Best of · HOP-ON HOP-OFF BUS TOURS IN ROME
The good hop-on hop-off bus tours in Rome sell their front seats first and the great ones sell out entirely. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
See Rome from an open-top double-decker bus with a 1-loop, 1-day, 24-hour, 48-hour, or 72-hour pass. The route links Termini, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Colosseum, Vatican City, Piazza Navona, and the Spanish Steps. Audio is available in eight languages, with Wi-Fi and a sightseeing app included.
“Fantastic. Got us everywhere we wanted to go. Gave great advice”
Ride Rome’s open-top Big Bus past the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. Choose a 3-hour loop or 24-, 48-, or 72-hour ticket, with multilingual audio, Wi-Fi, live bus tracking, and self-guided walking tours.
“Location on Google Maps requires attention as it’s crazy trying to find the location of the Bus Terminal. Outrageously wrong. “Update your location on Google”, is urgently required !!!!!”
See Rome from an open-top bus with an eight-language audio guide, free Wi-Fi, and flexible hop-on hop-off access. The route links Termini, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Colosseum area, Circus Maximus, Piazza Venezia, Vatican City, Piazza di Spagna, and Piazza Barberini. Jubilee and night options may be available.
“Not really worth it, Everything is within walking distance. Today's bus stopped for a long time at each pick up spot, we sat waiting on the bus longer than what we were driven so we got our halfway and walked and had a better day.”
Use Rome’s pink hop-on hop-off buses to get your bearings and see major sights from Termini to the Vatican, Colosseum area, Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountain. Choose a ticket that allows reboarding, listen in one of 12 languages, and expect traffic delays or longer walks to some monuments.
“best way to visit Rome in a short time ! worth every penny”
Use a 3-, 24-, 48-, or 72-hour Big Bus ticket to circle Rome’s major sights, including the Colosseum, Vatican, Pantheon area, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. Audio commentary, Wi-Fi, a VOX walking tour, and live bus tracking are included, but several stops require a walk.
“Well worth it & saw the city from a different angle & loads of incredible information. Well worth it and easy to use”
Use the I Love Rome bus to get your bearings across Rome’s main sights, from Termini and Santa Maria Maggiore to the Vatican, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and Circo Massimo. You receive a route map, WiFi, and multilingual audio, but allow extra time for traffic, unclear stops, and the early final departure.
“I ❤️ Rome bus - waited and waited and still no bus. All the other bus lines have passed me by about half a dozen times.”
Ride an open-top Io Bus around Rome with audio in eight languages, free WiFi, live bus tracking, and app-based walking tours. Hop off near the Colosseum, Vatican, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and other key sights, then rejoin the route when ready.
“Really enjoyed this experience, easy to get on and get off the bus, seeing different tourist spots. Difficult to know where the bus tops were, but the colosseum one is at the back of it, where they are all numbered! Once we knew this it was great, good service and nice people. Thank you”
Start with an optional 9:15 AM transfer from Civitavecchia to central Rome, then use the Big Bus route to reach sights such as the Colosseum, Vatican, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. You get about four hours in Rome, multilingual audio, Wi-Fi, and a return transfer.
“A wonderful chance to see the beautiful Amalfi coast in a few hours. The tour leader and driver were both very good. Loved the boat trip too.”
Ride Rome’s Tiber River between Isola Tiberina, Castel Sant’Angelo, Ponte Sisto, and Piazza del Popolo. You get a one-hour round trip, multilingual smartphone audio, and hop-on hop-off access, but high river walls limit some views and open-deck seating is limited.
“Brak informacji o której godzinie będzie statek. "Już za chwilę" mocno przeciągnęło sie w czasie, bo jak się okazalo zaloga przeciez ma przerwę obiadową o której nikt nie poinformował. Po wyruszeniu w rejs, kapitan jeszcze przy pierwszym postoju wyskoczył na kawę do kolegi w porcie. Nic nie widać w trakcie rejsu bo są wysokie mury wzdłuż rzeki. Nie polecam atrakcji”
Use a 24 or 48-hour open-top bus ticket to see Rome’s main sights, then enter the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill on your own. There is no guide, but you get flexible sightseeing, onboard WiFi, and stops near the Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, Piazza Venezia, and Circus Maximus.
“As advertised. The hop on hop off bus had a great route. I had a little trouble finding the right place to get the ticket exchange but the staff was super personable. Colosseum entrance was timely, no tour but that is what was advertised so no surprises. Overall you get what it says. Pretty straightforward.”
Pair a 24 or 48-hour open-top Rome bus pass with skip-the-line entry to the Vatican Museums. Visit the Sistine Chapel, Hall of Maps, and Raphael’s art, then hop off near the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, or Vatican City at your own pace.
“Dårlig information. Ingen mening med at nan skal møde op på et kontor for at få en strimmel med nøjagtig den samme QR kode som man har modtaget. Vi har betalt 200 euro for en dag i helvede. Vi skulle have været i vaticanet, men kom det ikke på grund af misinformation.”
Use one 24-hour ticket for Rome’s sightseeing bus and Tiber River cruise. Stop near the Colosseum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Castel Sant’Angelo, and more, with audio commentary in English, Spanish, German, or Italian.
“I have very bad experience with the validation of this activity. I had combo trio snd the lady in the bus refused to issue a ticket for me. She told I should ''change the ticket" in the river. So, I whent on the river boarding plase, of course the people there told me they can not CHANGE my ticket. So I went back, waited another bus to come. That time yhe agent inside the bus was very clever znd polite. He issued the combo ticket based on the bar code I presented and everything was fine then. But I lost long time with this first attempt to go in the…”
Use a 24 or 48-hour open-top bus pass to see Rome at your own pace, then join an English-speaking guide for the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. You’ll follow the Via Sacra, view Caesar’s cremation site, and hear stories of gladiators and imperial Rome.
“heel slecht geregeld en onduidelijk. mensen kennen de organisatie niet als je met vragen komt. helaas door de medewerkers van hop on hop off hebben wij onze rondleiding bij het coloseum gemist. zeer slecht!!!”
Spend up to 10.5 hours exploring Castelli Romani with hosts such as Marco, Elisa, and Davide. Choose Saturday’s Line 1 or Sunday’s Line 2, or ask about both, for villages, papal sites, volcanic lakes, local food, and flexible stops outside Rome.
“Our guides Eliza and Davide were amazing. This trip is through multiple little towns that are less tourists than central Rome. the towns are so gorgeous and the tour helps you to discover the special history and places in each town. It's a like a taste test! The restraint the recommended and give you 20 euro for was my favorite restaurant in all of Rome. There was nothing I could say to improve it. I definitely will recommend to all people looking for real, non tourist examples of small towns. Bellisimo”
Take a prebooked train from Civitavecchia to Rome Termini, then explore independently on a City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus. You get recorded commentary in eight languages and a free walking tour through the Rome Sightseeing Experience app, but bus waits and train-ticket handling require care.
“The bus stops took too long. we could have moved faster and seen more of Rom”
A loop, an open deck, a night run or a whole day on the coach.
