Sep 4, 2024
your ride for 3 days - A perfect way to get around the city if you are not in a rush, we had 3 days in Rome and got the 72 hour pass with the night tour. We only needed a taxi to and from the airport and to the vatican and back. If we had planned better we probably could have used the bus to get close to the vatican and saved that money too!
Review provided by Viator
Oct 1, 2024
Not the greatest experience. - This was not a good experience. We bought the ticket so we can get around, and we had to take Ubers due to the wait time. Other bus companies were timely but this one seemed to always run late and the drive was rude. He told us "last stop is Vatican at (a time I cannot remember)" and he by passed people waiting to be picked up and they were screaming at him and running to which some passengers said "he should at least let them know so they aren't running in the streets"
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 26, 2024
Easily the worst Big Bus Experience of the 6 cities I tried them - A ‘decent’ experience bus ride, whenever you can get on the bus.
Staff make an attempt of forming queues and lines for the bus at each stop (where staff are available).
That’s where the good points end.
I had MAJOR problems with Big Bus in Rome. Easily hands down the WORST Big Bus experience I have had across the six cities I’ve used Big Bus tours in the past.
First of all, there is always a massive queue at Stop 1, Roma Termini, especially earlier in the day. Multiple full Big Buses come and go before you are able to get a seat. While staff try to fill every seat, clearly there was frustrations growing in the air, as I saw multiple customers complain to staff about the long wait and missing multiple full buses.
Secondly, there was a MAJOR problem with Stop 6 - Vatican. For some reason, Stop 6 suddenly closed, without notice. Unfortunately for me, it happened on the day I visited the Vatican using Big Bus. There was no information, staff didn’t really know what to do (some even disappeared), and there was inconsistent answers as to where this replacement Stop 6 was, if there was even a replacement at all. There is already a huge distance between stops 6 and 7. Now with stop 6 out of action, the distance between Vatican City and stop 7 was a 45-minute walk (as verified on Google Maps, even if you take a short-cut through the centre of the city on foot where the buses don’t go). I got caught out twice with decommissioned stop 6.
On the second day stop 6 was out-of-action, there was this hand-written piece of paper stuck on the stop 6 sign, instructing customers to walk further down the path to where the new temporary stop 6 was located. When I walked down to this new location, I arrived finding about ~40-50 other frustrated Big Bus customers at the same place. They all told me that two Big Buses drove past them with no attempt to stop, and by that point 7:30pm just passed so no more buses were coming. There was also no Big Bus staff to be seen at this so-called temporary stop (or the former closed stop).
I ended up taking a taxi back to my hotel after multiple attempts of booking one, which was extremely disappointing.
Even if you do manage to wait at another stop (not stop 6), I found the bus frequency sporadic at best after 5-6pm (they are supposed to stop at 7:30pm). I took the metro or taxi back a couple of times for this reason.
And to top it all off, there is not a single bus with live commentary available. Even the night tour (which costs extra and required reservation) offers no live commentary. Just pre-recorded audio that frequently gets cut off if the bus drives to its next destination before the pre-recorded commentary finishes. Really disappointing.
No form of apology or compensation was provided to me or any other customer to my knowledge, for all the inconveniences suffered.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 5, 2024
Below average - Better than the night tour but not great.
We waited at stop 7 (nearest to our hotel) for the first bus and had to ask an attendant for another company questions as the big bus attendant only turned up when the bus was leaving.
Nowhere near as many buses in frequency through the day as the other red coloured buses by another company which led to long queues and crowded buses by midday.
The first bus was by the sister company and had windows upstairs, so even though we were upstairs you were still taking photos through grubby windows if seated.
The audio commentary was poor - varying levels in terms of sound and very little given.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nov 4, 2024
Don't - absolutely awful - Have been on these kind of buses before in Athens and Barcelona and found them to be a really good way to get an overview of a city. Will think again before taking another after this. The Big Bus reps at the stop directed us to get on an Omnia bus. Never heard of Omnia but apparently a travel agency founded for Christian pilgrims. The commentary reflected this eg. comments about the Roman road network being important to the spread of the gospels. Otherwise v little info - absolutely rubbish. As a non-Christian found it quite insulting. In terms of the sights - saw as much getting a taxi from the station to our apartment, and some of the stops are a long way from what they say they are (eg. Vatican is 20-30 mins walk). We also spent 15 mins stopped at the railway station while other Big buses came and went, with no explanation. Absolute waste of €100. Will never use this company again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 1, 2024
Can’t find the bus - Very hard to find buses in Rome. Even with app we only found one stop.
Metro is the best way to get around. We booked 4 days on the bus and didn’t use it at all.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 29, 2024
Excessive waiting times - Unpleasant experience… waiting time at stops is awful! Bus took over 40 minutes to arrive at Spanish Steps stop where we were waiting (brochure days waiting time is 13 mins during high season) . To add insult to injury, over 15 buses from competitor companies drove by while we were waiting. We almost missed an important event because of this delay. Rarely one to complain but this was too much. Never again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 27, 2024
Absolutely Avoid Big Bus Tours in Rome - I'm writing this review to warn anyone considering Big Bus Tours in Rome to think twice. My experience was an absolute nightmare. I purchased a 72-hour ticket, only to find it expired after just 48 hours. To make matters worse, there was no option to download or reprint the ticket, and I received no email confirmation. This left me stranded, unable to prove my purchase or continue with the tour.
The problems didn't stop there. The designated bus pickup points were frequently unoperational without any indication in the app. This left me and other passengers stranded, forced to walk long distances to find an alternative pickup location. In one instance, I had to walk nearly 10 minutes in the heat to find the next operating bus.
I strongly advise against booking Big Bus Tours in Rome. Their service is unreliable, their customer support is non-existent, and their practices are downright deceptive. There are far better options available for sightseeing in Rome. I would recommend researching other tour companies that prioritize customer satisfaction and provide a more reliable service.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 6, 2024
Hop on and be ripped off. - Total waste of time and money. Doesn't go anywhere of real interest, doesn't stop close to points of interest. Expensive, uncomfortable, and unfriendly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 4, 2024
Turtle Pace - Expect long waits between busses. Long queues at bus stops. Full busses. Slow moving stuck in traffic. Routes on outskirts and you don’t actually see any attractions from the bus, you have to get off at atop and walk.
Review provided by Tripadvisor