• Private Tour
• Family Friendly
• Carbon Neutral

The archaeological site of Ostia Antica is a magical place where both children and adults can have an unforgettable experience, learning something more about the habits of citizens.

Destination

Rome, Italy

Category

Art Culture Tours

Duration

3 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Italiano

Included

• Private guide
• Earphones if necessary

Excluded

• Ticket
• food and beverages

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Francesca Romana.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Ostia Antica - Rome to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. start

   I'll be pleased to welcome you at the entrance of the site

4. 3 hours

   We'll start our visit walking through the main street (Decumano). Before the city door we'll see the monumental Necropoli. We'll enter in the city crossing Porta Romana and while walking we'll imagine the life style of this crowded port: we'll see an industrial bakery, the firemen's house, the magnificent Baths and a lot of flat complexes. We'll see also the great amphitheater, still used for concerts and summer events, and we'll finish in the heart of the city: the Forum.

5. stop

   At the end of the visit, you can decide to stop at the cafeteria or to come back to the exit. Before leaving I'll give you directions to come back to Rome or to visti something else in the surroundings

6. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

DOMINIC🇺🇸 United States

8 July 2024

We had amazing tours with Francesca! She put together a terrific set of activities over several days customized to our interests, and was super efficient arranging for a great car and driver each day to simplify everything. It was really hot and the city very crowded, we were jetlagged and one of us were sick, so we are so happy to have been able to hit the main highlights so efficiently. Francesca is very easy going and tailors everything to your interests. She gave a lot of interesting history and stories - but not so much as to be overwhleming. We have used private guides in many cities and she was one of the most fun to hang out with.Great - warm, knowledge and flexible!

Kenneth🇺🇸 United States

30 May 2024

We couldn't have asked for a better experience with Francesca at Ostia Antica! We arrived to Rome on an early morning flight from the US, and Francesca not only helped us figure out the logistics of getting to Ostia Antica from the airport, and then afterwards into Rome, but also provided a perfect morning at the site. She had described Ostia Antica as one of her favorite places to visit, and we couldn't agree more. Francesca had great descriptions of various places and features in Ostia Antica, and was great at providing a lot of context for the site's cultural history and connections to ancient Rome. She was also great at working with the various levels of mobility in our group, and helped us find a spot for one of our group to wait in the shade as the rest of us walked to the Jewish synagogue at the far reaches of the site. It's a huge place, with so much to see, and we could have spent all day with Francesca if she didn't have other obligations and we weren't quite as jet lagged. Thanks, Francesca!Perfect experience with a wonderful guide

evasberg🇦🇺 Australia

31 October 2023

My husband and I arranged to meet Francesca at Ostia Antica for an early Sunday morning 3 hour tour of this fascinating historical site. I had mentioned an area not usually in the tour that we wanted to see and Francesca made sure we saw this too. She is a lovely person, explaining the history and culture of this amazing place with great insights. We can highly recommend Francesca!Excellent tour

David🇺🇸 United States

16 March 2023

Francesca led us on a tour of Ostia Antica. Ostia is a special place and having visited it twice along with Pompeii, I think Ostia is a better experience. It's clean, and very quiet (nowhere near the crowds and orchestrated experience of Pompeii). Pompeii has a few more highlights (the brothel and the plaster casts of the people frozen in place) but Ostia is every bit as complete and possibly larger. That means you may want to do a little research in advance of arriving (you may want to google the Youtube lecture of Yale Prof Kleiner on Ostia and watch it before arriving) The majority of the site is fully accessible with few barriers to access. This is especially great for kids that would like to explore on their own rather than follow a prescribed tour. Our two kids (ages 11 and 13) followed along with Francesca's presentation and had a few questions along the way of what they were seeing. Francesca set the stage at the beginning of the tour by showing us the map of the site and explaining roughly the itinerary we were going to follow. We visited a few bath houses, a public house, a restaurant, the Forum and Theater along with several residences, a bakery and a shop for dying textiles. Francesca could appreciate when the kids were starting to lose focus and switched topics to try to bring them back into focus. We had a very good day with Francesca and would recommend her to anyone interested in leaving the dense tourist center of Rome for something more unspoiled and intimate. Competent, friendly and down to earth

