All Articles Our guide to Rome city passes

Our guide to Rome city passes

Here's what to choose to save the most time and money on your next visit.

By Diego Ortiz18 Aug 2022 5 minutes read
A street in Rome, Italy.
Rome, Italy.
Image: Kamil Klyta/Unsplash

Rome is brimming with world-famous monuments, museums, and churches that charm thousands of visitors every day. With all the must-sees around the city, exploring the Italian capital is always a delight—but it doesn’t have to be expensive if you know where to look for the best deals.

Both the local government and tour operators offer convenient city passes that will let you enjoy Rome to the fullest and save you both time and money. Most include sightseeing tours, access to public transportation, as well as fast-track entry and discounts on tickets to attractions like the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums.

This guide will help you understand the wide range of Rome city passes available and pick the one that works best for you.

Roma Pass

Best for: Visitors relying on public transportation to get around

The Roma Pass was developed by the local government and is the only city pass that gives total access to Rome’s entire network of trains, trams, and buses. A 72-hour pass is 52 euro ($56). (Note that a 48-hour pass is sometimes offered as well for 32 euro/$34.50.)

Woman waiting for a tram in Rome, Italy.
Tram in Rome.
Image: Serena Repice Lentini/Unsplash

The pass also gives you admission to two Rome attractions of your choice. A few top options are the Borghese Gallery and the archaeological site comprising the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. In some cases, you may be advised or required to book your tickets in advance, either for free or by paying a 1 euro fee.

Discounts for dozens of attractions throughout the city are available through the Roma Pass, too. It’ll also grant you free access to P.Stop restrooms spread across the capital, which extra bonus since public restrooms in Italy typically charge a fee.

Though extremely time-saving, the Roma Pass won’t save you a lot of money, unless you use public transportation many times a day and cram in as many of the main sights as possible. And bear in mind that the most popular attractions are likely to be sold out if you’re visiting during peak season.

Where to buy your pass: You can purchase your pass online up to 24 hours before arrival, but you’ll need to collect it at one of six strategic locations, including Fiumicino Airport and Termini railway station.

Omnia Card

Best for: Exploring the Vatican

The Omnia Card is offered by the Diocese of Rome and as such focuses on attractions located within the Vatican or otherwise managed by the Holy See. It will cover your tickets to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, the Mamertine Prison, and the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, as well as give you access to ride a dedicated hop-on/hop-off bus.

Vatican City.
Vatican City.
Image: Arnold Straub/Unsplash

There are two options: a 24-hour (69 euro/$74) pass and a 72-hour (129 euro/$139) pass. While the first one allows you to also select one out of five Roman catacombs to visit, the 72-hour pass includes a Roma Pass and comes with a multilingual audio guide of St. Peter’s Basilica.

One of Omnia Card’s major advantages is its cancelation policy: should your plans change, you’ll be able to cancel your purchase up to a day before traveling to Rome.

Where to buy your pass: Tickets to single attractions can be bought online or via the Omnia app. The Omnia Card itself has to be collected at one of four offices across Rome; one of them is right outside the Vatican.

Rome Turbopass

Best for: Those staying for more than three days

The Rome Turbopass is available for one to seven days and is priced between 106 euro ($116) and 161 euro ($173). For an additional 13 euro ($14), you’ll get a round-trip transfer to Fiumicino Airport. You can purchase a public transport add-on with your pass as well.

Castel Sant'Angelo aka Mausoleo di Adriano aka Engelsburg at Lungotevere Castello.
Castel Sant'Angelo aka Mausoleo di Adriano aka Engelsburg at Lungotevere Castello.
Image: Clemens van Lay/Unsplash

With the Turbopass, you’ll get free entry to the Mausoleum of Hadrian, the Baths of Caracalla, and a few other attractions, plus skip-the-line tickets to the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and the National Roman Museum.

An open-top bus, complete with a city audio guide in multiple languages, serves all pass holders.

Overall, the Rome Turbopass gives you more bang for your buck. But if you’re in Rome for only a couple of days, more affordable alternatives like the Roma Pass will suit you better. Plus, tickets to the Colosseum should be booked in advance as they sell out pretty fast.

Where to buy your pass: The Turbopass can be bought online between six months and 24 hours in advance and will be sent to your email alongside all the tickets you’ll need. But if you choose the public transport add-on, you’ll have to head to Termini station to pick it up.

Go City Explorer Pass

Best for: Discovering Roman sites and cuisine

Go City’s Rome pass is hard to beat in terms of convenience because you'll find all your tickets within one single app. You’ll get to pick between two to seven attractions for 79 euro ($85) to 199 euro ($214).

Classics like the Colosseum (complete with an audio tour), the Vatican Museums, and a one-day tour on a hop-on/hop-off bus are available, and so are more exclusive activities like a rooftop pizza dinner and a wine tasting with a certified sommelier. You can opt for a guided tour of St. Peter's Basilica, too, which isn’t always offered by other passes.

Go City sells similar passes for 29 other cities around the world and is known for its flexible and user-friendly passes. While the Rome pass has almost 30 experiences to choose from, you’ll only get to ride their dedicated open-top bus if you select that as one of your activities. This can be an advantage for visitors who want to get around the city by alternative means, but those looking for a more comprehensive pass should try other options.

Where to buy your pass: Download the app and book all your tickets online.

Rome Tourist Card

Best for: A flexible itinerary

The Rome Tourist Card is another totally digital Rome city pass. For 116 euro ($125), you’ll be able to choose from three categories of tours for the some of the most popular attractions in the city and also receive an audio guide app for Rome.

The first category provides one of six options to see the Colosseum and all the sights within the Roman Forum with skip.

Then, you'll be able to choose between tour options for the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel or St. Peter's Basilica.

Finally, you'll have a choice between entrance to either the Pantheon, Castel Sant'Angelo, or an airport transfer and a 72-hour public transport card.

This pass is perfect for visitors who don’t want to settle on a strict itinerary and would rather avoid collecting actual vouchers. On the other hand, it’s less affordable than similar passes and doesn’t only includes transportation costs if you choose that option instead of an attraction entrance.

Where to buy your pass: Make your purchase online. You’ll be able to schedule your tickets with no time restrictions. In addition to what’s included in the package, you’ll get 10% off the tickets to other attractions in the city.

Tours and experiences in Rome

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Diego Ortiz
Diego Ortiz majored in International Relations, but his love of travel and languages has led him to write mostly about that. Whenever he’s off work, you’ll find him cycling around town, catching up on political news (and gossip), or counting the days until the next Rio Carnival.