The Roma Pass: The Ultimate Guide on Whether it’s Worth the Money

Over 10 million tourists go to Rome each year, making the city Italy’s most popular destination. This means one thing: it’s crowded, especially in the high season. Booking tickets to major attractions or queuing for entry can waste your precious vacation time.

So, is there an easy way to plan your trip and book your entry to popular sites before you visit Rome? The answer is yes! The Roma Pass is an easy way to access multiple top attractions while in Rome.

How does the Roma Pass work, and how much does it cost? This post will break down all the pros and cons of the Roma Pass and help you decide if it’s worth it for your trip.

We’ll also take a look at the other Rome city passes to help you make up your mind about what’s right for you.

Let’s get started.

What is the Roma Pass?

The Roma Pass is the ultimate sightseeing pass designed for the Rome tourist. It offers discounts and entry to some of Rome’s most famous sites. It’s a one-time purchase that essentially makes it easier and cheaper than buying individual tickets.

Rome City Council sponsors the Roma Pass card, which includes free access to public transport in the city. The idea behind the pass is to make your visit to Rome as enjoyable and hassle-free as possible, especially if you want to visit many of the most famous attractions, museums, and points of interest.

If you want to see as much of the city as possible in the shortest amount of time while making savings, the Roma Pass could be a good option.

There are two Roma Pass options: the 72-hour pass and the 48-hour pass.
 

Roma Pass Benefits: What Does the Roma Pass Include?

When you buy a Roma Pass, you get a bunch of discounts and benefits to use while your card is valid.

Over 45 museums, monuments, and archeological sites are part of the Roma Pass.

Benefits of your Roma Pass include:

• Full access to the first two museums or archaeological sites you visit (with the 72-hour pass)
• Discounts and special prices for all other attractions, exhibitions, and tourist services
• Special booking access and skip the line tickets at certain attractions
• Free public transport in Rome Zone A

Other Attractions Included

With your Roma Pass, you’ll always receive free entry to the first one or two attractions you visit (depending on the length of your pass), including any exhibitions held in the museum.

While you have to purchase discounted tickets for your second or third attraction, the following museums are always free with unlimited access:

• Villa di Massenzio e Mausoleo di Romolo
• Accademia Nazionale di San Luca
• Museo Carlo Bilotti Aranciera di Villa Borghese
• Museo della Repubblica Romana e della memoria garibaldina
• Museo delle Mura
• Museo di Casal de’ Pazzi (booking required)
• Museo di Scultura Antica Giovanni Barracco
• Museo Napoleonico
• Museo Pietro Canonica a Villa Borghese

Free Public Transport

Within Zone A, you have free unlimited access to Rome’s public transport. You can use the following lines:

• ATAC public transport (trams, buses, metro A, B, B1, and C and railway lines Roma-Lido, Roma Flaminio Piazza del Popolo-Viterbo, Roma-Giardinetti)
• Transfers to and from Ciampino airport by ATAC Bus line 720 from/to Metro B Laurentina Station
• Transfers to and from Ciampino airport with the ATAC Bus line 520 from/to Metro A Subaugusta and Cinecittà station.
• Transfers by tpl Atac bus, Trenitalia FL railway lines, the train to and from Fiumicino Airport

Admission to these popular attractions

If you’re choosing which top attractions to see using your free entry for the first place visited (48-hour pass) or first two places (72-hour pass), you can choose from these places:

• Galleria Borghese – booking required in advance to guarantee fast track entry
• Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Roma Capitale – booking in advance recommended
• Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica in Palazzo Barberini e Palazzo Corsini – Palazzo Barberini- cumulative ticket (no need to buy separate tickets): Palazzo Barberini + Palazzo Corsini
• Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
• Galleria Spada – Booking is optional
• Journeys Through Ancient Rome – Book tickets online through the Roma Pass website
• Mausoleo di Augusto – reservations required on the Roma Pass website
• MAXXI – Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo
• Mercati di Traiano – Museo dei Fori Imperiali – advance reservation highly recommended
• Musei Capitolini – advance reservation highly recommended
• Musei Capitolini – Centrale Montemartini- advance reservation highly recommended

