Hello,
We will be in Rome arriving by train on May 4th and leaving the morning of May 7th 2019. We would like to take a day trip to Tivoli to see Villa d' Este and Villa Adriana. I am having some confusion with the open times of the Villa's and the bus/train schedule. Appears that one is open Tues-Sunday and the other open Sunday-Saturday but limited buses on Sunday. Can anyone give me any insight on what my best travel and day would or should be.
The buses that travel from Rome to Tivoli leave from the bus station Ponte Mammolo (metro line B) and the company name is Cotral. It costs 2 € per journey. Villa Adriana is open on Mondays. Villa D'este is closed on Mondays. Tuesday to Sunday is the schedule for D'este. I recommend visiting both villas Wednesday or Thursday. Weekends can be crowded.
If you are staying in Rome for a longer period of time, take a day trip to Orvieto. A charming town not far from Rome.
https://wanderwisdom.com/travel-destinations/Day-Trip-From-Rome-Orvieto
My travel days are Sat-Sun-Mon which limits me for these options but really would like to experience this. I will look into the other town as well.
Then you can choose either Saturday or Sunday to visit both villas because one villa is close on Mondays. Just leave early in the morning so you will have a considerable amount of time viewing both. You can save Monday for Orvieto. Rome to Orvieto is only 1 hour and 30 minutes via train.
Look at the train too. https://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en There's an 8:57 that wil get you to Tivoli in about an hour, then a short walk out of the back of the station, follow the path,cross the river, go straight until the road curves and head to your right until you reach the cafes. Villa d'Este is down the alleyway behind the cafes on the left.
Check your return times carefully.
We spent most of the day here last October.
The blue search box will give you a lot of data for your planning. Here’s a thread I contributed to:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/hadrian-s-villa-annoyances-and-directions#top
It's an opinion, but both d'Este and Adriana in one day is ambitious. Heat and sun are significant at Villa Adriana, and snack and shelter options are limited. But it's fascinating and worthwhile.
