Tivoli Tour: Hadrian's Villa, Villa d'Este

Embark on a private half-day tour of Tivoli, exploring the magnificent Hadrian’s Villa and the enchanting Villa D’Este. Skip the lines and immerse yourself in the rich history and beauty of these historic sites.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Tivoli - Your professional guide will take you on a wonderful journey through time and will tell you stories about the construction of these impressive buildings and scandals that accompanied the famous Roman families of that time. A unique occasion to known one of the most appreciated, peaceful and historical area at the roman time, very close to the chaotic capital of the roman empire, Upon arrival your guide will illustrate Villa Adriana, the most beautiful Imperial villa, designed and built by Emperor Hadrian at the beginning of the 2nd century AD in a unique setting of gardens and swimming pools. Then you will proceed with Villa D’Este, charming villa with rich Renaissance fountains, water features, waterfalls and incomparable Italian garden. The two villas are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. - Villa Adriana - Villa Adriana, the most beautiful Imperial villa, designed and built by Emperor Hadrian who did not like the Palatine palace in Rome, so during the last years of his reign he ruled the empire from Tivoli. Truly no emperor appreciated the palace created by his predecessors so much, but Hadrian detested the crowding, promiscuity, intrigue and chaos of Rome, where he resided as little as possible, traveling as much as possible. - Villa d’Este - Villa d’Este is one of the most notable and refined examples of Renaissance culture. By virtue of its innovative project and the creativity of the architectural components of the park (fountains, ornamental basins, etc.), it represents a unique example of a sixteenth-century Italian garden. Villa d’Este, one of the first gardens of wonders, served as model and had a decisive influence on the development of gardens in Europe. The complex, consisting of the palace and the garden, was built by Pirro Logorio on behalf of the Ferrarese cardinal Ippolito II d’Este who, having become governor of the Lazio city in 1550, wanted a residence suited to his new status. the structure forms an irregular quadrilateral and covers an area of approximately 4.5 hectares. The plan of the villa is irregular as the architect was forced to use some parts of the pre-existing monastic building.
What's Included
  • Free pick-up and drop-off to hotels, apartments, bed & breakfast, accommodations
  • Entrance tickets to Villa Adriana and Villa D’Este
  • Professional tour guide
  • Free transfer in air-conditioned minivan
What's Not Included
  • Tips
Additional Information

Departure from your hotel/Apartment to Tivoli in a comfortable air-conditioned minivan. Tivoli has a cooler climate than Rome and was the location favored by wealthy Romans. Upon arrival your guide will illustrate Villa Adriana, the most beautiful Imperial villa, designed and built by Emperor Hadrian at the beginning of the 2nd century AD in a unique setting of gardens and swimming pools. Then you will proceed with Villa D’Este, charming villa with rich Renaissance fountains, water features, waterfalls and incomparable Italian garden. The two villas are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Your guide will take you on a journey back to Rome and will tell you stories about the construction of these impressive buildings and scandals that accompanied the famous Roman families of that time. A unique opportunity to know one of the most appreciated, peaceful and historical area at the Roman time, very close to the chaotic capital of the Roman empire.

