Things To Book In Advance In Rome - Don't Miss Out!

Vatican Sites to book in advance in Rome

Christmas or Easter Mass at the Vatican

The Pope holds mass throughout the year for various important occasions.

Even during Christmas and Easter, he holds several masses.

But the most popular papal masses of the entire year by far are Christmas Eve Midnight Mass, and Easter Sunday Mass, both held at Saint Peter's Basilica. 

You need tickets for both.

Tickets are free, but they are also in limited supply.

Visit my pages for each holiday, with instructions for booking.

You cannot go wrong requesting tickets 6 months in advance.

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What to do if you can't get tickets to Vatican Christmas or Easter masses?

• You can try to go anyway. Sometimes people have extra tickets, and give them away to people walking by, and you could just get lucky. You can try to ask at the bronze doors where the Swiss Guard stand. That's a long shot but you never know.
• You can go to Saint Peter's Basilica and plan to be outside. This is less enjoyable when it's Christmas, as Christmas Mass is held inside the basilica and it's cold outside. But at Easter, you can stand far back and still get a glimpse of the pope on the jumbotrons.
• You could try for other papal masses around the holidays. There are also papal masses on Christmas Day, and at, Easter on Holy Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Monday.
• On both Christmas Day and Easter Sunday, the Pope addresses the crowds in Saint Peter's Square after mass, at noon. This address is free and open to everyone. It's called Urbi et Orbi, and is a short speech, usually only in Italian, lasting about 15 minutes.
• There are so many other churches in Rome where you can attend these special holiday masses, without, of course, seeing the pope. One such church is the Pantheon. If you decide to head to the Pantheon, come early as space will be limited!

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St Peter’s tomb - the Necropolis under St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City

A visit to St. Peter's tomb, also called scavi (excavations) is a fascinating archeological tour, showing us a glimpse of how the Ancient Romans buried their dead.

It is also one of the most sought-after, and difficult to get, reservations in Rome. 

When you visit the Vatican Necropolis (city of the dead, or burial grounds), deep underneath Saint Peter's basilica, you will also see the site where St. Peter is said to be buried.

The site is delicate, so they only allow 12 people on each tour, and a maximum 250 people in the excavations per day.

And the tours do not go every day.

So as you can imagine, especially as we get into high season months, from March - November, you will have to really plan ahead to visit this amazing site.

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What to do if you can't get tickets to Saint Peter's tomb?

• You can try booking through a ticket agency. It's more expensive than booking directly through the Scavi office, but it's a little easier, and, you have a chance to get tickets if the Scavi office is sold out.
• You can visit other parts of the Vatican, and when you are in Saint Peter's basilica, you can head down into the tombs just below the main church. This is NOT the same as visiting Saint Peter's tomb, but you can see where many other popes are buried, and you will at least be IN the place where St. Peter is said to be buried. This is free and part of a visit to St. Peter's basilica.
• You can visit the Mamertine prison on Capitoline Hill, and see where Saints Peter and Paul were held prisoner before their executions.
  
• You can visit the church of Saint John in Lateran, where the skulls of Peter and Paul are kept.
• You can visit the church of Saint Pauls Outside the Walls, where Saint Paul is buried.
• You can visit the catacombs, where many Christians and saints are said to have been buried.
• You can visit the Vatican Necropolis at the Via Triumphalis. This is more like an archeological visit and is not associated with any saint or famous person, but is rather a glimpse into how the Ancient Romans buried their dead. You can book this through the Vatican Museums website.

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Exclusive Visit to the Sistine Chapel Outside opening hours

The crowds at the Vatican Museums have become notorious lately.

One way you can enjoy a crowd-free visit to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel is to book an exclusive tour.

Probably the most famous of these tours is the Key Master tour, where you get to walk around with the Vatican Museums clavigero, or key master, and open doors and windows and turn on lights, essentially opening the museums for the day.

A select few tour companies also offer exclusive pre-opening or post-closing tours, meaning you literally will be alone in the museums with just your group.

These tours differ from the Key Master in that they are more of a guided tour.

With the Key Master tour, the wow part is getting to open doors and turn on lights.

All of these tours that go outside the regular opening hours are amazing tours and I highly recommend them!

These tours do not come cheap.

But in my experience, they sells out FAST, precisely because they are so exclusive, and because they're not offered every day (I'm providing links to the two companies offering the "Alone in the Vatican" tour because it runs so rarely.)

So if you want to to partake, you need to book as far in advance as you can.

• Book the Key Master Tour
• Book the "Alone in the Vatican Tour" with Walks of Italy
• Book the "Alone in the Vatican Tour" with Liv Tours

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What to do if you can't get tickets to an exclusive before or after-hours visit to the Sistine Chapel?

