Symphony of the Seas Mediterranean cruise in June

HOHO buses in Rome are really not very good and are generally only recommended for those who simply cannot walk or if it's pouring rain and inside a bus is the only way you'd get around.

I think for a first timer with limited time they give a good overview. I´ve done it once as both my DH and my DD had never been to Rome before (I´ve spent some time on land trips before). Now we chose one "attraction" and do it - like the Via Appia Antica by bike last time.

steamboats

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the HOHO buses. I think they make great sense in newer, more spread out cities like Barcelona, Paris and New York but are nearly useless in older cramped places like Rome. It's an expensive slog though traffic and so many of the key sites cannot be accessed by bus (Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, etc.) so you don't see all that much unless you get off and hike in from the main roads.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the HOHO buses. I think they make great sense in newer, more spread out cities like Barcelona, Paris and New York but are nearly useless in older cramped places like Rome. It's an expensive slog though traffic and so many of the key sites cannot be accessed by bus (Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, etc.) so you don't see all that much unless you get off and hike in from the main roads.

Agree...Rome is not the best place for Ho-Ho.

Sure you have to get off to get to some sights. But the major sights are connected by the HoHo busses. And of course there are better cities for the HoHo busses but there are also worse (like Tallinn where the HoHo busses don´t even get into the historic downtown area). So compared to the size of the city and the distances in Rome (I don´t want to walk from Termini / Colosseum to the Vatican) the HoHo busses are a good choice.

I don´t have a problem to use public transportation in Rome. I´m used to do so as I use public transportation at home. But if you´re not used to trams, busses or subways... HoHo busses are a good option to get you close.

euro cruiser, I know that you are an experienced traveler especially in Europe. But not every American is that well experienced and that´s why I recommed HoHo busses for first timers. I myself hardly use them as I´m usually trying out the local public transportation plus I´m doing a lot of walking. Actually the last time I´ve used a HoHo bus was in Rome and that´s almost 8 years ago - as said before first time for DH and DD in Rome. DD was 9yo back then (and not a happy walker). So the HoHo bus was a good option to see a lot in a short time and get some rest inbetween riding the bus.

steamboats

Sure you have to get off to get to some sights. But the major sights are connected by the HoHo busses. And of course there are better cities for the HoHo busses but there are also worse (like Tallinn where the HoHo busses don´t even get into the historic downtown area). So compared to the size of the city and the distances in Rome (I don´t want to walk from Termini / Colosseum to the Vatican) the HoHo busses are a good choice.

 

I don´t have a problem to use public transportation in Rome. I´m used to do so as I use public transportation at home. But if you´re not used to trams, busses or subways... HoHo busses are a good option to get you close.

 

euro cruiser, I know that you are an experienced traveler especially in Europe. But not every American is that well experienced and that´s why I recommed HoHo busses for first timers. I myself hardly use them as I´m usually trying out the local public transportation plus I´m doing a lot of walking. Actually the last time I´ve used a HoHo bus was in Rome and that´s almost 8 years ago - as said before first time for DH and DD in Rome. DD was 9yo back then (and not a happy walker). So the HoHo bus was a good option to see a lot in a short time and get some rest inbetween riding the bus.

 

steamboats

Perhaps the traffic in Rome is worse now than when you used the HOHO buses, or the number of people using them is higher. Because there are serious problems with using them now. It's a two-horned dilemma: if you stay ON the bus, you will not see some of the key sites in Rome, as the bus is not allowed to pass near them. However, if you get OFF the bus to see some of these sites, you may wait a long time in traffic for another bus to reboard, and there is also a likelihood -- especially in the high tourist season -- that even when the next bus comes there will be no room on it for anyone to get on. So you waste even more time waiting for another one ... and so on.

Truly, if one likes using the HOHO, perhaps at best it MAY be worth a try if you are staying in Rome and have a full day and no tight deadline about getting back to the ship at the end of day. But you waste a lot of time using them if you are planning to get off and get back on even a few times.

Also -- a single taxi ride from the Colosseum to the Vatican only costs about 10 euros. Less than the price of a HOHO ticket. And if you purchase the BIRG ticket for 12 euro in Civitavecchia, it covers bus and metro in Rome as well for the entire day.

Didn´t know that it´s that bad regarding the traffic. Actually that´s why I usually don´t use them as they are overcrowded and never on schedule.

Yes, the BIRG ticket does include public transportation in Rome. But as I said some people might hesitate to use them.

Last time we did the Via Appia Antica and had a bit more than an hour to kill until our train was due. So we took the subway from Ostiense to the Spanish stairs and then on to the Vatican area. Boarded the train at San Pietro. It was sort of "seeing Rome in an hour" :D.

steamboats

The biggest distance the average tourist might walk in Rome is, as you've noted, between the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums, two and a half miles. On a hot, crowded summer day this could feel like twice the actual distance. However, you could easily take a taxi for less than half of the cost of one HOHO bus ticket.

The last time I used a HOHO bus anywhere, in Barcelona nearly a decade ago, we had the problems that Cruisemom described. Often the bus would not take on any passengers at a stop, or only as many as got off. The line in town where the two bus lines crossed took over an hour ... and that's in a town that's well laid out for a HOHO bus. I wonder if they even try to predict passenger load and adjust for it, or if they have the flexibility to do so even if they have a good sense of usage rates. (After all, how many drivers and buses could they possibly have on call to add in on a particularly busy day?)

Thank you again for all suggestions. Really appreciate it