Not only is Rome a splendid tourist destination with treasure troves of art, history and culture, but it’s also a fulcrum for many amazing day trips too. There are historical sites like Ostia Antica, Pompeii and Herculaneum and magnificent villas like those in Tivoli. Tuscany with its vineyards and castles and Amalfi coast with its picture-postcard towns and stunning landscape are all achievable as day trip options from Rome.
You can find a wide range of great day tours from Rome and book online using this Viator site.
Below you can learn about the best day trip options from Rome and then you can either do a self-guided tour or collaborate with the best operators who offer these tours.
Tuscany
Most people who target Tuscany as a day trip option from Rome visit the Val d Orcia that’s probably the loveliest wine region in Tuscany. A drive encompassing Pienza and Montepulciano is a good day trip idea. Then there is the Chianti region with its cypress trees, olive groves and small towns on top of hills. The Tuscan landscape is a photographer’s delight with rolling hills and vineyards and olive groves. Tuscany is a major food tour destination and you can actually do a self-guided wine tour here.
Refer to our page on Italian wines and you will know what’s so special about the Super Tuscan wines.
Collect white wines from the Maremma, noble wines from Montepulciano, and Super Tuscans from Bolgheri when you visit Tuscany. Tuscany towns are full of castles, vineyards and historical stories and tours to this area offers a good mix of history and food.
Then there is Florence, the magical renaissance city that we have dedicated an entire section. There are other important towns in the Tuscany region like Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano etc, but day trips from Rome mostly focus on the wine rich areas of South Tuscany.
How to Reach
It’s difficult to reach Val D’Orcia from Rome on your own as there isn’t a direct train connection. However, you can take a train from Rome to Chiusi Chianciano Terme and then a taxi ride to the different areas of Val d Orcia. However, the best independent way to reach Val d’Orcia from Rome is to rent a car… the drive is beautiful and it will take you around 2 hours.
Top Tour Offerings
You can find great day trips to Tuscany and book online from this Viator website.
Walks of Italy is known for its city walking tours as well as day tours. The Tuscany Hills, Vineyards and Castle tour is a lovely tour that’s about 12 hours long and starts off at 7.00 a.m. The tour’s first stop is the Village Pienza that’s known for its food, wine and ceramic art. The guide introduces groups to town specialities like pecorino and wild boar. The next stop is a family-owned farm at Val d Orcia for tastings of sheep and goat cheese besides jam and honey… all served with local wine. The hill town of Montalcino is next and you can try your hand at scaling the castle walls and visiting the Brunello Montalcino vineyards. This small group tour (18 max) is done on a private minibus and is priced around 160 euros.
Contact details
Phone: +39 069 480 4888; Email: [email protected]; Website
City Wonders offers a Guided Day trip to Tuscany from Rome that includes a nice 3-course lunch and wine pairing session that’s priced at 120 euros per adult. This 12-hour tour meets up at Piazza del Popolo and starts at 7.30 a.m. (offered every day). Groups (max size 25) are transported to Tuscany in an air-conditioned coach and en route an English speaking guide fills up guests on the history of the Tuscan wine region.
The coach halts at Montepulciano (a car-free town) and you can explore the clock towers, tiny streets and wine cellars. An opportunity to scale up the walls of Montepulciano castle is a trip highlight. The next stop is Sant Antimo Abbey and the Pienza Renaissance hill town (UNESCO Site) famous for its olive oil, gelato, wine and food. Lunch is at a vineyard in Montalcino and it’s paired with the famous Brunello Montalcino wines.
Contact Details
Phone: UK: (+44) 800 098 8019; USA and Canada:(+1) 800 358 1942; Website
Ostia Antica
One of the most convenient day trips from Rome is the archaeological zone of Ostia Antica. This is actually a compact and more easily accessible version of Pompeii and has the well-preserved vestiges of an ancient Roman seaport. There is the bath complex of Terme di Nettuno (Baths of Neptune) with an attractive floor mosaic and a beautiful amphitheatre called Agrippa’s Theatre (about 4000 spectators used to sit here).
The thermodynamic system of the Baths are still intact and is a major attraction and so is the Neptune on the Chariot mosaic. Once upon a time, this was an antique city with about 100,000 inhabitants and most of its important buildings were lined against the main road (Decumanus Maximus). Naturally, the ruins of the most important monuments like the temple of Hercules and the temple of Capitolium stand here. Also look out for the historic Ostia lighthouse, Forum of Corporations and vintage statuary.
