Rome City Pass Comparison
Your Definitive Guide

By Elyssa Bernard

November 11, 2022

Wondering which Rome city pass is the best one?

You want to skip the line, you want to save money. So which combo pass for Rome should you get?

Why would you want to wait in such a huge line to get into the Colosseum? You can skip the line - should you buy a Rome city pass to do it? If so, which one?

Rome City Pass Options

You want to skip the lines at Rome's top attractions? Who doesn't?

All of the combo passes you can buy for Rome are "skip-the-line", so that's not an issue.

Most come with maps, and the first four offer an additional discount of 10-20% off sites that you don't use for your free site.

So what is the difference between all the passes? 

What's included? What's not? Will you save money? Which one is best for YOU?

Let me help you break through the confusion about which Rome city pass you should get, and why. 

Rome Combo Passes for General Sight-Seeing

Here are the different kinds of Rome city passes, all of which offer skip-the-line access, and entry to at least the Colosseum.

Click each one to find out costs, what's included, and my assessment.

• Roma Pass
• Omnia Pass
• Rome Turbopass
  
• Best of Rome Pass

Below, you can also view a comparison chart across these Rome City Pass options.

Rome Combo passes for Transportation and Specific Focus

You may also be interested in these other Rome combo tickets that are more specific. I review them after the Rome city pass reviews.

Unlike the above passes, I do think these combo tickets are a really good value for what you pay, provided you use them well:

• Transportation Pass
• Colosseum/Palatine Hill/Roman Forum ticket
• National Rome Museum Pass
• Archeologia Card
• Appia Antica Card

Roma Pass

52€ for 3 days

Roma Pass - the most popular combo Rome city pass

The Roma Pass is probably the most popular of the Rome city passes.

Offered by the city of Rome, it allows skip-the-line access and unlimited bus/metro/tram transportation in Rome, for a 2-day or 3-day period.

If you choose the 2-day pass, you get one site of your choice included, and then you'll get a 10-20% discount off all the other sites associated with the pass. 

If you choose the 3-day pass, you get two sites of your choice included, then a 10-20% discount of all the other participating sites.

I have a whole page dedicated to the ins and outs of the Roma Pass, along with a pricing breakdown (in which I show you that it is not a money-saver but rather, a nice package that offers you that VIP feeling).

Roma Pass breakdown

Big plus - Skipping the line at the Colosseum

Big minus - You won't save money unless you are a turbo sight-seer

Bottom line - The Roma Pass is great if you like knowing that is will be easy to simply show up and skip the line. It's also useful that it comes with unlimited transportation, and a handy, well-designed map. Don't plan on it saving you money, but rather use it more for the convenience.

Book your train

Book your flight

Find a hotel

Buy your TurboPass

Omnia Pass

113€ for 3 days

The Omnia Pass is basically the Roma Pass (above) with Vatican stuff added on.

In addition to all the benefits you get with the Roma Pass, you will have skip-the-line access to the Vatican Museums (no tour, just entry).

You also get skip-the-line access to St. Peter's Basilica, which means you can visit it separately from the Vatican Museums.

I used to suggest taking the shortcut from the Sistine Chapel into the basilica as a way to save time waiting on line at the basilica. But this is no longer allowed. So, with this pass, you can just skip the line directly at the basilica, which means you can visit them on separate days, or visit the basilica first if you prefer.

Big plus - Skipping the line at the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, AND Saint Peter's Basilica

Big minus - It's pretty impossible for this pass to save you any money

Bottom line - The Omnia Pass is great if you are planning a typical 3-day visit to Rome, and want to see the two main tourist attractions, the Colosseum and Vatican Museums, without having to deal with long lines.

It also includes the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus which can be useful your first day in Rome to really get the lay of the land. Don't plan on it saving you money, but rather use it more for the convenience.

TurboPass

99.90€ for 3 days

The Turbo Pass is Rome City pass made by a German company. It seems they wanted to offer more flexible options for 2, 3 and 6-days.

