Tivoli Full Day Trip from Rome: Hadrian's Villa and Villa D'Este
Description
Discover two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este, on a guided full-day trip to Tivoli from Rome Ponte Mammolo. You’ll learn interesting Renaissance history, discover awe-inspiring archaeological ruins and admire elaborate gardens and dazzling fountains on a trip that’s sure to be as memorable as it is captivating.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This enchanting day trip from Rome begins with a 40-minute bus ride to Hadrian’s Villa. The vastness of Hadrian’s estate is a sight that will surely impress. The Emperor chose to build his residence outside the city in a place rich in water, in order to build the famous Canopus, one of the most preserved sites left in the complex. The statues surrounding this pool of water create stunning reflections on its surface, beautifully surrounded by luscious green gardens
A short bus ride brings you to Tivoli town center – where you will have time to explore and enjoy lunch before the next walking tour
We will leave the alluring ruins of the 2nd century A.D. far behind as we travel on to the 14th century to our second destination, Villa d’Este - one of the most beautiful Renaissance villas in Italy. This splendid palace, with its extraordinary gardens filled with hundreds of fountains, will leave you feeling captivated. Bernini’s monumental Neptune’s Fountain is considered the most impressive, its water jets reaching a height of 10 meters. Not to say that the Central Fountain and the Oval Fountain won’t leave you equally in awe
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
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Luggage storage NOT available
- Please note: Stairs at both villas are quite steep and a moderate amount of walking is involved
- This tour is not recommended to people with disabilities
- Individuals with Disabilities MUST NOTE it on their booking.
Reviews(1,800)
We had an amazing time on this trip! The ruins of Hadrian’s villa contrasted with the renaissance villa was a great way to see history unfold. The guide was knowledgeable and very kind. The only thing I would say was that the lunch was just meh. We had fun speaking to the other group members, but the food was only okay. There were plenty of other options. The pick up point was easy to find.
Do NOT take this trip. Overrated and not worth the time and money. Also, the tour company is very bad and has no idea what a good customer experience is. They are only focused on collecting their money. One of the worst tours ever. Trust me do not take it.
The tour guide was excellent, a wealth of information. Lunch was ordinary. I would recommend getting your own lunch. Placed visited were very interesting. The air con on return trip wasn’t working.
Our guide Guiseppi was very knowledgeable and engaging. We thoroughly enjoyed touring both villas. The fountains and organ at Villa dEste were particularly spectacular!
Hadrian’s Villa was one of the most, if not the most, amazing things we saw in Italy. Our guide was excellent and the pacing of the day was very good. Highly recommend.
Guide was great but a few transit travellers latched on to the guided group which wasn’t fair as we paid more for a guided tour.
The experience itself was excellent due to an amazing guide, Joseph. He managed to wrangle all of us in a gentle way. He had so much knowledge to share. My one complaint is how the meeting area is handled. It is a bit difficult for "foreigners" as the Metro B are is in 2 spots and depending on the direction you arrive from you may end up crossing a 6 lane road----The individual who was in charge had a small sign on a stick which was difficult to see. She never said her name nor gave out much information or a smile. We were provided with radios and put on a bus (no intro to bus driver-- ) and told after a 40 minute drive we would get to a place and our guide would be waiting in his car. It was an unsettling start and could be so easily fixed with some shared conversation. Luckily our guide was great and I enjoyed the tour.
Really enjoyed this trip, beautiful scenery, local guide who was from Tivoli. The fountains in Tivoli were magnificent. Also after squeezing through hot corridors at the Coloseum and Vatican, it was nice to have a tour that wasn't crowded. Nice bunch of people, bus ride is about 30-40 minutes. First stop we see Hadrian's summer palace. Great history. There is a bit of up and down climbing so you will sweat on a hot day but you can cool off from the water in the fountains. It is drinkable too. Fun day.
This experience was lovely because it feels like a secret to travelers. I love UNESCO heritage sites so this was on the top of my list and it felt like a grand opportunity to see a city outside of Rome during our stay (Tivoli). Our guide was very excited, informative, and helpful throughout - she's a Tivoli local and you can tell she knew the area quite well. Despite it being very hot, we had a tremendous time through Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli, and Villa d'Este (maybe my favorite place of our entire trip to Italy!). It was important to know that the meeting spot was NOT convenient for us. I don't know if that means it wasn't convenient for others but our Uber got lost getting there and we had to walk 20 minutes to get back over. Most other tours met within 10-15 minutes of our hotel, so we were sort of shocked to see that this one was around a 40 minute walk away. We stayed near the Trevi, Pantheon, and Spanish Steps area. The original person to meet our tour group was late and disorganized, but the guide herself was amazing. The group was mostly English speakers but we did have some people who were "transfers" that just road the bus with us -- it was a little odd because some didn't speak English OR Italian, making communication to them an interesting adventure. One, a native Spanish speaker, struggled to understand when to rejoin the group often, making him late several times.
Our day trip to excursion to Hadrian’s villa Tivoli gardens was an enriching addition to our stay in Rome. Our guide had a thorough knowledge of the history of both places and and told it well
