Hadrian's Villa and Tivoli

Hi Charlotte, I saw both last year and also stayed in Tivoli a few nights…and liked it! I took the 45-minute direct train from Roma Termini out to Tivoli. Tivoli is easy to go see; buy a timed ticket ahead of time. A forum friend stayed with me, and she had a car, so she drove out to Hadrian’s villa. There’s a bus from town or you could take a taxi.

If you’re a foodie, eat at the beautiful Ristorante Sibilla.

A tour is going to be the easiest and most straightforward. There's a reason there are a lot of tours going out there and that's how I did it when I was there last. But you could do the trip on your own, obviously a rental car is going to be the easiest but you could take the bus from Rome's Ponte Mammolo Metro station, I believe. Catch the the specific bus that stops at "Villa Adriana" first, then taking a short local bus or taxi to Villa d'Este in the town of Tivoli, and finally catching a bus back to Rome from Tivoli's center. It requires a bit of ticket juggling and checking the specific bus schedules for each leg of the journey, but it gives you complete control over your day.

I've wanted to see Villa d Este and Hadrian's Villa for years now. I finally rearranged my March trip to Puglia (dropping Lecce this trip) to add a few extra days in Rome with a plan to take the train to Tivoli one day. I don't generally like tours, so I'll go on my own. I wonder if tickets will be needed in advance in late March?

A good option might be to hire a driver to take you to these sites. I used https://www.scootaroundrome.com/visit-rome-tours/rome-day-trip/tivoli/ last year. I got a pick-up near my B&B, and a pleasant drive with a nice guy. He dropped me at each location and gave me his WhatsApp to contact him when I was ready to leave, so I could take as long as I wanted.

In spite of the name, transportation was in a regular car.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/tivoli-day-trip-from-rome

Thanks everyone. I generally don't like tours, but I will keep researching!