Rome: Hop-On/Hop-Off bus

[skyboy]

Has anybody had any experience with the Hop on/Hop off bus in Rome.

Is that a good way to get around the city when in port for the day?

[agabbymama]

I don't have any experience with the Ho/Ho bus in Rome, YET. I have booked the one through

 

www.viator.com but there are a couple other ones offered too. Citysightseeing has one that will give you 10% off of subsequent Ho/Hos in other towns (Pisa, Florence, Sorrento, Naples, etc.). I was going to do that one, but you can't buy ahead of time and I wanted to get the tickets purchased here now and paid for, long before the trip.

 

I've done Ho/Ho buses in New York City and Australia, but not in Europe. I like them and plan to use the one in Rome for transport as well as sightseeing. Our hotel is near the Vatican, will catch the Ho/Ho to go over to the other sights, then back to the Vatican at the end of the day. I bought the 48 hours pass as we will be in Rome 2 full days pre-cruise.

 

Good Luck and have a great trip!

[sea-explorer]

ATAC Rome also has some of it's own sightseeing bus routes, particularly the 110 tourist bus. Some info here.

 

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/rome_transportation/bus.htm

[lambs2]

ATAC Rome also has some of it's own sightseeing bus routes, particularly the 110 tourist bus. Some info here.

 

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/rome_transportation/bus.htm

 

If you choose to travel from Civitivecchia to Rome on your own using the train, the BIRG ticket includes round trip train transportation, plus the Metro and city buses like the 110. The cost last May was €9 pp. We used the 110 bus last May to travel from the Pantheon area to the Vatican. Just be aware and wear a money belt. A lady on our bus lost her wallet while on board the 110 with us! Other than that we had a great day using the public transportation and saw far more than any one else who opted for ship tours. We preplanned our day. We started the morning at the Coloseum, took the English tour, walked around Palantine Hill and the Forum area from where we walked tothe Victor Emmanuel Monument, then Trevi Fountain and then to the Panteon before boarding the 110 bus to the Vatican for our tour of the Museums and St. Peter's Basilica at 2 pm. Then boarded the Metro for a stop at Spagna (Spanish Steps), then to Termini where we boarded the train for the trip back to Civitivecchia. (could have boarded the train at the St. Peter's stop but wanted to see the Spanish Steps!) We were back on board the ship and still had a couple hours before sail away! Great day! Tiring but an awesone quick one day visit. We threw our coins in the Trevi Fountain wishing to return when we could have a more leisurely paced time in Rome!

[svetick]

Lambs2,

the bus 110 that you used was it a hop-on/off bus?

[lambs2]

No - the 110 bus I am referring to was just a regular city bus used by many tourists in Rome.

[agabbymama]

If you choose to travel from Civitivecchia to Rome on your own using the train, the BIRG ticket includes round trip train transportation, plus the Metro and city buses like the 110. The cost last May was €9 pp. We used the 110 bus last May to travel from the Pantheon area to the Vatican. Just be aware and wear a money belt. A lady on our bus lost her wallet while on board the 110 with us! Other than that we had a great day using the public transportation and saw far more than any one else who opted for ship tours. We preplanned our day. We started the morning at the Coloseum, took the English tour, walked around Palantine Hill and the Forum area from where we walked tothe Victor Emmanuel Monument, then Trevi Fountain and then to the Panteon before boarding the 110 bus to the Vatican for our tour of the Museums and St. Peter's Basilica at 2 pm. Then boarded the Metro for a stop at Spagna (Spanish Steps), then to Termini where we boarded the train for the trip back to Civitivecchia. (could have boarded the train at the St. Peter's stop but wanted to see the Spanish Steps!) We were back on board the ship and still had a couple hours before sail away! Great day! Tiring but an awesone quick one day visit. We threw our coins in the Trevi Fountain wishing to return when we could have a more leisurely paced time in Rome!

 

I prefer the Ho/Ho bus, as I think the liklihood of pick pockets or thieves will be less on an excursion that costs extra fee rather than on a public bus.

[Sea Island Lady]

I read a review where the HOHO bus was just HOHUM. :D

 

Can't remember where, but the person said that the bus was hot and crowded, and the pollution on the streets was so bad, that she got sick. Also, the bus has to stop to pick up passengers and it will sometimes stay at a standstill for 10 minutes, while passengers buy their tickets.

 

Having mentioned the above...we still plan on trying the HOHO! :D

[Joanne G.]

Our experience with it was good. We did it the day we arrived in Rome for our pre-cruise stay. It was a no-brainer, minimal-effort, low cost way to get an overview of the city while exhausted and jet-lagged. Commentary was by earbud type headphones that we plugged into an outlet with the appropriate language. It was a hot day (late June), but we sat on the open-air upper level where there was a bit of a breeze.

 

We had a post-cruise stay, also, where we walked between some of the major tourist sites - using the excellent map we had gotten on the HOHO bus!

 

However you decide to see Rome, have a great time.

[DavidandPaula]

We used it in July but purchased our tickets about 1pm and as they are good for 24 hours we used it again the next day.

 

If you are only there for the day and already have a ticket then you are probably better of using the regular transport options as the HOHO bus does a circuit that goes near to a lot of the sights but not actually to them. You also have not indicated if you are pre purchasing tickets to any sights.

 

Coming in by train get of at San Peitro, walk up to St Peters Square. If you are not going into the basillica then walk through to Santa Angelo, cross the bridge and continue on to the Spanish Steps or go to the Pantheon. Work your way into the area of the Colisseum. From there you can catch the metro to Termini to link up with the train back to Civit.

 

Rome is small enough to get to a lot of places walking if you are only moderatley fit. In July it was over 40 degrees each day and I was way overweight at 140+ kgs but still was able to cover a lot of ground each day. On the HOHO bus I found we lost a lot of time waiting in traffic and also waiting at the stops for the next bus. Have a look at this article for some ideas about not so common sights to see.

 

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

 

Also get some guide books and study up on Rome and map out your route to make the most of your single day.

 

David