There is a café called Thermopolium where you will find the menu frescoed on the walls… lunching here will be a memorable experience. Don’t expect grand palaces and stunning artwork here… Ostia is more like a historical perspective on common Romans.
How to Reach
The best way to reach the Ostia Antica site is to take the Ostia Roma Lido train that runs from Stazione San Paolo….you will reach Ostia Antica in 40 minutes. The Trenitalia website won’t cover these trains as this is a regional network. To get to Roma Porta San Paolo Train station you need to take metro line B to Piramide metro and then follow the signage to Paolo station….from here almost all trains go to Ostia Antica.
Top Tour Offerings
City Wonders offers a well-reviewed Ostia Antica small group day trip from Rome. This is actually half a day tour that lasts for only 4 hours and is offered on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The tour group meets up at Café Piramide in Rome and travels to Ostia Antica by high-speed train.
The entry ticket to Ostia ruins and the services of the guide along with the cost of transport and headsets are covered in the tour price that’s around 50 euros per adult. Some important sites covered are Baths of Neptune, street Decumanus Maximus, Ostia’s Amphitheatre, Forum of the Corporations, The Collegiate Temple and the laundry shop and public bath. The group size of this tour is restricted to 25 people.
Contact Details
Phone: UK- (+44) 800 098 8019; USA and Canada- (+1) 800 358 1942; Website
Tivoli
This tiny town about 30 km east of Rome has two magnificent world heritage sites. There is Villa d Estate with its collection of rich frescoes and ornate fountains. This was built by Pope Alexander VI’s grandson back in the 16th century. There are lovely formal gardens surrounding the Estate Villa and they are filled with a wide range of fountains (about 500 of them). In fact, water was used most innovatively to create different effects so there are cascades, gurgles of waters, jets and sprays all forming a lovely landscape.
The elevation variation creates a sense of intrigue inside the villa while the artwork inside is a historian’s delight. Visiting this villa is a must in summers… Romans often go to cool their souls from the fountain sprays here. This place is not for the unfit… there are multiple flights of stairs inside.
Then there is 2nd century Villa Adriana/ Hadrian’s Villa which was once Emperor Hadrian’s country dwelling. What’s left now is Instagram worthy colossal ruins under old olive trees and pine groves. Look closely and you will find beautiful statues, ornate columns and marble pavements in the villa. This is a huge site that looks more like the remains of an entire city and you will have a good idea of the scale of the Villa. There are gardens and pools and royal relaxation areas and it’s all now a World Heritage site. This isn’t a fully preserved villa like the Estate Villa… more like visually attractive ruins with a great history.
Besides the villas, Tivoli town centre has thermal baths complex, the villa Gregoriana and a few other historical sites. Leather goods and local food of Tivoli are highly recommended. The Villa Gregoriana has decorative trails, caves, grottos and even waterfalls and is maintained by F.A.I. (Fondo Ambiente Italiano).
In case you are doing a self-guided Tivoli tour, some great places to Lunch at Tivoli are Hotel Torre Sant Angelo and Ristorante Sibila (which overlooks the Vesta Temple).
How to Reach
The easiest way to reach Tivoli is by taking a train from the Termini station to Tivoli… train runs every 15 minutes. While Villa d Estate is in the historic centre, you will need to take a local bus to reach the Villa Adriana. It will just take one hour to reach Tivoli from Rome; it falls under the Lazio region. The Villa d Estate is just a 15-minute walk from the Tivoli station.
Alternatively, you can take a metro from Rome to the Ponte Mammolo station (Line B) and then catch the buses going to Via Prenestina… a more suitable option if you want to visit the Hadrian’s Villa first.
Top Tour offerings
Enjoy Rome offers a good day trip to Tivoli that enjoys consistently good reviews. The tour meets up at Via Cavour 224 near the bus stop around 9.30 a.m. in the morning and takes guests to Hadrian’s Villa directly via a bus ride. Next, the guide shows around the town centre to guests and then lunch at a local restaurant.
The 15th century Villa d Estate is next on the agenda and after spending a couple of hours there, guests are escorted back to Via Cavour on the same bus. Each guest is given headsets so that guided commentary can be listened to carefully. Group size is a maximum of 32 which is a bit large and the 81 euro per adult fee might seem steep but you have to remember that lunch, transport and entry fee to both villas are included in the price.
