Sabaudia Beaches and Circeo: Guide From Rome

The Sabaudia beaches lie on the Pontine coast, in the province of Latina, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Rome. The northernmost stretch is Bufalara, which has no services and sits inside Circeo National Park. To the south is Torre Paola, where the sand ends against the promontory. Access to the beach and the waterline is free. You only pay for parking and for any services at beach clubs. This guide pulls together our listings for Sabaudia and the places nearby.

For the full list of seaside destinations, see our page on beaches near Rome. Here we stay on the stretch between Latina, Sabaudia and Circeo, with a few stops to the south as far as Sperlonga.

Sabaudia Beaches: the Town and the Coast

Sabaudia is a town built from scratch in 1933–1934 on the dune that separates the sea from Lake Paola. You can do it as a day trip: the listing mentions a little over an hour by train to Priverno-Fossanova and then a bus, or just under two hours on the Pontina road if you leave early.

The town center is small and takes about an hour to cover on foot. Behind the Sabaudia beaches the dune stretches out inside a national park established in 1934. The listing speaks of twenty-two or twenty-five kilometers of sand. A coastal lagoon of almost seven kilometers completes the landscape.

Bufalara Beach

Bufalara Beach is on the stretch that starts where the town’s seafront ends and continues toward Latina. It falls within the boundaries of Circeo National Park. From Rome it is about ninety kilometers, and from Latina less than twenty-five.

This is not an equipped beach and never has been. There are no beach clubs, snack bars or showers. You leave the car where the road stops and walk along the wooden boardwalks that cross the tall dune, covered in Mediterranean scrub. Bring water and everything else you need. The name comes from the water buffalo that graze in the area.

Torre Paola Beach

Torre Paola Beach occupies the southern end of the Sabaudia coastline. The sand ends against the wall of the Circeo promontory. You arrive on Strada Lungomare from Sabaudia, or by coming down from San Felice Circeo along via di Torre Paola. On the last bend before the tower, signs point to Darsena di Paola, where you leave the car.

Access to the beach and the waterline is free. The municipality of Sabaudia charges for parking from April 1 to September 30. Passes and permits are handled through the MUVIN platform, with a service desk at via Carlo Alberto 95. Hourly rates are posted on the parking meters and on the municipality’s website.

Circeo and San Felice

The Sabaudia beaches connect to the south with the promontory. San Felice Circeo is a town on the promontory that closes off the Pontine plain to the south. From Rome it is a little over a hundred kilometers. In normal conditions the drive takes an hour and forty minutes, which can stretch to two and a half hours in summer.

By public transport, the hub is Priverno-Fossanova station. From there, bus connections toward Circeo run less often off-season and on holidays. Check the schedule the day before on the carrier’s website. The beaches listed for the area are free to access.

A Name Mix-Up

The Church of San Felice da Cantalice has nothing to do with Circeo. It is in Rome, at piazza San Felice da Cantalice 20, in the Prenestino-Centocelle district. Built between 1934 and 1935, it has free admission. If you are leaving Rome for the sea, you can reach it from the Mirti stop on metro line C, but it is a separate visit.

Latina: Rio Martino and Lido

Lungomare di Rio Martino is at the southern end of the Latina coastline. Here the Pontine coast enters Circeo National Park. The beach is wide, the dune behind the waterline is still easy to read, and there is no continuous row of beach clubs. The shoreline changes shape with storms, and a canal flows into the sea. It is a different choice from the Sabaudia beaches closer to town: freer, and less orderly.

Lido di Latina is the municipality’s coastal strip, between Borgo Sabotino to the north and Lake Fogliano to the south. On maps it is split into areas such as Foce Verde, Capoportiere and Rio Martino. It is a sandy coast a few kilometers long, flat, with no rocks and no headlands. The listing’s tags flag it as good for families with children.

