Trip to Tivoli: Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa
 

We are hoping to take a day trip to Tivoli towards the end of April and are wondering if anyone can recommend a reputable tour company or private driver/guide to get us there. We looked around the internet and private tours seem quite pricey and the group trips seem pretty rushed.

Given the positive reviews of romeshuttlelimousine.com on Fodors we are thinking of asking them for a quote to get us out there for a 1/2 day and perhaps having the driver detour by the Catacombs on the way back to Rome as we have the private car.

Does anyone have any (hopefully economical) suggestions?

Outside of finding a friend of a friend who's unemployed and owns a mini-van, how does one define economical? How little can one expect to pay for a car, driver, 1/2 day waiting time with a couple of stops?

Renting a car for the day would be my choice. I can't see a more economical and convenient way to meet your requirements. The drive to Villa d'Este is a piece of cake. Last time I was there (it was April and wet but the photos turned out great), parking was free and there was plenty of it. Getting in and out of Rome would be the most challenging aspect. Are your nerves made of steal?

Probably not steel. We are renting a car a couple days later but picking it up Ciampino to head south towards Naples. Plus I cant drive stick so a automatic will run about 75Euros + gas + aggravation so its probably not worth the it. The tours that I have come across seem to run about 50-60E/pp but seem pretty uninspired. There are just 2 of us, so I guess I am looking for an interesting option in 100E-200E range if that helps. Whether it be a car and driver or a group tour that seems a bit more inspired.

I am quite sure that limo services may exceed your budget as in 2006 I was quoted 65 euros out plus 31 euros per hour waiting time and drive back by LimoServiceRome. I had another quote for 40 euros per hour minimum 4 hours from Roma Shuttle Sevice.
The best tour would likely be ContextRome which offers a tour to Tivoli for 205 euros per person for 7 hours on April 30. Maximum 6 people.
The most economical way would be by Cotral bus which is the way we went. Here is a thread from 2006 in which the legendary ParadiseLost describes that process in great detail:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34804870
I think there may be a train option as well.

Hello jersey 1977

I think you can easily get there by public transport, if the private driver option doesn't work out for you.

Take the metro train from Rome to Rebbibia, then there's a regular bus service from just outside the station that travels into the hills and stops at Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa.

We didn't allow nearly enough time for our visit - each property covers a large area, and a full day would allow you to really appreciate all that's there to see.

Happy travels, Di

<i><font color=blue>&quot;There are just 2 of us, so I guess I am looking for an interesting option in 100E-200E range if that helps.&quot;</font></i>

100-200 € is a wide option. I doubt 100 € will get you what you want. I might email http://www.contexttravel.com/rome/, tell them what you want and give them your budget and see if there's anything they can offer. Many of their docents have cars and someone might jump at the opportunity. You never know unless you ask.

As others have pointed out and noted in detail, public transport from Rome is relatively easy but takes some time and, in places, it is not obvious where you should wait for the bus and other minor challenges. From memory the travelling time took about 4 hours out of the day.

However, both were well worth seeing and am very glad we went.

Agree with Di that 1/2 day is not nearly enough time - best to plan on spending the whole day, with time for lunch. I spent a day in both last May and am returning again this May for another day there. Here are some images, if you're interested. Just scroll about half-way down the page for Villa D'Este and Villa Adriana: http://gardentouring.fotopic.net/c1527639.html

Thanks for the pictures. Anyone have any tours/guides they recommend or has everyone taken public transit?

Hi Jersey - The round trip by public transport will cost you about &euro;5.

The Rome bus tour companies (- Vastours, Appian, Carrani, Greenline) all offer a half day trip to Tivoli at about &euro;50
For links see:
http://www.romaturismo.it/v2/romatia...giricitta.html

A half-day by private car is typically in the range &euro; 150-200.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

I took an American Express tour to the two 5 years ago &amp; would NOT recommend them. It was extremely rushed &amp; our guide just couldn't abide any questions. If I get to go again, I will either rent a car or travel by public transport &amp; go at my own pace. Hadrian's Villa was just fascinating but we had no time to linger. By the time we arrived at Villa d'Este we were only given a little more than a half hour to view the gardens on our own. I found myself virtually running through the gardens taking photos to try to enjoy the experience latter as there was no time during the visit to enjoy.

I think the same would apply to any of those bus tours - they'll be very rushed.

A half-day isn't long enough for Tivoli when you lose an hour each way travelling.

You need at least a couple of hours just around Villa Adriano IMO ...

Steve