Visiting Hadrian's Villa
and Tivoli's Villa D'Este
From Rome: Take Metro Line
"B" towards Ribibbia (last stop) and get off there. Exit metro station and turn
right & stop. The street in front of you is Via Tiburtina; it goes to directly to
Tivoli. Also in front of you to the right are stairs going down, it's a pedestrian tunnel
that crosses under via Tiburtina. Take it and at the end take the right staircase to the
sidewalk. Directly in front of you (5m) is a "Snack Bar", enter and buy 2
tickets (per person round-trip 6000L) at the cash register on the left.
Exit the Snack Bar and to the left
(10m) is the bus stop (note CO.TRA.L bus stop sign) to Tivoli. You'll want a Blue
"CO.TRA.L" bus with a sign (front passenger window) which reads ROMA/TIVOLI with
VIA TIBURTINA below it. The trip takes ~45 min dependent on traffic. Enter back of bus and
validate your ticket. Before the road climbs up to Tivoli you pass through the town at the
base of the mountain in which is found Villa Adriana (Hadrian's Villa). You can get off
there (Bivio Adriana) and walk 1.5km (1mi) to the Villa. There is a road sign (right side
of bus) for the Villa Adriana. Walk down the side street (via di Villa Adriana) which is
on the right side of via Tiburtina. Perhaps better, especially in summer, to take the bus
from Tivoli.
Resuming the bus ride to Tivoli, it
climbs up the mountain to the town. The first stop is Largo Garibaldi (you should see the
small Piazza Garibaldi with trees, fountain and statue, and Information office and w.c.)
out the left side of bus). The bus then turns right and stops (Largo Garibaldi).
You are now in Tivoli at the bus
stop, so you can do your sightseeing and lunching and just return here at the end of the
day to return to Rome.
Another bus will take you to
Hadrian's Villa. As you get out onto the sidewalk island bus stop at Largo Garibaldi, in
front of you is a large wall with tower. The small white building with the tile roof is
the ticket office (no sign but an eagle plaque) (if closed try the newsstand kiosk) 1400L.
If returning to Tivoli buy 2. Go back to the bus stop island and wait for an Orange bus
either #4 or #4x (bus should have a sign for V. Adriana on it).
Enter front door of bus, driver rips
the ticket. Now the bus descends the mountainside again on via Tiburtina. When it gets
into the town at the bottom, the bus will make a sharp left turn off via Tiburtina and on
to the side road via d. Villa Adriana). The road heads straight (with maybe a couple of
stops before yours), then less than 1mi/1.5km and the bus will stop as the road semi-ends
(after this stop it turns a sharp right).
Straight ahead is the entrance road
to the Villa Adriana (yellow sign also look for Hotel Adriana sign) and on the right side
of the bus is the "Garden Cafe" (bus stop *notice the CO.TRA.L bus sign*, Info,
and bus tickets). Buy water/soda/snacks there if you need too. Now walk 200m downhill to
the Villa ticket office (w.c.), the tickets are 8000L. I suggest getting the audioguide
also (7000L) and following the planned itinerary which takes ~3hr. After you enter the
ticket gate, go straight ahead uphill on the paved path (unmarked and easy to follow the
exit path (on left) by accident).
Next to the Canopus (the famous site,
water and statues) is a long brick building, the end (nearest you) is the museum entrance
and w.c. to the right of entrance. If the museum is closed walk along the building
(Canopus side) and peak into the barred rooms and you can see the original statues.
When you leave return to the "Garden Cafe" bus stop and either take
the Orange bus back to Tivoli if you like or if you are going back to Rome wait in front
of the cafe at the CO.TRA.L bus stop sign. Ask inside when the bus is due (mine was 15min
late, so don't worry).
The Blue bus will come down the
street like you did from via Tiburtina and will say "ROMA" with a blue
"M" (for Metro) next to it. This bus will take a different route back (thru
country roads/towns). At one point this bus will get on a *divided* hi-way (interstate,
autobahn, motorway, etc) and then exit shortly. The bus is now on Via Tiburtina. Now, keep
your eyes open because it will soon stop at the Ribibbia Metro Station on the right (look
for the "M" signs for Metro). Exit and take the metro back to Roma.
Hopefully you bought your tickets
before you leave Rome. If not and the ticket window is closed, buy them in the machine.
Note: the machine will vend a CO.TRA.L metro ticket which can only be used in the
turnstiles on the far right. If you miss the metro stop, don't worry the bus is going back
to Rome somewhere).
I would pack a lunch and picnic at
the Villa. It's easy to find a nice spot.
Copyright © 2001 Walter
Published July 13, 2001
Walter is a truck driver with a love for history and
museums. He's a unique traveler in the detailed way in which he captures directions so
others may enjoy where he has been as well.
You can reach Walter at paradiselost@webtv.net
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