Combo Hop on Hop off 24-hrs and guided walking tour of Roman Empire’s origins

Experience one of the most beautiful cities in the world in a very original and exclusive way! Get on board the Gray Line I Love Rome open bus and visit Rome from a unique point of view! This is a combined solution that will get you enjoy a 24-hour ride of our open bus through the city, plus an exclusive new guided tour dedicated to the Valley of Velabrum in Rome!

24-hr ticket for the Hop on Hop off and 1,5 walking tour
Mobile & printed vouchers accepted
Free Cancellation
Fully refundable when canceled up to 24 hours prior to departure.

Highlights

Open Bus Highlights and Stops:

  • Termini Station
  • Santa Maria Maggiore
  • Colosseum Archaeological Area
  • Circus Maximus - Mouth of Truth
  • Piazza Venezia
  • Vatican City, Sistine Chapel and Castel Sant'Angelo
  • Spanish Steps
  • Piazza Barberini and Trevi Fountain
Walking Tour Highlights:
  • Piazza Bocca della Verità
  • Arch of Janus
  • Church of San Giorgio in Velabro
  • Arch of the Argentari
  • Tarpeian Rock
  • Area of S. Omobono
  • Church of San Nicola in Carcere
  • Forum Holitorium
  • Forum Boarium

Includes

  • Hop-on Hop-off Open-top Bus 24-hour Ticket
  • Free Wifi on board
  • Audio guide in 12 languages on board the Pink Bus (Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic)
  • Detailed Bus route map
  • Walking tour of Rome's Velabrum Valley with a professional guide

Excludes

  • Food and drinks
  • Tips and gratuities
  • All which is not listed under "Included"

Please Note

  • This tour will operate in any weather condition
  • Comfortable shoes are recommended
  • Bring your own bottle: the street corner fountains (Nasoni) of Rome provide excellent free and drinkable water!

From
€47


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Combo Hop on Hop off 24-hrs and guided walking tour of Roman Empire's origins


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24-hr ticket for the Hop on Hop off and 1,5 walking tour
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Itinerary

Freedom is the key!

Our open-top panoramic buses allow you to enjoy a spectacular view of the most iconic monuments of the Eternal City.
All you have to do is jump on board and relax, listen to the audio commentary and get on and off at any of the eight stops available along the route.

Discover the enchanting city of Rome with our authorized hop-on-hop-off route, approved by the Municipality of Rome to ensure the utmost decorum.
Experience the convenience of our strategically located bus stops, all within a comfortable walking distance from the captivating monuments and iconic points of interest that make Rome truly unforgettable.

The bus ticket included in the deal will be valid for 24 hours. The bus will make eight stops and will provide you with an on-board audio commentary in 12 languages.
The combination with one of the four available walking tours (description below) we offer makes it the ideal way to unveil much of the city centre in a day.

Gray Line I Love Rome designed each tour to let you step in some wonderful and frequently hidden areas of the city. A professional guide will be waiting for you at the meeting point, which will be located next to the indicated stop of our pink buses, to show you some stunning corners of the city. Ask our onboard staff about the other walking tours available and let us guide you into the heart of the Eternal City in a magical combined way!

What do you say? Shall we hop on?

The Velabrum: a journey through Rome's foundation

Rome is full of mysteries, but being able to see with our own eyes the exact spot where it was born is certainly an incredible experience. Our tour of the Velabro is a journey through time that starts from around 3000 years ago to the last century, to the places and stories that marked the creation of the capital city of Italy.
But where does the word "Velabro" come from and what does it mean?
It is said that the valley going from the Roman Forum to the Tiber was often submerged by the river water and became, over time, a swampy area. The word 'velus', that is 'marsh' in Latin, was used, and was then changed to 'velabrum', describing the peculiarity of this area.

Why is this area of Rome so special?
The main characteristic of the valley is that it is considered to be the area where the brothers Romulus and Remus, founders of Ancient Rome, were found in a basket along the river. Legend has it that they were found by a she-wolf who took them in and looked after them. However, it is said that it was not an animal, but a poor courtesan woman named "Acca Larentia" who seems to have frequented the place to earn her bread and consequently found the two abandoned brothers.
What does Rome's Velabro hide that you don't know yet?

