Cheap Thrills in Rome: Hop on the Archeobus
The archeobus is a bus that circulates through Rome stopping at many of the major archaeological sites. It costs a very reasonable 7.75 Euro to ride the archeobus all day. A bi-lingual (Italian-English) guide on the bus describes what's at each stop. You can get on or off anywhere. You'll get a brochure that'll tell you 58 things you can do on the archeobus, but it may not list the stops. Archaeological sites in Rome that are covered are:
- Bocca della Verità
- Circo Massimo - Circus Maximus
- Terme di Caracalla - Baths of Caracalla
- Porta S.Sebastiano
- Sede Parco Appia Antica (Free Tours at 10 am and 3 pm)
- Valle della Caffarella
- Catacombe di San Callisto
- Catacombe di San Sebastiano
- Circo di Massenzio, The Tomb of Cecilia Metella
- S.Urbano
- Villa dei Quintili
- Casal Rotondo
- Villa dei Quintili
- Acquedotti Romani - The Roman Aqueduct
You can ride the Archeobus all day on a ticket, from around 10 am to around 6pm (some recent accounts say 9 am to 7pm). Cost of admission to sites that have them is not included. A bus comes around to each stop about every hour, so after you're done pottering about, you just hope on the next bus to come by.
Most riders say it's best to board the first time at the Piazza Venezia, where kiosks have been set up for you to buy tickets. The busses are small, and although you can theoretically board and buy a ticket anywhere, you're much more likely to get a seat starting at the beginning--and that's at Piazza Venezia. (Piazza Venezia is the heart of the city. Just about every bus in Rome stops here at some point. You'll know it because on the south side of the piazza is a structure dominating the whole deal dedicated to king Vittorio Emmanuele II, the first king of unified Italy. It's the one described as a wedding cake or a typewriter. It's not the prettiest building in Rome, but it's very white and you'll know it when you see it.)
For information and booking in advance call (06)46954695 from 9.00 am to 2 pm, except on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays. In the high season, it's recommended to book at least a day in advance.
Many of the sites in Rome are closed on Monday. However, people taking the tour that day have reported that the open sites were almost deserted, a state I like to visit them in, so take you choice. The Appian way is closed to traffic on Sunday, a good time to go. Consider taking a picnic lunch, especially if you go on Sunday.
Here is the best information I've found on the Rome Archeobus (although dated). More official Archeobus information can be found at the Parco Regionale Appia Antica site. The Archeobus is part of the Trambus Open stable.
The Archeobus Campi Flegrei - Campania's Entry
Campania (the area around Naples) Also has an Archeobus called the Archeobus Campi Flegrei.
You can get access to it using a Campania Artcard.
