Viva Italia Pre- Bus Tour?

[nicolepdonnelly]

Hi all! We're closing in on our Viva Italia Vacation. We were wondering about the Double Decker Hop On and Off Bus Tour of Rome. We will have some time to kill between the airport and check in. So, if room's not ready at 10AM we were thinking of walking around the hotel area or doing that bus tour. It looks like it's about $28 US dollars per adult. Just thought it might be a nice preview of what's to come. We were also thinking of visiting the Santa Maria something church that's run by cappuchain monks and is known for the macabre real bones decorations. Any thoughts?

 

[grumpy-1]

I'm glad you asked that question. I'm anxious to see what otheers think. We had the same idea. When is your trip? We are going on the 9/11 to 9/19 Viva Italia trip.

 

[nicolepdonnelly]

Hey Grumpy-1
Our trip is the week after yours Sept 21-29. I see you're from Clifton Park. We used to live near there in Ballston Spa and Saragtoga Springs- loved that area. Have a great trip and I hope we get some info on the bus tours on this thread.

 

[grumpy-1]

Hi Nicole
We are getting very excited about the upcomming trip. I see that you will be visiting the Animal Kingdom Lodge in 9mos. as a DVC member for the 1st time. We are also DvC members, we love it.

 

[uttermagic]

Guides gave us free tickets to ride the bus you mentioned. Tickets are valid 1 day. We used on the Vatican day, we had a free afternoon and that bus turned to be a perfect thing to do.

 

[DisPrincess20]

We too used our bus passes (the guides provide you with them) on the Vatican Day. You get finished with the Vatican tour right before lunch, so you have the rest of the day to kill. We ended up taking the double decker bus around Rome and doing a little more exploring.
When we first Arrived in Rome, we too had extra time before check-in. The people at the hotel were very nice about letting us stow our belongings and then we just went out and explored the area around the hotel. There is plenty to see, the Trevi fountain is about at 10-15 minute walk, and there are nice little shops, cafes and places to get gelato (very tasty) right in the Hotel Square. Also, there are a few churches nearby and I believe the church you were talking about (the one that was started by the monks and is decorated with bones) is right up the street. It was very interesting! i really enjoyed walking through it. It is rather small and doesn't take much time to walk through, but it is worth seeing! Also, just FYI, they do ask for a small donation to walk through.

Hope this helps! Enjoy your trip, we really enjoyed ours, wish we were there now!

 

[PiperPilot]

I think you are talking about the church, Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini. It is located on the Via Veneto very near Piazza Barberini.

Another very interesting Santa Maria church is: Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (or sometimes known as: Santa Maria degli Angeli). It is very unusual in that it was built inside the frigidarium of the Baths of Diocletian. Hence, the facade from the street looks nothing like a church. It is located in the Piazza della Repubblica. It is only a short walk from Piazza Barberini or you can take the Metro from Barberini to Repubblica (1 stop away).

Just another few blocks farther South is the church Santa Maria Maggiore. A very large basilica.

 

[nicolepdonnelly]

Thanks for all the great info! I can't wait to go. It's so exciting looking at the maps and planning out what we might see on our free times. Thanks again for all the cool info!

 

[ashky71]

We also did the bus tour after The Vatican. It was after our guided tours so it gave us a chance to go back and either see things that weren't on the tour or spend extra time somewhere we may have wanted more time at. We got to Rome at 8 AM so we had plenty of time. We walked around and just took it all in. The hotel is in a great spot to just walk around and see what you can find. The crypt with the bones is very close to the hotel but is only open at certain times so you need to check those. There is also a little store close to the hotel where you can get water or soda for a lot cheaper than at the hotel. Remember when you get water you have to ask for natural or no gas if you want plain water. Have a great time!

Hey disprincess, I was working on my scapbook and thinking of you and your family the other day. Tell everyone hello.

 

[bavaria]

I don't usually do these type of tours, but Rome in summer is so hot that it is actually a good way to see the city. I have done several companies and can hopefully give some information based on that.

