Villa d'Este in Tivoli or Villa Borghese?

I have an afternoon to spend on either of these 2. I know that Tivoli is an hour away, but the gardens and fountains look spectacular. If anyone has gone to both, which would you see? I have done research on both, but would love to hear from the CC readers!

We have visited both and recommend the Villa Borghese, assuming that you are located in Rome. Although the Villa d'Este is beautiful, I think the travel time is only worth it if you can allocae the whole day and combine it with the Villa Adriana. The Villa Borghese is also beautiful, and you could visit the Galleria Borghese at the same time.

I agree with epixx on both counts. Villa d'Este is lovely but it's worth spending a whole day and seeing Hadrian's Villa as well (and also seeing a bit of Tivoli itself).

And I too would recommend the Galleria Borghese.

Will add my agreement with the other posters. Tivoli is a nice place to visit (we spent 2 nights in a local hotel) but it is very time consuming when you have limited time. As to the Borghese, keep in mind its a building in a nice sized park (and gardens). Going inside the building/museum requires tickets and they limit the number of visitors per hour. So its best to purchase tickets in advance (you can do this online) and choose your entry time.

Hank

Haven't been to Tivoli Gardens, but when we were in Rome, the Borghese Gallery was a stop that we absolutely loved. Because they only allow 200 people in at a time for 2-hour segments, we were able to really enjoy our visit there--no jostling and bumping by thousands of tourists. The art is spectacular, as it is everywhere--on the walls, on the floor, on the ceiling, the walls themselves, the doorways, etc. etc. Loved, loved, loved this place!

We just booked a driver to pick us up from our hotel in Rome, take us to the gardens in Tivoli, and then bring us to the port to board our cruise afterwards.

We just booked a driver to pick us up from our hotel in Rome, take us to the gardens in Tivoli, and then bring us to the port to board our cruise afterwards.

If you can make it work (with the time you have available) you should also have your driver take you to visit Hadrian's Villa (its close to Tivoli and on the road that takes you to and from Rome).

Hank

That's exactly what we're doing :)

Both Villa D'este and Hadrian's Villa for quick visits before headed to the port.

We just booked a driver to pick us up from our hotel in Rome, take us to the gardens in Tivoli, and then bring us to the port to board our cruise afterwards.

Which company are you using? I am looking at doing a pre or post cruise tour outside of Rome.

Which company are you using? I am looking at doing a pre or post cruise tour outside of Rome.

http://www.civitavecchiashuttleexpress.com/contact-the-civitavecchia-shuttle-express.html

So far they've given us the best rate. 3 passengers, pick up in Rome, drive to Tivoli for a few hours, then drop off at the port. Their price was 420 euros, compared to 450 & 500 we received from other companies for identical trips.

Definitely shop around.

http://www.civitavecchiashuttleexpress.com/contact-the-civitavecchia-shuttle-express.html

 

So far they've given us the best rate. 3 passengers, pick up in Rome, drive to Tivoli for a few hours, then drop off at the port. Their price was 420 euros, compared to 450 & 500 we received from other companies for identical trips.

 

Definitely shop around.

Scratch that.... ended up going with this place instead for our pre-cruise tour: http://www.tiberlimo.com/

CSE was charging an extra 6% fee for using a credit card, which put them back at the same price as tiberlimo. Tiber Limo only required a 10% down payment, and the rest can be paid with credit card on the day of trip with the driver. I didn't want to carry 400 euros cash with me throughout Rome.

Thank you to all for the info!