Blog - Life in Italy

Rome is a big city and rich of art and history at every corner, although you can easily walk all the top attractions in the city center of Rome it could be tiring after a while.

Bus Tours are a great way to explore the city in relax with an extensive hop-on hop-off itinerary through the heart of Rome. You can get off at any stop, take a walk of the area and then hop on the next bus at no additional cost for the validity of your ticket (1-2 days).

The buses are open top which allows you to enjoy full 360 degree panoramic views as you travel along your route.

This is a very family friendly service and is also a very good idea to jump start your vacation and get acquainted with the city, attractions, places and distances. Just have a tour, see what Rome has to offer, get off at your favourite place if you can't resist :) or take the whole loop and carefully choose your next top attraction to visit.

There are many different companies (up to 7) that operate very similar core routes around the Rome sights.
Although all tours are loops where you can start at any point, nearly all operators start at Termini Station the main central station of Rome, connected to both metro lines A and B.

Generally you have the choice of a 24 or 48 hours ticket with which to make use of the 12 to 20 stops in the most beautiful, cultural and evocative areas of the Eternal city. The tours operate 365 days per year.

Open Top Buses
All of the buses are open-top and equipped with a personalized throwaway audio system which functions more than 8 languages languages, providing recorded commentary throughout the tour. Ofter there is also an English and Italian speaking host onboard each bus to assist with any queries. You will be provided with a set of earphones which you keep and use for the duration of your ticket.

Itinerary
The itinerary usually goes from Termini Station passing the Colosseum and Roman Forum then Circus Maximus and along the River Tiber, where you can walk over to Trastevere. Then back again to the other end of the Roman Forum and then Piazza Venezia. From Piazza Venezia it stop along the way near the Piazza Navona and Pantheon and then straight to the Vatican crossing the River Tiber.
After the Vatican most buses will route through the Villa Borghese, Via Vittorio Veneto, Piazza Barberini, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. Then back to Termini. Check out the travel map for the specific bus operator of your choice for the detailed route.

Ticketing and Prices
Prices are between 15€ and 20€ for a 1-day ticket and between 23€ and 25€ for a 2-day ticket
Average time for a complete tour and about 2 hours total time departing about every 15-30 minutes usually between 9am to 6pm (last departure from Termini station)
Most operators offer a discounted fare for children aged 6 to 12 years old.

Major Rome Bus Tour Companies

• Open Tour '110 Open'

• City Sightseeing
  

• Green Line

• Ciao Roma
  
• Roma Christiana
• Archeobus
  

A couple of  them are more 'thematic' than the others and specifically:

- Roma Christiana in addition to the standard route has an extended tour that visits many Basilicas to the south of the city, Baths of Caracalla and is the only bus that visits Trastevere itself, even going up the hill behind Trastevere with great views down on the city.
- ArcheoBus goes through the centre of Rome and then along the famous Park of Via Appia Antica, and the Christian catacombs stopping at many of the major archaeological sites.

Enjoy your tour!

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The  Colosseum, originally known as the "Flavian Amphitheater",  capable of seating 55,000 spectators. Deadly gladiatorial combats and wild animals fights were staged free of charge by the emperor and wealthy citizens for public viewing.  

It was commissioned by the Emperor Vespasian between 70 and 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD by his son Domitian. Built on a marshy site of a lake near the site of Nero's enormous palace, there was a colossus (a very tall statue) of Nero nearby, from which legend says the Colosseum's name was originated from. It was later destroyed in the great fire of Rome.

The Colosseum was cleverly designed. It has been said that most today's stadiums, and structures alike have been inspired by the concepts introduced in the Colosseum's building structure, even in modern times. It could be evacuated inearly in five minutes. The most inventive part of the Colosseum was its cooling system. It was roofed using a canvas covered net-like structure made of ropes, with a hole in the center to provide a breeze for the audience.

Another nifty feature the Colosseum had was a "vomitoria" - a passageway that opens into a row of seats from below or behind. The vomitoria of the Colosseum in Rome were designed so that the massive venue could fill in 15 minutes. (There were 80 entrances at ground level, 76 for ordinary spectators and 4 for the imperial family.) A true magnificent architectural development for its time. It's a also a building of great beauty and design.

During the Middle Ages, the Colosseum was converted into a fortress and the marble was burned used to make quicklime. During the Renaissance period, but mostly in the Baroque age, the ruling Roman families (from which many Popes of the Catholic Church came from) used it as a source of marble for the construction of St. Peters Basilica you see today.

Whether you are a couple, group or family, check out the apartments available for rent in this area. When you visit Rome, you'll evidently need somewhere to stay! This task has just gotten easier!  Choose a quality Colosseum Area apartment and enjoy living an new experience surrounded by the locals in space and comfort. 

 If you plan to see more of Italy, also visit the ThekeytoItaly.com site, which features the Romantic city of Venice, and the beautiful countryside hills of Tuscany and Umbria in Italy Villas and Castles .

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