Hadrian's Villa/Villa D'Este/Tivoli Tour

[palmettogirl]

Has anyone been to Hardrian's Villa/Villa D'Este/ Tivoli with a tour guide? I have contacted romecabs and limoinrome. Are these places worth visiting? We have 2 days in port and I thought we would do Rome one day instead of two and go somewhere the next day. (We are going with my mother and wine touring is out) Thanks for any help or suggestions of other places!

[CruisinGerman]

The places you mention are beautiful places. However, they can easily be done as a half-day tour. Some people who overnight in Rome on their cruise choose to spend the night in a hotel in central Rome and thereby get two days of sightseeing instead of one day, and avoid having to go through the expense and distance of going back and forth from Civitavecchia if they do want two days. Depending upon what type of ship and cruise you will be on, you might also think about this possibility.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[Hlitner]

What you do with your time is really personal preference (different strokes for different folks) but if this is your first visit to Rome I would put the Villa d'Este far down the list. Why? Well, its at least an hour ride out to Tivoli (can be worse depending on traffic) which means you will use at least half a day to see some gardens and fountains (its quite beautiful). There is also a lot of walking and climbing of steps..so be prepared. However, on a first trip there is so much to see and do in Rome its hard to justify all the time to just get to and from Tivoli. Last year we spent 2 nights in Tivoli as we were driving from Tuscany down to the Amalfi coast, and we thought that one night would have been more than enough! I think visiting Tivoli on your first 2 day trip to Rome would be similar to visiting New York City for 2 days and spending one day going to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell (not a bad thing).

[MVPinBoynton]

I agree with Hlitner 100%. We took a land tour in 2000 that included Villa d'Este but not Hadrian's Villa. This was our first trip to Rome and we did enjoy enjoy the Villa; but more time in Rome would have been better. This year we are taking our 3rd visit to Rome and we are just going to take it easy trying to just take our time and really experience this amazing city.

[MavisMarie]

I enjoyed Villa D'Este very much and would like to go back again to revisit it. I've been to Rome at least 6 or 7 times and have spent a total of about 16-18 days there. From that perspective, I've thought of going on my 2nd day from Civitavecchia because I've seen so much of Rome in the past...no pun intended!

 

If I were you, I would go on my 2nd day in port but only if I'd absolutely seen enough of Rome and wanted to move on.

[cruisemom42]

Rome has so much to offer! I've been there 3 different times (and soon a 4th) for not less than 3 days each time. And I STILL have a list of things that I'd want to do in the city itself.

 

There are many things in Rome that I'd put above the excursions you named, including:

 

The Vatican museum/Sistine Chapel/St. Peters (at least a half day)

 

The Colosseum and Ancient Forum (at least a half day), if you're into ancient Rome you should also do Palatine hill (home to the emperors)

 

The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona (grouped together, another half day)

 

The Galleria Borghese (great museum and the house ain't bad either...)

 

Window shopping (or real shopping) in the via Condotti/Spanish steps area

 

The National Museum (near Termini station) for good overview of ancient Rome and busts of all the emperors

 

Trastevere

 

Old Jewish Ghetto

 

The Via Appia Antica (walk for a bit on the ancient Roman road, see one of the catacombs, and go out to the aqueduct park for beautiful scenery

 

This is not even scratching the surface of the many wonderful churches, and time spent just wandering around the central historic area (you'll find a fountain or a statue or a column or an arch around every corner...)

 

As you can tell, I love Rome.

[Jade13]

I was wondering if it was worth having the driver from the airport take us to Tivoli before going to our hotel? Howfar is the drive? WE will be there on a Monday and I read that one of the Vollas is closed. I need to find the web site to figure out which one.

 

We are scheduled to get into Rome at 8:30am and can't get hotel check-in until 2:00pm. We plan to go to the Vatican and St Peters the next morning before the cruise.

 

The question is if we should go to Tivoli from the airport? And them have a driver pick us up in the late afternoon for a tour at dusk evening?

[palmettogirl]

Thanks to all of you for your answers....we will definately spend the 2 days in Rome!

[Darthtater]

We will have 10 days in Rome so I have put these places on our itinerary, but I wan't going to get a guide, I want to either take the train to the sites or take a train a little bit out of Rome and then rent a car (I won't drive in Rome-my nerves can't handle the traffic). What do y'all suggest?

[franu]

I loved both Villa d'Este and Hadrian's villain 1975. I especially liked the Villa at night but when I took my late husband, years later, to see the sight only to find that the doors were closing. Checking the official website now I find that it closes "one hour before sunset". It is a shame.

 

Unfortunately, we arrived in Hadrian's villa about 45 minutes before closing and could not see all that we wanted.

 

I agree with hlitner, if you have only a few days in Rome, make the most of them by seeing what Rome has to offer.

 

Jade, Tivoli is in the opposite direction from Rome. That would be too much traffic for one day and perhaps colour your thoughts regarding Rome in a negative shade. Most flights from North America arrive in Italy in the morning. Tired and needing refreshing the total ride would be more than I could do.

 

Darthtater, With the time you have alloted for Rome, it will be a nice break to have the ride to Tivoli and visit the sites. A good guidebook or info from the internet should be enough. Check the hours before going also making certain that they will be open on that day

Fran

[Wendy The Wanderer]

It was a long time ago, but I seem to remember spending at least 2 or 3 hours at Villa D'Este. Beautiful gardens. But, as someone else here pointed out, not the first thing I would see if I went back to Rome.

[Hlitner]

Jade, Please understand that Tivoli is on the opposite side of Rome as the airport (FCO) although it is possible to bypass Rome if you want to go there direct from the airport. As I previously posted, Rome has so much to see and do its hard to justify the trip to Tivoli for a first-time visitor to this region. You also need to consider that after an all night flight to Rome, you will be tired. The Villa D'Este is closed on Mondays (this is the place famous for its gardens) but Hadrian's Villa is open (IMHO its the better of the two places). When we normally fly into Rome, we will usually go right to our hotel to drop our luggage and pray that we can get into our room early (sometimes you do get lucky). Otherwise, after leaving your luggage with the hotel's concierge you can start to explore Rome (morning coffee at the Piazza Navona or a similar place is a great start to any trip). Since you are scheduled to arrive at 8:30 you will probably not be out of the airport until 9:30 which means you will not be into central Rome until after 10:30 AM. Also keep in mind that Monday's in Italy will find quite a few museums and shops closed, although many of the shops will open during the afternoon. Although there are many nice things one can say about Tivoli, that area and its attractions pale by comparison to the many wonders within Rome.

 

Hank

[Jade13]

Franu/Hank - Thanks.

 

I am not a first time visiter but it has been over 20 years. My DH & DD do not like museums (althought I was an art & art history major).

 

We are staying in a small hotel and can't check -in until 2:00pm I just found out...so resting at the hotel just got thrown out the window.

 

I will be happy just to go back to the Pantheon.