In a nutshell
- The center of Rome isn’t right on the water, but the coast is less than 30 kilometers away — perfect for a rome beach day or a proper beach vacation.
- In this article, we’ll walk you through the six best beaches near Rome that are easiest to reach from the city center by public transit.
- Want to get to the beach as fast as possible? Ostia is your best bet — it’s the closest option and totally doable as a day trip.
- For seriously beautiful water, head to Santa Marinella. The sea is among the cleanest in the region, and you can even surf here.
What You Need to Know About Beach Vacations Near Rome
Rome isn’t right on the ocean, but the coast is just 30 kilometers away.
You can reach almost every beach listed here in about one hour by train from the main train station, Roma Termini. If you’re looking for a strategically well-located base in Rome, check out our hotel tips for Rome. Otherwise, we’ve included a hotel recommendation for each beach.
The exceptions are the island of Ponza and Sperlonga. You reach Ponza by ferry, and Sperlonga only by car.
These beach destinations are perfect for a day trip from Rome and back:
- Ostia
- Santa Severa
- Santa Marinella
- Anzio
At these beach destinations, you’re better off spending the night since they’re farther away:
- Island of Ponza
- Sperlonga
Map of the Best Beaches Near Rome
To give you a sense of where the beaches near Rome are located, we’ve marked them all on a map.
Ostia
Ostia is still technically part of Rome, which makes Lido di Ostia the quintessential beach for Romans.
The beach is a typical city beach: not the prettiest, but well-equipped and super easy to reach from the center.
There are plenty of restaurants, hotels, and nightclubs. In summer, Ostia gets absolutely packed — especially on weekends and holidays, when Romans flock to the shore.
If you’re in Rome with kids, we’d suggest planning your beach trip on a weekday — it’ll be a lot more relaxed for the whole family.
By the way, it takes less than 10 minutes by taxi from Ostia to Fiumicino Airport. So it’s a great option if you need to head straight to the airport after your beach vacation.
How to get to Ostia:
From Roma Termini, take the Metro B or B1 and transfer at Piramide station to the regional train toward Roma Lido.
Get off at the Stella Polare stop in Ostia. From there it’s a 5-minute walk to the beach. The total trip takes about 1 hour.
Our hotel tip in Ostia:
The Fly Déco Hotel is right on the beachfront promenade and has a great rooftop terrace with sea views.
The long sandy beach of Santa Severa is located north of Rome. At the southern end of the beach stands the Santa Severa Castle, which houses a museum and also offers rooms for overnight stays at the Ostello di Santa Severa.
The town of Santa Severa itself is a typical seaside resort: there’s a long beachfront promenade, plenty of cafés and restaurants with ocean views, and several hotels.
South of the castle you’ll find a long, free beach with barely any facilities and black sand. There’s also a nudist beach here.
Santa Severa is a really great pick if you want both amenities and a relaxed atmosphere.
How to get to Santa Severa beach:
A regional train runs directly from Rome to Santa Severa station. The journey takes about one hour.
Our hotel tip in Santa Severa:
In addition to the rooms in the castle, we can also recommend the small Wellness Bed & Breakfast Baia Benessere in Santa Severa.
Book the Wellness Bed & Breakfast Baia Benessere
Santa Marinella
Santa Marinella is just a short distance further north of Santa Severa.
The water here is among the cleanest in the region. The beach is a mix of sandy and rocky sections, which makes it seriously good for snorkeling and diving.
The seabed off the Santa Marinella coast also creates excellent wave conditions, which is why the resort is very popular with surfers.
Right in front of the town there are breakwaters along the beach, so swimming in calm water with young children is perfectly comfortable.
Santa Marinella itself is a charming little town with a marina, a castle, and plenty of restaurants — well worth an afternoon stroll.
How to get to Santa Marinella:
From Roma Termini, take the regional train toward Genoa or Pisa directly to Santa Marinella. The journey takes about one hour.
Our hotel tip in Santa Marinella:
We recommend the small Boutique Hotel Le Palme, which has a private beach and its own restaurant.
Anzio
The seaside town of Anzio is about 60 kilometers south of Rome.
The sea here is wonderfully clean and clear — and beyond its beaches, Anzio has some genuinely interesting sights. These include the ruins of Roman Emperor Nero’s villa and the Caves of Nero.
It’s also well worth visiting the neighboring resort of Nettuno, which has a really charming medieval old quarter.
Thanks to the short journey from Rome, Anzio and Nettuno work equally well for a rome beach day or a longer stay — especially since there’s plenty to explore beyond the sand.
How to get to Anzio:
From Roma Termini, you can reach Anzio by direct regional train in less than one hour. Nettuno is just 10 minutes further.
Our hotel tip in Anzio:
The selection of hotels in Anzio and Nettuno is quite limited. A lovely guesthouse close to the beach is the B&B Vittoria.
If you have more than just one day, you can even squeeze in a beach vacation on an island from Rome.
We’re talking about the small island of Ponza, which is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in Italy. It lies about 50 kilometers off the mainland and is a popular vacation spot among Romans.
You won’t find many foreign tourists here — it’s genuinely one of Italy’s most under-the-radar spots.
The island has white sandy beaches, rugged cliffs, caves, hiking trails, and the charming town of Ponza with its colorful houses. August gets incredibly crowded, but if you visit in May, June, or September, you can truly unwind and enjoy the dolce vita.
How to get to Ponza:
The nearest ferry port for boats to Ponza is in Anzio. You can reach Anzio from Rome by direct train or by car, and you can also bring your car on the ferry. The crossing to Ponza takes about 1.5 hours. Tickets are available on the website of the ferry company Laziomar or directly at the port in Anzio.
Our hotel tip on Ponza:
The Chiaia di Luna hotel is one of the few places to stay on Ponza. It has a great pool with ocean views and pretty reasonable prices outside of peak season.
Sperlonga
Sperlonga is absolutely one of the most beautiful seaside towns near Rome. The historic center of whitewashed houses and narrow alleyways tumbles down toward the sea and is somewhat reminiscent of the terraced lanes of Matera.
And although the town has only about 4,000 residents, there’s quite a lot to see: several viewpoints, a piazza looking directly out to sea, a small marina, and a watchtower dating back to the 16th century.
Sperlonga has two lovely sandy beaches: one south of the tower and one to the north. Both offer a stunning backdrop for vacation photos, with the tower and Sperlonga’s old town framing every shot perfectly.
How to get to Sperlonga:
Sperlonga can only be reached from Rome by car, as the town has no train station. The drive from Rome takes about 2 hours. It’s another two hours to Naples, which makes Sperlonga a perfect stop on a road trip between Rome and Naples.
Our hotel tip in Sperlonga:
The Hotel Corallo Sperlonga is a new, modern boutique hotel in Sperlonga, just a 5-minute walk from the beach. You can find more cool boutique hotels in Rome here.
Even More Day Trip Destinations Near Rome
Not quite warm enough for the beach yet?
Then there are plenty of other destinations around Rome that make for a great day trip.
From Rome, you can zip over by high-speed train to Naples or to Castel Gandolfo, the Pope’s summer residence.
There are also several tour operators offering day trips to Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius, or the Amalfi Coast.
Day Trip from Rome to Pompeii & Vesuvius
Day Trip from Rome to the Amalfi Coast
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