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A couple riding their own Vespa past the Colosseum on a self-drive tour
You ride — we lead

Self-Drive Vespa Tour in Rome

Your own Vespa 125, a licensed local riding in front, and eight stops across the centre in two and a half hours

Licensed guide
Four departures daily
Free 48h cancel
€135per Vespa, one rider · €180 with a passenger · 2h 30m
Check availability
See the route
Duration2h 30m, eight stops
Departures9:30 · 12:30 · 15:30 · 19:00
GroupSmall group, English or Italian
Start and finishVia della Madonna dei Monti 57, Monti
You needReal riding experience, a full driving licence, and a €500 hold per Vespa

Guests on the ride — tap any photo to open it.

What you’ll see

Eight stops, engine off at each one for long enough to look properly and get the photograph.

ColosseumColosseum
Circus MaximusCircus Maximus
TrastevereTrastevere
Janiculum HillJaniculum Hill
Castel Sant'AngeloCastel Sant'Angelo
Piazza NavonaPiazza Navona
Trevi FountainTrevi Fountain
Spanish StepsSpanish Steps

The route, stop by stop

  • Start MontiHelmets on, a short loop round the block so you get the feel of the bike and Francesco sees how you ride. Then out through the backstreets of the old working-class quarter, where the coaches can't go.15 min
  • Stop ColosseumA viewpoint above the arena, engine off. How it was built, filled and emptied, and what stood around it before the ruins.
  • Stop Circus MaximusSix hundred metres of chariot track, still there under the grass. The scale only lands when you're standing on it.
  • Ride TrastevereCobbled lanes barely wider than the handlebars, ivy and laundry overhead. The stretch where a Vespa earns its keep, because nothing on four wheels is getting through.
  • Stop Janiculum HillThe whole city laid out below. Francesco names the domes and rooftops one by one, so the skyline stops being a postcard and starts making sense.
  • Stop Castel Sant'AngeloBack across the river, with Bernini's angels lining the bridge.
  • Stop Piazza NavonaWhy the piazza has that long oval shape: it sits on a Roman stadium, and the buildings still follow the old grandstands.
  • Stop Trevi FountainWhat the figures actually represent, and where the water still comes from — an aqueduct that has been running for two thousand years.
  • Finish Spanish Steps, then back to MontiThe last stop before the ride home, and you hand the Vespa back where you picked it up.
Francesco, licensed local tour guide in Rome

Francesco rides in front himself — licensed by the Italian Ministry of Tourism. He sets the pace, and the route stays clear of the ZTL A1 and the bus lanes, so neither is your problem.

What’s included

Included

  • Vespa 125cc for the length of the ride
  • Fuel, helmets and third-party insurance
  • Licensed guide riding with you, two and a half hours
  • Parking sorted at every stop
  • Free cancellation up to 48 hours before

Not included

  • Damage to the Vespa — that's what the hold covers
  • Food and drinks
  • Entrance tickets — nothing on this route is ticketed
Meeting point Via della Madonna dei Monti 57, 00184 Rome Five minutes on foot from the Colosseum, in Monti. Metro B, Cavour station. The ride is a loop, so you finish where you started. Arrive 15 minutes before your slot — there are documents to check and a contract to sign.

Before you book: can you ride it?

You'll be riding a 125cc through Roman traffic behind the guide, not sitting on the back. Two minutes to check, and it saves the awkward version at the desk.

You're good to go if

  • You ride a scooter or motorbike regularly at home
  • You hold a full driving licence — a car licence is fine for a 125 in Italy
  • You're 18 or over, with the original licence on you
  • You have a credit card in your own name for the hold

This isn't the one for you if

  • You've ridden a scooter once, on holiday, somewhere quiet
  • You'd rather look around than watch the traffic
Non-EU licence? What you need to bring
  • EU, UK, Swiss, Turkish and Israeli licences are accepted as they are.
  • Everything else needs an International Driving Permit alongside the original card. In the US it's AAA or AATA, about twenty dollars, done over a counter.
  • Get it before you fly. An IDP cannot be issued once you're in Italy.
  • A car licence is enough for a 125cc in Italy. What matters is that it's full, valid and with you on the day — photocopies and photos on a phone don't count.

