Lnwyd

There seem to be a lot of passes and it is not clear what makes the most sense. We will be in Rome for 2 weeks. We will NOT be cramming all the sights into 3 days and the Roma pass (34 euros) only seem to have a 3-day option. Are there other choices? Does it make sense to buy 2 passes and use them on different time frames? Your thoughts?

Is there a pass for the Vatican? Is it worth it? (I realize that Vatican is technically a separate country.)

Anyway, there are two of us (ages 62 and 80).

Thanks for your help.

adrienne

You can buy Vatican tickets ahead on the Vatican web site. I don't know of any pass but an advanced purchase ticket works the same way as a pass in that you don't need to stand on line to buy tickets.

bvlenci

There is a pass that includes the Vatican Museums and also a Roma Pass, but it's still for only three days and is horrendously overpriced. It just means one more thing you have to pack into the three days.

The Roma Pass can save you money if you'll be visiting two of the more expensive museums or archaeological sites during the three days and also using public transporation a lot. It gives you two free entrances and a discounted rate on any other visits you make during the three days. Here is a list of the covered sites, with their full and reduced prices:

http://www.romapass.it/doc/sitiAdere...lietti_eng.pdf

The sites that say "combined ticket" mean that all of the listed sites count as a single entry for the purposes of the Roma Pass, but you still have to visit them all within the three days of the pass validity.

If you visit three or more sites within the three days, you might save money even if you aren't a heavy user of public transportation.

Many of Rome's best museums are very inexpensive, so really you can see a lot of great art cheaply in Rome without a pass. The only other pass that might be of use is the Archaeologia Card. It's good for seven days, and costs 23 euros if you buy it onsite (which is the best thing to do). It covers the Colosseum; the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill site; the four sites of the National Roman Museum (Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Museum of the Baths of Diocletian, Crypta Balbi, and Palazzo Altemps); and the three sites on the Appia Antica combined ticket (Baths of Caracalla, Villa of the Quintili, and the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella). All of these have their own separate combined tickets, whose prices you can see on the first link I gave. The combined price for all three combined tickets is 29 euros, so the savings with the Archaeologia Card are not great, and I wouldn't get it if you weren't going to visit most of the sites it covers. It doesn't cover transportation at all.

There are other combined tickets that might interest you. The best bargain in Rome is probably the combined ticket to the Barberini Gallery and the Corsini Gallery for €9, good for three days. The National Museum of Rome combined ticket for €10, also good for three days and four museums would be a close contender; the real star of that combination is Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, with one of the worlds great collections of ancient art.

bvlenci

If you'll be spending a week in Rome, you might consider getting the weekly CIS transportation pass, unless you end up getting the Roma Pass. This is good for seven calendar days and costs 24 euros. A single ticket costs €1.50 and is good for 100 minutes, including transfers, but with only one metro system entrance. It can also be used on urban trains, such as the line that goes to Ostia. It would break even at 16 trips, or slightly more than two trips a day. The three-day passes (€16.50) break even at 11 trips, which is more than most people would make in three days.

Also, there is a certain convenience factor to having the Roma Pass, even if you don't get a great financial value from it. It allows you to bypass ticket lines, especially the one at the Colosseum. If you want to go to the Colosseum, but don't want to get the Roma Pass, you should buy your ticket at the Roman Forum or Palatine Hill entrance, or else buy the ticket online at http://www.coopculture.it/en/ticket_office.cfm .

snowgirls

We bought the Vatican museum pass and it was great- no long waiting in line at all. Bought it from their web site. The site "Ron in Rome" is great one for information on this and other sites. His web site even has a picture of what line to stand in when you have your voucher- invaluable.

adrienne

snowgirls - do you have a link for the Vatican pass and what does it include? I could only find information for tickets, not passes. Thanks!

Lnwyd

Thanks all. You are helping sort out all the confusion.

bvlenci

You can buy tickets or tours directly from the Vatican Museums here:

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html

If you're going in high season, you should absolutely buy the tickets in advance to avoid standing in horrendously long lines. I should also warn you that in summer, it's extremely crowded and hot inside. I went once in August many years ago, and nothing would make me do that again. I also wouldn't dream of going on the free Sunday, or on any Saturday, even in low season. The best time to go is on a midweek afternoon in February.

If you're taking an 80-year-old there, you should consider reserving a wheelchair, even if the person doesn't ordinarily use one. There is a very long walk in a very crowded corridor to get to the Sistine Chapel. Here is the information for wheelchair reservation:

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-In...o_Servizi.html

However, because of the crowding and the heat, I would be reluctant to take an elderly person or a small child there at all.

Lnwyd

@bvlenci--I went back and reread your comments. We printed the Roma Pass list and analyzed what seems most interesting. The heads up about the combined tickets for the MNR and the Palazzi Barberini and Corsini was particularly helpful. So much to do, so little time... and the 3-day limitation makes things difficult. Wish they had a 5 or 7 day Roma Pass; that'd be worth 50-70 euros as long as it included public transportation. Grazie!

kybourbon

Buy two Roma passes then. That would cover 6 days.