Looking to see if anyone has had a positive recent experience using a hop on hop off transportation option for getting around Rome. We love to walk and had planned to do just that for 3 days but I just suffered an ankle injury so looking for alternate options.
Thanks for any suggestions to help us choose the best bus company that offers hop on hop off!
There are so many pedestrian only zones so a hop on hop bus off isn’t a good option
No recent experience ( I think I took a HOHO bus in Rome long ago.) but have been to Rome some four times, spending in the range of 20+ days.
You can start here... https://www.rometoolkit.com/whattodo/rome_hop_on_tour_bus.htm they do a comparison, but my impression of the HOHO buses in Rome is while they circulate around the landmarks, they really do not get very close to them due to street patterns and pedestrian zones.
I really did not find them to be useful in Rome (I did in London, and in Paris they were nice for an overview), but with an injured foot? maybe.
I guess I would look at the linked article, then follow up with one or two companies and look at their maps. List where you plan to go, and using google maps, do a walking route to see how close you are and what the walk time would be. Try to find the location of the stop, realizing "Pantheon stop" may be blocks away from the Pantheon (it is not on the Piazza in front of the Pantheon).
You might also look into public transport, there were some routes done by small electric buses that went through the old center. Not sure with the pandemic if they are still running...even before they were on again/off again. The Metro line has expanded some as well, plus the regular bus routes and trams.
So glad I asked this question as this is our first trip to Rome. Thank you for the information, looks like this type of transport will be off the list. Appreciate your input very much!
No experience myself but I’ve seen golf cart tours mentioned
If budget allows that might be an option for you
I would not have a golf cart anywhere within old Rome. Rome is just too crowd. Are you mobile with a knee scooter or something similar? The hop on/off buses in Rome have a problem with the city center or the core but there are buses out to the Appian way, catacombs, etc., that work fine for transportation to those sites. Just check out the routes, not all are bad.
Taxis are relatively inexpensive in Rome.
Bus and tram lines in Rome.
https://www.atac.roma.it/en/utility/maps
With a bad ankle, the metro have stairways,some have escalators ( which seldom work) so stick to the above.
We’ve used this golf cart tour.
HoHo Busses are sometimes a good option when visiting a city with two major exceptions.
1) Cities were traffic is heavy and the bus moves so slow.
2) Cities like Rome where it is easy to get around walking. I would not waste money on a HoHo bus in Rome.
Rome does have a subway system that can be used to cut down on lengthy walks. Just beware for pickpockets.