Contact Details
Address: ENJOY ROME di Marghera 8a, Via Vespasiano 46 B
Phone: +39 064450734; Website
Tivoli Tours is a Tivoli based operator who offers well-sketched tours to Tivoli town, its 2 villas and other attractions like thermal baths, theatre, Canopus, temples etc. There is also a guided visit to the lesser-known villa Gregoriana besides the tour of Villa d Estate and Hadrian’s Villa. Transport is by luxury van but by paying extra a car pickup from your hotel in Rome can also be arranged.
The tours are offered every day apart from Monday and start off around 8.00 a.m. Prices per adult start from 70 euros and that excludes lunch which the guide will give recommendations for. Usually, the L’angolino di Mirko (Via della Missione, 3) is recommended and their homemade Pasta is famous. This is a small group/ private tour so there is more interaction.
Contact details
Address: Via Trevio 3, Tivoli.
Email: [email protected]; Phone: +39 339 173 8809; Website
Naples
There is a lot to see in Naples but often the first (and last) word associated with it is Pizza. The homeland of the famous Margherita Pizza Naples had the oldest Pizzeria in the world and it is called Antica Pizzeria Port Alba. Then there is L’antica Pizzeria da Michele… it shot to fame when Julia Roberts filmed here for Eat Pray Love.
You can also try Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo… another famed pizza address. Then Naples is famous for its delish local liquor called Limoncello and its fried pizza. Naples is famous for its historical monuments too… there is Castel dell’Ovo and Castel Nuovo apart from many pretty Medieval churches.
You can also check out Museo Archeologico Nazionale that’s full of beautiful classical art… most of the mosaics and sculptures from the Pompeii Villas ended up here. Then there is the Baroque style Cappella Sansevero that has famous artwork including the Veiled Christ (Giuseppe Sanmartino Creation). Expect to see pieces by Raphael, Caravaggio and Michelangelo too. If you have some spare time visit the Fontanelle Cemetery or take a short trip to Herculaneum (Pompeii’s smaller version) or to the Capua Amphitheater. Naples has great local connectivity and its Toledo station is an attraction in itself. Naples also has its own version of Catacombs and they have small guided tours too.
How to Reach
Take the Frecciarossa (fast train) from Termini station to reach Napoli Centrale. It’s possible to reach Naples from Rome in just about 70 minutes. If you wish to travel further and visit Pompeii too then take the Circumvesuviana train lines that are regional trains and not a part of TRENITALIA.
Top Tour Offerings
You can find great day trips to Naples (combine with Pompeii) and book online from this Viator website.
Naples is quite easy to get to and is one of those places where you can easily do a self-guided tour. Tour operators mostly offer Naples tours in conjunction with Pompeii. Apart from Greenline (covered in the Pompeii section), City Sightseeing and Italy XP offer Naples and Pompeii combo tours that are very similar to the Greenline Tours.
City Sightseeing day trip to Naples and Pompeii costs around 95 euros per person. This almost 12.5-hour tour includes a post-lunch visit o Naples and a tour on an open-top bus tour of the city around 1.5 hours… the main focus is on Pompeii though.
Contact Details
Phone: +39 348 8214066; Website
Tours of Naples is a sightseeing operator based in Naples who provides good options for short tours around Naples and other areas like Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, Rome and Florence. While you won’t get an end to end transport included tour from them, you can always sign up for their short Naples City Tour and familiarise yourself with the city. Their half/ full day Naples City tours start off from Piazza del Gesu and cover the Santa Chiara church, Spaccanapoli street, Naples Cathedral, Treasury chapel and some legendary pizzerias. The half-day tours are around 30 euros per person while the full-day tour is around 55 euros.
Naples Street Food and Sightseeing Tour is about 2.5 hours long. The tour starts from Piazza Dante and moves to Piazza Bellini and after a tour of the old city and Greek walls, guests are taken to the Decumano (ancient street Via de Tribunali). Tastings of Mozzarella, Tarallo, Fried Pizza, Gelato, Sfogliatella and Babà and Limoncello are included in the tour. Visit to Museo Conservatorio and the San Biagio Librai and Piazza Gesu Nuovo are other trip highlights. Don’t miss the artisan workshops of the San Gregorio Armeno enclave, this affordable tour is priced around 32 euros per person.
