Rome is full of magnificent ancient monuments, but there are even more historic gems just outside of the city. This small-group half-day tour from Rome visits the hilltown of Tivoli, home to two UNESCO-listed marvels – the 2nd-century ruins of Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana) and the idyllic Villa d'Este, a 16th-century palace and garden complex. Tour includes hotel pickup, entrance fees, and round-trip transport.

5-hour tour of Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este from Rome
Visit two UNESCO World Heritage sites on one tour
Explore the 2nd-century ruins of Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana)
Marvel at the grand palace and magnificent gardens of Villa d'Este
Great-value tour includes hotel pickup, entrance fees, and round-trip transport
Small-group tour limited to seven people ensures a personalized experience

What's Included

Professional guide
Driver
Transportation
Hotel pickup and drop-off (accommodations within the Aurelian Walls)
Small group limited to a number of 14 people

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off (outside the Aurelian Walls)

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Pickup is available for all the accomodation within the Aurelian walls

What To Expect

After being picked up from your central Rome hotel, meet your guide and small group of up to seven people in time for a 9am departure. Traveling aboard a comfortable minivan, set out on the around 30-minute journey to Tivoli, admiring the scenery as you climb through the hills of Italy’s Lazio region.

On arrival, the first stop is Hadrian’s Villa, a grand complex built by Emperor Hadrian during the 2nd century. Follow your guide around the 300-acre (120-hectare) ruins, stopping to admire highlights such as the Maritime Theater, the Piazza d'oro, the imperial Palace, and the Canopus, inspired by the wonders of Rome, Egypt, and Athens.

Next , enjoy a guided tour of Villa d'Este, built by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este in the 16th century and renowned for its Renaissance architecture and beautiful gardens. Take a peek inside the cardinal’s rooms, admire the views from the Vialone terrace, then stroll around the gardens.

Back in Rome, your tour ends with drop-off at your hotel.

Villa d'Este

Our driver will pick you up from your accommodation in Rome and with our guide you will be accompanied inside two wonderful ancient villas. The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains. It is now an Italian state museum, and is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Villa Adriana

After visiting Villa d'Este, your tour will continue in the Hadrian villa. Hadrian's Villa is a large Roman archaeological complex at Tivoli, Italy. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is the property of the Republic of Italy, and has been directed and run by the Polo Museale del Lazio since December 2014.

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infant seats available
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
It is recommended to wear comfortable shoes

Please note: Fountains at Villa D'Este can occasionally be inactive due to maintenance. In that case we can reschedule your trip changing date/time of the visit.
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 7 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

This trip was booked several months in advance to fit in with my travel plans.

Reviews

4.0

32 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 32 reviews

Do not miss this opportunity to step back in world history

Jennifer_M, Jul 2022

This tour was one of the absolute highlights of our two weeks in Europe. Our guide and her driver were wonderful, incredibly knowledgeable and just plain fun, nice people. This was a top choice for our history major college freshman and we loved it. I knew little about the history and was overwhelmed with knowledge and appreciation at the end of the day. There were five us ages 50,45, 22, 22, 18. Perfect day - worth every dime.

Villa D’Este

Maya_Y, Dec 2021

Laura was a wonderful tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and explained the history of Villa D’Este and Rome in an engaging way. I would have given five stars for this tour; however, when we arrived at Hadrian’s Villa the staff there unfortunately did not let us enter. Otherwise, I would have given five stars. I definitely recommend Laura as a tour guide!

Disappointing guide experience with little knowledge

Stephanie_L, Jan 2020

The pick-up was on time and the travel was fine. However, the guide, while nice, knew shockingly little about the sites we visited. I had read the small section in my tour book and done a tiny bit of reading online, and she knew even less than I did. I feel like we would have been better off traveling on our own and reading the published plaques than we were spending $200 per person for a guide who could not even simple questions on the sites and who actively got us lost within them more than once, causing us to double back and walk through areas we had already seen in the rain, and missing other areas entirely. She rushed us through some areas we wanted to stop and take photos, making us trot behind her to catch up. In one area, she stopped to speak to another couple in Italian for nearly 10 minutes while we waited for her to continue while standing in the cold rain. The actual sites we visited were lovely. but, especially having paid a premium rate for the tour, I was very disappointed with the quality of the guide and the tour as experienced.