• If your goal is to have privileged access to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, one option is to join the Vatican Patrons. I've found a lot of visitors to Rome sign up for this year-long membership even if they won't be able to partake of their privileges throughout the year, simply because they find it worth doing even for the short time they are in Rome. 
• You can book an early Vatican Museums tour that starts right when the museums open. It's not an exclusive tour, but it should be less crowded than during the middle of the day. And if you book this tour, you can book the one that includes the shortcut to Saint Peter's Basilica, a huge plus that is not included with the out of hours tours (as the basilica is closed during those tours).
  
• My personal preference for visiting the Vatican Museums is always to go as late in the day as possible. I like to go in at 4:45 PM, right before the ticket office closes at 5 PM. Then, I get to the Sistine Chapel at 6:20 PM, before they start shooing people out at about 6:30 PM (the Sistine Chapel closes at 7 PM but that is the time they shut the doors, so they need everyone out before that). Then, I just stand that and look at the art. I mean really look at it, closing out all other senses. Ignore the guards asking people to leave. You don't have to leave just yet. Stay as long as you can, focus on what you are seeing, and just soak it up. It's not an exclusive visit, but it feels more special this way, and it's definitely less crowded than during the peak hours of the day.

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Colosseum Underground

Visiting the Colosseum is one thing.

Visiting the Colosseum underground (hypogeum) is another.

This special visit has limited availability, in part because the area is delicate, and cannot accommodate the thousands of visitors who come to the Colosseum every day.

This is one visit you must book in advance in Rome, year-round.

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What to do if you can't get tickets to the Underground?

• You can try booking a tour through an agency. It will cost more than booking it directly on the Parco Colosseo website , but you may find availability that way.
• You can try to book a night tour of the Colosseum (not always offered). The night tours include a visit to the underground of the Colosseum.
• You can try getting tickets to the Colosseum arena floor. This Full Experience ticket has more availability than the underground, and it may be easier to get tickets.
• Book standard entry Colosseum tickets. You still see most of the Colosseum, including the arena floor and much of the underground from above.

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Palazzo Farnese

Palazzo Farnese is one of the most exquisite, and one of the most difficult to book, noble palazzos in Rome, because it is today the French Embassy.

Due to security concerns, there are a limited number of tours, with a limited number of visitors allowed each week.

Visits in English are held a few times a week.

Visits are available also in French and Italian.

If you want to see Palazzo Farnese, you need to book as far in advance as you can (and as far in advance as their calendar allows).

Bookings are not accepted less than one week before the date of the visit. 

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What to do if you can't get tickets to Palazzo Farnese?

• You could try to take the visit in another language. There are also visits in French and in Italian. If it's important for you to see the villa, and you can only get a tour in a language you don't understand, you will at least be able to soak in all the beauty.
• You can visit another one of Rome's noble palazzos, such as Palazzo Doria Pamphilj.
• You can come to Piazza Farnese and get a look at the facade (designed in part by Michelangelo), and enjoy an aperitivo at one of the wine bars there.

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La Pergola restaurant at the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria

Rome has one 3*** Michelin star restaurant, La Pergola, inside the Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria.

Chef Heinz Beck is world-renowned for his creative, exquisite dishes, and dining at the Pergola offers a treat for the senses like no place else in Rome, perfect for a romantic meal.

You'll need to book months in advance to get a coveted spot here.

Jacket and tie required.

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What to do if you can't get a reservation at La Pergola?

• The Waldorf Astoria boasts another wonderful restaurant, L'Uliveto, headed by celebrity chef Fabio Boschero. You will dine poolside on delicious cuisine, worthy of the setting.
• Rome has several Michelin star restaurants, all wonderful, and some with views. Two of my favorite 1* Michelin restaurants in Rome are the Mirabelle inside the hotel Splendide Royale, and Imago on top of the Hotel Hassler. These are restaurants in Rome to book in advance by at least 3-4 days.

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Things to book in advance in Rome by at least a week

Galleria Borghese

In low season, you may be able to visit the Galleria Borghese without booking ahead, but most of the time this is one museum you must book in advance in Rome, even by a few days.

And in peak season, you need to book ahead of time by at least a week.

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What to do if you can't get a reservation at the Galleria Borghese?

• You can phone the booking office (011 39 06 32810). Sometimes they have tickets available even if you cannot find them online.
• You can try just showing up and seeing if there are any no-shows. The best times to try this are 8:30am for the 9am slot, or 4:30pm for the 5pm slot.
• You can try booking a tour through an outside agency.
• You can visit another of Rome's wonderful art museums, such as the Doria Pamphilj, the Villa Torlonia, and the Capitoline Museums.

