Hi !
I'm heading to Rome next month and would love your insights on the best way to visit. I'm mainly interested in the Colosseum and Vatican Museums. The Roma Pass seems good for skipping lines, but is it worth it for a 3-day stay? For getting around, I'm torn between metro and tourist buses. Any tips from experienced visitors?
Thanks for your help!
[ Edit: Edited on 27 Nov 2024, 16:26 GMT by philboud ]
I've visited Rome 6 times (always independently and as a solo female traveller....apart from 2 trips with a friend).
>The Roma Pass seems good for skipping lines, but is it worth it for a 3-day stay?
All city passes are only 'worth it' if you intend to make use of most/all of the inclusions. Otherwise you're just paying over the odds. Your choice.
You can pre-book your Vatican Museums ticket (dated and timed entry) on the official site (mostly in English):
https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/organizza-visita/tariffe-e-biglietti.html
You can do the same for the Colosseum on the official site:
https://ticketing.colosseo.it/en/
There are lots of unofficial sellers, of course...and you can just queue up buy your ticket on the day if you want.
>For getting around, I'm torn between metro and tourist buses.
The historical centre of Rome is pretty compact and very walkable. Quite apart from the mainsights and sites the city itself is stuffed with bits of the Ancient Roman city (e.g. columns and stonework re-used in later buildings) and some of the most wonderful Medieval churches. Don't miss the stunning Basilica S.M. Maggiore https://www.basilicasantamariamaggiore.va/en.html, the nearby, very ancient Basilica S Prassade with its wonderful ancient mosaics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Prassede and the amazing Basilica S Clemente [near the Colosseum] which goes down through levels of previous structures to an Ancient Roman Mithraeum https://www.basilicasanclemente.com/eng/...nothing to do with religion if that's not your thing but everything to do with history.
On my visits I mostly use my feet but will use the Metro, buses and trams when my feet have given up! I've never used a 'tourist bus' in Rome but I guess some people like them (and being stuck in traffic!). Your choice.......
[ Edit: Edited on 27 Nov 2024, 20:47 GMT by leics2 ]
I don't know about Rome specifically - because I can't walk too well when I was there I booked a car and driver - but most of the time those portmanteau tickets are not really a frugal option unless you have time to, and want to visit all the possible attractions on it. Otherwise you would do better just to get advance tickets for the places you really want to see so that you can skip the lines for tickets.
My driver got me tickets to the Colosseum and also procured a guide for the Vatican museum and St. Peters. which was helpful to me. I was only in Rome for one day - it was some time ago (2008) so I can't give you a name. I didn't think my usual way of seeing a city (the hop on hop off bus) would work in Rome because the bus couldn't go to some of the places we wanted to see.
"I had a car and driver hired for both Rome and Naples because my oldest daughter told me that I could not see Rome unless I could walk. I can't walk for any distance so I viewed the coming visit to Rome with some anxiety. But we had a wonderful tour of Rome. ... He took us to see the sights we were interested in (Sistine Chapel (where he obtained a guide for us), Trevi Fountain and the Coliseum) and many sights that we would not have thought of asking to see like Circus Maximus, Spanish Steps, the Knights of Malta keyhole, the city gate and the Basilica of St. Paul Fuori le Mura."
[ Edit: Edited on 27 Nov 2024, 23:32 GMT by greatgrandmaR ]
We were in Rome this past June and I strongly recommend using the Metro and the city buses, with the Metro being preferable. Google Maps will provide correct and reliable directions using public transportation. Buying Metro tickets is very simple in the station and the trains are clean, safe, and efficient. For the bus there is an app to buy virtual tickets with a QR code but we had trouble understanding it and getting our tickets read on the bus, so you might want to look into buying your bus tickets at news stands in advance. Metro will take you to most of the places that tourists want to go in Rome.
The Roma Pass seems good for skipping lines...
Even with the Roma Pass you have to make an advance, timed-entry reservation for the Colosseum. Same for Galleria Borghese. Read the FAQs for the pass CAREFULLY, especially "For which museums it is necessary to make a reservation? How can I book?" under "#7 "Reservations"
https://www.romapass.it/en/FAQ/
As well, a 72-hour pass only provides 'free' entry to 2 attractions. They need to be the first two you visit, and they must be visited consecutively. There are some price reductions for other attractions but they tend to be small. From the website:
https://www.romapass.it/files/doc/museums_price_of_tickets_eng.pdf
The pass doesn't cover the Vatican; Leics helpfully provided the official website for ticketing, and you should buy your timed-entry ticket or tour in advance.