Nature Near the Sabaudia Beaches

Circeo National Park is free to enter. The forest, dune, lake shores and promontory trails are open, except for restrictions in the strict nature reserves and in regulated-access areas. The park authority is based at via Carlo Alberto 188 in Sabaudia, phone +39 0773 512240. Guided tours, environmental education centers and hiking calendars change every season, so check with the authority before you go.

Lake Fogliano is the largest of the four coastal lakes of the Agro Pontino. It has a perimeter of about 11 kilometers and is about 5 long. It is very shallow, with an average depth of about one meter. It connects to the sea through an artificial outlet, so technically it is a brackish lagoon. Since 1978 it has been a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Piscina delle Bagnature Nature Reserve covers 57 hectares in the municipality of Sabaudia, inside the park. The name is misleading: there is no pool and no place to swim. “Piscina” refers to a seasonal freshwater pond among the old dunes. It is a temporary wetland in a lowland forest.

South: Terracina, Fondi, Sperlonga

Terracina is about 100 kilometers from Rome, where the Ausoni Mountains drop to the sea. You get there by the SS148 Pontina or by the Via Appia. On summer weekends in July and August, traffic adds to the travel time. By train you get off at Monte San Biagio-Terracina Mare, on the Rome-Formia-Naples line, and continue by bus. Cotral connects the town to Rome.

Above Terracina, at about 360 meters, is the Natural Monument of Campo Soriano, a karst basin in the Ausoni Mountains. Entry is free. It is not a beach, but it works for a morning on the trails if the sea is not an option.

Fondi can be visited on foot in half a day. The center keeps its Roman grid, with the main east-west street matching the city stretch of the Via Appia. There are the baronial castle and the Caetani palace. By car you can also reach the coastal lake, a few kilometers toward the sea.

Sperlonga is a white village on a spur of rock, halfway between Terracina and Gaeta, just under 120 kilometers south of Rome. The National Archaeological Museum, next to the Villa of Tiberius, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with last entry at 7:00 p.m. It is closed on Mondays, January 1 and December 25. A full ticket costs 5 euros, a reduced ticket for ages 18–25 costs 2 euros, and under 18 is free. For the Gaeta beaches, farther south, see our guide Gaeta Beaches: Sant’Agostino, Arenauta, Serapo.

How to Choose Among the Sabaudia Beaches

Place	Services	Best for
Bufalara	None	Nature lovers who don’t mind walking the boardwalks
Torre Paola	Paid parking, beach clubs	Those who want to arrive by car near the promontory
Rio Martino	Few, well-worn access points	Those looking for a wide, less orderly beach
Lido di Latina	Check the listing	Families with children

Practical Tips

Check the listing or the municipality’s website for current parking rates.
At Bufalara, bring water and everything you need: there are no snack bars or showers.
Check bus schedules the day before, especially off-season and on holidays.
On July and August weekends, allow extra travel time.
For more secluded beaches, see Hidden Coves and Secret Beaches Near Rome. For another stretch of coast near Rome, see Santa Severa and Santa Marinella Beaches. If you are looking for clothing-optional beaches, read Naturist Beaches Near Rome.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sabaudia Beaches

Are the Sabaudia beaches free?

Access to the beach and the waterline is free. You pay for parking and for any services at beach clubs. In Sabaudia, parking is paid from April 1 to September 30.

How far is Sabaudia from Rome?

By car it takes just under two hours on the Pontina road if you leave early. By train you get to Priverno-Fossanova and then take a bus.

Are there services at Bufalara?

No. There are no beach clubs, snack bars or showers. You leave the car where the road stops and continue on foot along the wooden boardwalks.

Where do you park at Torre Paola?

At Darsena di Paola, following the signs on the last bend before the tower. Rates are posted on the parking meters and on the Sabaudia municipality’s website.

Is there an entrance fee for Circeo National Park?

No, entry is free. Restrictions remain in the strict nature reserves and in regulated-access areas. For guided tours, call the park authority at +39 0773 512240.