Musei di Villa Torlonia – cumulative ticket Casina delle Civette + Casino Nobile

• Musei di Villa Torlonia – Serra Moresca – advance reservation highly recommended
• Museo Civico di Zoologia – advance reservation highly recommended
• Museo dell’Ara Pacis – advance reservation highly recommended
• Museo di Roma – advance reservation highly recommended
• Museo di Roma in Trastevere – advance reservation highly recommended
• Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo – advance reservation highly recommended
• Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia
• Museo Nazionale Romano
• Museum of Civilisations
• Museum of Civilisations – Museo Nazionale d’Arte Orientale
• Palazzo Valentini – Archaeological Area of the Domus Romane – booking recommended
• Parco archeologico del Colosseo, Foro Romano & Palatino – Colosseo (Anfiteatro Flavio)
  Cumulative ticket (no need to buy separate tickets): Anfiteatro Flavio: Colosseo + Palatino + Foro Romano (the museum excluded)
• Parco Archeologico dell’Appia Antica
  Cumulative ticket (no need to buy separate tickets) valid for the entire duration of the Roma Pass: Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella, Villa dei Quintili-Santa Maria Nova, Antiquarium di Lucrezia Romana, Complesso di Capo di Bove, Tombe della Via Latina
• Parco Archeologico di Ostia Antica

Roma Pass discount list

After you visit your first one or two museums or attractions for free, the Roma Pass gives you discounted entry to dozens of other attractions throughout the city. Here’s the full list of attractions, theatres, and tours, along with the discount you get with your Roma Pass:

• Accademia di Francia a Roma – Villa Medici – Concession ticket
• Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – 20% discount on Friday concerts
• Ancient and Recent – 15% discount
• Area Archeologica Del Vicus Caprarius – la Citta Dell’Acqua – Concession ticket (booking recommended)
• Augustus Welcome to Rome – 15% discount at ticket office
• Bioparco – 2 EUR discounts at the ticket office
• Casa di Goethe – Concession ticket
• Camminamento della Mura Aureliane di Via Campania
• Camminamento della Mura Aureliane di Via Pretoriano
• Cinecitta Si Mostra – 10% discount on exhibitions
• Cincitta World – 5 EUR discount on full price ticket online with code ROMAPASS
• Circo Maximo Experience – multisensory augmented reality experience (entry without VR device)
• Colonna Gallery – private entrance for Roma Pass holders
• Evolved Guide – 15% discount on tours with a private guide
• Foxtrail – Urban Adventures – 20% discount Foxromapass
• Gladiator for a Day – 20% discount
• Gladiator Museum – 2 EUR discount at the ticket office
• Hard Rock Cafe Rome – 15% off at restaurant + free gift at the shop with spends over 35 EUR
• Hydromania – 1 EUR discount
• Ikono Roma – The Immersive Experience – 15% discount on adult & reduced tickets with code ROMAPASS online
• InRome Cooking Class – 15% discount for cooking classes and food tours
• Inside Eat – 15% discount on cooking experiences with code ROMAPASS online
• I Virtuosi Dell’Opera Di Roma – Concession ticket
• Imperial Rome Bus in Virtual Reality – Concession ticket
• Lateran Palace – Reduced ticket
• Leonardo Da Vinci Experience – 2 EUR discount at the ticket office
• Leonardo Da Vinci Museum – 2 EUR discount at the ticket office
• Mcarthurglen Castel Romano Designer Outlet – 10% discount
• MIAC – Italian Museum of Moving Image – 10% discount + 10% discount at the shop
• Museo Ebracio Di Roma – Concession ticket
• Museo Leonardo Da Vinci – Piazza Del Popolo – Concession ticket
• MuseoNazionale delgi Strumenti Musicali – Concession ticket
• Museo del Teatro Argentia – open to organized groups by reservation only
• Opera e Lirica – 10 EUR discount for central seats
• Opera in Rome – Concession ticket
• Palazzo Delle Esposizioni – Concession ticket
• Palazzo Merulana – Concession ticket
• Parco Villa Gregoriana
• Planetarium – Concession ticket
• Roma Opera Omnia – Concession ticket with 10% discount
• Roma World – 3 EUR discount on full price ticket online with code ROMAPASS
• Safari D’arte – 20% discount on art treasure hunt tours
• Stadio di Domiziano – Concession ticket
• Teatro Arcobaleno – 20% discount
• Teatro Argentina – Concession ticket
• Teatro Brancaccio e Brancaccino – 20% discount on tickets
• Teatro Dell’Opera di Roma 20% discount on no-subscription performances and 10% on subscriptions
• Teatro Flavio – 20% discount
• Teatro il Parioli – 20% discount
• Teatro India – Concession ticket
• Teatro Vascello – Concession ticket
• Teatro Vittoria – 20% discount in the stalls, 15% discount in the gallery
• Terme di Caracalla – 10% discount + 4 EUR discount on audio guide
• The Roman Quary of the Appian Way – 15% discount on a private tour, 20% discount on scheduled tour (only Italian)
• The Underground od San Nicola in Carcere – 15% discount on a private tour, 20% discount on scheduled tour (only Italian)
• Theater of Villa Torlonia – Concession ticket
• Tram Jazz – 5 EUR discount
• Vigamus Rome Video Game Museum – 5 EUR ticket
• Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel – 8% discount
• Vox Vatican Guide – App for St. Peter’s Basilica – 5 EUR discount
• Wax Museum- 50% discount
• Zoomarine Amusement Park – discounted ticket