Response from Host, Feb 2020

We’re sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy the tour. This tour, as well as our guide, always gets high rates, as the guide is extremely knowledgeble and specialized in art history. She’s always enthusiast to share her knowledge, that is also why she stopped for just a minute to give an information to another couple. We understand that unfortunately the raining day did not help to fully appreciate a tour that is usually very enjoyable.

Just Do It

chrisacton, Dec 2019

I cant recall our guides name but she was fantastic. This place is full of history and considering its age is very well preserved.

Response from Host, Dec 2019

Thank you for the 5-stars review! We're happy you enjoyed the beautiful Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este and that our guide made sure you had a great experience.

private tour of villas/fountains

Vacation1770, Dec 2019

My 2 adult children and I had a wonderful experience walking the grounds of both estates. Our tour guide, Julia, was wonderful, and made the experience fun and enjoyable for us.

Response from Host, Dec 2019

Thank you very much for your review! Our guides are always very happy to hear about the positive feedback! We're glad that Julia made sure you enjoyed the wonderful villas to the fullest.

Wonderful tour

Patricia B, Nov 2019

We were driven very comfortably in a private sedan to the most beautiful and historic settings in Tivoli, Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este. Our guide, Julia, was amazing with sharing her most extensive knowledge, taking photos, and accommodating the pace to suit my seniorness. It was a most memorable day, Our driver, Leonardo, was also wonderful, which made for a great tour.

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Thank you very much for your review! We're happy to hear that you enjoyed the visit to the beautiful Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este and that both Julia and Leonardo were helpful and considerate, making this experience even more unforgettable.

Highlight of our Rome trip

Roy_D, Oct 2019

I LOVED this tour. This trip was the highlight of our vacation. I would describe this tour as “essential.” Outstanding enthusiastic knowledgeable tour guide and careful driver. Our guide’s commentary brought everything to life. Hadrian’s Villa and Villa d’Este are absolutely gorgeous. Photos were magnificent. Our tour guide kindly took many photos of us so that we will always have nice memories of the trip. The van we rode in was spacious, new and comfortable.

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Thank you very much for your review! We're happy to hear that the ride to the locations was comfortable and that our guide helped you taking many beautiful pictures, making the experience even more unforgettable!

fabulous destination!

Jill_R, Oct 2019

loved seeing such a well-preserved and restored treasure. our guide was so informative and very pleasant, loved her!

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Thank you very much for your review! Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este are among the most beautiful locations in Rome, and we're happy to hear that our guide made the experience even more unforgettable!

A VISUALLY EXCITING TOUR OF MAGNIFICENT GARDENS AND VILLA

gusikoff, Oct 2019

The guide that we were lucky to have, was extraordinary in her knowledge and her presentation. Her charm and sensitivity allowed us to meet our expectations and limitations. We are senior citizens, 65+ and she adapted the tour for us to satisfy all our curiosities and interests. She was terrific.!

Response from Host, Oct 2019

Thank you so much! Our guides always try hard to exceed our customer expectations. I am so happy that you took your time to write this review, they are always very happy to receive 5 stars!!!

The Best Way to See Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este

Philip_H, Sep 2019

There were only 4 of us on this tour and it was great. Marco the guide was friendly and knowledgeable and went at a pace that was acceptable to all four of us. They asked me to change the day of the tour as they thought that it would be very busy on the day i originally booked. This was really good advice and both venues were relatively quiet.

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Thank you for your enthusiastic comments and it makes me happy to know that you have enjoyed our Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este tour with Marco!

Wonderful day out

Cbgdent, Aug 2019

Highly recommend activity. Well paced and a great day from the busy City Centre. Our group of 6 all only had high praise : from booking to completion.

Response from Host, Dec 2019

Thank you so much for your review! We're happy you could fully enjoy the amazing Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este, and we're sure you made some great memories.

