Rome in a Day: Vatican & Colosseum Tour

Terrible experience buses overcrowded having to stand not sit poor experience

Our experience with the City Sightseeing Rome Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour was extremely disappointing, especially considering how much we paid for it. We went into this thinking it would be an easy and convenient way to see Rome, particularly with a family, but unfortunately it ended up feeling overpriced, uncomfortable, and far more stressful than we expected. The biggest issue was the value for the money. The price is already high, but the experience simply did not justify what we paid. From the moment we arrived, there seemed to be a strong emphasis on trying to get people to purchase things, and the sales pressure was frustrating. Instead of feeling welcomed and helped, it often felt like we were constantly being pushed toward additional purchases. Getting onto the bus was another major problem. There were crowds of people trying to board, and it was not nearly as easy or convenient as we expected. If you're traveling with children or a family, this can be especially difficult. Seating is limited, and once you're on the bus, it can be very cramped. It is definitely not the relaxing sightseeing experience we imagined. The air conditioning was also an issue. At one point, the AC was actually dripping on us, which made an already uncomfortable ride even worse. When you're paying a significant amount for a sightseeing tour, you expect basic comfort and a bus that is properly maintained. Another huge disappointment was the windows. They appeared to have a cellophane-like tint or covering, which made it difficult to properly see the sights outside. That's a pretty serious problem for a sightseeing bus. The whole reason you're taking this type of tour is to look at Rome as you travel around, but the windows made that much harder than it should have been. Trying to take pictures or simply enjoy the views was frustrating because the visibility was so poor.The idea of a three-hour tour may sound great if you're thinking it will be an efficient way to see a lot of Rome in a short amount of time. Unfortunately, that's not how it felt for us. You might think you're going to be able to hop off at different locations and explore, but if you're on one of the longer sightseeing portions, you can end up staying on the bus without getting the opportunity to actually get off and experience the places you're passing. And that's another problem: you can't simply catch the bus wherever you want. You're dependent on the designated stops and the availability of seating. With a family, this can make the whole experience much more complicated than advertised. If the bus is full, you can't just assume you'll be able to get on the next one conveniently. That takes away a lot of the flexibility that is supposed to make a hop-on hop-off tour appealing in the first place. The limited space was also very noticeable. For families, especially those traveling with children, the cramped seating and crowded conditions can make a long ride uncomfortable. What should have been an enjoyable way to see Rome instead felt like we were squeezed into a limited amount of space while trying to look through difficult-to-see windows. Overall, I would not recommend this tour based on our experience, especially for families or anyone expecting a comfortable and convenient sightseeing experience. The combination of the high price, limited seating, crowded boarding, uncomfortable conditions, poor window visibility, aggressive sales approach, and lack of flexibility made it feel like we did not get anywhere close to the value we paid for.Rome itself is absolutely incredible and there are so many amazing things to see, but unfortunately this tour did not make seeing them easier or more fun for us. Quite the opposite—it added frustration to what should have been a fun sightseeing day. For what we paid, the experience was extremely overpriced and not worth it. If you're considering booking this because you think a three-hour bus tour will be an easy way to see the city, especially with a family, I would strongly recommend looking into other options first.maybe even walk or uber it may even end up being surprisingly cheaper. We expected convenience, comfort, and good views, but we got almost none of those things. The stops they offer were good, just wish we could see. And what about going to the bathroom? I guess not…

Can be fairly hot at times on the bus. You should take a water bottle with you as refilling options are plentiful. Not always clear if a stop is changed or where the stops are exactly.

Check the stops and read details about cancelled ones before you book.

Used the Rome experience as got a great price on TripAdvisor. Pick up location was ok to find although we needed a physical map as the interactive one wasn’t clear. Some major stops suspended and the driver didn’t even stop at one which meant we had to go back around again later to get to the Trevi Fountain which was annoying. The commentary was good but the headphone ports were quite old and needed a bit of a wiggle on one of the buses. The family gave up using them but I persisted as the commentary was good and interesting. Despite it being a busy day the buses weren’t full and we got on each time. I think they could be a bit more frequent as we missed one and it was more than 20 mins waiting but that could just be traffic. All in all, worth doing for the price we paid and definitely helped us see a lot more of Rome than we would have managed walking it all but has some niggles for improvement.