Night Bus in Rome, Italy: Big Bus Same-Day Booking Review

Rome Night Bus Tour with Big Bus
My Rome night bus review: a Big Bus tour I paid for myself
Walk-up tickets vs. advance booking: prices and discounts
The best upper-deck seats, wait times, and nighttime sights

Hi, everyone!
Your round-the-world travel blogger, Traveling Gomyammi,here.
If there’s one experience I’d really recommend in Rome, Italy,
it’s seeing the city after dark.
For a reasonable $23, you can take a loop around Rome
with its landmarks glowing against the night sky, all on a nonstop sightseeing bustour.

(My original plan was to explore everything on foot, so I hadn’t booked anything—
and nearly got caught out when the walk-up tickets almost sold out.
I especially recommend this if you’re traveling with family or your parents.
I went with my parents, too!)

Walk past Roma Termini station,
and you’ll spot Rome’s Big Bus buses about 10 times a day!

During the day, most people take the hop-on, hop-offsightseeing tour, right?
I wouldn’t recommend it in the intense midsummer heat,
but in cool fall weather like this,
Rome is such a lovely city to explore
that I’d recommend the daytime Big Bus hop-on, hop-off service, too.
For now, though, here are two ways to enjoy Rome after dark!

Our family’s itinerary wasn’t set in stone,
so we hadn’t booked ahead.
“We’ll explore Rome at night on foot!” That was my grand
ambition when I set out with my parents, but our tired legs had other ideas.

I scrambled to find a booking platform offering same-day tickets
and searched everywhere,
but everything I found was sold out, with availability only starting two days
later.

Even this site took some digging to find.
It was the only option I managed to turn up!
So I’m sharing it here for you, too.

Click through to open the booking page.

Check available dates

If you book ahead,
discounted tickets can cost just $20.Pretty affordable, right?

Feeling rather defeated, I headed to Termini station to buy same-day ticketsin person.

I’d avoid buying from the ticket sellers wandering around Rome’s streets.
You could end up paying an inflated price.

At first, someone called out, “Big Bus? Big Bus?”
I went over, but once I heard the price,
I said, “Sorry, too expensive,” and walked away.
(Those marked-up tickets can cost around €29.)

The most reasonable walk-up option I found?
Buying from the man standing right in front of the Big Bus.

At €23, I felt I’d done well for a walk-up ticket!
That’s about $27 and up, but booking ahead is still cheaper.
Online tickets were $20, after all.

That’s a difference of roughly $7–$8 per person!
That could buy two gelatos—or eight gelatos for a family of four.
Please save yourselves that extra expense
and have a gelato for me, too.

Adults and children ages 5–15 both paid €23.

Worried there won’t be any seats left?
Can only buy your night bus ticket that day, but don’t have time to visit the ticket stand?
Worried exchange rates might shoot up?

Then book ahead online.

Check available dates

I was so nervous about tickets selling out
that I interrupted our sightseeing to buy tickets at 2:35 p.m. for the 8:30 p.m. bus.
Yes, that early!

Don’t leave it late and stress yourself out like I did.
A little advance planning goes a long way.

8:20 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.
The night sightseeing bus
had only these two departure times.

Unlike the hop-on, hop-off service, you stay on board
for one continuous loop without getting off.

For parents with aching legs, that might actually be the best part.
Between the cool breeze and Rome’s beautiful nighttime scenery,
I think I would have regretted missing it.

From the Colosseum to Castel Sant’Angelo near the Vatican,
the route took in Rome’s major sights, and I was really happy with it.

There was one catch, though.

For the 8:30 p.m. departure,
a long line was already forming around 7:50–7:55 p.m.
Everyone wanted the best seats.

Our family arrived around 8:04 p.m. and was 24th in line.
We only just managed to get seats upstairs.
Travelers from all over the world were after the same spots,
and the competition was surprisingly fierce.

Get in line early if you want your pick of seats.

Upstairs, halfway back on the right-hand side, facing forward

First things first: you’ll want the upper deck.
The very front and very back rows upstairs,
along with the row immediately in front of the back row, weren’t great.

In particular, the roof structure over the back two rows
blocked most of the view.

I initially sat in the second-to-last row,
and the passenger in front of me was bald—so I mostly ended up admiring the back of his head. Not quite the view I’d hoped for!

On the right-hand side, you can see the Colosseum directly
without a window frame getting in the way.
The Altar of the Fatherland, too!

That first moment when our bus passed the Colosseum
is something I don’t think I’ll forget.

We also passed the Altar of the Fatherland,
which looked even paler and more imposing at night,
with a completely different feel from its daytime appearance.

Honestly, Rome’s streets are beautiful in their own right,
even when you aren’t passing
a famous landmark. Add a cool breeze, and the whole ride feels wonderfully romantic.

Looking around, I realized ours was the only Korean family;
everyone else was visiting from other countries.
Maybe the other Korean travelers still had enough energy for a nighttime photo session or walking tour?
That was my theory, anyway.

If our family had had more energy, a walking tour or photo session
would have been lovely, too.
Rome really is that beautiful after dark.

Still have energy to spare? This one looks worth a try.

The one thing I found a little disappointing
was that the Colosseum and Castel Sant’Angelo looked so beautiful at night
that simply driving past didn’t quite feel like enough.

(Once you see them, you’ll understand.)

So if you still have the energy,
consider a Rome night tour featuring the Colosseum and Castel Sant’Angelo near the Vatican
to spend more time enjoying those views.

Still, being able to spend an hour taking in
Rome’s nighttime sights at a reasonable price was a real selling point
of this panoramic Rome night bus experience with Big Bus.

MyRealTrip Partner Exclusive
Get the biggest available discount

Click the image to open the offer.

First, grab the discount coupon valid for bookings worldwide before you book.

You can also find the tour on the official website,
but this discount coupon is exclusive to my link!
(Make your payment within 7 days, before the coupon expires.)

Every little saving helps—ideally enough for another gelato!

Claim the coupon, then check for any additional credit card discounts.
Book Your Tickets & Tours!

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