Discounts for Tourist Services

Your Roma Pass is part of a full tourist package! You can also use your Roma Pass to save money with the following services for tourists:

• 1 City Tour – 15% discount on electric cars, bikes, Vatican and Colosseum tours, and luggage deposit
• Bags Free Luggage Transport and Storage – 15% discount
• Bicycl-E – 20% discount on e-bike rentals & 10% discount on tours
• Big Bus Rome – 15% discount
• Bounce Luggage Storage – 15% discount online with code ROMAPASS15
• Capital Luggage Deposit at Termini Station – 15% discount
• City Sightseeing Rome – 15% discount on open bus tours
• Ecobike at Parco Appia Antica – 20% discount on bike hire
• Hi Bike – 15% discount on any rental, 20% discount on a Hi Bike tour
• Hop on Hop off Panoramic Rome Bus Tour – 20% discount
• Radical Storage – 10% off
• Roma Starbike – 15% discount when booking online with code romapass
• Rome and Italy Tourist Services – 20% discount
• Rome by Segway – 30% discount
• Rome Left Luggage – 10% discount for luggage storage and bike rental
• Segway Rome Tours – 20% discount
• Sitbus Shuttle to Ciampino Airport – 6 EUR ticket one way, 11 EUR return ticket
• Sitbus Shuttle to Fiumicino Airport – 6 EUR tickets, 13 EUR return ticket
• Stow Your Bags – 15% discount
• Terravision Shuttle to Ciampino or Fiumicino Airport – 5.50 EUR ticket one way, 10 EUR return ticket
• Topbike Rental and Tours- 10% discount
• Travelbaby – 10% discount on all products
• Travelwheelchair – 10% discount on all products
• Wheely Bike Rental and Tour – 20% discount

What Does the Roma Pass Not Include?

While the Roma pass does not include free entrance to the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel, you can get a discount on entry, usually 18 EUR.

However, remember that tickets to the Vatican Museums sell out way ahead of time. If you want to visit Vatican City on your trip to Rome, you must plan it in advance.

Other things not included with the Roma Pass:

• Visits to the Colosseum at night
• Tourist hop on/hop off buses
• The express train from Fiumicino Airport Trenitalia “No stop” train Roma Termini-Fiumicino Airport (Leonardo Express), and all connections to and from Fiumicino Airport
• Colossum Hypgeum
• St Peter’s Tomb
• The Catacombs
• The Viaggio nei Fori light shows

You’ll need to buy an extra ticket or pay the entrance fee for these attractions in Rome as reduced ticket prices aren’t available.

How Much Does the Roma Pass Cost?

There are two options for the Roma Pass:

Depending on how long you plan to stay in Rome and how many sites you want to visit will determine which pass works best for you.

Remember, the 72-hour pass offers you free entry to the first two museums or sites you choose to visit.

The 48-hour pass offers you free entry to one site.

On visiting your first site or museum, your pass is automatically activated, and you can then use it as much as you like for the next 48/72 hours.

Where to Buy the Roma Pass?

