Hostels in Ostia, Italy

Ostia is a beach town in the Lazio region of Italy, on the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the mouth of the Tiber River. It is near the old Roman port town known as Ostia Antica and was founded in 1884 on reclaimed marshland by peasants from Ravenna. Today, to distinguish it from Ostia Antica, it is known by locals as Ostia Lido or Lido di Ostia. In the early 1920s, the village of Ostia became a popular seaside resort with Romans and there were a lot of Art Nouveau villas built on the waterfront. The waterfront today is a busy seaside town with lots of vacationing Romans. You have to pay to use the beach; check before you go as to current rates.

To get to Ostia from the Fiumicino Airport, you can take the regional train straight to Stazione di Lido di Ostia Centrale. From Rome central, a train from Roma Porta S. Paulo will get you to the coast. There aren’t a lot of hostels in the Ostia Lido area. For budget accommodation, you can either stay in a guesthouse or choose a hostel in Rome and catch a train out to the ancient city. If you do choose a hostel in Ostia, don’t expect it to be like a traditional backpacker hostel.

Ostia started as a colony of Rome but quickly became the main port city. The first archaeological evidence dates to the 4th century. Some of the buildings you can see today include the Forum and the Capitol building, the ancient apartment blocks for dock workers, and the Roman baths, complete with mosaic floors. There are also several ancient villas, which give a glimpse into the lives of the wealthy Romans in the Claudius and the Trajan reigns. The town was abandoned after the fall of Rome in 476AD and subsequently covered with sand and mud from the Tiber River. It was first excavated in the late 19th century. With both a busy seaside and ruins reminiscent of Pompeii, Ostia is one place to definitely put on your list.