Couple of Rome Questions
 

Well, we leave on Wednesday - yippee! I finished the Venice info & now I am working on organizing all of the Rome info. I have found a couple of holes - I'm sure to find more! Would much appreciate some help.

1. The secret passage between the Vatican & the Castle (Sant' Angelo) - is there a tour that offers access or another way to get access?

2. the hop-on / hop-off bus -
A. where are the various places we can board? I'm sure there are several places; don't want to walk to a far off place & find out another spot was just around our corner!

B. do we pay onboard or buy the tickets elsewhere?

C. Can we only go as far as where we got on? or can we go around the entire loop as many times as we want, getting off & on as much as want? Figured we would do the entire loop once & then get on & off on the next loop.

D. Any other info I should know about this bus?

Thanks so much. Couldn't have planned this trip without this great board and all of the Fodorites!

Julie

Hello Julie, As to the bus, ATAC bus no. 116 stops at most of the biggest tourist attractions and you can pay when boarding. Your ticket is good for the day and if you get on several hours after it starts, you can ride until the same time the next day. The ticket vendor will give you a map, showing all stops, you can ride as many trips around Rome as time allows. In good weather the best seats are in the front of the upper deck. Have a great trip.

Hi

See also http://www.trambusopen.com/index.cfm

Yes, its the 110 bus you want, not 116.

thanks so much everyone. worldinabag, that link is great; i printed out some info to take along.

One more question about the bus though. Can it only be purchased at the Termini? we are staying close to Piazza Navona & had hoped we could purchase & catch it there to begin the trip - ?

so far, so good! that just leaves the secret passage. if i don't get an answer, i'll post a thread with that in the title.

Now I'm working on the catacombs info!

Thanks again, Julie

Catacomb directions; http://tinyurl.com/j9w3d
That is just a tinyurl for my Fodor's post.

My directions are from Termini but you can also catch the Metro at the Colosseum.
Regards, Walter

Hi Julie,

I tried the red bus tour bus, if that is the same. Got on at the Forum and went to St. Peter's, where it sat for 40 minutes. I gave up and took a taxi back because I had to meet my Context Rome tour at the Palantine Hill. Also, half the ear phone outlets didn't work and the bus cannot go to all the sites, because buses don't fit on the streets to many of them.

Just so you know what you are getting.

Buon viaggio!

This is just my opinion of the hop-on/off buses that I posted on another forum. Regards, Walter

ParadiseLost (# 1 of 1) 03:33pm Oct 6, 2006 EST

I don't think it's a good option in Rome because the sites aren't really that far apart.

Plus the cost esp for 2 persons, it would alot better to take a taxi R/T to some areas if out of the way like the Vatican.

And making sure you get to and find the bus stop and then wait for the bus to come for what might be just a short hop.

The Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum, the Imperial Forums (viewed from the sidewalk except Trajan's if open), Capitoline Hill & its 2 museums and the Vittorio Emanuelle Monument/Piazza Venezia are all basically next to each other.

And from the Capitoline Hill or Piazza Venezia to the Pantheon is a 10min walk and from there to the Piazza Navona is a 5min walk.

The Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica could easily be a whole day or the better part of one.

So IMO to take a Hop-on/off bus to either of those areas is a waste of time and money. In 9 trips I've never even thought about using it.

To give you an idea of walking distances/time in Rome do this.
On a Rome map with a piece of paper mark or cut the paper the distance from the front doors of Termini Train Station to the entrance of the Roman Forum (at the end of Via Cavour).

That walk is 20min for me and I'm 52, a smoker, overweight and I'm wearing an over-the-counter knee-brace. So needless to say I'm slow:).

Now use that paper to gauge walking distances/time to different sites.

The metro is limited but can come in handy at certain locations.

And the regular buses can cut down on your walking.

Pick-up a 'Roma Metro-Bus' map, the map showing the city streets and bus numbers is easy to use. Look for this map at souvenir stands or kiosks esp around tourist areas, it's also widely available in Termini's newstands. Regards, Walter

Thanks everyone. Sorry to hear about the red bus; we so enjoyed the double decker open top in NYC; great photo ops!

How strange, Walter - twilight zone! Just as you were posting, I was organizing the copy & paste I did from your directions to the catacombs - got it all ready now - we will surely use your directions! You appear to be like me - no detail is too small! My son says I am micro-managing my trip info! Just another Fodorite, I guess!

Now, anyone know if we can tour the "secret passage" from the Castle to the Vatican?

How about a tour company for the Vatican Gardens (I put this on another post). In November, individuals can only tour on Saturday & our two Saturdays are taken. But groups can tour other days. I want to go!!!

Thanks again, Julie

In more years of going to Rome than I would like to count, I have never heard of a tour of the secret passage from the Vatican to Castel Sant'Angelo.

As for the Vatican Gardens, I think they might be too abstruse an interest for any company to organize group tours. Not even ContextRome, which is the "deepest" of the tour companies, offers one. The groups referred to on the Vatican's Web site probably refer to Italians from other parts of Italy who come to Rome as a group.