All their passes include skip-the-line free entry to the Colosseum and to the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. They also all include free public transportation.

With a 3-day pass, you also get free entry to Castel Sant'Angelo. With a 6-day pass, you also get entry to Castel Sant'Angelo, the Galleria Borghese, and two sites on the Appian Way.

Big plusses - More things are included on this pass than any other

Big minus - There is no airport transfer

Bottom line - The Turbo Pass is a great choice if you need flexibility in the length of your stay, and you want to have all the sites plus public transportation covered.

It is actually similar to the Omnia Pass except that it offers 2- and 6-day versions.

Want to buy the pass? - Buy it here

Best of Rome Pass

75€ - no time limit

The Best of Rome pass is offered by another Dutch Tour company, Tiqets. Tiqets sells tours and entry tickets with a really easy to use interface and booking calendar. Also, your tickets come right to your mobile device, so you don't need to print anything. Their Rome City Pass is very basic.

It includes skip-the-line entry to the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, and St. Peter's Basilica.

Big plusses - Simple, easy to use and understand. Gets you into the top to tourist attractions in Rome

Big minus - A lot more expensive than just buying the Colosseum and Vatican Museums site tickets separately

Bottom line - The Best of Rome pass is perfect if you just want to purchase your skip-the-line tickets ahead of time, and know you've got that covered. It's also great if you don't have a lot of time in Rome, and so wouldn't really take advantage of a lot of discounts at other sites.

Want to buy the pass? - Buy it here

Targeted Rome City Pass Options

The below tickets are more specific passes you may find useful, depending on how long you will be in Rome, and your particular interests.

The first two are the most commonly used tickets/passes by visitors to Rome:

Rome ATAC Transportation Pass

18€ for a 3-day pass. Children under 10 ride free.

I love to see Rome on foot, both for the exercise and for all the things you can really only see on foot, like open doorways and hidden courtyards.

But walking around Rome can be exhausting, especially if you are doing a lot of intense sight-seeing.

You might also want use some form of transportation if you are staying outside the city center, have mobility issues, or have young children or elderly travellers with you.

The Rome ATAC bus/metro passes are super easy to use and easy to buy.

You can just pick one up anyplace you can buy bus/metro tickets, which includes newspaper kiosks or Tabbachi shops.

They metro, bus, and tram all use the same tickets and you may combine the systems. For example, you may decide to take the metro from Rome Termini station to the Vatican, and from there, take a bus towards Pantheon (where the Metro does not go).

• BIT ticket (one-time use) - A one-way metro ticket costs 1.50€. For this ticket, you are allowed to change train or bus once (same direction, not round-trip). It's valid for 100 minutes from the moment you validate it.
• Roma24  - A 24-hour pass costs 7€ pass and is valid for unlimited use for 24 hours from the moment you validate it. If you will use the bus/metro more than 4 times in one day, it would be worth getting this pass.
• Roma48 - A 48-hour pass costs 12.50€ and is valid for unlimited use for 48 hours from the moment you validate it. 
• Roma72 - A 3-day metro/bus pass costs 18€. It's good for unlimited bus/metro use around Rome for 72 hours from the moment you validate it.
• CIS ticket (7-day use) A 7-day pass costs 24€, and is good for unlimited travel on the buses and metro in Rome from and including the day you validate it, until midnight of the 7th day.
• For more information, visit ATAC , Rome's official public transportation portal. The site is really limited in English.
  

Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill Ticket

12€ for all 3 sites, 14€ if you prepay. 2 days

Did you know that if you buy a ticket to the Colosseum, it automatically includes entry to the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum?

Colosseum

Roman Forum

Palatine Hill

I think this is a real bargain, because you see so much for just one ticket price of 16€. 

• You have all day (24 hours) to use the ticket
• You get ONE entry to the Colosseum (no re-entry) and ONE entry to the Palatine Hill/Roman Forum - they are connected so it's considered one park.
• 16€ is the price for just showing up and buying a ticket, but you can buy tickets in advance (with a small surcharge) to skip the line.

