The Roma Pass
The Roma Pass
REDUCTIONS FOR ROM
The Roma Pass
If you’ve heard of one savings pass for Rome, chances are it’ll be the Roma Pass. Depending on which version of the pass you buy, you’ll get free entry to the first one or two museums you visit. After that, you’ll be able to visit other museums at a discounted price. Even if you wouldn’t normally be eligible for a cheaper ticket.
Now, let’s take a closer look and work out if it makes sense for you to buy a pass. We’ll run through the pricing and check out the museums and attractions covered by the pass. Top tips and handy hints guaranteed!
Happy reading!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT THE ROMA PASS?
The Roma Pass is valid for 48 hours (2 days) or 72 hours (3 days).
Prices:
Roma Pass for 48 hours: EUR 36.50
Roma Pass for 72 hours: EUR 58.50
Our top three points:
- Activation: Your allocated time starts when you first activate your pass at a museum or on the bus/metro. From that point, you have 48/72 hours to visit as many attractions as you like.
- If you buy the 48 hours pass, your first museum visit will be free. If you buy the 72 hours pass, your first two museum visits will be free. You will be able to buy discounted tickets to any other museums you visit after that.
- The Vatican Museums are NOT covered by the Roma Pass (they used to be).
WHICH MUSEUMS ARE COVERED
BY THE ROMA PASS?
Here’s a list of all the participating museums:
- Accademia Nazionale di San Luca (Free Admission)
- Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecila (Auditorium Parco della Musica)
- Area Sacra di Largo Argentina
- Augustus – Welcome to Rome (immersive Show)
- Appia Antica
a) Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella und Castrum Caetani
b) Terme di Caracalla
c) Villa dei Quintili - Bioparco – Zoo (Failed for us)
- Casa di Goethe
- Castel Sant’Angelo
- Cinecittà Studios
- Cinecittà World
- Circo Maximo + Experience
- Colonna Galerie
- Gladiator für einen Tag
- Gladiator Museum
- Hydromania
- Capitoline Museums
- Colosseum (Reservation necessary!)
a) Colosseum
b) Roman Forum - Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Roma Capitale
- Galleria Borghese (Reservation necessary!)
- Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica im Palazzo Barberini
- Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica im Galleria Corsini
- Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GNAM)
- Galleria Spada
- Lateran Palace
- Leonardo Da Vinci Experience (Location: Via della Conciliazione)
- Leonardo Da Vinci Experience (Location: Piazza della Cancelleria)
- Leonardo Da Vinci Experience (Location: Piazza di Popolo) – Failed for us
- MAXXI – Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo
- Museo Carlo Bilotti Aranceria di Villa Borghese (Free Admission)
- Musei Capitolini Centrale Montemartini
- Museo Civico di Zoologia
- Museo dell’Ara Pacis
- Museo della Civiltà Romana
- Museo della Repubblica Romana e della memoria garibaldina (Free Admission)
- Museo delle Mura (Free Admission)
- Museo di Casal de‘ Pazzi (Free Admission)
- Museo di Roma
- Museo di Roma in Trastevere
- Museo di Scultura Antica Giovanni Barracco (Free Admission)
- Musei di Villa Torlonia
a) Musei di Villa Torlonia Casina delle Civette
b) Musei di Villa Torlonia Casino Nobile - Museo Napoleonico (Free Admission)
- Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia
- Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia
- Museo Nazionale Preistorico ed
- Museo Nazionale Romano
a) Palazzo Altemps
b) Palazzo Massimo
c) Cripta Balbi
d) Bath of Diokletian - Museo Nazionale degli Strumenti Musicali
- Museo Nazionale d’Arte Orientale
- Museo Nazionale dell’Alto Medioevo
- Museo Nazionale delle Arti e Tradizioni Popolari
- Museo Pietro Canonica a Villa Borghese (Free Admission)
- Ostia Antica
- Palazzo delle Esposizioni
- Palazzo Merulana
- Palazzo Valentini – Archaeological Area of the Domus Romane (Reservation necessary!)
