Choose a vintage Fiat 500 tour if you want to sit back with your group and take photos while a driver handles Rome’s traffic. Choose a Vespa tour if you love two wheels. On a Vespa you ride behind a driver or, with the right license, ride yourself. Fiat 500 tours take children from age 3, scooters from 5.
Photo: Facile Tours
Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck rode a Vespa through Rome in Roman Holiday (1953), and the Fiat 500, launched in 1957, became the car of Italy’s Dolce Vita years. We are Facile Tours, a local tour operator in Rome since 2012, and we run our own Dolce Vita tours in vintage cabrios converted to electric. Dolce Vita in Fiat is a Facile Tours brand. We don’t run Vespa tours, so this guide compares the two honestly, including when a Vespa is the better choice.
What is a vintage Fiat 500 tour like?
On our Dolce Vita tours you never drive. A driver picks you up at your hotel, Airbnb or restaurant in the historic center (if you stay outside it, you meet at our office at Via del Colosseo 11A), and you ride as a passenger in an open-top vintage car: a Fiat 500 for up to 3 guests, or a Fiat 850 Spiaggina for up to 6. The cars are restored vintage cabrios converted to electric, so they are quiet and give off no exhaust fumes. Most of our Fiat 500s are beach-style Jolly models with wicker seats; you can meet them all on our Dolce Vita Cars page.
Every tour is private: only your group takes part, in one or more cars, each with its own driver. We guarantee groups of up to 21 guests, and larger groups are possible on request. You see the landmarks from the outside, and the classic tour, the 1-hour ride and the two film tours below include a ticket for the Trevi Fountain. Drivers are not licensed tour guides, but they plan the route around your interests, and on the film tours they share stories about the movies along the way.
Tours last from 1 to 4 hours, by day or after dark. Prices are for the whole group: €290 for a private 1-hour ride for up to 3 people, €590 for the classic 3-hour tour for 1–3 people.
How do Vespa tours in Rome work?
Vespa tours in Rome are run by other companies, and most come in two formats:
- As a passenger: you sit behind a local driver, so you need no license or riding experience. A scooter carries one passenger, so each person in your group rides behind a different driver.
- Self-drive: you ride your own scooter and follow a guide through traffic. You need a driving license that covers the scooter, and operators usually ask for riding experience.
Italian law sets a few rules:
- Helmets are compulsory for riders and passengers of mopeds and motorcycles (Highway Code, art. 171).
- Children under 5 may not ride on two-wheeled mopeds and motorcycles (art. 170).
- License categories: in Italy, a moped up to 50 cc needs at least an AM license, and a scooter up to 125 cc and 11 kW needs an A1 license.
- Licenses from outside the EU: you may drive only the vehicles your own license covers, and you must carry an International Driving Permit or an official Italian translation with it (art. 135). A license that covers only cars does not let you ride a scooter.
If you plan to ride yourself, ask the operator which licenses they accept.
Fiat 500 or Vespa: how do they compare?
| Vintage Fiat 500 tour (ours) | Vespa tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Who drives | A driver, always: you need no license | A driver, with you as a passenger, or you, with a license that covers the scooter |
| Comfort | You sit on a real seat in an open vintage car | You sit on the saddle and hold on for the whole ride |
| Safety | A driver at the wheel, but these are open vintage cars, and some have no seat belts | Helmets compulsory for everyone; you are exposed to the traffic |
| Rain | The tour runs in golf carts with rain covers, or we offer another date or time | Depends on the operator: check before you book |
| Age limits | From 3 years old, with a parent; no child seats | No children under 5 by law; operators may set higher limits |
| Group | Your group rides together: up to 3 guests per Fiat 500, 6 per Fiat 850 Spiaggina, 21 guaranteed | One passenger per scooter, so your group rides apart |
| Bags and clothes | Small bags; dress for the open air, with blankets on board on winter evenings | Small bags; closed shoes and trousers are more practical |
| Photos | Your hands are free for photos and videos on the move | You hold on, so most photos happen at the stops |
| Price | €290 for a 1-hour ride for up to 3; €590 for 3 hours for 1–3 people; from €240 per person for 5 or more | Varies by operator and format |
Which is better for couples, families and seniors?
Couples. On a passenger Vespa tour, each of you rides behind a different driver. In a Fiat 500 you ride together in the same car. For a short romantic ride, our Romantic Rome tour lasts 90 minutes and costs €390 for 2 people; for an evening out, the Fiat 500 tour with aperitivo starts at 6:00 or 6:30 PM and costs €650 for 1–3 people.