Richard🇵🇹 Portugal

13 November 2022

Francesca actually convinced us to visit Ostia Antica rather than the usual Roman remains, A short train journey from Rome to the coast it was easy to get to and Francesca met us at the gate. It was not as busy as the other sites and Francesca really managed to bring the city to life as we imagined being foreign merchants this trading capital of the Romas Empire. The size is staggering and Francesca took us to see also some out of the way remains , always clearly explaining what we were seeing with planet of background information A memorable day , Thank you FrancescaHidden Gem of Ostia Antica revealed

Donald🇺🇸 United States

22 August 2022

This was a wonderful tour with a wonderful guide who really loves to show you everything there is to see in Ostia. Ostia is a wonderful site where you can see so many interesting things. I was fortunate that it was not super crowded on the day that we went and it was VERY enjoyable! An amazing walk with an amazing guide!

Joseph🇺🇸 United States

24 June 2022

We took a morning tour of Ostia Antica with Francesca Romana as our tour guide. We had a wonderful time. Francesca is very knowledgeable and was able to provide us with a vivid description of what life was like in this port city 2,000 years ago. We explored the ancient warehouses, apartments, baths, stables, etc, etc, etc... So much to see, and Francesca brought it all to life and made our tour both enjoyable and educational. We left with a better understanding of how life was lived during the height of the Roman empire. Our 13yr old son said it was his favorite tour (we had guided tours of coliseum, domus aurea, vatican, baths of caracalla, and ostia antica... and this was his favorite). We toured Pompeii on a previous visit to Rome, and it took ALL DAY. After this tour, I would recommend Ostia Antica over a full day trip to Pompeii. Both places provide insight into ancient life, but Ostia Antica provides much more of a city feel. It's just 30mins away from Rome by commuter train (costing just 1.5 euros to get there), and is not nearly as crowded. Francesca was great, and we were able to spend the early afternoon after the tour in Ostia (ate lunch on the coast) and we were back in Rome by 14:30. Thank you Francesca!!Wonderful and Educational Tour!

Pritha🇨🇭 Switzerland

12 July 2021

Francesca, has a warmth and a certain dynamism to her. Her knowledge and passion for Ostia ANTICA is phenomenal and her enthusiasm was infectious. I highly recommend her!!!Incredible!

Kicki

26 February 2025

Francesca is a great and friendly guide! She is great with children, the treasure hunt was a hit!!! Thank you from GreeceVery niceeeee!!

Sydnie

18 February 2025

My family and I spent the morning touring with Francesca which would become one of our best experiences in Rome. As a family who had visited Rome multiple times, I was pleasantly surprised at the level of professionalism and commitment to our tour. I/we highly recommend Francesca for all things Vatican. Ciao! No regrets

zoe.mohler🇺🇸 United States

18 February 2025

Francesca Romana was INCREDIBLE! Her tour of the Vatican was the highlight of our trip. We learned more in our three hour tour than I thought possible. She is a registered tour guide and it shows - she knows her stuff! When we come back to Roma, booking with Francesca is at the top of our list!The Best of the Best

Avril🇬🇷 Greece

17 January 2025

Francesca is an extremely open, warm, knowledgeable, professional and a humorous person. We were engaged from beginning to end and the time flew by and for all our family very special. If we return to Rome we would definitely seek out Francesca. Thank you so much from us all. Memorable Morning

elizabeth🇺🇸 United States

4 January 2025

My family and I loved spending the day with Francesca touring the Vatican Museums, seeing the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s. Francesca made everything so easy amidst the insane crowds of people - we felt safe and special in her care. She knew exactly how to engage our three 13 year olds with fun challenges and her wonderful knowledge of the art and artists, history and lore. Francesca felt like a friend from the start. I would recommend her as a guide to anyone - she is truly a delight. Amazing Day with Francesca