- Planetario e Museo
- Rome on Fire – Mutlimediashow
- Trajan markets / Museo dei Fori Imperiali
- Villa, Circo di Massenzio e Mausoleo di Romolo
- Villa Medici – Frz. Accademie in Rom
- Waxmuseum (Failed for us)
WHAT’S INCLUDED WITH
the roma Pass?
- Free entry to one museum/attraction (48 hours pass) or two museums/attractions (72 hours pass)
- Discounted tickets to all other participating museums for 48 hours/72 hours
- Priority entry at the Colosseum, Castel Sant’Angelo and the Capitoline Museums
- Free use of the bus and metro network (not including journeys to and from the airport) for 48 hours/72 hours
- Other discounts in restaurants, shops and so on
- Map of Rome
- With the 72 hours pass: A handy guide to Rome
HOW DOES
THE ROMA PASS WORK?
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Roma Pass is an electronic card that works with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). That means the card will simply stop working once your 48 or 72 hours are up.
2. Activation: Your allocated time starts when you first activate your pass at a museum or on the bus/metro. From that point, you have 48/72 hours to visit as many attractions as you like.
3. If you buy the 48 hours pass, your first museum visit will be free. If you buy the 72 hours pass, your first two museum visits will be free. You will be able to buy discounted tickets to any other museums you visit after that. Here’s an overview of how much it costs to visit the participating museums.
4. You need one Roma Pass per person. The passes are never sold at a reduced price because they already unlock so many discounts at attractions.
5. It’s right that you can visit the first one or two museums at absolutely no cost whatsoever. But you can’t save that free entry for the third or fourth museum you want to visit. So just make sure you think carefully about where you want to go and in what order.
6. You need to book ahead if you want to visit the Colosseum, the Galleria Borghese or the Palazzo Valentini (Domus Romane) or Augustus Mausoleum. You won’t be granted entry without a booking.
You can book for the Colosseum online at ecm.coopculture.it. You’ll be charged a booking fee of EUR 2.00.
Bookings for the Galleria Borghese and the Palazzo Valentini (Domus Romane) can be made over the phone on +39 06 32810 (Monday to Friday, 9.00 a.m to 6.00 p.m; Saturday 9.00 a.m to 1.00 p.m) or by email (romapass@tosc.it).
For Mausoleo di Augusto you have to book your ticket on the website romapass.vivaticket.it
Make sure you include any children in your booking – even if they’ll be getting in for free.
7. The Vatican Museums are NOT covered by the Roma Pass (they used to be). But Tiqets offers a combination of Roma Pass + Admission to the Vatican Museums.
8. Some of the participating museums are free to visit anyway, so make sure you don’t choose to go there first or second.
9. If you’re with someone who doesn’t have a Roma Pass, they’ll just have to buy a ticket as normal. The good news is that they’ll be able to join the fast-track queue with you at the Colosseum and buy a ticket from the group ticket office. Important info: We need to verify this to check things haven’t changed because of the pandemic.
10. When you’re using your Roma Pass to visit museums at a discounted price, you’ll need to queue up to buy tickets with everyone else. The Roma Pass doesn’t give you priority entry. And keep your ID with you!
11. When you want to use your pass on the bus, simply hold it up to one of the yellow machines that are used to validate tickets. Wait for the green light and you’re good to go!
IS THE ROMA PASS ALWAYS
A GOOD INVESTMENT?
You don’t need to buy a Roma Pass if you’re already eligible for discounted entry for some reason – say if you’re between 18 and 25 years old.
It doesn’t make sense to buy passes for children under 6 either because they usually get in for free anyway.
And the Roma Pass may simply not be for you if you’re not that keen on museums. After all, the more you visit, the more you’re getting for your money!
Top tips:
Don’t activate your pass on the first Sunday of the month or on any Monday!
Lots of the museums are free anyway on the first Sunday of the month and closed on Mondays.
Try not to activate your pass on the bus because your precious minutes and seconds will start ticking away!
What is a good Alternative? – > The Rome Tourist Card
Text and image rights: © Céline Mülich, 2016 – 2025