Want to buy a Colosseum combo ticket? - Buy it here

The following passes are much more esoteric and may be more interesting if this is not your first time visiting Rome; if you have a lot of time to spend in Rome; and/or if you have a strong interest in Roman art/archeology.

Pantheon tickets

Colosseum tickets

National Rome Museum

12€ for all 4 museums - 7 days

The National Rome Museum (Museo Nazionale Romano) is actually a collection of 4 museums in various locations across Rome. The theme of the museums is mostly antiquities from the Roman Kingdom through the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire (around 5th century BCE - 3rd CE).

At one of the 4 National Rome Museums, Palazzo Massimo, you can see gorgeous Renaissance architecture, plus a stunning collection of sculptures and art from ancient Rome and Greece.

The four museums that comprise the Roman National Museums are:

Palazzo Altemps: This palazzo once belonged to various Roman noble families in the 1600's and 1700's. Here you can see two things - gorgeous Renaissance architecture, and one of the world's best collection of Greek and Roman statues from antiquity.

Palazzo Massimo: This stunning museum is one of my favorite in all of Rome. You will find a whole floor full of rooms and frescoes from the time of Augustus - in fact, they transported entire rooms from the House of Livia (Augustus' wife) to this museum. There are also wonderful examples of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures and mosaics. 

Baths of Diocletian (Terme di Diocliziano): The Baths of Diocletian were the largest thermal bath system in ancient Rome. Built by the emperor Diocletion in around the 2nd century CE, the structure eventually crumbled and we have very little left of what once was. Luckily for us, Michelangelo converted part of the ruins into one of the most stunning churches in Rome, Santa Maria degli Angeli (free to visit and not part of the museum). At a separate entrance around the side, you can visit the museum, which showcases the baths' structures and other Roman antiquities.

Crypta Balbi: At this museum you can see excellent examples of ancient Roman infrastructure and get a feel for city life in Rome 2000 years ago.

Cost and Rome city pass for the National Rome Museums - 1 adult full price entry is 12€. You can visit all 4 of them over a 7-day period. Reduced 4€ for anyone 18-25. Free for anyone 18 and under. Participates in the Free Sundays or other culture initiatives, and also participates in the Roma Pass. (This is a great pass if you have time and are into Roman antiquities.)

Bonus - These museums are almost NEVER crowded!

Want to purchase this ticket? - You can purchase the ticket directly at any of the participating museums, or you can prepay online and use an e-ticket.

Archeologia Card

25€ for 7 days

Since I am a big fan of ancient Rome stuff, I think the Archeologia Card is an excellent bargain.

With the archeologia card, you can visit the best of Rome's ancient sites, like the fabulous baths of Caracalla.

For 25€, you get entry to the Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill (16€), all the sites of the National Roman Museum (12€, above), the Caracalla Baths (8€), and two of the most important sites on the Appia Antica, the Villa dei Quintili and the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella. 

Visiting the Appian Way in Rome, you can visit the tomb of a noblewoman from ancient Rome, Cecilia. This is included with the 25€ archeologia card.

And, you have 7 days to use it. So this is a fantastic deal if you have time and interest to see all these sites from Ancient Rome.

If you visit even 3 of these sites, you will have gotten your money's worth. This is one of the few passes on this page that can offer you a true bargain.

Cost and where to buy Rome city Pass for Ancient Rome sites - For anyone 18-25, the cost is 15€. For everyone under 18, you don't need this Rome city pass as the sites on it are all free. 

Want to purchase this ticket? - You can buy the Archaeologia Card at the Colosseum ticket offices, the Caracalla Baths, and at all of the museums of the National Rome Museum.

Appia Antica Card

10€ for a year unlimited access

The Appia Antica is a really special part of Rome, and worth visiting just for the expanse of quiet, wild green space.