Contact details
Via Antonio Villari, 56, 80167 Napoli NA, Italy
Email: [email protected]; Phone: +39 371 344 8441; Website
Pompeii
Pompeii is now the stuff of movies and almost everyone knows how a horrendous volcanic eruption wiped out an entire town. Be prepared for a spine-tingling experience as the city remnants have just been frozen in time since the volcanic eruption in 79 AD which buried the city under around 6 meters of volcanic ash. About 2000 people were killed and the archaeologists found people in various positions during excavations.
There was a mother clutching her daughter in an embrace and people curled up in foetal positions out of fear and those that seemed in extreme pain. The bodies had holes in them and molten plasters were poured into them to make live plaster creations… an intensely moving sight. Then there is the Pompeii Forum, the Lupanare (old brothel) and an amphitheatre.
For those who want a Pompeii like experience but are short on time and want to visit Naples too, a tour to the Herculaneum site is a better option. This is a smaller site than Pompeii but a geological eruption happened here too and the entire town was wiped off however the eruption nature was different and carbon footprints survived so here you can see wooden furniture, bed frames and skeleton preserves.
How to Reach
People wanting to do a self-guided Naples Pompeii trip can take the Circumvesuviana train from Napoli central to Pompeii Scavi Villa Misteri station. Train frequency is great with a train every 30 minutes and they go up to Pompeii and Herculaneum archaeological area before reaching Sorrento. For reaching Herculaneum you need to get down at the Ercolano stop on the Circumvesuviana route. Remember these tickets can’t be bought online from the Trenitalia site.
Alternatively, there is the Metropolitan network (extension of Naples metro) that connects Naples and Salerno via Pompeii. These tickets can be bought online and in advance.
Top Tour Offerings
You can find great day trips to Pompeii and book online from this Viator website.
City Wonders offers a bouquet of popular tours that cover Mt Vesuvius and the Pompeii area. There is the Guided Day Trip: Pompeii & Mt Vesuvius Volcano from Rome. This 12-hour tour is restricted to a maximum group size of 25 and costs around 110 euros per person. The group meets up at Piazza Popolo and travels to Pompeii in an air-conditioned coach with a guide. There is skip the line entry to Pompeii ruins and a local archaeologist accompanies the group.
Lunch is Neapolitan pizza and refreshments after which the group goes to Mt Vesuvius Volcano and sees an excellent view of Naples Bay. This Vesuvius visit is offered from April to November and in the other months, the group is taken to tour Naples instead. Participants are offered audio headsets.
Then there is the VIP Pompeii and Sorrento Small Group Tour from Rome that’s offered on Monday, Tuesday Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The 12 hours 15 people tour costs around 190 euros per person. The group meets up at 7.15 a.m. at Termini station and travels to Pompeii by high-speed train. The group first explores Pompeii ruins and then takes a coffee break and then some shopping before it travels to Sorrento… incidentally this is the only Pompeii Sorrento tour offering from Rome!! There is also a short break at the Bay of Naples en route to Sorrento. Roam around Sorrento (gateway to the Amalfi Coast) and explore its shops and gardens and then have a Limoncello tour at Sorrento’s oldest shop
Contact Details
Phone: UK: (+44) 800 098 8019; USA and Canada: (+1) 800 358 1942; Website
Green Line – one of the well-known Rome city tour operators offers a combined tour to Pompeii and Naples (discover ancient ruins of Pompeii: Day Trip from Rome) that’s priced around 126 euros per person. The tour starts off from Via Giovanni Amendola (for an added price you can have hotel pick up) at around 6.30 a.m.
At Naples the Mergelina Port, Santa Lucia Borgo fishing district and Castel dell Ovo fort, Naples Royal Palace are covered and then the bus moves to Mount Vesuvius area where Ercolano, Torre del Greco (cameo and coral factory) and Torre Annunziata are covered. You will also see the remains at the Antiquarian museum, old theatres like Teatro Grande, Pompeii forum and the Baths of Strabian. Lunch is at a local Pompeii restaurant though Naples has a much better choice of restaurants.
The tour tries to deliver a lot of value; Naples, Pompeii and associated excavation areas of Ercolano and Torre Greco but the 13-hour tour feels rushed and exhausting. One good thing about the tour is that it has the option of dropping guests back at multiple locations like Via Vittorio Veneto, Piazza Barberini, Piazza Venezia, Piazza Della Repubblica etc. at the end of the tour. The group size can reach 50 and it can feel crowded however it’s difficult to find a similarly priced offering that covers so many places in one day trip. Also, the audio commentary on the bus does a decent job of filling up guests on the history of Pompeii and the Vesuvius eruption.
