ARCHEOBUS Rome Open Bus Tour
The Archeobus is for lovers of archeological history. The Archeobus tours on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. The tour departs every 30 minutes starting from 9.00AM – 4.00PM from Piazza del Cinquecento which is the square in front of Termini train Station. A hostess on board offers multilingual assistance! When hopping on the Archeobus, you’ll receive disposable earphones and be able to listen to an audio guide in Italian, English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese and Russian. The Archeobus offers both open seating and inside seating. The tour bus has 41 seats available and 1 area is reserved for people in wheelchairs.
The Archeobus will take you to the most famous Roman archaeological sites along Via Appia. It will stop at Stazione Termini (Termini train station), Colosseo (Colosseum), Terme di Caracalla (Baths of Caracalla), Porta S. Sebastiano, Appia Antica (Appia Antica Park), Valle della Caffarella (Caffarella Valley), Catacombe di San Callisto (Catacombs of St. Callixtus), Catacombe di San Sebastiano (Catacombs of Saint Sebastian), Cecilia Metella (Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella), Sant’Urbano, Capo di Bove, Stadio delle Terme, Bocca della Verita’ (Mouth of Truth) and Piazza Venezia!
The tour lasts about 1 hour and a half. You can get off anywhere and then get back on again once you are finished with sightseeing. Of course the cost of admission to the sights is not included. Via Appia is closed on Sundays for public traffic. Taxi’s, cars and buses with special permit like the Archeobus are allowed to drive through. Sundays may be a good time to take the Archeobus tour since it will let you out on the Via Appia where it is really peasant to take a stroll and the roads are not over-crowded with noisy cars.
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Where to buy tickets for the Archeobus: Tickets for the Archeobus are available at the Tourist Info Point on the square Piazza del Cinquecento in front of Termini Train Station, directly on the bus at any stop or online.
Everyone pays 12.00 Euro and Children under 9 years old are free. Tickets are valid for 48 hours. You’ll be able to get a family ticket, meaning 2 adults and 2 children aged 10-17 for 40.00 Euro. If you just want a full tour with the Archeobus with out hopping on or off, then you’d get a “No stop” ticket for 10.00 Euro.
If you combine the Archeobus with the 110 Open bus you’ll have a discount. The 110 Open bus and the Archeobus are from the same company, only that the two buses take different routes. A 72 hour combo ticket for both buses (110 Open and Archeobus) cost 25.00 Euro.
Sightseeing bus please note:
With Archeobus tickets you can also enjoy reduced entrance fees for some museums throughout Rome.
Please Note: During high season the busses may also drive during the week! Look for vendors at the stops and ask!
The drivers take a lunch break from 12.30AM – 1.30 PM.
For more information and for booking call 0039 06 46954695. The office is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
The buses have accessibility for people with handicaps.
What you can expect when taking the Archeobus hop/on hop off tour bus:
During high season (May thru September), especially October, these buses can get very crowded. Often tickets are sold out and you’ll have to wait to go on another day. During high season you may be better off buying your tickets online in advance to guarantee you will be able to get on the tour for your desired day. Strikes or demonstrations are very normal in Italy and especially on Fridays during the summer. Tickets are not refundable although they do promise to make up for cancelled tours on alternative dates. I would advise not to take bus tours on Fridays beginning May thru September because of these strikes. Traffic in Rome gets even worse! Do not count on punctuality of the buses either, traffic in Rome is very heavy and accidents happen daily which can create a delay’s! What you need in Rome is patience and time…
If you’re looking for an alternative to the Archeobus consider catching the city bus Nr. 118 near the Piramide Metro stop or the Circo Massimo Metro stop. By going on the official ATAC website you’ll get more detailed map showing the stops if you type 118 in the box marked route! The bus Nr.660 could also be interesting…
These are the stops that the ARCHEOBUS will make;
1. Stazione Termini (Termini train station) – Piazza dei Cinque (Make sure you go to Piazza de Cinquecento in front of Rome’s main train station)
2. Colosseo (Colosseum) – Via San Gregorio
3. Terme de caracalla (Baths of Caracalla) – Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
4.Porta S. Sebastiano – Via di Porta S. Sebastiano 18
5. Appia Antica) Appia Antica Park – Via Appia Antica 56
6. Valle della Caffarella (Caffarella Valley)- Via della Caffarella 61
7. Catacombe di San Callisto (Catacombs of St. Callixtus) – Via Appia Antica 110
8. Catacombe di San Sebastiano (Catacombs of Saint Sebastian) – Via Appia Antica 136
9. Cecilia Metella (Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella) – Via Appia Antica 161
10. Sant’Urbano – Vicolo Sant’Urbano
11. Capo di Bove – Via Appia Antica 222
12. Stadio delle Terme – Largo Vittime del Terrorismo
13. Bocca della Verita’ (Mouth of Truth) – Piazza Bocca della Verità, 16
14. Piazza Venezia – Via del Teatro di Marcello