Eric🇺🇸 United States

2 January 2025

We had a fantastic tour with Francesca. Our 2nd time at the vatican and getting a guided tour was definitely worth it. We learned so much more. Francesca did a wonderful job of engaging with our 10 and 5 yr old daughters to keep them interested in all of the different subjects. They had fun with the treasure hunt and they said they had so much fun. Highly recommend!Our girls love Francesca

Brenda🇨🇦 Canada

24 December 2024

Very knowledgeable. Extremely pleasant, warm and considerate guide. Francesca went above and beyond -- and so we highly recommend her.Outstanding guide

Migel🇺🇸 United States

15 December 2024

Francesca was super knowledgeable had perfect English and most importantly for us, went out of her way to personalize the tour. Unforgettable experience!! Thanks again Francesca. Amazing experience!

Kevin

29 November 2024

Francesca was so knowledgeable. We learned so much. She was kind and patient with us as steps can be a challenge. I would highly recommend her to anyone that wants to learn so much background on the Vatican. Great tour

Melissa🇺🇸 United States

6 November 2024

It was a great tour and our guide was very understanding and accommodating to the physical restrictions one person in our party had. Thank you !Great tour

Melanie🇺🇸 United States

8 October 2024

Francesca was amazing!! She was so knowledgeable and such a nice person. She really paid attention to the needs of our group (ranging in ages 2-70 years old) and was able to truly customize our experience. We can’t wait to come back to Rome to see Francesca again!

Margaret🇺🇸 United States

7 October 2024

She was great! Well worth the expense! Wouldn’t have wanted to do Rome without her!Francesca review

Joe

30 September 2024

Francesca was a terrific guide - very knowledgeable and helpful. Great tour

Jennifer🇺🇸 United States

21 September 2024

We had a group of 6 adults and had a great tour experience with Francesca! She was very knowledgeable, kind, and answered all our questions. I would highly recommend her! Great Vatican Tour

Simon🇦🇺 Australia

31 August 2024

We had such a great experience on our Vatican tour with Francesca. She was very easy to deal with in the lead up and on the day it was really easy to find her among the crowds. The tour was fantastic. Francesca had amazing knowledge of all of the history of the Vatican and was great at engaging our 12 and 9 year old daughters throughout, as well as accommodating my 79 year old mother. She also knew all of the tricks to move through the galleries and avoid the queues! We would highly recommend her for future tours.Great experience

Mary🇦🇺 Australia

30 August 2024

Really enjoyed our tour of the Vatican. Very well planned a very informative. Francesca was friendly and took great care of us. Would thoroughly recommend her to anyone. Great with the kids. Great tour of the vatican

Sean🇺🇸 United States

20 August 2024

Francesca was great! My daughter and I took a trip to Rome and spent an entire day with Francesca at the Colosseum and Ostia. My 6-year-old got a lot more out of the tour than I expected. Francesca’s English is very good; she was able to answer all of our questions and kept it fun for the kid. I highly recommend her and would book with her again when we come back.Great Tour Guide.

Jo🇦🇺 Australia

14 July 2024

The Vatican, in summer with thousands of others doing the same thing, is tough. Add to that specific rules and protocols, 3 teens, huge tour groups, expectations and a 35 degree day (no AC) - you definitely need calm and expertise, and this is exactly what Francesca Romana provided. Choosing a small, personalised tour to organise our tickets, provide timely insights and historical narrative (did you know there was no talking in the Sistine Chapel?), etch our the best corners to pause, catch the breeze, and moderate our journey with everyone else was deftly managed and we couldn’t recommend this approach more highly. Thank you, Francesca for your patience and good humour!Calm in the chaos

Roberta🇺🇸 United States

28 June 2024

Francesca guided us through the Vatican and was nothing short of extraordinary. Having used Withlocals on numerous trips, I can confidently say she is the best tour guide we've ever had. Not only was she incredibly knowledgeable about the Vatican, but she also had a unique ability to keep our two sons, including our youngest who is autistic, fully engaged and comfortable throughout the tour. Her thoughtful approach and captivating explanations made the experience unforgettable. I highly recommend Francesca as a tour guide; she is truly exceptional.Francesca is Amazing