Routes - I found that the green bus company had a longer, more extensive route, which allowed one to see more areas of the city (ie outside the Aurelian Walls). The 110 bus had a more compact route, but this also put one often closer to certain attractions.

Both busses had longer stops at Termini and Vatican stops; the 110 however seemed to allow one to disembark, switch to another bus, and leave immediately, while the green bus did not. This was a big time waster on the green bus if you hadn't planned to get off at one of those stations, and in the heat of summer was frankly very unpleasant.

In some areas the companies go in 'opposite' directions of each other ie drive down the same streets but along different routes. This didn't make much difference to me.

Sundays some streets close, so if you are taking the tour on a Sunday, make sure to take the bus which meets your needs.

Prices - the 110 is cheaper; I believe that they have an 'end of day' special ie if you board after 4pm you can use the ticket next day. The green bus has a boat and 2 day combination ticket for a reduced price

Narration - here I found the greatest difference. The green bus tends to do a geographical narration, while the 110 does a historical narration. This was very important to me - I want to know about the building, not just the name of the building, for instance. Several times as well I boarded green busses with no functioning audio system, or only certain languages working (Not a problem for me, but if you wanted English it would be a problem)

Crowds/passengers/ease of boarding, etc - the 110 bus seemed to be more Europeans; in fact I don't recall hearing any English/American voices except once (and then it was a British couple who kept up a narration of non-stop profanity for two stops before I moved to another seat!) The green bus seemed to be mostly Americans. That doesn't really make a difference, but I think showed that different countries selected different busses for whatever reasons. The 110 bus was very strict about not standing during the tour, and the guide had a camera to watch the top level. This also helped to make sure that nobody was still walking down the stairs when the bus pulled out. The green bus did not use a similar system, and I saw passengers falling on stairs, or leaning out of the bus many times.

Overall, I would recommend the 110 bus over the green bus, based on the quality of the information provided. I think of the green bus as an elementary school trip while the 110 bus was more of a high school level trip.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Thanks Bavaria! We will be in Italy with DGDs and DD and her fiance next June. I have been wondering if a tour may be beneficial at least one day. I have been a few times but, I'm sure they would receive more useful info from a pro.

We are also going to Southern Germany. We always go to Neuschwanstein and Rothernburg..any suggestions for something different?

 

[bavaria]

oh, I recommend quite a bit!!! I am dashing off right now but will come up with some suggestions later, maybe in a linked thread so this can stay on Rome. Will you be in one particular area?

I highly recommend for instance a visit to Linderhof, the smaller but less touristy and I think more beautiful castle of King Ludwig. I go there every few months, and stop at the Ettal monastery and Oberammergau along the way. I can make a LOT of suggestions - just give me some time and I will blab about quite a bit, with even a photos....

Stay tuned!

 

[crashbb]

oh, I recommend quite a bit!!! I am dashing off right now but will come up with some suggestions later, maybe in a linked thread so this can stay on Rome. Will you be in one particular area?

I highly recommend for instance a visit to Linderhof, the smaller but less touristy and I think more beautiful castle of King Ludwig. I go there every few months, and stop at the Ettal monastery and Oberammergau along the way. I can make a LOT of suggestions - just give me some time and I will blab about quite a bit, with even a photos....

Stay tuned!

Not sure when the PP is going, but 2010 is a Passion Play year in Oberammergau. And herein ends my knowledge of the area.

 

[bavaria]

Not sure when the PP is going, but 2010 is a Passion Play year in Oberammergau. And herein ends my knowledge of the area.

I read it as 2009; yes, 2010 is another year for me to run away!

Sadly I have realized that my plan to one day move to Oberau must be shelved until they build the diversion as traffic is so bad on weekends and in peak seasons. I cannot imagine what it is like in passion play years.

 

[Lizardbeth61]

. . . was an awesome way to go. It was expensive, but we saw more of the city in one day with great information than I think we could have any other way. If you want his name let me know.

We may try the double decker this time. It sounds like a fun way to go.