Tivoli and Hadrian's Villa

Much info about easy day trips from Rome are in RS Italy book and also in Rome book, including specific directions on getting to Tivoli/Hadrian's Villa

Thanks Susan. I have the RS 2012 Italy book . . . .It has none of that information.

Have you done Ostia Antica yet? It's easier than Hadrian/Tivoli, but obviously not the same.

Sorry - only Ostia Antica is in Italy book, many other places are in Rome book. I'll send you his directions later.

P.S. -- I found this:

On his Web site, Ron-in-Rome has very detailed instructions on how to get to Villa d'Este by bus:
roninrome.com/2009/05/13/tivoli-villa-deste/

According to Cotral, who run the buses, to get to Hadrian's Villa you take a bus (direction Roma-Ponte Mammolo) from Piazza Garibaldi/Villa d'Este to the stop for Villa Adriana. It takes 8 minutes.

To return to Rome, you take the same bus to Ponte Mammolo. It takes 33 minutes.

All told, bus travel is about 1 hour 15 minutes. Add an hour (max) for travel between central Rome and Ponte Mammolo Metro station.

P.S. 2 - when you get to roninrome website, go to "sites and attractions", then "outside rome" and you'll find the directions

The two stops are not comparable. Villa D'Este is easier to get to and more "accessible" to lovers of art, sculpture, and public gardens. Hadrian's Villa has its own charms, but should not come ahead of the Roman Forum and similar monuments accessible in Rome. The month and weather matter a lot, because Hadrian's Villa, while it has more shade than the Roman Forum, is exposed and hot. It also has some key sections, like the Marine Theater, under repair. Check that most of it is open.

Villa D'Este is a trivial (if long) trip by public transportation, either bus or train. Hadrian's is harder to get to, but we also did it (by itself, having gone to Villa D'Este 25 years before) by bus from the Ponte Mammolo bus station. But that station makes underfunded bus stations in the US look like business class air! I mean, you have to figure out that the tickets are sold in the newsstand downstairs. And we had to stand all the way. We could barely punch our tickets.

Don't get me wrong, Hadrian's Villa was on my bucket list. But it is not a "must see" for people who didn't take an art course or have other reasons for going. Another irritation, they had just closed a section for summer theater setup, the afternoon we were there!

I spent three nights in Tivoli last summer, a lovely town with several interesting sights. I took the train. Some very good restaurants, too.

Thanks everybody! Very helpful!