Terracina is exactly the best place to have a vacation, if you want to mix beach relaxation with visiting the sights. Terracina is located exactly in the middle of Rome and Napoli. It has all you need: seaside with beautiful spacious beaches, ancient temples and historical city center with shops, restaurant and night life.
How to get to Terracina from Rome?
Firstly you need to take a train from Roma Termini to Monte S.Biagio. Follow this link to check the schedule. One-way trip will take 1 hour and the ticket costs 7 euros.
Then on the train station of Monte S.Biagio you will see a bus stop. The bus schedule adjusts to the train schedule. The ticket costs only 1 euro and you buy it from the driver. The bus trip will take around 15 minutes. To get to the city center you need the stop “Terracina fountain”.
How to get to Terracina from Napoli?
Take a train from Napoli Centrale to Monte S.Biagio. There is a direct train. The trip will take you around 1 hour and a half. Ticket price starts at 7.40 euros. Follow this link to check the train schedule.
When arriving on Monte S.Biagio train station take a bus to “Terracina fountain” stop.
Best places to visit in Terracina:
1. Beaches in Terracina
The beach line of Terracina is divided into two parts – Ponente and Levante with a small port in the middle. Levante beaches stretch for several kilometers and have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag distinction for their excellent condition.
2. Temple of Jupiter Anzur
It is the main sightseeing place in Terracina. It was built between in the IV century. BC. on Mount Sant Angelo. Legend has it that it was these places that became the first earthly haven of the formidable Jupiter, when he was hiding from his father’s anger.
Initially, therewas a sanctuary that was built by the Etruscans, then a Romans rebuilt it as the temple and adapted to their culture. Now only the foundation and several neighboring buildings remain from the Roman temple. A walk through the temple complex will appeal to lovers of antique history and those who want to admire the view.
To get to the temple firstly you need to walk upward the hill for around 30 mins. The entry fee to the ruins is 7 euros. Opening hours: daily 9:00-12:00 and 15:30-18:30.
3. City center
Terracina is a quite ancient city, so even the stroll around the streets of historical center can be interesting. If you have time, than I recommend you to take a 2-hours walking tour around Terracina.
Those are the main sights you need to pay attention on:
- Piazza del Municipio is the central square of Terracina, here and in its surroundings there are many monuments from different eras: the local Capitol, the Roman theater, the remains of the Emilian Forum.
- Cattedrale di San Cesareo – Cathedral. Inside, a beautiful mosaic floor has been preserved, laid out in the 5th century. and a copy of the statue of the god Zeus, dated to the 2nd-3rd centuries.
- The Venditti Castle of the 13th century. Opposite it is the Bishop’s Palace and the Tower of Roses.
- Neapolitan Gate, built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan (1st-2nd centuries AD). At one time they defended the entrance to the city from Naples.
Best places to visit around Terracina:
1. Rome
Of course the first destination that come to mind when you plan to have a vacation in Italy is Rome. In the Terracina hotels they offer 1-day tours to Rome, which is of course the easiest way to visit Rome. However let’s think honestly. You can’t visit Rome in one day. So if you truly interested in visiting Rome I recommend to stay there for at lest 2-3 days before or after vacation in Terracina. Or to stay in Terracina and come to Rome a few times by yourself by train.
Read my guide, that will help you to plan your time in the city of Rome: Best places to visit in Rome in 1, 2 and 3 days.
2. Napoli and Pompei
This time I will advise you to take a 1-day guided tour at your hotel. As usually in the tour they combine the city of Napoli and visit of Mount Vesuvius with the destroyed city of Pompei. So you don’t need to think about the getting from place to place stuff.
I took this tour by myself and quite enjoyed it. It was 10 hours long and 60 euros cost.
Before the tour I recommend you to watch the movie “Pompeii”. Follow this link to watch the trailer.
3. Gaeta
Gaeta is a charming historical city with ancient buildings and picturesque views over the sea harbor and mountains. It’s located only 35 km from Terracina and is a good place to spend a romantic evening.
4. Sperlonga
It’s also called “the White City”. People come here mainly for the sake of picturesque ten-kilometer beaches with golden sand, that were quite popular already at the time of Roman emperor Tiberius. Sperlonga is located 20 km from Terracina.
5. Ponza
Ponza Island in Italy is a picturesque island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is part of the Pontic archipelago. It is believed that the name Ponza was given in honor of Pontius Pilate himself, whose family owned part of the island’s lands.
The island of Ponza attracts tourists with unique natural attractions, sandy beaches, caves, rocks. It is here that the fabulous abode of the legendary sorceress Circe, who turned Odysseus’s companions into animals, is located.
Ancient monuments have also survived on the island: the ruins of an aqueduct, the Greek and Phoenician necropolises, the Roman gallery – a tunnel leading from the town of Ponza to the Chiaia di Luna beach, the ruins of the Roman villa Guilia.
To get to Ponza you need to get a ferry from Terracina to the island. The trip will last around 1.5 hour.
Read also: How to spend one day in Venice.
Hotels and restaurants in Terracina:
Due to its perfect location Terracina is one of the most popular tourist destinations for beach vacation. Therefore the hotel prices are not low. We stayed in a beautiful Airbnb apartment close to the city center and just 10 mins walking from the sea shore and paid 520 euro for 4 people for 7 days in August.
The big supermarket is located quite far from the city center, however there are few little food stores, where you can buy all you need to cook in the apartment.
As for the restaurants I can’t recommend you anything special, as everywhere we ate was quite tasty.
Also don’t forget about shopping. There are some local brand clothes shops and mass market stores, where you can buy lots of good clothes with good discount, especially men clothes.
Read also: Top-11 places to visit in Milan in one or two days or during the long layover.
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