We had a great tour guide in Ali! Very helpful, great pace, and gave us interesting history…read more I would have never thought seeing Rome by bicycle would have been fun - but it really was! Nothing like biking up to the Colosseum! Would definitely recommend! 10/10!

We spent about a week in Rome last month and booked three guided tours: one for Vatican City, one…read morefor the Forum and Colosseum, and this one with Top Bike Rental and Tours, built around the ancient Appian Way. Of the three, the bike tour was the longest and the least mandatory, for lack of a better word. It was also one of the best things we did on our entire vacation. I picked this tour because it was highly rated on various travel sites and my husband Matt B. is an avid cyclist. It was a six-hour, 17-mile tour of Appian Way, the Catacombs of Saint Calixtus, and the Park of the Aqueducts, 9AM to 3PM with a stop for a casual lunch. I booked it for our one Sunday in Rome, when Appian Way would be closed to car traffic. We went to Top Bike on Sunday morning, which looked like a comprehensive bike rental joint in addition to a tour company. It was a big place, and there were a few small groups gathering, all us tourists getting assigned bikes and guides. We had the great luck of landing in Nima's group, with three other couples. He gave us a brief, informative orientation and we were on our way. I didn't really know what to expect from this tour (my fault/laziness, not theirs) and had been a bit apprehensive about the amount of biking involved. I'd never ridden an e-bike before, and if I had, I would not have been worried. I wouldn't even say we got exercise on that 17-mile ride. The only challenging part was the uneven terrain of Appian Way. I could see that being an issue for small children or frail seniors, but otherwise anyone who can pedal and balance can go on this tour. And they absolutely should. The tour was incredible. Nima was a wonderful guide, so warm and knowledgeable and conscientious. It can't be easy leading a bunch of bumbling tourists on e-bikes, many of them retirees, on a route that takes them through city streets. But he was great, responsible and watchful while we rode. He was equally impressive as a tour guide, imparting a wealth of knowledge at every stop. We stopped frequently, seeing, among other jaw-dropping sights we pedaled right past, the Basilica Santi Giovanni e Paolo, the Mausoleo di Cecilia, and the Chiesa di San Nicola a Capo di Bove. Nima told us about the gates and walls leading into Rome, and the Baths of Caracalla, which we waved at as we crossed the street a quarter-mile away. The three main attractions were as advertised, and we started with the catacombs tour, an optional add-on that I would definitely recommend. (You can book a four-hour version of the same tour that skips the catacombs, but hey, when in Rome.) Nima and Top Bike weren't involved in this leg, other than buying the tickets and getting us there, but it was fantastic, very worth our while. The catacombs were on Appian Way, which was apparently the place to be buried if you had money and status in ancient Rome. The heart of our tour took us along this road, over 2,000 years old and still in remarkable condition. We biked over stones marked with grooves from chariot wheels. We stopped for a casual lunch that was much better and less haphazard than I'd expected, at a pay-by-weight pizzeria called Pizza Gege. Then we went to the Park of the Aqueducts. I didn't know anything about Roman aqueducts, and when I booked this tour, I was only mildly curious why we'd be visiting a park devoted to them. Turns out aqueducts are a quintessential part of ancient Roman city planning and architecture. They're astonishing and beautiful, and I'll remember biking among them for the rest of my life. I know there's a lot to see in Rome, and a six-hour tour outside the city center might seem like a big commitment. But the Top Bike Rentals Appian Way tour is an A+++ excursion. I'd recommend it to anyone, visiting for any amount of time.

We just moved to Rome and just bought two bikes and a baby seat from here. The staff were really…read moreinformative and helpful. The service was excellent.

The one thing this suuuuper Dutch person traveling (= me) does in (almost) all of the cities I…read morevisit: I hop on a bike. It's best way to explore a city and, in general, the fastest! When going through Rome, I biked passed this store and thought "my bike needs a little tweaking"; brakes aren't working that well, bike chain needs some oil, one of the handles slipped off (yeah, I'm a fierce biker...). Walked in, asked if they could do some minor repairs and they told me to wait ten minutes. The bike was fixed on the spot, even the tires got some extra air. All perfect, perfect. And then...? NO need to pay? What, why, eh, whuuuut? "How come", I asked, perfectly wiling to pay something. "Nope, that's our service". Well eh, thank you! What a great service is that?! They sell all sorts of bike materials here and, as it looked, fair prices. They sell new & secondhand bikes for super reasonable prices (e.g. €40 for a bike); some classy 'hipster' bikes, rockin' beach bikes, racing bikes, and everything in between. So, there you have it - good service, good repairs, reasonable prices. Happy happy biking y'all!

Lovely and peaceful place to sit on the Appian Way- under ancient olive trees you can enjoy a…read morecoffee, or chocolate or tea. They've also got food and pastries. It's gorgeous out here- it feels so far away from Rome, but it isn't. Enjoy the ruins, walk the Appia Antica, and then stop here to refresh yourself. 2 espressos and a chocolate were 7 euro- not cheap- but location, location, location! It's gorgeous.

Excellent location and mostly locals. This is a perfect lit stop while biking or walking the via…read moreappia. Don't come here for the food, the gelato and most other things are premade. Order a coffee or a drink and enjoy the scenery, people, and ambiance.