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Vatican Museums

If you have a tight travel schedule and want to visit the Vatican Museums on a specific date and time, you should book at least a week in advance.

If you, as many visitors to Rome do, don’t book ahead for the Vatican museums, you may be able to book once you are in Rome.

You just may find, especially in peak season, that you can't get a ticket online, or cannot get one for the time/date you want.

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What to do if you can't get a reservation for the Vatican Museums through the Vatican Website?

• You can go there and wait in line. They do not have a daily quota for number of visitors, so if you wait, you will eventually get in. The lines can be long, even 2 hours' wait time. Try going first thing in the morning (7 AM, for 8 AM entry), or closer to closing, like 4:30 PM, when there is almost no line.
• Try to book a tour online, even same day. Tour companies all offer skip-the-line access.
• If you go down to the Vatican Museums, you will be bombarded by touts trying to sell you skip-the-line tickets and/or tours. Caveat emptor - buyer beware. You have no idea what you are paying for, and often, it can be a tour happening 2 hours later so you sill have to wait. Be very careful about this if you decide to go for one of these options. I don't recommend it but it is an option.
• If you know you will be back in Rome soon, you could skip the museums and visit just St. Peter's Basilica, and plan to see the museums on your next visit, when you can book in advance.

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Vatican Gardens

Like some of the other exclusive sites in the Vatican, visits to the Vatican Gardens are something you should book in advance if you want to get a spot. 

They are not held every day, and only a limited number of people are allowed in at a time, so these sell out quickly.

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What to do if you can't get a reservation for the Vatican Gardens?

• You can try to book through a ticket agency.
• You can book a visit to the Pope's gardens at Castel Gandolfo. (Visit our dedicated page about Castel Gandolfo.)
• You can climb the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, where you can see the gardens from above.
• If you're looking for some green space, head to Villa Borghese park, or one of the other many parks in Rome.

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Domus Aurea

Visiting the Domus Aurea can be one of highlights of a visit to Rome, especially if you are into Ancient Rome.

This extraordinary archeological site gives you a rare chance to see and experience what an ancient Roman Imperial palace was like. 

Availability is very limited, in part because it's open for tours only on weekends.

This is one site you really must book in advance in Rome.

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What to do if you can't get a reservation for the Domus Aurea?

• You can try to book a tour of the Domus Aurea. It will cost more than booking directly with Parco Colosseo, but it will include other things too.
• Visit Palazzo Valentini (below), another amazing underground Ancient Rome site.
• Visit the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, a wonderful museum with fantastic Ancient Rome artefacts, sculptures, mosaics and more.

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Domus Romana - Palazzo Valentini

The Domus Romana at Palazzo Valentini is an amazing visit of an ancient Rome site.

Right underneath Trajan's Column and Trajan's Forum, you can see excavations of an ancient Roman domus, or home.

The tour is excellent, and offers an immersive experience, including film, light shows and laser images.

Just a small warning - it made me a little dizzy to have lights going off and the floor lighting up underneath me, but I still loved it.

I just leaned on the wall!

Because the number of people and visits per day is limited, you will need to book in advance if you want to visit this site.

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What to do if you can't get a reservation for Palazzo Valentini?

• You can go to the booking office/entry site and see if they've had any cancellations/openings.
• Visit the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, a wonderful museum with fantastic Ancient Rome artefacts, sculptures, mosaics and more.
  

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Papal Audience

To attend the weekly Papal Audience, it's a good idea to book at least a week in advance, if not more. 

Depending on how busy it is in Rome, you can sometimes book 1-2 days in advance.

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What to do if you can't get a reservation for the Papal Audience?

• You can go at 7 AM to the bronze door of the Swiss Guard on the morning of the audience, and ask if they have tickets. This is not a guarantee but often you will be able to get them this way.
• You can try booking through a tour agency. In this case you will pay to attend the Papal Audience. As a bonus, the tour agent usually accompanies you to seating near the front.

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Things to book in advance in Rome by 1-2 days
(but often can also be booked on the same day)

Some of the below are ALSO in the sections above about what to book in advance in Rome by a week or more.

They are in this section as well because you can sometimes book them during your visit, or with short notice, if you are here in low season, or, in high season, if you get lucky.

Just know that even if it's the same day, you SHOULD book.

So the exact time when to book in advance in Rome for these things is up to you.

If you are a planner, err on the side of caution and book ahead.

If you like to play it by ear, you will probably get bookings to the below, perhaps just not exactly when/how you want to:

Vatican Museums

I always suggest booking (even same day) ahead for the Vatican Museums, purely to make sure you get skip-the-line tickets.

