Hop-On Bus vs. Guided Tours in Rome?

[Jaycue52]

We are going to be in Rome in early December. I would like to ask past visitors to Rome their opinion on the best way to see Rome. We will be there for two full days and parts of two other days. Is the hop-on hop-off bus a viable option, or would it be better to hook up with one of the tour companies? I'm thinking the bus may be a little cold to ride up top that time of year, and I have read that the views inside the bus are somewhat obstructed. Your humble and honest opinions, please. Thank you!;)

[cruisemom42]

If you are in Rome for 2++ days, I highly suggest that you line up a guide or two for the things you really want to see in depth (the Vatican comes to mind), and then just spend time walking. There is no better way to see Rome than to traverse it on foot. You see so much more than on any bus or van.

 

The city center itself is very compact. In a day you can easily cover the Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps (with suitable breaks for espresso or gelato or whatever revives you...)

 

On a second day you can do the Vatican area (museum, Sistine chapel, St. Peter's basilica) and then reward yourself with a gelato or meal or glass of wine in Piazza Navona (a relatively straight shot walking that also takes you by Castel St. Angelo).

 

Depending on your interests, you may consider using your partial days to 1) see the Galleria Borghese -- advance reservations required, 2) see Trastevere and/or the Jewish Ghetto area, both very atmospheric, 3) see some of Rome's wonderful churches, 4) take a half-day trip outside the city, such as to Ostia Antica.

[DavidandPaula]

We were lucky to come across this article in a local newspaper about 5 months before our trip.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,23483,21380110-27984,00.html

has some great ideas for some of the less freqeuented things to see.

 

We were there in a very hot July but even December should be okay for the top of the HoHo buses. A circuit on one of these will take about an hour and a half if you stay on from go to whoa but you will probably hop of at some of the stops, go walking, and then retrun to either that stop or the next one. If you are just looking for the most popular stops then book as early as you can for the Vatican Museums and then exit through to St Peters. When you leave St P cross the square and pick up one of the HoHo buses in via della Consiliazione.

 

The bus will wander around a bit put at Piazza Barberini you are close enough to start a walking tour to Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon (plus paulas favourites Prada etc) Rome is an easy city for walking around and is quite compact really. Alternatively you could get of close to Flaminia station and enter the old city via the Piazza Popolo, walk to the Spanish Steps and continue on to trevi and the Pantheon. Short walk back to piazza Barberini to catch the next bus through to the Coliseum. After the Coliseum the bus will wind its way back around to St Peters. Home for quick change then out in the evening to walk around a bit more and finish with dinner. Next day you are free to mix and match the transport options. Buy a BIRG ticket and hop on and off the metro, buses etc.

 

The money you will spend on a guide and taxi is far better spent on gelati and fine dining. What we saved on guides etc in Rome we spent on a lovely leather handbag for Paula, forget the cheap knock offs sold on the street as they may be confiscated at the airport as you leave.

 

Our favourite sights were The Borghese gallery (pre book essential), the Vatican Museums (also pre book), the Knights of Malta Keyhole, The Protestant Cemetery, Gustos restaurant, Zodiaco restaurant (need a taxi for this one) Fata Morgana gelati.

 

Whatever you choose you will love Rome.

 

David

[eh2zed]

For a first timer the HOHO gives you a quick overview and sets your bearings. But if you do enough research ahead you might be able to avoid it. A great non commercial website with oodles of great practical info on Rome put together by an American who visits Rome regularly is www.stuardtclarkesrome.com A real treasure.

[agabbymama]

I prefer not to use local buses, as I feel they are more likely to be targeted by pickpockets, and I didn't want the $200-500 private tour guides either, therefore I chose to purchase the Ho/Ho tickets at www.viator.com, they are paid for in US dollars well before I'll even be there. Our hotel is near the Vatican, which is one of the stops for the Ho Ho, plan to use the Ho Ho bus as our transport around Rome, getting on and off as we want. We will have 3 days pre-cruise, I therefore chose the 48 hour pass. If we are too late in the evening to grab the Ho Ho back to the Vatican, we can always grab a taxi.

 

I think the Ho Ho buses, combined with walking is the best way to see any city.

[DavidandPaula]

I prefer not to use local buses, as I feel they are more likely to be targeted by pickpockets, .

 

Do not let the fear of pick pockets set your whole stay in Rome. Yes they do exists but some simple precautions, given by many on this website, are all you need to take to avoid any problems. We arrived at Termini for our first stay and I had Paula scared with some of the things I had read on this site and others. I regretted that as she realy did not enjoy her first day in Rome until she got over it. From then on and in our stay after the cruise we had an absolute ball, being sensible with our belongings and careful not to flash large amounts of money or credit cards. Having said that the Candians we shared a dinner table with on the cruise let their security lapse just once after the cruise and lost a pack that had all their tickets and docos in it when they put it down for a minute. I used to carry some things in a day pack but always when I took it off my back I kept it in my hand or if seated put a foot into the straps so it could not be grabbed.