I'm heading to Rome next month
If you are traveling near Christmas week, be aware that the city could be very busy, especially with 2025 Jubilee opening on the 24th. Much will be closed on Christmas Day and early Christmas eve.
For getting around, I'm torn between metro and tourist buses.
Skip the 'tourist buses' (generally known as hop on, hop off). Rome isn't one of those cities where they work well due to pedestrianized areas and being too large to access many narrow streets. Reviews have generally been pretty lousy for some years. Unless you have mobility issue, Rome is best experienced from the sidewalks via your own two feet. City buses and limited metro services are also available but read up on how to use them. Taxis can be OK as well; must go to taxi stands to get one as they can't be hailed from the street.
The historic center isn't huge; we found we almost never needed (or wanted) to use transit as it was much more fun to see it sans windows. Metro, or course, is underground.
Rome's public transit website:
https://www.atac.roma.it/en
I've personally never been a fan of the Roma Pass, especially now that advance reservations are required from some of the attractions.
[ Edit: Edited on 28 Nov 2024, 14:37 GMT by goodfish ]
Thanks everyone for the feedback, it helps me a lot. I had seen the site and it's quite interesting.
[ Edit: Edited on 11 Dec 2024, 07:04 GMT by philboud ]
Following up with some more info due to the post above now under review....
I wouldn't personally call the Roma Pass website "interesting" but whatever trips your trigger. 
Some pass sellers and 3rd-party ticket resellers make a big deal out of "skip the line" benefits to their products. Not so. The only attractions in Rome which normally (see disclaimer below) have any sort of queues worth worrying about are the Colosseum and Vatican Museums, and you can order advance, timed-entry tickets to both via their own websites. As mentioned in my previous post, advance, timed-entry tickets are also mandatory if using the Roma Pass or another linked-and-deleted pass that I wouldn't purchase so neither pass allows access without a reservation.
Disclaimer: 2025 Jubilee in could create longer entry lines at some attractions in Rome which don't usually have them, especially during high season or holiday periods.
Certain pass or ticket advertisers also have a tendency to split attractions, making it appear as if you're getting a good deal on a combo. The most common of these is making it appear as adding the Forum and Palatine to their ticket for the Colosseum is a special deal. It's not. Base-priced, general-entry tickets to the Colosseum purchased through the official Parco archeologico del Colosseo site include those other two attractions at no extra cost if visited within 24 hours of the timed-entry slot for the Colosseum.
As well, no one ever skips the airport-type security checkpoints at the most-visited of Rome's attractions. Worth mention is that to prevent scalping, all tickets and tours for the Vatican Museums and Colosseum are nominative, meaning they have your name and some other personal data on them. Your legal ID is checked against them at the entrances.
Audio guides: You can find some available online for free.
Money-saving pass claims: don't take those at face value. The advertised price for an adult Vatican Museum on a pass linked in the post now under review was higher than if you'd purchased from the Vatican's own website. If the goal is to save $, you have to do your price-comparison homework.
[ Edit: Edited on 18 Dec 2024, 13:31 GMT by goodfish ]
Buying Metro tickets is very simple in the station and the trains are clean, safe, and efficient. For the bus there is an app to buy virtual tickets with a QR code but we had trouble understanding it and getting our tickets read on the bus, so you might want to look into buying your bus tickets at news stands in advance. Metro will take you to most of the places that tourists want to go in Rome.
Yes, buying single-ride BIT tickets is easy but you need to remember that they must be validated upon boarding an urban train, metro, bus or tram or risk being fined if caught. You will see some people boarding without doing so but locals or frequent visitors to Rome who use the transport system a lot usually have monthly or yearly passes that only have to be validated the first time they're used. Metro tickets validate when inserted into the turnstyles to access the platforms. There are also one day and multi-day tourist transport passes available.
https://www.atac.roma.it/en/tickets-and-passes
Metro: there are currently only two lines - A and B - with a third, line C, under construction that I would be surprised to see completed in my lifetime. They keep running into archeological stuff. Line A is good for getting you close to the Vatican, Piazza del Popolo, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Line B will get you close to the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine, Circus Maximus and some other attractions.
https://www.atac.roma.it/en/utility/maps
There is quite a large area that isn't currently served by metro: google a city map of Rome with metro stations and you'll see it, roughly dead center of the city. Included in that area is Piazza Navona, Campo di Fiore, the Capitoline Museums, the Jewish Ghetto, Area Sacra di Largo Argentina, tons of interesting churches, etc.
We were in Rome January 2018. We used the Metro for getting about and it was easy. We were there for the first Sunday in January and I've just checked now - entry to the Colosseum is free on the first Sunday of every month.