Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour In Rome — Should You Do It?

We read somewhere that Rome has over 900 churches!! That means, even if you stay for a year in Rome, you wouldn’t have seen all of them. Unless of course you take it upon yourself to visit about 3-4 churches per day without a day’s miss. And then there are the other sites such as Pantheon, Roman Forum…Suffice to say, that the sheer number of must-visits within Rome city is mindboggling.

Hence, the Hop On Hop Off bus is a no brainer. Take it!!! Even if you are there with a longer schedule, it makes sense to get a bird’s eye view of the city with a Hop On Hop Off bus tour.

We used the City Sightseeing Tour during our 3-day stay in Rome in the summer of 2011, and then again, last year when i took my Mom on a Europe trip. The City Sightseeing Tour have frequent buses running across the city and the stops are easy to locate. Absolutely easy boarding and de-boarding, even with a 3 and half year old baby in 2011, and last year with Maa.

A Few Important Points About The Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour In Rome:

• When in Rome, you’d have definitely signed up for the Vatican City Tour. Remember, the tour of the Vatican (which includes St’ Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum) can take a good part of your day. Therefore, it makes sense to plan your tour in a way that you use up the HOHO service in the first ½ day to see most of other attractions and leave Vatican and nearby areas for later.
• The Hop On Hop Off buses are can be easily accessible via metro or buses.
• Roma Cristiana is the other popular one but has mixed reviews.
• Most of the outdoor staff, that’s the guys who sell you tickets and have little booths of the City Sightseeing Tour, are Bengali Bangladeshis. Do note, they can be quite racist when dealing with Asians.

This is an useful link to compare all the HO-HO services in Rome — Rome Bus Tour Comparison

What’s The Alternative If Not The Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours In Rome?

Rome has excellent bus and metro service. Further, most of the tourist places can be easily covered with a good map and daily passes.

Read whether you should take the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours in Paris and London.