Hop on, hop off bus in Rome?

I seem to remember from our previous visit that there is a hop on hop off bus touring Rome.

Can anyone confirm thIs, and how much is it, please?

Many thanks

A Google search will reveal two companies, IIRC. You will be able to see their websites, routes, stops and possibly buy in advance for a discount.However, it is commonly discussed here that ho-ho buses in Rome lack a little compared to other major cities, due to the narrow streets that force the buses away from many of the main sites. Still definitely doable. However, as many of the sites are close to each other, walking is a great option if you don't have mobility issues.

FYI-Public transportation is easily accessible and inexpensive. Rick Steves has great walking tours available of the major sights and includes public transportation instructions and easy ways to connect the sights together.

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There are several different HOHO buses in Rome but unless you are mobility impaired and really can't get around any other way, they are the definition of a waste of time and money. HOHO buses make much more sense in newer, more spread out cities like Paris and New York.

Not to pile on, but I agree with the others -- avoid the HOHO in Rome. In addition to the points raised above, the traffic is terrible and the buses can't get around very fast. They also get crowded because people tend to get on and stay on. Thus, if you get off you may a) wait a long time for the next bus due to traffic, and b) not be able to get on it anyway because it's full.

Thanks everyone, great information as usual. :)

We will give it a miss!

 

We will give it a miss!

Good move.

Due to the city streets the route passes little of interest, and it wastes a great deal of time particularly for those on a port-of-call visit.

We used it during a post-cruise visit, spent most of the time sat on the stationary bus at Termini station and Vatican.

JB :)

If you plan to go to the Vatican or the Colloseum, I highly recommend prepurchasing your tickets. I don't remember experiencing lines at any of the other major attractions.

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While I agree with the above posters, if you've been to Rome before, the hoho bus is an easy way to refresh your memories & and get off at a few stops that you want to revisit.

While I agree with the above posters, if you've been to Rome before, the hoho bus is an easy way to refresh your memories & and get off at a few stops that you want to revisit.

Plus, the HoHo is not a bad way to get an overview of Rome when you arrive jet-lagged from the states. Just ride along

The Roma Christiana HoHo has some extended routes that include the catacombs as well as an option that allows travel on public transportation. We took advantage of this on our last visit to Rome 4 years ago.

We hated the HOHO bus in Rome. After getting off to work our way to one of the sites near a particular stop, it took forever to find our way to the next, or any, stop. We spent/wasted more time trying to navigate the bus route, and on finding the correct bus stop for the particular HOHO company we used, than on seeing the sites. It's way easier to walk. Biking in Rome was great!!

I seem to remember from our previous visit that there is a hop on hop off bus touring Rome.

 

Can anyone confirm thIs, and how much is it, please?

 

Many thanks

When we were in Rome the hop on hop off bus cost was 28 euros for 24 hours. That was nice to see the major sites!

We were just in Rome right after Thanksgiving (low tourist season) and we had a great time with the HOHO buses. I've lived in Italy before and have been to Rome many times, but I was with people who had not been there before. We had bought an OMNIA pass and used that for three days during the week we were there--good also for public transportation (you can buy this on line and I picked up our tickets at the OMNIA office at Vatican Square when we arrived since we were staying in that area). I like the HOHO buses as they give a great overview of any city, and with this one, it takes you way out to St. John's church (which is a bit out of the center of the city). Each HOHO bus has a slightly different route, so check out the company you want to use (some concentrate more on religious sites than others). We also used the public buses and subways and they were fine. You can buy bus tickets from machines and use the meter on the bus when you first board. Subway maps are easy to understand. Rome is full of tourists and is geared to tourists. It is much easier now to travel around Rome as a tourist than it was years ago when I lived in Italy! Have fun!

Our friends used the hoho bus in December. They arrived after 2 pm and were boarding a ship the following morning. They said it was good if you are short on time

There are some small electric buses operated by the public transport system which traverse some of the narrow streets. We used them a few times last time we were in Rome as there was a stop close to our hotel.

We were just in Rome right after Thanksgiving (low tourist season) and we had a great time with the HOHO buses.

Our friends used the hoho bus in December. They arrived after 2 pm and were boarding a ship the following morning. They said it was good if you are short on time.

Nevertheless, the drawbacks still remain: you cannot, for example, see Trevi Fountain from a HOHO bus, you have to get off. And once you get off, there is no guarantee how long it will take before another bus of the same line comes along to pick you up.

I don't recommend it if you have a time-limited day for this reason. I'd think it would be very frustrating to just sit and look, oftentimes not at the sites but at the traffic!

It's worth noting that these two more positive responses relate to experiences in the low season when there are far fewer tourists and less traffic in Rome.Nevertheless, the drawbacks still remain: you cannot, for example, see Trevi Fountain from a HOHO bus, you have to get off. And once you get off, there is no guarantee how long it will take before another bus of the same line comes along to pick you up.

 

I don't recommend it if you have a time-limited day for this reason. I'd think it would be very frustrating to just sit and look, oftentimes not at the sites but at the traffic!

That's exactly what we found; frustrating. It was also our first time in Rome when we were on it many years ago, and while we thought it would be efficient, it was anything but efficient.