Rome is full of marvellous monuments able to preserve its great history; it is an inexhaustible source of legends that, even today remain unknown to most. The Velabro is a small area of the city that represents a concentration of beauty, history and myths, living in the shadow of the renowned Bocca della Verità. Not only will we discover the architectural and monumental beauties of this corner of the capital, but we will also understand the reason for the current use of customs or idioms of the past.
Churches, arches, ancient temples, are waiting for us to reveal their stories and timeless secrets.
OUR ROUTE between magic formulas and unexpected discoveries!

Starting from Piazza Bocca della Verità, our tour first passes by the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, a rare and magnificent example of medieval architecture, built in the 7th century on the remains of ancient buildings on the edge of the Foro Boario, the ancient food market near the Tiber river.
We will start our tour by admiring the Bocca della Verità, the legendary marble mask, which was once the cover of a well, and will discover why it is still so feared today! It has stood on the wall of the pronaos (the space between the cella and the columns in front) of the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin since 1632 and is considered a must-see for anyone visiting Rome.
In spite of its "past life", the Bocca della Verità was also a great protagonist in the world of movies during the last century! Perhaps not everyone knows that during the filming of the 1953 film "Roman Holiday" (Wyler), this spot was the stage for one of the most successful and improvised scary scenes in the film world, contributing greatly to its success! In fact,

Peck, through his joke, explains to his partner that the legend was that whoever was accused of lying had to put his hand inside his mouth and, if found guilty, it would be torn off and swallowed! Hepburn, for stage duty, put her hand inside and pulled it out respecting her lines. Peck did the same but, at the moment of pulling out his hand, he pretended that it was being blocked and ripped off and his colleague's reaction was one of sudden panic! She realised after a few moments that it was a joke and ended the scene with Peck with a hug and a laugh!
We will continue our visit towards the Quadrifrontal Arch known as the 'Arch of Janus', which will take us into the thousand-year-old Church of St George in Velabro. The figure after whom the church was named, St George of Cappadocia, was a martyr from the East and one of the most venerated saints in the world. Among the many legends about him, the most popular one is that he killed a dragon and rescued a princess! Next to the church, the highly decorated Arch of the Argentari awaits. This arch is also linked to a magic formula that, if pronounced in front of it, could make you rich! However, it should only be pronounced if all the right conditions are met. Otherwise, if you are greedy you will become poorer! Will it be you, of all your tour companions, to pronounce the fateful magic formula revealed by the guide?

Along Via di San Giovanni Decollato, past the church of the same name, we will then reach Piazza della Consolazione. There we will see the Tarpeian Rock, a rocky wall on the south side of the Capitol, from which those who were considered traitors and therefore sentenced to death were thrown. On to the Area Sacra di S.Omobono (Sacred Area of St. Omobono), where we will discover an often used vulgar saying and its origins. We will then move on to the Church of San Nicola in Carcere, whose structure is imprisoned between the ruins of three different Roman temples.
Finally, the "magic circle" will be closed where it all began: in Piazza Bocca della Verità'!
You will see the Foro Olitorio and Foro Boario and know why the two temples have been preserved in such an intact condition until now.
Do you want to know more about magic and mysterious rituals? All you have to do is book your place and join us for the next tour in the presence of the Velabro Valley!

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Pickup Info

IMPORTANT:
Please keep in mind the timeslot you select at booking corresponds to the start time of the Velabrum Valley walking tour, which operates on Saturday and Sunday only, at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM.

From November to March 14th - Hop on Hop off bus operates every day from 8:30 AM to 5:45 PM. First bus from Via Enrico de Nicola, facing Piazza dei Cinquecento - public line 910 yellow bus stop, last bus 5:45 PM from Termini. Buses depart every 15/20 minutes from Termini Station (Stop 1)

From March 15th to October - Hop on Hop off bus operates every day from 8:30 AM to 6:45 PM. First bus from Via Enrico de Nicola, facing Piazza dei Cinquecento - public line 910 yellow bus stop, last bus 6:45 PM from Termini. Buses depart every 15/20 minutes from Termini Station (Stop 1)

The Meeting Point for the Velabrum Valley walking tour is at Stop n°4 Hop On Hop Off Gray Line - I Love Rome City Tour Piazzale Ugo la Malfa - Monument to Giuseppe Mazzini
Please be there at least 15 minutes before the tour starts.

Authorized by the Municipality of Rome, our hop-on-hop-off route adheres to the city's decorum. Explore Rome effortlessly with conveniently located bus stops near prominent monuments and key points of interest.

Gray Line - I Love Rome office:
Via Leone IV, 33
[email protected]
0039 06 474 2501 (6:30 AM – 8:00 PM 365 days)
0039 348 8112027 (WhatsApp only)