Domus Aurea, Baths of Caracali, Via Appia Antica

[circee]

For these two sites,  Domus Aurea and Baths of Caracali, how far in advance do we need to reserve admission? We were hoping to reserve our time slot for the Domus Aurea but be more flexible about getting to the Baths and getting our admission tickets at the site if possible? 

 

We also want to visit the Via Appia Antica. E-bike seems to be the most popular way to see the park, but I'm not sure I can manage it. Any suggestions on walking tours or is this something we can easily do on our own? Also is the visitor center at the start of the Appian way open on Sundays? Any suggestions for the best way to visit this site would be much appreciated.

 

 

[carlmm]

Indeed, in my experience, for the Domus Aurea early booking is essential while one is able to get admission to the bath on the spot.

For the Via Appia Antica you might try a combination of bus and walking yet this requires a bit of advanced planning.

[cruisemom42]

As you've correctly guessed, the ticket slots for the Domus Aurea tours are much more limited. Last time I checked tours are only offered on weekends and not every tour is in English. I think the group size is limited to somewhere around 20-24 people. So I would definitely make it a priority to get your tickets for this tour.  (There is no entry without a tour, in case anyone is wondering -- the site is a bit of a construction zone; everyone must wear hard hats and stick with the guide.)

 

The Baths of Caracalla was not crowded on either occasion that I visited. It is a huge site and tickets aren't limited. I did not encounter a line either time, and I just walked up and got tickets.  HOWEVER, they do have a limited number of the virtual reality headsets, which you can rent if you want to get a better idea of what the baths would've looked like back in Caracalla's day.  I tried the headset and truthfully I could take it or leave it, but I am pretty good at envisioning what these sites looked like in the past.  I do recommend getting the audioguide, however. It is very good and they seem to have lots of them.

 

Seeing the Via Appia can be a bit of a challenge. If you are looking at doing it on a Sunday (best bet), I would suggest doing what a friend and I did -- we researched bus routes and took a local bus to the farthest point on the Via Appia that we wanted to get to, then walked back along a long stretch of the road (pedestrian only) along the actual ancient paving stones. This is a beautiful stretch of road, with a number of ancient Roman tombs visible alongside the road. We only had bikes to avoid 😉.

 

We walked as far back as the Tomb of Cecilia Metella and the catacombs nearby (we didn't do the catacombs on that day). Shortly past that we knew there was a bus stop that would return us to the area of the Colosseum, where we got off and took the metro back to our hotel.  

 

I think we started with Rick Steves, who provided the general outline of doing this, supplemented by additional information and the map available at the website for the Via Appia Antica park (Parco Regionale dell'Appia Antica): Smart Info EN – Parco Regionale dell’Appia Antica (parcoappiaantica.it)  We thought it made the most sense to ride the bus to the furthest point, then walk back toward Rome.  You could walk further toward Rome if you want to see the "Quo Vadis" church -- we did that separately on another visit, combined with the San Sebastiano catacombs and the "Museum of the Walls" (which is open on Sundays but only until 2pm).

 

One of the two catacombs is closed on Sunday but the other is open. The Tomb of Cecilia Metella is also open, as is the Capo di Bove, which has a small visitor info 

 

 

[circee]

Carlmm and cruisemom42, you have both been most helpful! I checked coopculture for Domus Aurea tickets for our dates, mid October. The dates we will be in Rome were in grey, which I hope means they haven't been released to the public yet. I would like to avoid buying tickets from a tour company.

 

I like your idea, cruisemom42, of taking a bus to the furthest point on the Appian Way. It would save some backtracking if we started from the visitor center. I've looked at the park website and will have to study it some more. Unfortunately, my Rick Steves's book fell to pieces after our last trip. I'll check the bus routes; I was thinking taxi from where we're staying in the Pantheon area, but a taxi would certainly be cheaper.  

[cruisemom42]

Taxi wouldn't be too bad price-wise and would also save you some time.

 

If you take a taxi, ask them to drop you off at the intersection of Via Casal Rotondo and the Via Appia Antica. That's where we started and it is one of the most picturesque stretches without being an all-day walk.

 

If you want to research the bus, we took one that dropped us off on the Via Appia Nuova (the "new" Appian Way, which is open to vehicular traffic and runs alongside the old road). You can see the bus stop in red and the numbers of the buses that stop there in the snip from the map I've included below:

 

 

 

The bus stop isn't the one at the top but the one below it and to the right. If you get off there you can walk down the road (Via Roma Formia Napoli) to the Appia Antica (the road shown in yellow and brown) and start at Casal Rotondo.  (Following the map, you'd be walking up and to the left, in the direction of Rome.)

 

I have a document somewhere with details of all the sights you'll pass along this stretch. If you're interested in it I'm happy to share a copy, just email me at my CC handle at gmail.com.  

 

 

[pompeii]

13 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

Taxi wouldn't be too bad price-wise and would also save you some time.

 

If you take a taxi, ask them to drop you off at the intersection of Via Casal Rotondo and the Via Appia Antica. That's where we started and it is one of the most picturesque stretches without being an all-day walk.

 

If you want to research the bus, we took one that dropped us off on the Via Appia Nuova (the "new" Appian Way, which is open to vehicular traffic and runs alongside the old road). You can see the bus stop in red and the numbers of the buses that stop there in the snip from the map I've included below:

 

 

 

The bus stop isn't the one at the top but the one below it and to the right. If you get off there you can walk down the road (Via Roma Formia Napoli) to the Appia Antica (the road shown in yellow and brown) and start at Casal Rotondo.  (Following the map, you'd be walking up and to the left, in the direction of Rome.)

 

I have a document somewhere with details of all the sights you'll pass along this stretch. If you're interested in it I'm happy to share a copy, just email me at my CC handle at gmail.com.  

 

 

Thank you so much for this.  We want to do this exact route on a Sunday in November and this lets me know exactly what we need to do.  I'll also email you for your document with the sights, if you don't mind.    

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, pompeii said:

Thank you so much for this.  We want to do this exact route on a Sunday in November and this lets me know exactly what we need to do.  I'll also email you for your document with the sights, if you don't mind.    

 

Of course; will be happy to share.