Catacombs and Roman Countryside Half-Day Walking Tour
Description
Travel along Rome’s ancient Appian Way and explore its ancient aqueducts, Catacombs and countryside on this 3-hour tour. Escape the city’s hustle and bustle to discover the surrounding countryside with your guide. Visit the Catacombs of San Callisto or San Sebastiano — widely considered to be among Rome’s finest remaining burial sites — and explore their labyrinthine underground tunnels. Admire feats of engineering from a past civilization in the antique arches of Rome’s mighty aqueducts and gain valuable insight into one of the world’s most fascinating ancient civilizations.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The sightseeing tour begins with a comfortable bus ride to the Roman countryside. Here you will discover the beauty that lies outside of Rome, starting with the infamous Catacombs of San Callisto- among the largest and most important in Italy. This underground cemetery and the burial site of 500,000 Christians and dozens of martyrs and popes is divided into two areas – the crypt of St. Cecilia and the Crypt of the Popes.
We continue by bus through the Roman countryside to the next destination – Circus of Maxentius. Although not as renown as Circus Maximus, this well-preserved structure can be found in the lush Caffarella Park
Next stop on this undiscovered Rome itinerary is an external visit to the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella. Located at the top of a hill along Via Appia, this monumental tomb was built to honor the Roman noblewoman during the 1st century B.C
We continue with a walk through one of the oldest and most significant streets in the world - the Appian Way. Referred to by Romans as the “Queen of Roads”, Via Appia connected Rome to Brindisi in Southern Italy, serving as the main trade route with Greece and the East. Which is why the Appian Way of 300 B.C. is considered one of the greatest engineering works of Ancient Rome civilization.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Luggage storage NOT available
- A dress code is required to enter the catacombs. Both shoulders and knees MUST be covered for both men and women. This dress code is strictly enforced and you will be refused entry if you fail to comply with requirements.
Reviews(411)
Tour operator phoned with less than 24 hours notice to state that they could not accommodate us on the tour which we booked and paid for 2 weeks earlier. No explanation offered, no refund yet received.
that you really need to take a guide. Lots of information we got from the guide. Really impress and for the time really well structured
Wonderful! We booked this tour to visit the catacombs and the 1st Roman aqueduct. Cathia and Mario, our tour guide and driver, were very welcoming, patient, and knowledgeable. We have a young toddler and both Cathia and Mario were very accommodating and kind. We loved this tour and will take another tour that they offer when we come back to Italy soon.
This tour certainly exceeded my expectations. Since childhood, I'd wanted to see the Roman catacombs and walk on the Via Appia. My husband had wanted to see an aqueduct. This tour was an ideal chance to do all of it. Our van driver, Mario, and our tour guide Katia were a great team. While we patiently waited in Rome traffic, Katia pointed out sites we passed, giving us lots of historical detail but even better, she told interesting stories and provided color so we got a sense of what it might have been like to live in Rome at different times. And she answered questions, happily! A bit about the logistics: meeting and checking in was well organized. There were 6 on the tour so we fit in a comfortable van. There was not as much walking at the different stops as the tour description said. The only tough part was the stairs to the catacombs. But they were worth it! There we had an expert guide, Don Sam, who had been giving tours since 2006. His explanations were very informative and neutral in terms of religious aspects. He also answered our questions about geology, archeology, religious traditions, restorations, and history. The Via Apia portion did not disappoint! We stopped at one of the Roman mausoleums and heard about the castle's medieval history. We walked on the ancient road a bit. TIP: Think twice about a bicycle tour--the cobblestones probably made that experience painful! Plenty of young people were struggling. Driving out to the aqueduct, Katia told us the history of the great Roman families whose fame stretched from antiquity to modern times and gave us a taste of other villas and sites we might be interested in seeing. The stretch of aqueduct we visited was impressive--more than just a couple of ruined arches. There we learned more about ancient Rome's astounding water system. Leaving the intensity of Rome for a few hours in the countryside was just what we needed after a week of non-stop sightseeing. I highly recommend this tour to people of all ages and interest levels--even archeology and history buffs.
Francesca and Mario were wonderful! Thank you for a memorable day! Catacombs and Aquaduct Park were awe-inspiring and beautiful
Just an all around good tour. The catacombs were really interesting and the guide gave a pretty good overview on the history of the catacombs, Apian Way and the Aquaducts.
Tour was really good . the catacombs are amazing and the guide was great . seeing Appian Way and Aqueducts also great
Monica was a wealth of knowledge about everything! We had 6 people in our group, the van was clean and air-conditioned, and the catacombs, walk up the ancient Appian Way road, and the viaduct were all worth seeing!
The tour itself was good and the tour guide did a nice job….but they separated us in 2 vans with the guide in one van and most of us in the other. Most of the tour was in the vehicles and the headset did not catch most of it, like we caught one out of 3 words! The vehicle was also very hot and stuffy. Also not that depending on traffic it will take 30-60 min longer. Also meeting place was unclear. FYI - You want to be by the bus stop near metro even though the once across the street matches what they must.
Dear Customer, thank you for sharing your feedback regarding your recent tour experience. We are pleased to hear that the tour itself was good, and the tour guide did a nice job. However, we apologize for the inconveniences you encountered during the tour. We apologize for the separation of the group into two vans and the limited audio quality from the headset. We understand that this impacted your ability to fully enjoy and understand the tour commentary. We will address this issue to ensure an improved experience for future tours. Thank you!
Excellent guide and very interesting tour. Highly recommend it especially for teens. Also the aqueduct and Appian way was very interesting. It was raining but we still loved the tour.
