port of Ostia which is down at the end where the establishments stop. This place is full of restaurants, ice-cream parlors and shops! During summer time on the weekends they always have something going on in the evening!
How to get there: take the Metro (Line B) to the Piramide stop, from there take the Ostia-Lido train. Departures are about every 15 minutes during the week and every 30 minutes during Sunday and public holidays. Get off at the Ostia Lido centro stop or Ostia Stella Polare stop.
By Boat: you can also take the romantic way; make reservations at the info point located near the Tevere river, in front of Castel Sant' Angelo and catch a boat that will take you straight to Ostia.