Sandi

Hello Fodorites! <BR><BR>I'm going to be in Rome for six days the first week of March. One day (and a half, maybe) will be devoted to a visit to Pompeii and Naples, and I want to see Paestum as well. Am considering spending one night near Paestum and arriving back next day mid-morning to Rome. <BR><BR>How long should I plan for a side trip to Tivoli? I understand you can take the public bus to do it. Specifically, Hadrian's Villa and Ville D'Este. Are Sundays advisable days to visit or does it make a difference? What time is the last bus to catch back to Rome? <BR><BR>I was thinking of doing my trip to Pompeii and Naples on Saturday, March 2 and if I spend the night near Paestum, arriving back to Rome Sunday mid to late morning. Then maybe go on to Tivoli Sunday afternoon. <BR><BR>Any opinions on this? Thanks very much!<BR><BR>Happy Holidays!<BR><BR>Sandi

Joanne

Sandi:<BR><BR>Can't help with bus schedules as we drove from Rome to Tivoli and visited both Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa.<BR><BR>Since you seem to be interested in visiting Roman ruins you might want to visit Ostia Antica, a short metro/train ride from Rome. We spent most of a day there and very much enjoyed it. It's quite a large site and was a very prominent sea port in its day. We took the metro to Pyramide station and then transferred to the train that goes all the way to the beach. You get off at Ostia Antica station and it is a short walk from the station to the site. <BR><BR>j

Michael From New York

I took a tour to Hadrian's Villa and Villa D'Este. Seem to recall it was a half day trip. We spent maybe an hour at Hadrian's Villa and a few hours at Villa D'Este.<BR><BR>I have a few photos if you want. Email me.

jahoulih

You can find detailed directions at<BR> http://www.twenj.com/ittivoli.htm. Having done this by public transportation, I have to say that it's a bit of a nuisance, and this is one time I might opt for a tour. A quick Google search revealed this website (as well as other similar ones), which might meet your needs: <BR>http://www.guestinitaly.com/tours/tour7.htm

Walter

Sandi: I honestly think you should just pick one site. I'm sure you read my trip-report on Ed twenj site. I was planning on visiting the Villa D'Este but I got a late start from my hotel (after 9:30). I lost time trying to find the bus connection from the metro and just missed the 4X bus from Tivoli to Hadrain's Villa and had to wait (~1hr). I took the 3hr audio guide tour at the Villa and then waited on the bus back to the Metro. It was dark (Feb) before I got back to the Metro. Like Jahoulih said the connections can be a "nuisance" (time consuming). Also my "Let's Go Rome" says that the Villa D'Este closes 1hr before sunset but on Sundays 1.5hrs earlier. And Hadrain's Villa closes 1.5hrs before sunset. If you decide too do both of them, I would taxi between them (~6km) too save time. Regards, Walter

jahoulih

Just to disagree a bit with Walter, I was glad that I visited both sites at Tivoli, considering the effort it took to get there and back. The Villa d'Este is very close to where one gets off the bus from Rome, and it only takes about an hour to see. (The gardens and fountains are quite spectacular; the interior of the Villa is of no great interest. Note that the gardens are steeply terraced and involve climbing a lot of steps.) I didn't have much trouble getting from there to Hadrian's Villa (which merits a visit of a good two or three hours); for me the hard part was getting back to Rome. I waited at the Garden Cafe (as Walter describes in his directions) and checked the bus schedule with the attendant there. But the first bus never showed up, and the second was quite late. The attendant did not seem to find this an unusual occurrence--given that, I think a tour to Tivoli might be the way to go.

Sandi

Hey guys, thanks for replying to my questions. I'm leaning towards a tour for this trip now. Seems like the hassle would be minimal. I wonder how long a person gets to spend on their own at each place? I will probably have to do this on a different day and not the same day I come back from Paestum. Just trying to coordinate sightseeing and such to make the most of my time on each day. <BR><BR>One more thing,,, everyone says these two places in Tivoli are so beautiful, the gardens, etc. But are they just as inviting in the winter?<BR><BR>Michael, I will e-mail you to see your pictures. Thanks for the offer!<BR><BR>Walter, you are a wealth of helpful information all over this forum. I do enjoy Ed and Julie's site as often as I can. <BR><BR>Joanne, I did consider seeing Ostia Antica. But my short time for sightseeing is dwindling quickly. I chose Pompeii/Paestum and Tivoli because they just seem more enjoyable to me right now. I appreciate your opinion, though! <BR><BR>Jahoulih, As I said earlier, I'm leaning towards an overnight visit afterall for the Pompeii/Paestum trip that you helped me with in another post. I'm thinking a bus ride along the Amalfi coast would be very worthwhile on the way back. (Or some type of ride.) My priorities tend to change the more time I spend thinking about things. <BR><BR>Thanks again, everyone.<BR><BR>Sandi