If you want to see both Tivoli and Hadrian's Villa in one day, it's probably worth it to take a tour. Other than that, it's a waste of time, energy and money. Before booking a tour, research how to get into the Tivoli and Hadrian's Villa on your own. That way you can probably save money and have a more relaxed visit.
I booked this trip because I read that if you find your own transportation it's hard to get to Tivoli and Hadrian's Villa in one day. But we spent over $300 on this trip. In retrospect, I wish we'd found a room nearby for a day or two. Then we could have gone on our own, seen Tivoli on one day, Hadrian's Villa the next, and had a much more pleasant trip and relaxing trip. It probably would have cost about the same.
This tour was disappointing for several reasons. Our guide was very nice, but she walked and talked too fast. We spent more time than I would've liked in Villa 'Este. It has lovely frescoes, but I didn't need so much detailed information about them. The Tivoli Gardens are beautiful, but our time there was too rushed to really enjoy them.
IT'S EASY TO GET LOST!!!
In the gardens I stopped to take a photo and lost our group. This happens easily, and it's a very scary feeling. If you get lost, there's NOTHING to help you find your group again. You can't call your guide or the tour company. You're just out of luck.
If you lose your group, you miss lunch and Hadrian's Villa, and you have to find your way back to Rome by yourself. If you've left anything on the bus, I don't know how
you'd get it back.
We had our guide's phone number ( she called us before the trip,) but she didn't answer her phone. We called "Rome Your Way" tours, and they didn't answer. When we finally found our guide, I told her it would be good if she wore bright clothing. I asked how we'd find her if we got separated--was there a number to call? She didn't answer my question. Basically, I don't think any of the tour groups care if you get lost.
The villa and gardens are PACKED with tour groups, and they all look about the same. Each tour guide carries a pole with an item attached to it. Our guide was small, she wore drab clothing and her pole had a reddish-brown scarf on the end. She wasn't very visible.
PRECAUTIONS:
The best way to find your group if you lose them is to listen through your headphones; when you get closer to your guide the sound gets louder. If you go on any tour, I recommend you and the people with you wear or carry something bright. Maybe try to exchange numbers with someone you don't know on the tour so you can call them if you get lost. Notice what the others in your group are wearing, and don't pause to take photos! Take a photo of your bus with its license number before you leave. They all park together and look pretty much the same.
Lunch was the cheapest possible food. The best part was the antipasti, which was served first. The cheese and lunchmeat were okay. There was white bread and some some plain boiled pinto beans. The pasta course was just pasta with what tasted like plain tomato sauce out of the can, plus another pasta with plain olive oil on it. I can eat almost anything but abandoned the dishes after one taste.
These tours would be better if they would hire a native English speaker, if they would speak less and more slowly, if they carried a pole with something distinctive and very bright, and if they told you something to do if you get lost--like a map of where the tour would go, a mention of when and where they meet for lunch, a map of where the bus would park and its license number--something so you could find the next place. (A couple days later we encountered our guide again on a different tour. She was still wearing drab clothes and carrying the same drab scarf.)