Day Trip from Rome to Tivoli

Are you planning a trip to Rome?

Just add another couple of days to your itinerary and enjoy a visit to the picturesque area surrounding the Italian capital! You’ll find plenty of beautiful historic places just a few kilometres away from Rome. Among the not-to-be-missed destinations, there’s one place that really stands out: the town of Tivoli with its amazing Villas!

How to get to Tivoli from Rome?

By car
If you have already planned to rent a car to drive around the entire Lazio Region, that’s the perfect way to reach Tivoli quickly and easily. You’ll get there in about 40 minutes from Rome’s city centre. Just take the motorway A24 or choose Tiburtina or Prenestina road.  Pay attention to rush hours, especially during weekdays: you might find yourself in a big traffic jam! In Tivoli, you can leave your car in a free parking in Lunganiene Giuseppe Impastato or in Viale Cassiano.

By bus
Cotral Company has a direct line connecting Rome to Tivoli. Buses leave from the metro station Ponte Mammolo (blue line B). There are frequent rides and the journey takes about 50 minutes. Tickets are really cheap too (about 2 euro). This option has the same disadvantage of the previous solution: a lot of traffic during rush hours.

By train
To avoid traffic jams you can choose to travel by train. The journey takes 1 hour and the ticket costs about 3 euro. Trains to Tivoli leave from Roma Tiburtina station, but there are frequent delays on this line.

What to see in Tivoli?

Tivoli is a nice town located on the Tiburtini mountains, just 30 Km away from Rome. Its foundation dates back to 1215 B.C. and its fame is due to local sulphurous waters and to its amazing Villas, which are part of the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Tivoli has always been an international tourist destination: it was even part of the so-called Grand Tour. It was a trip to Europe lasting several months that young noblemen used to take during the XVIIth and the XVIIIth centuries. Its aim was letting young men see the most important historic monuments and the most beautiful places around Europe. Several stops of the Grand Tour included Italian destinations, as evidence of the great importance and prestige of Italian art and culture throughout the centuries.

Villa D’Este

A place full of history and a garden with a magical and timeless atmosphere

If you love architecture and you’re especially into Renaissance art, this is the right place for you. Together with Villa Adriana, this palace is part of UNESCO’s World Heritage List. This magnificent building, which looks more like a royal palace than like a proper villa, was conceived by Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este around the half of the XVI century.

The huge Italian-style garden is an integral part of the complex and it is a real masterpiece, which inspired several European architects in subsequent years. Its beauty is largely due both to its great variety of plants and its many fountains, terraces, artificial caves and statues scattered everywhere. This garden offers many panoramic views and it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Central Italy. One of the most popular spots of the garden is the avenue with the so-called “One-Hundred Fountains”: several marble masks and statues pouring water along a 100m long tree-lined path. If you like fountains, search for the Ovato Fountain, the Organ Fountain and the Neptune Fountain too.

Unfortunately, Cardinal Ippolito didn’t enjoy his mansion for a long time, since he died a few months after the end of the construction works.

Villa Adriana

Majestic ruins reminding of the splendor of the Imperial period

Villa Adriana is another symbol of Tivoli and it is much older than Villa D’Este. It was built by the Emperor Adriano between 118 and 138 A.C. It has an area of 1 square kilometre and it could fit in well in the Fori Imperiali area in the centre of Rome.

Adriano chose this place because of its closeness to the natural spring of sulphurous water called Acque Albule. The entire complex is an evidence of the wealth and prestige of the Emperor and the outdoor parts are the most impressive ones. Don’t miss the garden with a central pool, the Canopo (that is a water basin adorned with statues and the reconstruction of the Serapide temple of the Egyptian city of Canopo) and the private thermal baths of the royal family and its guests.

During your visit, you’ll probably bump into the so-called Maritime Theatre: it was Adriano’s favourite place to meditate or simply relax surrounded by peace and silence. It is a nice building located in the middle of a canal that could only be reached by a hand-actioned drawbridge.

🚩 If you are planning to stay overnight, don’t miss the chance to visit these two Villas late in the evening: special openings are scheduled during the summer months (until 11.30 p.m.) and several cultural events and shows are hosted inside the parks.

If you still have some time for your visit to Tivoli, you can also visit these historic sites:

Villa Gregoriana Park

Immerse yourself in a relaxing natural environment

If you feel like spending some time surrounded by a beautiful natural landscape, come here and enjoy a sunny day strolling in the park and taking pictures. You’ll find waterfalls, caves and nice shady paths.

Rocca Pia

A real castle in the heart of the town

Just a few steps from the modern part of Tivoli, you’ll find a Renaissance castle with its 4 majestic towers. Take a guided tour to discover its history and hidden secrets.

Acropolis of Tivoli

A legendary archaeological site

Here you’ll have the chance to visit the ruins of Vesta Temple and Sybille Temple. This spot is also perfect to admire Villa Gregoriana Park from above.

Your itinerary for the perfect one-day trip to Tivoli

• Departure from Rome by bus towards 9 a.m. Buses are the best option in terms of price and duration of the journey. For more information about timetables and stops read here https://servizi.cotralspa.it/Orari
• Arrival in Tivoli towards 10 a.m. Get off at Villa Adriana stop (just 300 m from the main entrance).
• Spend a couple of hours visiting Villa Adriana.
• Lunch nearby (ex: Pizzeria La Pergola in via Rosolina 2 or Bonadea restaurant in via Rosolina 100).
• To reach Villa D’Este, you can catch Cotral bus again in the opposite direction and get off at Piazza Garibaldi stop (about 200 m from the main entrance).
• Spend a couple of hours visiting Villa D’Este.
• Before heading back to Rome, you can also make a short stop at Villa Gregoriana Park and rest surrounded by nature. To reach the park you just need to take a 10minutes’ walk from Villa D’Este.

Best period for your trip to Tivoli?

May and June to enjoy warm and sunny weather and avoid summer’s hot days and crowds of tourists. Late Spring is also the ideal period to enjoy the gardens at their best.