From the owner: Vendita di bici nuove per ogni tipologia di attività: mountain bike, down hill, city bike, bici…read moreelettriche con pedalata assistita, pieghevoli e bici da corsa. E' possibile noleggiare delle bici, la nostra attività ha una flotta in grado di soddisfare la richiesta di gruppi. Su commissione siamo in grado di realizzare bici personalizzate e restauri. La ciclofficina, interamente a vista è pensata con la volontà di permettere a quanti frequentano il laboratorio di interagire in un'atmosfera eco-friendly. Sapientemente ricavata in un angolo del locale, è stata realizzata completamente a mano dal responsabile tecnico, specializzato in biciclette, che ne ha curati i minimi dettagli.

I did the southern Rome guided tour on a brilliant Brompton bicycle. The lovely guide and crew…read morewere great fun and were so warm, it was like cycling with friends with the lovely historical backdrop of Rome. The Brompton was a 6-speed, raw lacquer that rode like a dream. Highly recommended!

Great for travelers on bikes!!! My boyfriend and I just finished a 4 week bike tour of southern…read moreEurope and were trying to figure out the best way to get our bikes back to the States. Lazzaretti was able to work with us both via email and in person at the shop to quickly and easily figure out the cheapest and most efficient way to get the bikes back. No hassle, great communication....really helpful and stress-free way to end our trip. Oh, and they have a SWEET selection of posh bikes!!!

Bike shop that tailors to the more sporty and spendy crowd as there were few used bikes for sale…read moreand most bikes were €325 and up. Nevertheless, excellent service and beautiful bikes. They had a sale on their namesake Olmo branded bikes if anyone was interested. I would go there again if in the market for more upscale bikes.

From the owner: Vendita di tutti i tipi di biciclette , accessori, abbigliamento, borse ,etc.read more

We went to the Appia Antica not sure if we wanted to bike or walk, the biking sounded possibly…read moredangerous on a narrow bumpy old road with cars. However the Ecotours employee quickly reassured us that things are generally fine and gave us a clear outline of where to go and what to do, there is a really handy map with explanations of what you see on the way, with explanations of costs and times written on. You can do a manual bike (we did for the exercise, just 6 gears, but it was enough to get by), some steep hills for exercise (sore after!) or an electrically powered bike (maybe should have done this in retrospect! The bikes worked well, the roads were VERY bumpy and slightly perilous at times but there were a lot of people out and the cars were careful of us. Such a great way to see the road, I recommend checking them out, cheap with max price 15 Euros for the day, helmets and locks provided.

First, cycling the Appian Way is a wonderful way to spend a morning or afternoon, and I recommend…read moreit to visitors who have time for more than the historic sites in the center of Rome. The Appian Way's biking terrain changes from cobblestone to dirt path to the original Roman stones -- all hard on your bike and you, but the positive is you have to go fairly slow through the 8km/5mi route and thus can see the villas, the ruins, and the open spaces that line the route. We went in winter when there were no crowds, but some cyclists, joggers, walkers, and local car traffic -- it was quite relaxed but may be a zoo in summer like all of Rome. Our rental experience was mixed, We got two, um, well used city bikes (not as heavy as mountain bikes:, and complimentary helmets in our rental -- a bargain at €19 total thanks to a weekday discount. One bike's derailleur was not shifting well, but it seemed to loosen up after a kilometer, so we kept going. Well, that derailleur fell off completely three times, requiring on-the-road fixes by hand because the first two occurred when the rental office was closed for lunch (this is Italy, after all). We were able to remount the derailleur and rethread the chain. But on the third time, the derailleur lost its tension and we could not keep the chain mounted; the derailleur seemed to have been torqued one time too many from falling off. The other bike's derailleur stayed on, but the chain came off after one bump. There are lots of bumps on the Via Appia, and I suspect a city bike, especially a poorly maintained one as these were, is the wrong vehicle for this road. When I called the agency, the woman was unable to help because she was the only person working that day and could not leave it to get us. She called a supervisor but could get no help. A weekday in winter means short-staffing and no contingency for travelers in trouble. Worse, she wanted to know where we were initially, but there aren't clear addresses or ruins names once you're a few kilometers out, so then she asked us to Whatsapp our location. I don't use Whatsapp, so we couldn't tell her where we were (though we knew we were 5km-6km out, which should have been enough for rescue on such an isolated road). When it was clear that she had no way to get us help, we just told her we would walk the bikes back. And so we walked the 5km back. It is a pleasant walk, fortunately. We were refunded our rental cost, and the woman was clearly embarrassed by the situation. She was stuck, too, so we don't blame her. But Ecobike clearly has cut too many corners: poor maintenance, clearly no equipment check, and no plan for when a renter has trouble. I've long been a cyclist, so on-the-road chain and derailleur fixes are not new to me, but the average renter likely has never done more than rethread a chain that came off from a sharp bump on an unretensioned bike. And my bike's derailleur was well past what you can fix with only your hands on a country road. So, I love the idea of cycling the Appian Way, and it was still a nice day despite the mishap. But Ecobike really fell down on the job. It's the only option. So, caveat emptor. And don't bike any further than you can walk back. Tip: the little bake shop next to the bike rental makes really good coffee (not from pods) and homemade pastries. End your ride there.

My family and I took a wonderful tour of the Ancient Appian Way with Adriana. The route we took was…read morethe one suggested by Scott Rozier. At the end of the tour, we discovered that Scott Rozier picks up his e-bikes from them at the Circus Maximus and that the route is exactly the same.

Good people, great service. Paulo was really helpful. I'll go out of my way to get there When in…read moreRome...