You can buy your Roma Pass online in advance here.

Alternatively, you can purchase the pass at all the museums and sites that participate or any tourist information spot in the city. You can find a complete map of tourist info points in Rome here.
 

Is the Roma Pass Worth It?

If you want to maximize your time in Rome and see as many museums, sites, and exhibitions as possible, it’s definitely worth it.

The Roma Pass may even be worth it for the skip the line option because the most popular attractions in Rome can get extremely busy. You can queue for hours to visit the Colosseum and Roman Forum. For example, the Borghese Gallery and the Vatican Museums, and Sistine Chapel can have ticket lines that are way over an hour outside.

The Colosseum ticket you get included in your Roma Pass includes Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum, which means the Roma Pass makes it much easier than buying individual tickets to those attractions.

To get the most out of your Roma Pass, you’ll need to plan your itinerary carefully and book tickets online for some of the attractions you want to see in advance. That way, you’ll really be able to maximize your time in Rome and get your money’s worth from your sightseeing pass.

You’ll get a free map with your city pass, making it easier to plan your days in Rome.

Who Shouldn’t Buy the Roma Pass?

This wouldn’t be an honest Rome Pass review if it didn’t answer the questions “is the Roma Pass worth it for everyone visiting Rome” and “when shouldn’t you buy the Roma Pass?”

If you’re looking for a more relaxed itinerary on your trip to Rome and only want to visit one or two museums or sites, the Roma Pass won’t be worth it for you.

The savings you get using the Roma Pass are modest, with small discounts compared to the regular entry price for many attractions. So if you aren’t bothered by the skip the line perk and want to visit less touristy sites on your trip, the Roma Pass probably isn’t the best tourist pass option for you.

If the Vatican City attractions aren’t appealing to you, and you just want to check Vatican City from the outside without visiting any of the Vatican museums, you can also skip buying the Vatican museum pass that we’ll go into detail about below.

At first, the free public transport option may seem appealing, however, one of the charms of Rome is walking the streets and discovering it for yourself. Plus, public transport is very cheap – on average 1.40 EUR per journey on the metro. You won’t necessarily be saving money by using a Rome Pass on public transport.

Want to plan your own itinerary? Check out this 4 day itinerary for Rome.

What is the Omnia Rome Card?

If seeing the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and the Colosseum, isn’t enough and you also want fast track entry to the Vatican and St Peter’s Basilica, you can add on the Omnia Vatican Pass to your Roma Pass. This makes it a combo card.

The Omnia Vatican Pass also includes access to Rome’s Hop-on, Hop-off bus. So if you really want to go all out on your trip to the eternal city, you could consider buying both passes.

Purchasing both passes together gives you the ultimate Rome tourist experience. If seeing as many tourist spots as possible while skipping the ticket lines is your priority, it could be an excellent option for you.

For the sake of transparency, here are all the Rome tourist spots you can access for free with the
Omnia Rome Card:

• Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel – Fast track & reserved entry
• St Peter’s Basilica – Free audio guide included
• Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour – 4 available routes
• Carcer Tullianum (Maretine Prison) – Free multimedia guide included & reserved time slot
• Vox City Guide
• St. John in Lateran and Cloister – Free audio guide included
• The Viaggio nei Fori light shows

Roma Pass and Omnia Rome Card Summary

Don’t get confused by these two different options; it’s simple:

If you want to see only the Vatican museums and the Sistine chapel get the Omnia Vatican Pass.

If you only want to see the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum, get the Roma Pass.

Get the combo pass if you want to see all the Rome city sites!
 

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance

Plan for the best, and prepare for the worst. Travel insurance covers you in case (part of) your trip gets canceled, you get sick or hurt abroad, and sometimes even when your electronics break or get stolen. I always make sure I’m covered on every trip I go on.

Don’t have travel insurance yet? Check out SafetyWing. They offer super flexible plans that you can even sign up for while you’re already on your trip. On top of that, they were the first travel insurance to cover COVID, and when I got COVID, they reimbursed all of my expenses without making a fuss. Their customer support team is great and I can personally recommend them.
 

Have you ever visited Rome? Did you go for one of the Rome city passes or go it alone? Share your experience in the comments.

PIN FOR LATER