Please sort this before you book, not at the desk. If you arrive without the right documents we can't let you ride, and the deposit you paid to reserve isn't refunded — the Vespa was held for you and the slot has gone. Cancel or move your booking any time up to 48 hours before and you're covered in full.

Price and departures

OptionWhat it means
One rider
€135 / VespaYou ride alone. Two and a half hours, everything above included.
Two sharing
€180 / VespaOne of you rides, the other sits behind. Only the rider needs the licence — and at €90 each it's the cheapest way to do this.
Security hold
€500 / VespaPre-authorised on a credit card at check-in, not charged, and released after the ride if the Vespa comes back as it left. Booking several Vespas? Ask us — for a group we can usually take one combined hold of €1000 instead of one per bike.
Weather, cancellations and changes
  • Free cancellation up to 48 hours before your slot, for a full refund.
  • Rain? We'd rather move you than send you out in it. Message us and we'll find another slot.
  • The 19:00 is the one photographers pick — it rides into the golden hour, and the traffic has thinned.
  • The 9:30 is the quietest, and the only one where the Colosseum viewpoint is close to empty.

Book the ride

Pick a date and a departure. If you're two on one Vespa, choose that at checkout — only the person riding needs a licence.

Book now

Free cancellation up to 48 hours before

FAQ

What people ask before they book.

Do I really drive it myself?

Yes. The Vespa is yours for the ride and the throttle is your own. Francesco rides in front setting the route and the pace, and you follow in a small group. If you'd rather be driven, that's the private tour instead.

How much riding experience do I actually need?

Enough that handling a 125cc is automatic. Roman traffic isn't fast, it's constant, and it asks for continuous small decisions about position and priority. If you ride at home you'll enjoy this. If you rode a scooter once on holiday, this isn't where to build on it.

Can I ride with a US, Canadian or Australian car licence?

Yes. Bring the original licence plus an International Driving Permit — AAA or AATA in the US, about twenty dollars, done over a counter. Get it before you travel, because it can't be issued once you're in Italy. A car licence is fine: in Italy it covers a 125cc.

Can two of us share one Vespa?

Yes, and it's the cheapest way to do this — €180 for the two of you instead of €135 each. Only the person riding needs the licence and the IDP. Helmets are compulsory for both and provided.

What's the €500 hold for?

Damage to the Vespa. It's €500 per Vespa, pre-authorised on a credit card at check-in rather than charged, and released after the ride if the bike comes back as it left. Bring a credit card in the rider's own name — a debit card usually won't work for a pre-authorisation. Booking several Vespas for a group? Ask us and we can usually take one combined hold instead of one per bike.

What if I turn up and you say I can't ride?

It happens, and it's the one thing we'd like to prevent. We check the licence and ask about your riding at check-in, because putting someone into Roman traffic who isn't ready isn't fair on them or the group. If your licence doesn't authorise a scooter we can't let you ride, and the deposit you paid to reserve isn't refunded, because the Vespa was held and the slot has gone. That's exactly why the requirements are at the top of this page rather than buried in the terms — check now and it never comes up.

What about the ZTL and the bus lanes?

Not your problem on this ride. The route is built around the ZTL A1 and stays out of the reserved lanes, and parking is sorted at every stop. If you're weighing this against renting alone, that comparison is here.

What happens if it rains?

We'd rather move you than send you out in the wet. Message us and we'll find another slot — there are four departures a day, so it's usually easy.

Are the Vespas automatic?

Yes, twist-and-go 125cc — no gears to change. If you've ridden any modern scooter, the controls will be exactly where you expect them.

★ 4.9 from 1,300+ reviews · Free cancellation up to 48h

Two and a half hours, and Rome stops being a map.

Your Vespa, a local in front, and the Janiculum at the point in the afternoon when the light goes gold.

Four departures daily, English or Italian • thinking of renting instead? →

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