Appia Antica park

The Appian Way and the aqueducts by e-bike

4.9/5

About 1,856 reviews on GetYourGuide

The half day that shows you the Rome most visitors never see: the Appian Way, a catacomb and the Park of the Aqueducts, on a full-suspension e-bike with a guide. From 75 euros, and the best-rated tour on this list.

Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, with a full refund
Reserve now, pay laterHold your place today and pay nothing yet
Duration: 3.5 to 5 hoursStart times show in the calendar
Live guideEnglish, Italian, French and Spanish

The Appian Way left Rome in 312 BC, heading south for Brindisi, and the first miles of it are still there: the original black basalt paving, lined with tombs, cypresses and umbrella pines, inside a regional park where the traffic thins to almost nothing. It is the most beautiful road in Europe and too long to walk, which is why a bike, and an electric one, is the right way to do it.

ESBIKE's tour starts by the Colosseum and rides out on a CUBE full-suspension e-mountain bike, the right machine for the old paving. Choose the option with the catacombs and you stop for a guided visit underground: the Catacombs of St Callixtus, where 16 popes were buried, or St Sebastian on Wednesdays, when St Callixtus is closed. Then the road itself, past the Villa of Maxentius and the round tomb of Cecilia Metella, and across to the Park of the Aqueducts, where the arches of the Aqua Claudia stride across open fields. Choose the option with food and you stop for lunch or an aperitivo of Roman dishes outdoors.

The ride is about 25 kilometres, one guest reckoned, with plenty of stops to talk. It takes three and a half to five hours, depending on the options, and ends where it started.

Why this one

It was rated 4.9 from about 1,900 reviews, with the guides scored 5.0, transport 4.9 and value 4.9, which makes it the best-reviewed experience on this list. The bikes are the reason guests give over and over: full suspension and a motor turn the cobbles from an ordeal into the fun part.

The other ways to see the Appia Antica are a hire bike from the park's visitor centre, which saves money and loses the guide and the catacomb booking, or the hop-on bus, which loses the road. The St Callixtus catacombs on their own cost 10 euros, with a compulsory guided visit, and are closed on Wednesdays.

Good for

Repeat visitors who have seen the centre
Couples and friends who like a bike
Anyone curious about the Rome of the catacombs and the aqueducts

Not for

Children under 12
Anyone not steady on a bike in traffic
High summer afternoons: take a morning start

When to go

How hot and how wet it is on the Appian Way, month by month. The afternoon high is the median daily maximum over the five years 2021 to 2025, with the hottest day in ten after it; rainy days are the share with at least 1 mm of rain.

Month	Afternoon high	Rainy days
Jan	13°C / 16°C	33%
Feb	15°C / 17°C	24%
Mar	17°C / 20°C	32%
Apr	19°C / 24°C	36%
May	24°C / 29°C	37%
Jun	31°C / 36°C	19%
Jul	35°C / 38°C	10%
Aug	33°C / 37°C	22%
Sept	29°C / 32°C	27%
Oct	23°C / 27°C	32%
Nov	18°C / 21°C	40%
Dec	14°C / 17°C	31%

Modelled from historical weather (Open-Meteo, ERA5) for the Appia Antica park. The second figure is the hottest afternoon in ten. Rainy days is the share of days with 1 mm of rain or more.

From our Rome hotels

Walking times are routed from each hotel in our Rome edit to the start, on the Celio side of the Colosseum, where the tour also ends.

Palazzo ManfrediColle Oppio5 min walkAn easy walk
The Inn at the Roman ForumMonti18 min walkAn easy walk
Rhinoceros RomaVelabro24 min walkAn easy walk
Six Senses RomeCentro Storico27 min walkTaxi, bus or metro
Hotel San AnselmoAventino29 min walkTaxi, bus or metro
Orient Express La MinervaPigna30 min walkTaxi, bus or metro
Eitch Borromini Palazzo PamphiljPiazza Navona38 min walkTaxi, bus or metro
Bvlgari Hotel RomaCampo Marzio41 min walkTaxi, bus or metro
ROMEO RomaCampo Marzio45 min walkTaxi, bus or metro
Donna Camilla SavelliTrastevere46 min walkTaxi, bus or metro

The facts

Duration: 3.5 to 5 hours, depending on the options
Language: English, Italian, French or Spanish, by departure
Group: Small group, or private
Included: A CUBE full-suspension e-bike, helmet and guide; catacomb tickets and a guided visit with that option; lunch or aperitivo with that option
Route: Catacombs (option), Appian Way past the Villa of Maxentius and Cecilia Metella, Park of the Aqueducts, about 25 km
Catacombs: St Callixtus, or St Sebastian on Wednesdays; official ticket 10 euros, closed on Wednesdays
Limits: Basic to medium cycling skills; no children under 12
Cancellation: Free up to 24 hours before
Price: From 75 euros on GetYourGuide; the calendar shows today's price
Run by: ESBIKE Tours & Experiences, Rome

What guests keep saying

Recurring themes in the tour’s reviews, in our words, never quoted.

Praised

The bikes: full suspension makes the old paving easy and fun
Guides who know the history and pace the group well
Parts of Rome that guests on their fifth visit had never seen
Lunch together outdoors

Complaints

Some city riding at the start and end, which nervous cyclists notice

The catch

You need to be able to ride
The operator asks for basic to medium cycling skills: the route leaves the city through traffic and crosses the old Roman paving and dirt tracks. Children under 12 cannot join.
What to do. If you have not ridden for years, take a spin on a hire bike first.
Weather can cancel it
The tour is rescheduled or cancelled in bad weather, and can be postponed or refunded if the minimum group size is not reached. In the five years we looked at, about a third of days from October to May had rain.
What to do. Book it early in your stay so there is room to move it.
Be there 15 minutes early
The operator asks for 15 minutes to fit bikes and helmets, and leaves no more than five minutes after the start time.
What to do. Arrive early at the start by the Colosseum.
The catacombs are an option, and have their own rules
The catacomb visit is only in the option that includes it, and the catacombs close at Christmas, Easter and New Year. Bookings made less than 24 hours ahead run in English only.
What to do. Pick the catacombs option when you book; it is the stop guests call unmissable.

Questions people ask

Good questions about The Appian Way and the aqueducts by e-bike

How long is the Appian Way e-bike tour?

Three and a half to five hours depending on the options, and about 25 kilometres on the bike, with frequent stops.

Do you need to be fit for the e-bike tour?

No, the motor does the hard work, but you need basic to medium cycling skills, because the route crosses traffic, ancient paving and dirt tracks.

Which catacombs does the tour visit?

The Catacombs of St Callixtus, or of St Sebastian on Wednesdays, when St Callixtus is closed, in the option that includes them.

Can children do the Appian Way bike tour?

Children aged 12 and over, who are confident on a bike. Under-12s cannot join.

How much do the St Callixtus catacombs cost on their own?

10 euros, 7 for children aged 7 to 16, free under 6. Visits are only with a guide, last about 40 minutes and need an online booking. Closed on Wednesdays.

The Appian Way

See dates and prices

If you book through our links we may earn a commission from GetYourGuide. It never affects which experiences we include. Operators cannot pay to be here. · Last checked: October 2026