When in Rome: To Walk, or to Ride?

Many clients come to us requesting driving tours of Rome. While we appreciate the idea of sitting in a cozy air conditioned bus and taking in the sites, Rome is simply not a city where this is feasible or possible, especially not if seeing Rome in an in-depth capacity is your goal. Rome was built over 2,000 years ago, and it its narrow streets and cobblestone roads reflect the impressive time line of the eternal city. Many roads are a tight squeeze for a car to pass through, let alone a 50 passenger bus!

Despite the above, there are a few tour operators who offer custom driving tours of Rome. The large bus tours on the other hand are organized as follows. Hotel pickups are arranged early in the morning. Once all the passengers are on board, the bus heads to historic center to begin the tour. A guide normally provides information in at least two, sometimes three or more languages (often not speaking any of them well), as the bus tried to pull as close to the monuments as possible. Getting on and off the bus several times is required in order to approach the sites.

The philosophy behind walking tours of Rome is that in a few short hours, and with a significant savings over bus tours, tourists get an up close and personal view of all the major Rome monuments. Groups are smaller, guides tend to be more enthusiastic, and the tour is given in only one language. Tourists are left with the feeling that they didn’t just take a “drive by” tour, they actually stopped and took the time to learn something about the places they visited.

When flying so many miles to visit a city like Rome, why not take the time to really understand how she grew from a herding town on the Tiber River to the flourishing Empire that ruled the entire Mediterranean and beyond for centuries? It is our feeling that a bus tour cannot offer anything close to the level of understanding gained by a walking tour of Rome. 

Of course, it is difficult for people with disabilities and other physical limitations to engage in Vatican Tours or walking tours of Rome. Ramps are few and far between, and many of the archeological sites are on rough terrain. For such individuals, before visiting Rome, we at When in Rome Tours would strongly recommend contacting a transport provider who is equipped with wheelchair access.

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