Bike Tour Rome- Cycle in the Ancient City

When I visited Rome with my parents, I wanted to do something different and unique. I wanted to have the opportunity to see the city from a different perspective and revisit all the famous sites of Rome all at once. I found the panoramic bike tour Rome and booked it right away. On our last day in the city, we would explore Rome by bike. As we had such a great experience, I’d like to take you along with me and show you our Rome bike tour.

Are you looking for a fun family-friendly outing in Rome? This is perfect to get out of the city and away from the crowds.

Put on your helmets, test your breaks and follow me please!

I paid for everything in full myself. I was not paid or sponsored. All my opinions and experiences are my own.

Probe around the Globe does use affiliate links. If you decide to follow one of my links and make a purchase, I’ll earn a small commission. This is at no extra cost to you.

This is a map of Rome with the route of our tour. Of course, the itinerary depends on the tour you book, but as you can see, it covers a lot of Rome! Unless you’re in perfect physical shape, I recommend to choose the e-bike option. That way, you wont get that tired from this bike tour of Rome.

Of course, if you’re looking for a good work out because you ate too much pizza and pasta, be my guest!

Details for our bike tour in Rome

I searched online for a bike tour that wasn’t too pricey and fitted our schedule. I found a great bike tour agency.

Our tour was called the Panoramic Rome Bike Tour. The tour included bikes, routes, protection, and a professional guide during the bike tour around Rome.

The tour took us 4,5 hours to complete and we cycled all across Rome. We biked around the city for over 18 km (11 miles) and climbed 160mt.

As I am not used to cycling up hills and my parents don’t cycle that often, it was sometimes a bit challenging. But there was enough time to catch your breath and stop for ice cream.

For me, it was the best day in Rome!

Explore Rome by Bike

I now like to show you some of the amazing pictures we took on our bike tour around Rome. Sit back and enjoy!

Start at the Colosseum

We started our bike tour around Rome near the Colosseum where we received some general biking instructions and some information on the Baths of Trajan.

We biked a little further through the park and had uninterrupted views of the Colosseum.

Such a stunning building, don’t you think?

Cycle to Caelian Hill

We cycled away from the Colosseum up the Caelian Hill.

This was a corner of Rome, I had not yet discovered.

The place was abandoned and we biked through a little alleyway. We visited a very old church and were amazed by this great bell tower. It is built on the ancient temple of Claudius. We biked back to the street level.

Circus Maximus

We then came to a stop right across the Circus Maximus. We had sweeping views of the South Side of the Palatine Hill. The Circus Maximus was the first and largest stadium of ancient Rome and is easily passed by.

But thanks to the guide, the area came to life and he pointed out some interesting land marks.

Bike tour up Rome’s Aventine Hill

We crossed the street and climbed the Aventine Hill. This was definitely a place I had not been to before and didn’t know what I was in for. We stopped at the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta. There was a line in front of a gate. What we saw next was by far the most gorgeous view of Rome. What a surprise!

Through the key hole, you can see a gorgeous view of the Saint Peter’s Basilica all the way at Vatican City. You are not allowed to enter the Priory of the Knights of Malta, which makes peeking through the key hole even more special.

You are able to see through 3 countries at a time, the land of the Priory of Malta, Rome (Italy) and the Vatican City.

Did you peek through the keyhole?

We then continued on towards the Giardino degli Aranci, or the Oranges Garden. The trees here were already full of fruits.

All people from Rome were just relaxing, sitting and chatting while we crossed the park on our bike tour around Rome.

Here again, sweeping views of the city and all the domes, landmarks, and churches of Rome and the Vatican in the distance.

Cross into Trastevere

We then descended down to the River Tiber and crossed the Tiber Island. Before we knew it, we crossed into the neighborhood Trastevere.

We passed the main square and took a small break at the Santa Maria in Trastevere. I even managed to crash my bike at the busy square.

Insider Tip: do not try to photograph while biking and squeezing your front brake. You will tumble over the handlebars, rip your clothes and hurt yourself. Au!

Janiculum Hill

After Trastevere we started our ascent up the Janiculum Hill.

This was a tough one. Oef.

We are not used to climbing any hills and we took some time to make it to the top.

We did manage to catch a glimpse of the lovely Tiempietto at the courtyard of the San Pietro in Montorio. This small temple was created around 1502 by Donato Bramante and represents the high of Renaissance art and craftsmanship.

But the Tiempietto wasn’t our goal for the Janiculum Hill. We had to climb to the top for the stunning vistas across Rome. We rested and ate some ice cream, while we enjoyed the views. Rome seemed so far away and yet, we could see the whole city in one view.

This is indeed a panoramic bike tour of Rome!

Bike Tour Rome to Vatican City

It took us a while to ascent the hill, but the descent was a lot easier. We released the brakes and we swooshed downhill.

Before we knew it, we were standing at Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City. The sun had taken her golden form and transformed the whole square into a beacon of light. This was now our 3rd time at Saint Peter’s square and again, it was completely different from the times before.

Castel Sant’Angelo

We continued away from the Vatican and approached the Mausoleum of Hadrian from the side. Just as the popes would have when they fled from the Vatican.

We had to meander through the crowds of people on the bridge but were still able to snatch a few nice pictures of the lovely angels on the bridge and the Castel Sant’Angelo in the back.

Down town Ancient Rome

We then biked around the old city of Rome. We crossed the Tiber again and passed along the Piazza Navona and came to a stop at the ancient church of the Pantheon.

As it was really crowded, the cycling here was a bit difficult. But it was a lot of fun to cover so much ground on our bike tour around Rome.

We visited the Elephant and Obelisk statue in front of the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which is on my top 9 list of churches to visit in Rome.

We then bypassed some shopping streets and ended up at the Largo di Torre Argentina. This is also known as the Cat Sanctuary. A great place in Rome to visit with kids.

We then cycled straight across the Jewish quarter and saw some really interesting buildings. At this time, it was a little bit disappointing we couldn’t stop for more pictures. But we continued on and ended at the Theatre of Marcello at the edge of the quarter.

Capitol Hill

We then crossed the street for our last hill on our bike tour around Rome.

Capitol Hill.

We rounded the square and went to the little back street. We came to a viewpoint where we could see the whole Forum Romano.

The sun was setting, the site was already closed. The light made the ancient buildings turn pink and we had an amazing view to end the day.

We cycled back down and rode towards the Colosseum where our bike tour around Rome ended. What an amazing day!

Are you excited to try this bike tour?

Do you want to cycle around Rome and see the amazing panoramic views?

Check for prices for your Panoramic Bike Tour of Rome HERE

Have you ever cycled around Rome? Did you also visit the sites mentioned above? What was your favourite viewpoint and why? Please let me know in the comment section below.