Has anyone tried the archeobus as a way to tour the catacombs? the last departure seems to be 4:45 from Termini, but this does not indicate how late the return buses run. Anyone know?

If you click-on ParadiseLost and scroll down you will find my 'Catacomb' post on doing it yourself, with very detailed recent directions.
And if you search you will find my post about Archeobus Tours where I praise them and give directions.
But that was 2 yrs ago. Since then I have read a few negative posts about them.
It seems that they have scaled back their operation.
I only saw 1 large bus and a smaller one at their Termini location. And the small bus was broke down. One of the negative posts I read was about breaking down doing the tour.
If you do take their tour bring a couple of Metro/Bus just in case. There are bus stops in the area that will get you back into the city.
The negative posts would either be here or on Frommers or possibly on UseNet's rec.travel.europe . Regards, Walter

found the post- thanks!

We used Archeobus last fall and do not recommend it. If you go to this link http://www.janeandken.com/italy2004/ItalyHomePage.html and either go to 2004- Rome or just do a search for archeobus, you can read our experience. Hope this gives some help.

I loved the Archeobus - highly recommended.

If you start your tour fairly early (before 10am) you'll have more than enough time to see the sights along the way.

Consider packing a picnic the day of the tour - dining options along the Via Appia are pretty slim.

We used the Archeobus to do an easy sort of "day in the country" trip. You get to tour the catacombs (if you like) see the aquaducts,etc. Save it for a sunny afternoon.

jane- I just read your Rome report 2004 on your website.It was terrific. Good work!