The Pantheon

As of July 3, 2023, it costs 5€ to visit the Pantheon.

You don't need to book ahead (but you can - visit my dedicated Pantheon page below).

You can simply wait in line at the Pantheon to buy your ticket.

To find out how to book the Pantheon Visit my dedicated page all about Pantheon tickets to find out how.

Opera/ballet

Unless you have a specific, high in-demand concert or opera you know you want to see, you can usually find tickets to an opera or concert last-minute in Rome.

This includes concerts at Rome's auditorium, operas in Rome's opera house or at the Caracalla baths, and of course, the smaller concerts held in churches around Rome.

So even if you book the same day, you will find something to see.

Papal Audience

As I mentioned above, in low season, you can often just go to the entrance of the Swiss Guard at 7 AM and ask if they have tickets.

And in high season, you can try this as well, although in general, the Papal Audience is one thing I suggest you book in advance in Rome by at least a week.

Most restaurants

My advice to you is to relax about this and not over-plan.

I remember so many of our hotel guests booking a restaurant, and then cancelling at the end of a long day, because they either "were too tired to go very far” or, “ate some pizza along the way and now are not hungry, we might just go out for some drinks.”

Once you are in Rome, you can see how you feel, and decide even on the same day where you want to have dinner.

Believe me, there is always someplace good to eat in Rome.

When to book advance in Rome at a restaurant

However, there are exceptions to my above advice:

• To book at Rome’s only 3-star Michelin restaurant, La Pergola, you need to book weeks, if not months, in advance.
• To book at some of the hottest popular “best Rome trattorias”, you should consider booking a few  days in advance. (By this I mean the ones blazing the pages of all the Rome food blogs and Instagram accounts.)
• If you are coming at a busy time, and have a specific restaurant where you really want to eat, book a couple of days in advance. By busy times, I don’t mean Christmas and Easter. I mean during really busy weekends, such as when 6-nations Rugby matches are in town (in February and March); when the BNL tennis tournaments are in Rome (mid-May); on Valentine’s Day; or when a major concert is on in Rome. 

So if you are coming on a weekend-break to Rome, consider if there is a special event or reason you are coming.

Chances are, thousands of others are coming too, so you should book in advance in Rome if you know where you want to eat.

Things you don’t need to book in advance in Rome 

When I say that for the below, you don't need to book in advance in Rome, I mean, you do not need to book at all.

Just show up.

Visiting Saint Peter’s Basilica (not the museums)

Visiting the Vatican usually entails seeing the Vatican Museums (for which I highly recommend booking in advance, see above), and visiting St. Peter's Basilica.

You can visit one and not the other, and you can also visit them on separate days.

St. Peter's Basilica is open 7 days a week, from 7 AM until 7 PM.

It's free, but you do have to go through security.

It's not possible to book tickets to this site, because there are none.

The Pope’s Sunday angelus

One of the best ways to see the Pope in Rome is to attend the Sunday Angelus.

Held (just about) every Sunday when the Pope is in Rome, this short greeting is free for everyone and does not require a ticket.

Just come to St. Peter's square around 11:30, and wait for the Pope to appear in the window above, and greet the crowd.

The Angelus starts at 12 noon and lasts about 15 minutes.

Forum/Palatine Hill

To visit the Roman Forum / Palatine Hill (it is considered one park even if there are several entrances), you do not need to book in advance.

You can buy this ticket even on the same day of your visit, as long as you do not also plan to visit the Colosseum.

If you want to visit the Colosseum normally, you now can to book online (i.e. in advance), but also at the two ticket offices near by.

(There is a new ticket office at the newest entrance to the Roman Forum, on via Foro Romano.)

You probably can get tickets even on the same day even in high season, as long as it's not for anything special like the arena, underground, or a night visit.

Most museums in Rome

Other than the Galleria Borghese, and Palazzo Farnese, you can count on being able to visit other Rome museums without booking ahead.

This includes (but is not limited to):

• Capitoline Museums
• Galleria Doria Pamphilj
• Ara Pacis
• Villa Torlonia

Things you should book in advance in Florence and Venice

While this page is about what to book in advance in Rome, while you're at it, you might as well book ahead for Florence and Venice too.

Here are just a couple of things you should book in advance in those cities:

What to book in advance in Florence

Without a doubt, you should book the Uffizi Gallery, Accademia (where Michelangelo's David is), and the Duomo (cathedral), especially if you want to climb to the top.

What to book in advance in Venice

You can visit the Doge's Palace in Venice on your own, but if you want to book the Secret Itineraries tour at the Doge's Palace, you need to book that in advance.

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