Rome City Pass Comparison
Your Definitive Guide

By Elyssa Bernard

August 15, 2o23

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
  
• Rome Super Pass

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
• Appia Antica Card

Roma Pass

32€ for 2 days - 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.

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Omnia Pass

129€ 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).

And as long as you take the shortcut from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's Basilica, you will skip the (security) line for the basilica as well.

Big plus - Skipping the line at the Colosseum, and Vatican Museums

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

110.90€ 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 1,2, 3, 4 and 7-days.

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

All passes include free entry to Castel Sant'Angelo. 

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

Big minus - There is not an included airport transfer but there is optional add on

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.

Want to buy the pass? - Buy it here

Rome Super Pass

105.90€ - valid for 3 consecutive days

The Rome Super Pass is offered by another 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 and the Vatican Museums.

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 Rome Super 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 but you can use Google translate.
  

Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill Ticket

18€ for all 3 sites for 24 hours

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 18€. 

• 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.

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

14€ 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 14€. You can visit all 4 of them over a 7-day period. Reduced 10€ 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.

Appia Antica Card

17€ 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 17€, you get to buy an Appia Antica card - which gives you unlimited access to the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella, Villa dei Quintili, Santa Maria Nova, Antiquarium of Lucrezia Romana, Complex of Capo di Bove, and Tombs of the Via Latina.

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 any of the sites listed.

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