The hop-on hop-off bus in Rome is an ideal way to quickly and easily see all the sights and attractions of Rome and Vatican City. The hop-on buses that travel around Rome have been popular among tourists for years because with the hop-on bus, you can see all the highlights of Rome in a short time, for example, one day, and you can get off as often as you like at the attractions you want to visit.
The principle of the hop-on hop-off bus in Rome is very simple. The buses in Rome follow a fixed route through the city center, stopping at stops near the main attractions in Rome. On average, a bus stops at the bus stop every 10 to 15 minutes. The buses stop at places such as the Colosseum, Castel Sant’Angelo, Piazza Navona, Circus Maximus, and of course, St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. This way, you won’t miss anything during your city trip to Rome.
At each stop of the hop-on buses, you can get off to take a close look at the attraction. Then you can get back on the next bus that stops at the stop. During the validity of your ticket, you can get on and off as often as you like, wherever and whenever you want. But of course, you can also choose to stay on the bus and see the entire route, then get off at each stop on the next round. If you want to stay on the entire route through Rome, it will take you about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Discover Rome quickly and easily
The hop-on hop-off buses in Rome are ideal for tourists who want to discover as much of Rome and Vatican City as possible in a short time without too much effort. Due to the distances in Rome, it can be time-consuming to travel from one attraction to another or to walk. Additionally, the metro in Rome can sometimes be very crowded, and you always must be alert to pickpockets everywhere in Rome. By exploring the Italian capital with the hop-on bus, you’ll have less trouble with this, and you can sit back and view Rome from the bus. Moreover, thanks to the open roof of the bus, you’ll see much more of the city than if you were traveling around Rome by metro.
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Hop-on-hop-off bus companies in Rome
In Rome, there are several hop-on-hop-off buses operated by various companies. Regardless of which hop-on bus you choose, the route is almost the same for all companies. Sometimes, a company may offer additional routes alongside the standard route, which includes attractions such as the Colosseum, Vatican City, and the Spanish Steps. This is the case, for example, with Big Bus’s hop-on-hop-off buses, which have a purple route in addition to the red route that partially traverses the city center but also goes further outside the center to locations such as the Caffarella Park and the Baths of Caracalla.
The most well-known and popular hop-on-hop-off bus companies operating in Rome are City sightseeing Roma and Big Bus. Both companies can be recognized by their red buses, with Big Bus featuring burgundy and yellow, while City Sightseeing operates bright red buses with large stickers. Both companies are globally recognized and operate hop-on-hop-off buses in many cities around the world, including Dubai, Paris, London, New York, Reykjavik, Singapore, Dublin, Barcelona, and Abu Dhabi.
Tickets for hop-on-hop-off buses in Rome
With the hop-on-hop-off buses in Rome, you have the option to choose from three different tickets: a ticket valid for 24 hours, a ticket for 48 hours, and a ticket for 72 hours. There are tickets available for children aged 5 to 15 years and for adults (16+). Children under 5 years old can travel for free when accompanied by an adult. With your ticket, you will also receive a complimentary map of Rome and an audio guide.
You can easily book hop-on hop-off bus tickets in advance on the websites of Tiqets.com or GetYourGuide. Payment is safe and quick, accepted through methods such as iDeal, credit card, and PayPal. After your booking, you will receive e-tickets in your inbox within 24 hours. The tickets are valid from the moment you board the bus. For example, if you board the bus at 10:00 a.m. on Monday with a 48-hour ticket, you can use the hop-on-hop-off buses until 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Prices may vary slightly due to inflation.
Adult Tickets for the BIG BUS (16+):
– 24 hours: 30.60 euros
– 48 hours: 37.80 euros
– 72 hours: 43.20 euros
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Child Tickets for the BIG BUS(5 to 15 years):
– 24 hours: 15.30 euros
– 48 hours: 18.90 euros
– 72 hours: 23 euros
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Adult Tickets for the City Sightseeing (16+):
– 24 hours: 26 euros
– 48 hours: 39 euros
– 72 hours: 46 euros
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Child Tickets for the City Sightseeing(5 to 15 years):
– 24 hours: 11 euros
– 48 hours: 19 euros
– 72 hours: 21.60 euros
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Free audio guide
During the tour of Rome and Vatican City, you can use the free audio guide, available in 9 different languages. You can choose from English, Italian, Spanish, German, and French, and more. If you don’t have headphones with you, you can use the free disposable headphones available on the bus. On board the buses, you can also use free Wi-Fi, so you can immediately share your vacation photos with your loved ones at home and on social media.
Hop-on-hop-off bus stops and timetable
The City Sightseeing Rome hop-on-hop-off bus route has a total of 8 different stops scattered throughout the center of Rome. You can get off and on at each stop. The stops are easily recognizable by the red signs of City Sightseeing Rome. Other hop-on-hop-off bus companies that operate in Rome also often stop at the same route.
The stops of the City Sightseeing hop-on-hop-off bus in Rome are:
1. Termini station (starting point of the line)
2. Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
3. Colosseum
4. Circus Maximus
5. Piazza Venezia
6. Vatican City (Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Square, and Castel Sant’Angelo)
7. Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps)
8. Piazza Barberini (Spanish Steps)
The City Sightseeing buses operate daily in Rome between 09:00 and 19:00 during the period from June to September and until 17:00 during the period from October to May. A complete round trip through Rome takes about 100 minutes. A bus stops at the stops every 10 to 15 minutes, so you never have to wait long for the next bus.