Erin🇺🇸 United States

22 June 2024

Our tour of the Vatican with Francesca was wonderful! She was incredibly knowledgable and was able to keep my two kids engaged for the entire tour. She covered the history and the art while mixing in tons of kid-friendly anecdotes and stories. Our only regret was that we didn't have enough time in Rome to book a second tour with her. Highly, highly recommend!Wonderful experience

Robbin🇺🇸 United States

20 June 2024

Overall, my tour of the Sistine Chapel/Vatican with Francesca was the highlight of our visit to Vatican City. Her expertise, passion, and engaging storytelling transformed what could have been a mere sightseeing tour into a profound journey through art and history. I highly recommend this tour for anyone seeking a memorable and enriching experience in one of the world’s most breathtaking artistic treasures.Wonderful experience

Dominic🇺🇸 United States

12 June 2024

Francesca (reserve her early!) was wonderful - she gave such a rich context to our Vatican tour that hours flew by. Always a good sign when your tour guide seems to know all the Vatican personnel. Highly recommend letting Francesca take you around the Vatican.Amazing Vatican Tour

Laura🇺🇸 United States

12 May 2024

We had a great tour w/ Francesca to the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica. She is clearly very knowledgable & really has a passion for these sites. She told us all the good stories about the artwork & especially focused on what we would see in the Sistene Chapel. Her information about the chapel really enhanced our time spent there. My friends and I would absolutely recommend booking Francesca for this tour if you want a fascinating, well informed & personable guide!

Rose🇺🇸 United States

9 May 2024

Francesca was excellent! We enjoyed our tour of the Vatican museum and Sistine chapel tremendously. Grazie!

Harini🇺🇸 United States

21 April 2024

Francesca did amazing job. We are families with young children and they all liked her. She was thorough and describing everything in detail and answer all the questions very patiently. I will highly recommend her if you are looking for knowledge and personable guide.Excellent

Amelia🇺🇸 United States

18 April 2024

Our family of five, with children ages 10-15, really enjoyed our Vatican tour with Francesca. Pre-tour communication was a breeze. With Francesca we easily navigated the entrance and did not wait in lines. Francesca asked about our knowledge and interests, in order to tailor the tour and explanations to our family. She did a wonderful job engaging the kids and making quick decisions about what to skip and where to spend more time. We all feel like we learned a lot from Francesca’s tour. Francesca also recommended a great spot to eat after the tour!Engaging, knowledgable & accomodating

James🇺🇸 United States

31 March 2024

Francesca kknows so much I feel negligent that I can’t remember it all. She did her part by teaching us the history, of the area, happenings, artists, and art we saw. She is a great teacher and really wants you to learn what she teaches. We had a wonderful tourGreat Teacher

ninyoung69🇦🇺 Australia

31 March 2024

We had the privilege of spending our day exploring the Colosseum and the Roman Forum with Francesca. We walked away with far more knowledge and appreciation. Grazie Mille Francesca. Extraordinary!

jpagone🇺🇸 United States

30 March 2024

Francesca was great, has a ton of knowledge to share regarding the history of the Vatican, Popes and background that was invaluable to the context of our tour. I can’t imagine touring the Vatican museums without the stories and history she shared, made the tour. She’s passionate about the history and it shows, highly recommended!Vatican Tour

Pamela🇺🇸 United States

27 March 2024

We were so glad that we booked our tour of the Vatican Museum with Francesca - she’s highly experienced, and is highly knowledgeable about the art and the history of the Vatican. Plus being with her, made it easier to navigate the museum which is both crowded and overwhelmingly large with so many things to see so having her be our guide helped us pick and choose where to spend our time and focus on the things we were really interested in. I booked the shorter tour with her, which I think was good, because we were all pretty tired that day, but if you have the time and energy, I bet the longer tour would be great. We still had some more things we wanted to see after the official tour culminated at the Sistine Chapel, and she gave us tips on how to navigate the museum on our own find the artwork on our list, which worked out great. Many thanks to Francesca for her expert guidance! Introduction to the Vatican museum

Buzz🇺🇸 United States

14 March 2024

Francesca was amazing. She shifted her focus based on our interests that created a very memorable experience. Would 100% recommend her. Fantastic experience

