48-HOURS IN ROME DAY 2: HOPPING ON A TOUR BUS - IS IT WORTH IT?
18:19:00
So, continuing from my story on Day 1 in Rome post, since we didn't have much time in Rome, on our 2nd (also last) day, Fizal and I decided to take the tour bus to save time from walking and cover the main attractions in Rome.
The Colosseum taken from our tour bus.
We went with the company Big Bus Rome and booked online in advanced. There are 2 types of tours, which are for weekdays (Red Route) and weekends (Blue Route). Both routes consists of 8 stops throughout the whole tours, but varies slightly. The tour starts off at Roma Termini, but you can hop on it anywhere closer to where you are/stay. Since we stayed near the Termini, we hopped on the bus there at around 9.30am (the first tour starts at 9am). We went of the Blue Route because we were there on a Saturday.
On the bus, we were provided with a set of earphone each that can be plugged in on the bus for some information about the attractions and historical events that happened there.
Roman Colosseum
Our first stop was the Colosseum. We had already booked out tickets to go into the Colosseum from their official website. You can also buy tickets just when you get there, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be such a wise decision because you'll end up queuing for hours (at least that's what I've heard). There were also many people walking around offering you tickets and tours just outside the Colosseum if you wanna opt for those, but again, I'd advice buy your tickets in advance.
Because we were there in the morning, the line wasn't that long (not like the 4-hour long queue that I've heard and seen in some vlogs!). At the end of the queue, we had to go through the security scan (like the ones in airports). After that, we are then free to roam around this magnificent historical site.
Upon entering the site, the direction signage were a bit confusing and wasn't really helpful (directed us the exit when we just got it!). As we were going back and forth and ended up in the same spot at the entrance for the first 10 minutes or so, we could see the crowd starting to build up significantly just in a matter of minutes!
So inside the colosseum, there were many viewing areas where you can view the arena or now the hypogeum. Mind you, you'll have to squeeze your way in between other tourists to be able to see the view of the colosseum amphitheatre. We walked around admiring this iconic architecture and one of the world's most famous landmark.
The Colosseum, place of bloodsheds, gladiatorial battles and animal fights - one of the world's most visited attraction.
At the entrance to the Colosseum.
The colosseum facade was already partially ruined due to earthquakes, stone-robbery and simply due to aging. While some original facade were held together using iron clamps, some parts were reconstructed in order to keep this iconic monument its original form. I'm not going to talk too much about the Colosseum here as there are probably thousands of info on it already around the internet, but you can read more here.
Iron clamps to hold the facade strong.
Here you can see some of the newly constructed parts combined with the original old facade.
There were also exhibitions, models and stories about the Colosseum throughout the area, so you could read about its constructions, history and myths, revolution, etc.
Vatican City & St. Peter's Basilica
We hopped on the bus again and our second stop was the Vatican City. The bus stopped in front of the Ponte Sant'Angelo, the bridge crossing the Tiber River, facing the Castel Sant'Angelo museum. From there, we walked towards the Vatican City and reached the religious and cultural site of Saint Peter's Basilica - read more here. Our visit was a very brief one, we didn't go into the basilica neither did we visit the Vatican Museum due to time constraint.
We went with the company Big Bus Rome and booked online in advanced. There are 2 types of tours, which are for weekdays (Red Route) and weekends (Blue Route). Both routes consists of 8 stops throughout the whole tours, but varies slightly. The tour starts off at Roma Termini, but you can hop on it anywhere closer to where you are/stay. Since we stayed near the Termini, we hopped on the bus there at around 9.30am (the first tour starts at 9am). We went of the Blue Route because we were there on a Saturday.
Roman Colosseum
Our first stop was the Colosseum. We had already booked out tickets to go into the Colosseum from their official website. You can also buy tickets just when you get there, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be such a wise decision because you'll end up queuing for hours (at least that's what I've heard). There were also many people walking around offering you tickets and tours just outside the Colosseum if you wanna opt for those, but again, I'd advice buy your tickets in advance.
Upon entering the site, the direction signage were a bit confusing and wasn't really helpful (directed us the exit when we just got it!). As we were going back and forth and ended up in the same spot at the entrance for the first 10 minutes or so, we could see the crowd starting to build up significantly just in a matter of minutes!
So inside the colosseum, there were many viewing areas where you can view the arena or now the hypogeum. Mind you, you'll have to squeeze your way in between other tourists to be able to see the view of the colosseum amphitheatre. We walked around admiring this iconic architecture and one of the world's most famous landmark.
The colosseum facade was already partially ruined due to earthquakes, stone-robbery and simply due to aging. While some original facade were held together using iron clamps, some parts were reconstructed in order to keep this iconic monument its original form. I'm not going to talk too much about the Colosseum here as there are probably thousands of info on it already around the internet, but you can read more here.
There were also exhibitions, models and stories about the Colosseum throughout the area, so you could read about its constructions, history and myths, revolution, etc.
Vatican City & St. Peter's Basilica
We hopped on the bus again and our second stop was the Vatican City. The bus stopped in front of the Ponte Sant'Angelo, the bridge crossing the Tiber River, facing the Castel Sant'Angelo museum. From there, we walked towards the Vatican City and reached the religious and cultural site of Saint Peter's Basilica - read more here. Our visit was a very brief one, we didn't go into the basilica neither did we visit the Vatican Museum due to time constraint.
Piazza Navona, Pantheon & Trevi Fountain
The Big Bus didn't stop anywhere in between Piazza Venezia and Vatican City, so from the Vatican stop, we walked for what seemed like milesssss and reached Via del Governo Vecchio, where we found true love........ La Gelateria Frigidarium. I know, I know, We've had wayyyyy too many gelato on this trip, but a bright, hot day calls for some Italian gelato, a famous one at it!
After we've completed all the places we had wanted to visit that day, we thought we'd make a move back to our Airbnb. Despite taking the tour bus, it was a very long day of walking. We then walked for what seemed like 100 miles under the hot afternoon sun to find the closest bus stop to take the Big Bus back to Roma Termini. The bus drove through Villa Borghese,
About taking a tour bus - I personally think that it isn't really worth taking a tour bus around Rome, unless you are very very limited in time and want to only cover the main famous landmarks. We walked a lot from one attraction to another attraction because the bus didn't stop in a lot of places or even near among the popular attractions in rome, such as the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. I also think that Rome would be much better explored by walking as you may find some hidden gem in small alleys that's worth some photos. Anyway, that was the end of our 2-days trip in Rome, which was very brief. I wish we had more time to explore Rome, but oh well, maybe there will be a next time? Who knows. :)
Oh, and did I tell you, we had some spectacular views from the plane to and from Italy!
Overall, I really enjoyed Italy, and I think it's safe to say that Italy is one of the few places that I've been to and really wish to visit again, definitely!
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