  • Provide the Correct address of your accommodation , hotel, B&B
  • Pickup only in the city center inside the Aurelian Walls
  • Provide the correct phone number with international country code
  • One day before please call to confirm the pick up
  • check that you provide all the details to the agency
  • Free transfer offered by Welcome Italy in air conditioning Minivan
  • Emergency number also operational via whatsapp
Location
Tivoli
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(17 Ratings)
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Filiberto_t
Jul 29, 2024
Enjoyed it thoroughly - The guide was interesting, full of information & engaging. Took a lot of photos of me to save the memories. Villa d'Este was spectacular and he was able to get golf card to get back. A big help.
Review provided by Viator
Dagmcgrath
Apr 26, 2024
A Day Spent in Tivoli. An Educational and Most Enjoyable Day. - My spouse and I spent a fantastic day touring the ancient ruins of Hadrian’s Villa and the Stunning Villa and Gardens of Villa d’Este in Tivoli. We were met, early morning, at our hotel by Fabio (our guide for the day) and Adam (our driver who handled all our luggage and logistics). Our guide Fabio, an archeologist by training, spoke excellent English and was both extremely knowledgeable about the history of the Villas but also provided a very helpful primer & tutorial of the very impressive building and landscape architectural achievements at both sites. Fabio demonstrated deep expertise and passion for his subjects. While the scale and preservation of the almost two thousand year old ruins of Hadrian’s Villa were truly impressive, my spouse and I were even more captivated by the magnificent terraced gardens and numerous waterfalls at the Villa d’Este which were simply stunning. We could have spent the whole afternoon exploring the house and gardens. One note of caution that I would note is the steepness of the gardens at Villa d’Este requires you to be in reasonably good level of fitness to navigate the descent down into the gardens and back up to the Villa. At the end of the tour, we were dropped back to the train station in Rome for the next part of our trip (which was to Florence). It was an educational and most enjoyable day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nancy_w
Nov 2, 2023
Hadrians villa - What a great day!!! Mohammed was an excellent guide. He is very knowledgeable and made this ruin come alive. And then we went to villa D’Este and we’re in awe over the fountains. This was a wonderful day.
Review provided by Viator
Jasbak
Aug 27, 2023
Fantastic tour of amazing sites not often visited - We had booked the small-group tour of Hadrian's Villa and the Villa d'Este, with the maximum group size of six. It turned out that the three of us were the only people who booked the tour that day, so quite understandably they provided a sedan instead of a small van. My wife and I were traveling with our 16-year-old grandson, who is 6'5", so we felt a bit scrunched in the back seat. However, we were just grateful that the company honored the reservation. Our guide, Fabio, who rode in the front passenger seat, provided very interesting commentary on the way to and from Tivoli (about an hour's drive each way). The tour as described promised services of a local guide on for three hours in Tivoli, so being able to converse with Fabio for all five hours was a real bonus. He was a superb guide. His English was excellent and his training as an archeologist shone through, especially at Hadrian's Villa, a vast and magnificent site well worth seeing. We went on a brilliant very warm Friday (temps in low 90s), and were virtually the only people on the grounds–an amazing experience. Covering the grounds requires quite a bit of strenuous walking (especially the uphill hike at the beginning), so seniors and those with health issues ought to be advised. The Villa d'Este was a real thrill for me, being a fan of the music of Franz Liszt. Liszt spent a good part of his later years at the Villa, and wrote some very innovative piano pieces inspired by its cypresses and incredible fountains. I had had no idea just how grandiose and beautiful the Villa is, and was just bowled over. Fabio took us through the villa, the gardens, and the vast and varied fountains providing fascinating background information. Again, there were just a few visitors besides us. After the Villa, we enjoyed gelato before heading back to town (even though we were running a bit late). This tour exceeded my wildest expectations, and was indeed one of the top experiences of our visit to Rome. (Hadrian's Villa was our grandson's absolute favorite.)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
779kristino
Jul 29, 2020
Wonderful tour - Very punctual and polite driver, enthusiastic guide who provided lots of information and interesting facts, beautiful villas. A wonderful trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
593billg
May 7, 2019
Amazing Statues - Lifelike and awesome. Took my breath away! Traveled in September 1988 and will never forget this tour that I took on my own. I was staying in Rome, at the time, and this only added to my enjoyment of Italy. This was in September of 1988.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennifer
Jun 4, 2018
Perfect, perfect, perfect. The... - <p>Perfect, perfect, perfect. The guide was so friendly, and he really loved everything he was showing me. My tour included both Hadrian's Villa and the Villa d'Este, but because I was so much more interested in the former, he customized the schedule so we could spend the whole time among the ruins of the emperor's villa and he gave me an ultra-thorough tour.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Trevlyn
Mar 2, 2018
Tivoli is I lov it backwards - We went with Enjoy Rome Tours and our guide Giuseppe was absolutely First Class ! This was my third trip to Villa D’Este and my wife’s first. Being February it was cold unusually so but it was also deserted and we had both D’Este & Villa Adriano to ourselves. Giuseppe lives locally and suggested a fantastic local restaurant family run and the freshest al fungi pasta I have had in Italy ( this being my 4th visit ) .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fwgoeke
Aug 14, 2017
Tour guide was really good... - <p>Tour guide was really good! Hadrians Villa was so interesting and the town was fun to walk around.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Stephen
May 7, 2017
We had an absolutely great time on... - <p>We had an absolutely great time on this tour! Donald was our tour guide for both Hadrian's Villa and D'Este was fantastic and very knowledgeable. He has a lot of experience of both locations and it really made our tour exceptional. Our driver was Stephan and he had a treat of pastries and water waiting for us at the van after our Hadrian's tour. That was nice! I would not hesitate to take this tour again!</p>
Review provided by Viator
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up to 12 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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