Casey🇺🇸 United States

5 March 2024

We had an amazing experience touring the Vatican with Francesca. She is incredibly knowledgeable and provided us with the exact experience we were looking for. 10/10 would recommend! Francesca was fantastic

Paul🇱🇺 Luxembourg

20 February 2024

Francesca was awesome!! She managed to book tickets for us last minute and also helped us get through security despite being late. Her tour was really informative and she was excellent at keeping our kids engaged. I highly recommmend you book a tour with Francesca.Excellent Tour

Eva🇮🇹 Italy

15 February 2024

Francesca era molto simpatica e brava spiegare in un modo.che diventava divertente anche per 2 maschi adolescenti..straraccomando..grazie per il tempo prezioso passato insiemeFrancesca top

Nicola

13 February 2024

What an amazing tour of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica!! We avoided the long queues and had a such an informative guide. Francesca was a warm and friendly expert. We loved it! 🥰. We’d highly recommend. It’s expensive when only 2 of you, but well worth it. Thanks for a memorable tour Francesca! You were brilliant!The Only Way to See Rome!

Raul🇺🇸 United States

1 February 2024

Wow! You want an amazing amazing tour? You want to know in detail about Roman history? Book a tour with Francesca! TRUST ME you won’t regret it. The passion she shows for Rome and the Vatican, is wonderful and warming to see. 10th generation Roman since the 1700s! Who else would you want to give a tour of Rome? Grazie Francesca! Thank you Francesca!

Eva🇳🇱 Netherlands

6 January 2024

Francesca is een top gids, ze heeft ons een mooi op maat passende rondleiding door het Vaticaan en de Sixtijnse kapel gegeven. We hebben genoten en we raden je aan om een mooie tour te boeken bij Francesca. Betrouwbare en goed geinformeerde gids

Radhiya

4 January 2024

We spent our afternoon walking, learning and simply being in awe with our surroundings. Our guide Francesca was incredible. She is knowledgeable, passionate and very helpful. Although there were lots of walking and information to absorb, it was a day well spent.wonderful day spent

Simon🇦🇺 Australia

29 December 2023

Francesca made the culture of the Vatican and the history of the Popes so real for our family and brought to life every painting, tapestry, statue ..., as well as every Papal drama! She is exceptionally knowledgeable and well read and was able to speak to both an adult audience (my wife and I) and to a younger audience (children 10 and 14); all 4 of us continually engaged. We absolutely loved this tour! Grazie mille Francesca xx Exceptional Guide!

Elisa🇺🇸 United States

4 December 2023

Francesca was marvelous! My husband and I booked a private tour with Francesca and it was outstanding! She is so knowledgeable and works you through the massive maze of the Vatican and all the important areas. We loved seeing the Sistine Chapel (not a first time), but this time Francesca reviewed the entire ceiling and what we would see before going into the chapel. It was so enlightening to be able to look up and recognize everything she taught us! We highly recommend Francesca and hope to see her on our next visit! Incredible Experience! Highly recommend!

Karen🇺🇸 United States

30 November 2023

My husband and I really enjoyed this tour. Francesca was an excellent guide, making us feel comfortable and welcome right away. She quickly discerned our level of knowledge and really crafted the tour on the spot accordingly. We felt very much like we had exclusive access to the museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica and learned quite a bit, having started with only a general knowledge of the Vatican. Thank you, Francesca, this was a real highlight of our trip to Rome!Great Tour

Viona🇦🇺 Australia

5 November 2023

Francesca took my family and I (4 adults) through Vatican with such efficiency and we felt we were in good hands from the moment we met her. From skipping through the line to enter the Vatican, flying through security and spending most of the time in the rooms /points where we could enjoy ourselves listening to her stories of history. We thoroughly enjoy our time with Francesca and wished the 4hours would be longer. Even my husband who was the least interested in history enjoyed his time. I would strongly recommend her to anyone who is looking for an experienced guide who genuinely care about people & the history, and full of knowledge. See you next time Francesca and we wish you best of luck!A memorable day at the Vatican w/Francesca