Families with children. Children aged 3 and over can join our Fiat 500 tours with a parent. There are no child seats: the cars are too small for them, and some have no seat belts, because they were built before seat belts were required. With younger children, choose one of our golf cart tours in Rome: there is no minimum age, and child seats are available on private tours. The private golf cart tour costs €350 for 1–3 people for 2 hours (from November to mid-April). On a scooter, children under 5 cannot ride at all, and older children each need their own driver.
Seniors and travelers with limited mobility. Riding behind a driver on a scooter takes balance and a good grip for the whole tour, while in a Fiat 500 you simply stay seated. If you use a wheelchair, choose a private golf cart tour: you move onto a seat of the golf cart, and the folded wheelchair travels on board in place of the two back seats.
What happens if it rains?
Our Fiat 500 and Fiat 850 cabrios are open-top cars. In rain or wet weather, your tour runs in golf carts with rain covers instead, and if no golf cart is available, we offer you another date or time.
On winter evenings the Fiat 500 tours still run: dress warmly, and use the blankets on board. For a Vespa tour, check the operator’s weather policy before you book.
When is a Vespa the better choice?
We don’t run Vespa tours, and we don’t rent scooters. A Vespa may suit you better if:
- You want to drive yourself. On our tours a driver is always at the wheel. If riding through Rome is the point, rent a scooter or book a self-drive Vespa tour, as long as your license covers it.
- You travel alone. Our Fiat 500 tours are private and priced for 1–3 people, so a solo traveler may pay less on a tour priced per person.
- You want the Roman Holiday scene. The film’s famous ride is on a Vespa. Our Roman Holiday tour follows the same locations, but in a Fiat 500.
Whoever you book with, ask who drives, which license you need, whether helmets are included, what happens if it rains, and what the cancellation policy is.
See Rome in a vintage Fiat 500 with us
Our classic Dolce Vita tour lasts 3 hours and passes the Colosseum, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps, with viewpoints such as the Orange Garden. It starts at 9:30 or 10:00 AM, or at 2:30, 6:00 or 6:30 PM, and includes a Trevi Fountain ticket and a short food stop. It costs €590 for 1–3 people, €1,180 for 4, then €240 per person from 5 guests.
Film fans can follow the Roman Holiday locations (4 hours, €690 for 1–3 people) or the La Dolce Vita locations (3 hours, €590 for 1–3 people). Read the stories behind the films in our posts on Roman Holiday and La Dolce Vita. After dark, Rome by night in a vintage Fiat 500 lasts 2 hours, from €590 for 1–3 people.
Short on time? Our private 1-hour ride costs €290 for up to 3 people. You can find all our vintage Fiat 500 tours in Rome on one page.
Explore it with us
Dolce Vita Tour by Vintage Fiat 5003 hours, Trevi Fountain ticket and food stop · from €590 for 1–3 peopleBook now
Roman Holiday Locations Tour by Fiat 5004 hours on the film’s trail, snack included · from €690 for 1–3 peopleBook now
Fiat 500 Tour with Aperitivo3 hours from 6:00 PM, cocktail or wine with a tasting · from €650 for 1–3 peopleBook nowFAQ
Do you need a license for a Vespa tour in Rome?
Not if you ride as a passenger behind a driver. To ride a scooter yourself, you need a license that covers it: in Italy, at least an AM license for a 50 cc moped and an A1 license for a 125 cc scooter. With a license from outside the EU, you also need an International Driving Permit or an official Italian translation.
Do you have to drive the Fiat 500 yourself?
No. On our Fiat 500 tours a driver is always at the wheel, so you ride as a passenger and do not need a driving license. Drivers are not licensed tour guides, but they plan the route around your interests.
Can children join a Fiat 500 or Vespa tour?
Our Fiat 500 tours take children from 3 years old, with a parent; the cars are too small for child seats, and some have no seat belts. On scooters, Italian law does not allow children under 5. For younger children, our private golf cart tours have child seats and no minimum age.
What happens to a Fiat 500 tour if it rains?
The tour runs in golf carts with rain covers instead of the open-top vintage cars. If no golf cart is available, we offer you another date or time.
How much does a Fiat 500 tour in Rome cost?
Our classic 3-hour tour costs €590 for 1–3 people, €1,180 for 4, then €240 per person from 5 guests, with a Trevi Fountain ticket and a short food stop included. A private 1-hour ride costs €290 for up to 3 people. Prices checked on 1 November 2026.
Does Facile Tours run Vespa tours?
No. We run our own Dolce Vita tours, in vintage Fiat 500 and Fiat 850 Spiaggina cabrios converted to electric and driven by our own drivers, as well as golf cart tours. For a Vespa, book a Vespa tour with a specialist company or rent a scooter, if your license covers it.
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