 

The HoHo bus in Rome is great as are the Metro and local buses. The only public transport I did not like where the trams and the the river taxi and as we experienced both in quick succession on our last full day in Rome did not have the opportunity to try to get used to them again. With the local bus the hardest thing to work out is the map showing the routes.

 

On our trip we used the trains in London, Rome, Athens and it really brought back to us the poor state of our own train system back here in Melbourne.

 

David

[gen0veva]

We were in Rome in January 04 and used metro the bulk of the time. We did do a night tour by bus to see all the sites illuminated. I'm a fan of the "HoHo" buses but Rome seemed pretty easy to navigate on our own (we had 3 days) and in the winter, it would be brisk to sit up top in an open bus. Viator is a great site to book those kinds of trips.

[markgan]

To be honest......I was on a Hop-on bus last year with my kids and they really enjoyed but it was May, I was again in Rome 3 weeks ago for a short stop of a day from civitavecchia and we had a private guide. The costs are very different but if you have kids with you, they learn so much on a private tour in 1 day than in 4 months of school!!!

December is low season so I'm sure you will be able to get very good rates from a private company!

 

Have fun!

[acegolfer]

Hi essjay, mself dw and 2 friends stayed in Roma (the Romans insist on Roma and hey it's their city) for 3 days in August .We ho ho bus to get a feel of the city and did 2 guided tous 1) the Vatican Museums & 2) the Colosseum and Palatine hill boyh booked through viator on the net and both lasting half a day.As other people have said Roma is quite compact and even with asimple map you can get round most of the other highlites eg Pantheon,Spanish steps and Trevi Fountain in half a day.O ne of my personal favorites was the church Mary Maggiore.If you have any questions please contact me or post in forum.

Cheers Gary

[syesmar]

I'll try not to overlap what other posters have mentioned, but you should know that the Metro system is very good in Roma. We have been there 4 times and we have always been independent when it comes to transport. The bus system also is expansive and is useful for areas where there is little or no Metro service (p. navonna area, appian way, trastavere, etc.).

 

I have heard personally from people who have used the HoHo and have loved it. It would seem to be a great way to get around the city.

 

On our first visit to the Colosseo we were able to join up w/ a "free" guide and decided to join his next group to the Forum. Our next trip, we gave him a call for those places again. On subsequent trips, we have gone by ourselves, although our impression of private guide service was excellent.

 

There are many wonderful guide books out there on Rome, as well.

 

If you haven't heard of the 3-day RomaPass (20 EUR ea) or Roma&Piu Pass (25 EUR for more sites & travel areas), I highly recommend either one of them. Web: www.romapass.it Your first 2 entries are "free" + about 1/2 price on the other sites. What's great is that buses & Metros are "free" for 3 days, as well. (one of the HoHos --- and there are several companies --- the 110--- has a considerable discount if you have a RomaPass).

[dtraveler2006]

Can anyone recommend the name of a HOHO bus in Rome? Or do you remember the color of the bus? I do not want to take the 110. I do want a bus that has a description of the sights, in English.

[cruisemom42]

Can anyone recommend the name of a HOHO bus in Rome? Or do you remember the color of the bus? I do not want to take the 110. I do want a bus that has a description of the sights, in English.

 

Here is some info on one company:

 

http://www.rexervation.com/rome_tour_information_ot.asp

 

 

I believe Viator (http://www.viator.com) has one also.

[Cancunense]

I love you people so much...thank you...I was so preoccupied with how we were going to see Italy, Rome specifically,and not have confusion...and this has helped tremendously....:D

What would we do without you all.

 

Saludos cordiales desde Cancun:)

Michelle y Peter

[syesmar]

There are several more companies, but I know there's one called "Sightseeing Roma" in addition to the one mentioed above. You said you don't want to take the 110 (Trambus Open), but I wanted to let you know it is a double-decker. We saw a number of other companies & if any more come to mind, I'll let you know.

 

There's also several alternate, specific lines for "Christian Rome" and also one for the Appian Way (Archeobus).

[agabbymama]

I liked the looks of this one, and they give you a 10% discount if you book in different cities (Pisa, Naples, Florence, etc) if you save the ticket from your first tour.

 

http://www.city-sightseeing.com/index.phtml?command=search&clear-search=true&destinations=rome

 

At the time I was looking, you couldn't book on-line, so I decided to go with www.viator.com but noticed on the website now, that they do have on-line booking.

 

Good luck whichever one you choose, and have a great time in Rome!

[patatz]

We just returned from RC Med cruise on Brilliance of the Seas and one of the ports was Cicitavecchia (Rome). We used the services of romeinlimo.com and couldn't have been more satisfied. They were professional and showed us parts of Rome that we would never have been able to see on our own in the time available. Our guide was Salvatore and he explained everything we wanted to know. We also used them in Livorno and Parermo.