The 3 Gems You Must See
Villa d’Este
A spectacular Palace-Garden estate. Here you will witness marvelous Renaissance water fountains powered entirely by gravity—a masterpiece of beauty and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Check out our Villa d'Este Instagram reel, viewed by over 264,000 travelers:
Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana)
It served as the emperor Hadrian's summer retreat. In its prime, it was a massive monumental complex; while it stands today as ruins, many grand structures remain well preserved. It takes roughly two hours to explore. Remember that Hadrian was the Roman Emperor who ordered the famous wall built to separate Roman Britain from Caledonia (Scotland).
Villa Gregoriana
An incredible natural park featuring impressive waterfalls and lush wilderness to enjoy.
Because we were visiting on a day trip, we ran out of time to visit it, which we truly regretted!
🚗 Car Rental: The Most Flexible Option
If you prefer setting your own pace or are traveling with family or a group, renting a car in Italy can be surprisingly affordable. It grants complete freedom to explore Tivoli and its scenic surroundings.
We always recommend comparing rental rates here:
Compare Rental Cars on Discover CarsHow to Get to Tivoli
You can get to Tivoli by car, bus, or train.
By car, you get schedule flexibility and complete independence, often at a very competitive price point as mentioned above.
If traveling by train, tickets cost as little as €2.20 departing from Roma Termini or Tiburtina stations.
Bus fares are similar, though transit usually takes longer. We detail our experience on the bus ride back below.
We chose the train from Termini station, taking the Regionale 4544 train heading toward Avezzano at 9:03 AM. We purchased our tickets through Omio on that occasion. No service fee was charged, likely due to the low fare amount. Usually Omio fees are very low and easily offset by time saved avoiding ticket counter lines or using eSim discount codes for mobile data.
Omio Tip: Use the Omio App to view all regional train and bus timetables in one place. Use promo code viajop0d4c8p to get €10 off your first booking (over €50).
🚩 Day Trips & Guided Tours
If you prefer the comfort of an organized day tour with round-trip transfers from Rome so you don't have to worry about transport logistics, here are top-rated options available:
📱 Exclusive Discount: We have an exclusive promo code for your first booking on GetYourGuide. Email us at viajoxmicuenta@gmail.com and we will show you how to claim it!
The "Mistake" That Made Everything Better
Our initial plan was to visit Villa d’Este first. However, upon reaching the “Bagni di Tivoli” station, we hopped off by mistake after seeing a large crowd of tourists alight and noticing the next stop names didn't mention Tivoli (even though the third stop was Tivoli station, which we didn't realize at the time!).
It turned out to be the best mistake possible! Bagni di Tivoli sits in the lower valley area—making it the ideal stopping point to visit Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana) first.
Local Transport & Deep Italy Experience
The local bus driver kindly explained to us that because it was the first Sunday of the month, entry to all state attractions was free. He advised us to visit Hadrian's Villa first and then catch another local bus right outside to head up into Tivoli town for Villa d’Este.
Fun Story: We watched a local coffee shop owner run outside to ask the bus driver to hold the bus for a couple of ladies still in the restroom. After a playful grumble, the driver waited patiently and teased them good-naturedly when they boarded. A true slice of authentic Italian life! 😂
Strategic Return to Rome
For our return trip back to Rome, we took the regional Cotral bus (running every 15 minutes). It drops passengers off at Ponte Mammolo (Metro Line B), allowing us to easily hop on the subway straight to the Colosseum and finish our day exploring the Capitoline Museums.
🥖 Food Tip: Grab lunch at the local bakery right where the local bus drops you off in Tivoli. It was easily one of the best bakeries we experienced in all of Italy!