Contact details
Address: Via Giovanni Amendola, 32 (Termini Station) ROME
Phone: +39 06 4827480; Email: [email protected]; Website
Amalfi Coast
A gorgeous UNESCO world heritage site; the Amalfi coast is a 50 km stretch of north coast shore flanking the Salerno Gulf on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Romans, Greeks, Sicilians, Arabs and Normans have all left their influences in this area and the cuisine, oenology, culture of this zone is a distinct mellifluous blend. The Amalfi roads are very winding and narrow and the SS163 that connects the major coastal towns is specially motion sickness inducing.
There are candy coloured incredibly beautiful coastal towns on the Amalfi coastline but some of the most convenient ones to visit from Rome are Amalfi, Positano, Sorrento, Ravello and Praiano. Sorrento is a peaceful retreat famous for its lemon groves and Limoncello and makes a good base for sailing trips to Capri.
Positano is one of the best places in the world to watch the sunset and is a glamorous retreat known for its shops, cafes and proximity to Grotta di Smeraldo. Amalfi has magnificent piazzas and the famous Duomo cathedral…it’s also known for handcrafted paper and ceramics.
Ravello has villas (Cimbrone and Rufolo) and the cathedral Duomo. Capri Island is a luxury holiday destination that has a myriad of attractions but is rather far fetched as a day trip destination from Rome.
How to reach
If you are driving from Rome to the Amalfi coast then take the A1 Autostrada to Naples and then A3 Autostrada after which you can go to Sorrento, Positano etc by following traffic signs. Another good option is to take a train to Sorrento and then take a car rental. You need to catch a Trenitalia or an Italo train from Termini and then get down at Napoli Centrale and then take a local train to Vietri Sul Mare that has ample connectivity to the Salerno province.
You can also go boat hopping on the Amalfi coast as robust ferry services run in summers from Salerno to Positano, Salerno and Minori.
Top Tour Offerings
Walks of Italy offers a great small group (max 16 people) 13.5 hour Amalfi Coast train and boat tour. The tour starts off at 7.15 a.m. at meets up at the Termini station where the group travels to Naples in 70 minutes. Disembarking in Naples, the group hops on a private bus and after brief photo halts, the first 2 hour stop is at Positano. From there the group goes on a short boat ride to Amalfi town while watching coastal towns glide by.
A trip highlight is a visit to a lemon orchard atop a hill where Limoncello and traditional Amalfi snacks like lemon cake are offered. There is free time to shop and explore and swim and then the group goes by boat to Salerno from where there is a train ride back to Rome. The bus ride from Naples to Positano can be uncomfortable for people with motion sickness… the roads are swirly and the driver always drives at top speed!! The 198 euro per person tour doesn’t include lunch for which you need to pay extra.
Then there is the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii Tour which takes the group first to Pompeii by A.C Bus where an archaeologist guide shows around the ruins, forum, brothel and the legendary plaster casts along with Pompeii amphitheatre. The second half of the tour explores the Amalfi coastline and goes to Positano where there is time for swimming, exploring and shopping. This is a 13.5-hour tour that’s priced at 222 euros per adult and meant for people who want to explore south Italy in just a day. The entire tour covers a lot of places but can feel exhausting and overwhelming.
All tours that include Positano switch to Sorrento in the low season (November to March) as most shops in Positano close in the winter.
Contact details
Phone: +39 069 480 4888; Email: [email protected]; Website
If you really want to do a Capri Island tour from Rome then Greenline Tours has a decent option. The tour starts off at 7.00 a.m. from Rome and the group takes a 3-hour ride on a Greenline bus to Naples while admiring sights like Roman Castles and Montecassino Abbey on the way. Then the group disembarks at Naples port and gets on a Catamaran for a 45-minute ride across the Tyrrhenian Sea to Capri island Marina Grand. Guests transfer into rowboats and visit the Blue Grotto before visiting the Anacapri village (visit Piazza Umberto) and shop.
Return is by boat to Naples and then by Bus to Rome. This is quite an exhausting day trip although affordably priced at 161 euros per person. Lunch is included but is of dubious quality so you should think of buying your own food. Once near Anacapri opt for the chairlift… it costs 11 euros per person but will get you up and down from the village in 13 minutes flat.
Contact details
Address: Via Giovanni Amendola, 32 (Termini Station) ROME
Phone: +39 06 4827480; Email: [email protected]; Website
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.