best way to get to Tivoli from Rome

From the Villa Adriana website :

from Rome with Metro B stop Ponte Mammolo and Co.Tral bus direction
Via Prenestina and stop at about 300 m. from the site, or bus Co.Tral
direction Via Tiburtina and stop about 1 km from the site, or bus
Co.Tral direction Tivoli / highway A24 and stop about 1 km from the
site;

from Rome by train FS and stop Tivoli Station and bus line CAT

number 4 and stop about 300 m from the site

Looks like the second option, train then bus, would be easier. The site also has driving instructions. But who wants to drive in Rome?

Last year I looked into it and it seemed rather complicated and quite inconvenient to visit Hadrian's Villa and Tivoli by public transportation. I ended up taking this small group guided tour. It was very useful to have a guide for Hadrian's Villa and having a guide at the Villa d'Este definitely added to the visit. I could have stayed in Tivoli - spent more time at the Villa de'Este and then explored Tivoli and taken a train back to Rome, but I was tired and preferred to hop on the minibus and return to Rome with the group.

With several people, it may be easier to get to/from Hadrian's Villa by taxi from Tivoli. And if you don't want to visit Tivoli and Villa d'Este, a tour wouldn't be worthwhile for you. Seeing Hadrian's Villa first certainly helped to "get" Villa d'Este.

Here's my report from four years ago:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/hadrian-s-villa-annoyances-and-directions

You might also find the Search box useful, top center desktop version of this site.

Have you already been to Villa d'Este? That's more popular, takes less time, and is easier to get to. I hear there is a LOCAL bus from the town square to very near Hadrian's villa. (No experience).

It was some time ago, but we followed RIck’s advice and took the bus from Rome to Tivoli. I love gardens, but it took less time to see the Villa d’Este than I had imagined, even after backtracking and re-wandering the grounds. From the square we got on the bus to Hadrian’s Villa (the stop is right at the entrance), had a quick lunch at a restaurant opposite the entrance, and toured on our own. The grounds are huge and we took several hours. Then a bus back to the square and another bus back to Rome. It was all very easy and we had a great day. The bus back into Rome at around 5 pm made a sardine can seem like business class. Safe travels.