Visiting the Appia Antica, or Old Appian Way, is a lovely thing to do in Rome if you have time to enjoy it.

But it's also full of ancient Roman ruins. 

One of the most impressive ancient sites along the Appia Antica is the Villa dei Quintilli.

You can just walk along and see them from the outside, or, you can go inside. If you have time, and are an ancient Rome buff, the Appia Antica card might be worthwhile.

For 5€, you can visit both the Quintili Villa and the Tomb of Cecilia Metella. You get one entrance to each site over a 2-day period (although you can easily see them both in one day).

For 10€, you get buy an Appia Antica card - which gives you unlimited access to these sites, plus a third one, Santa Maria Nova, for a whole year!

These sites are already so affordable, but if you really want a Rome city pass that gives you lots of access to the ancient stuff, this is a good bargain.

Want to purchase this ticket? - You can buy it at either of the sites listed.

Rome City Pass Breakdown - A Comparison Chart

Some of the passes have options for 1, 2, 3, or 6 days. Some have different prices for adults and children.

For the sake of simplicity, the below chart will show you the different options across the various Rome City Passes, for 3 days in Rome, for 1 adult. Remember, all of these passes offer skip-the-line:

Rome City Pass Comparison - The Bottom Line

Let me repeat: these passes will not save you money.

On the contrary, you will probably spend more on the pass that it would cost you to pay for each activity separately.

Having some version of a Rome city pass is about convenience, and that VIP feeling.

They can be useful if you really will take advantage of them, and visit a LOT of museums in the time you have.

Some things you need to pay attention to:

• When a Rome city pass description says it includes "Skip the line access to the Colosseum", you will automatically get entrance to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. So if you see those listed separately on a "what's included" description for a given pass, just know it's a way to make you think you are getting a lot for your money.
• When a Rome city pass description says it includes "Skip the line access to the Vatican Museums", right there you will have skip the line access to the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is PART of the Vatican Museums. Same is true of the Vatican Pinacoteca, Maps Room and Raphael rooms. They do not need to be listed as separate entities. 
• When a Rome city pass description says it includes "Skip the line to Saint Peter's Basilica", that IS a plus. It's FREE to enter the basilica, but if you want to just go inside, without visiting the Vatican Museums, you will find yourself in a very long line. This is pretty much always the case (except 7am when it opens). Also, with this option, you can visit St. Peter's basilica when you want to, and not necessarily tie it into a visit to the Vatican Museums.
• When a Rome city pass description says it includes public transportation, you should really think about how much you will use this. Most people find they walk a lot in Rome, just because it's easy and so pleasant. If you take ONE bus or metro ride, it costs 1.50€. A 3-day pass is 18€. So you need to use 6€ worth of public transportation per day, or take at least 4 rides to break even. You need to do the math and figure out if you will really use Rome's transportation system enough to make it worth getting a pass.

If I were to buy a Rome city pass

What I would do (remember I live in Rome, so all this is easy for me):

• I find it easy to book individual things and skip the line. So, if it were me, I would not buy any of the Rome City Passes.
• I WOULD buy the transportation pass if I was not staying in the center. On the other hand, I always like to stay in the center of any place I am visiting. I don't want to waste time moving in and out of where the sites are.
• I would also get the 16€ Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill ticket, which you are going to get with any of these passes anyway.
• And I'd get the 12€ National Rome Museum pass, because it's a superb collection of museums. Even just one of them is worth the 12€.

If you want to buy a Rome City Pass, I recommend...

I know the Rome city passes are popular, and I think it's because it's convenient and feels easy. There is no one perfect Rome combo pass.

So, if you are going to get a Rome city pass, and you are still not sure which pass to get after reading the above, you will need to decide if it's important to you to have:

• City transportation included or not
• Airport transfer included or not
• Access to the Vatican Museums or not

Remember none of the passes are there to save you money. So look at the cost, and the time you have in Rome, and think about if you will be able to use whichever Rome city pass you get to its fullest and at least get your money's worth.

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