TIVOLI SMALL GROUP TOUR

Marco_B, Jun 2019

An amazing afternoon spent visiting Tivoli's Hadrian Villa and Villa D'Este with an informative tour guide who allowed you time to view both Villas and take photos and not be rushed

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Thank you for the 5star review! We're glad that you had such a pleasant experience and took lots of pictures, that will sure be a great memory.

Cramped seating in van

Safari33735908302, May 2019

Two adults had to sit in the front seat of the van with a console so there was no leg room. The other passengers had comfortable seating in the passenger seats in the van. We did not get a discount for having to be crammed in. The tour should provide comfortable seating for all!

Response from Host, May 2019

Dear Customer, We are usually happy to receive bad reviews if these will help us to improve our service. It is a shame you didn’t comment our Tour or the service received but only the car seats. On our fleet we have only new Minivans fully accessoried with leather seats. In total there are 8 comfortable and omologated seats with enough leg space room.

Great Tour

John E, May 2019

There were 8 people on our tour. We were contacted twice asking us to agree to change the time of our tour - the other groups had been asked 2 times and three times respectively. None of us could change and the calls were a bit tiresome. The tour was great - the best we did in Europe. The guide was great and the location exceptional.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Thank you for the positive review. We’re happy to hear you enjoyed the beautiful villas and that our guide provided excellent service. As for the change of time requests, please notice we always try to arrange the tours in a way that would be more convenient for all the customers (i.e.: during days and times when the attractions are less crowded, etc.).

Lovely day trip out of Rome

Leigh R, May 2019

The trip itself was wonderful and very much enhanced by having a guide explaining details we would have missed if self guided. Got rather fed up with the admin staff from the local company Viator contracted for this tour who kept ringing and emailing, leaving messages trying to encourage us to change the day and then the time of our visit. This trip was booked several months in advance to fit in with my travel plans.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Thank you for the 5star review. We’re happy to hear that our guide made sure you truly enjoyed the beautiful sites to the fullest. As for the change of date and time requests, please notice we always try to arrange the tours in a way that would be more convenient for all the customers (i.e.: during days and times when the attractions are less crowded, etc.).

Small-Group Tour of Hadrian's Villa and Villa d

James_E, May 2019

Worth the money. The guide was great and her English very good. The sites were no where near as populated as Rome.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Thank you for the positive review. We’re glad you could enjoy a peaceful moment away from the hustle and bustle of the big city and that our guide provided excellent service.

Excellent tour

Helmut_B, May 2019

Our guide (Mauro - I hope I spelled that correctly) was excellent. He was very passionate and a wealth of knowledge. Hadrian’s Villa was a wonderful look back into how life was almost 2000 years ago. The ruins are in good condition for their age. Villa d’Este was also great. It shows the oppulance of the Renaissance era. The gardens are fantastic. I would recommend this tour and the size of the group (6 of us) meant very personalised attention.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Thank you for the amazing review! The villas truly offer magnificent sightseeings and make it possible to understand and learn how life was so many years ago for our rich ancestors. Both we and Mauro are happy to receive such positive feedback!

Hadrian’s villa

Mi A, Jun 2018

Victoria our guide was very knowledgeable and thorough and was very good about answering our questions. I would recommend the tour and the guide to my friends.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Thank you for the positive review. Victoria is glad to receive such positive feedback and we’re also glad to hear that you truly enjoyed the tour!

We loved Hadrians Villa and Villa...

Alexis_S, Jun 2018

We loved Hadrians Villa and Villa dEste, but our tour of maximim 7 people was overbooked for 9. Our tour guide was in the 2nd vehicle, and our driver did not speak English. Our tour guide was too focused on her phone.

The tour of Hadrian's Villa was...

Mr Robin H, Dec 2017

The tour of Hadrian's Villa was excellent as was the enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. The tour of the Villa d'Este did not take place because the site was closed. We were disappointed. We were given to understand that this was not an unusual event and wonder why we were not given the option of changeing the date in advance rather than being confronted on the day. The guide assured us that a refund would be made. Nothing happened so I had to chase it myself directly with Viator. It refunded what I consider a miserly amount considering that the Villa d'Este was a substantial proportion of the trip. I wonder if they would have refunded anything at all if I had not struggled through their system.