Appian Way

We were in Rome in July for six days, and on our last day (July 27, 2026) we decided to explore the Appian Way. We took the 218 bus to Porta San Sebastiano, which is the official start of the Appian Way (Via Appia Antica), and got off the bus. In hindsight, this was mistake #1. We should have stayed on the bus and gone farther, ideally to one of the catacomb stops. While Porta San Sebastiano is technically the start of the Appian Way, this stretch is still heavily used by cars today and is not what most people picture when imagining the ancient road. We walked along this dangerous section for a few miles (not recommended) until we reached a spot where you can rent bikes. There, we got better instructions and were told to get back on the bus and go two stops farther to the Basilica of St. Sebastian and the catacombs—much closer to the picturesque part of the Appian Way. There were still a few cars on this section, but taxis don’t go much farther. We were there on a Monday (mistake #2)—the catacombs, most other Appian Way sites, and most restaurants along the road were closed. Definitely bring snacks and water. We walked along the famous part of the Appian Way and saw many mausoleums. It’s best to get a map from the bike rental shop if they can spare one, as it explains what you’ll see as you walk or bike. Be prepared for restoration work on many of the mausoleums, so you may need to “Magic Erase” scaffolding out of your photos to get the shots you want. We walked to the first major intersection, where there was a nasoni (water fountain) across the street—yes! We turned left and followed Via di Tor Carbone to find a bus stop for the 118 back to the Colosseum. We ended up walking all the way to Via Appia Pignatelli, where we finally found the stop for our bus. Note: The Appian Way is cool to see once. Riding a bike would be marginally easier, but it’s a very bumpy ride; we saw several people walking their bikes because the large cobbles and stones are tough to navigate. So… my recommendation is to take a taxi or Uber to the Basilica of St. Sebastian and the catacombs (or as far as they’re willing to take you) and start exploring from there. Don’t go on a Monday. Take snacks and have fun. There were a few nasoni along the way—Rome’s ubiquitous water is the best.

TheGlobalLobo

Got the bus there which was easy. 218 or 118 takes you right to the bike hire place. Prob best to hire bikes before you turn up, we didn’t and were lucky they had some left. Lovely helpful informative bike hire guys. Bikes were in good order (and we are total bike snobs!). We biked about 16 km then turned off into a little town where we found an excellent cafe/cake/ gelato store. Bikes back. Tons of cool stuff to see. Water fountain was a godsend. Def take sunscreen and water. Really cool day out of the city.

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