Roma pass
 

If we get this pass- do we still need to stand in line at the various places? and what is the basic difference bwtn the roma and the roma/piu pass?

thanks!

Standing in line is generally to buy tickets, not to gain admission once a ticket is purchased. So it is unlikely you would stand in line.

However, with the Roma pass, I believe you will still experience the usual constraints at the Villa Borghese.

The Roma & Piu Pass covers a few more buses and regional trains. Not worth it if you are staying in central Rome for the three days. When the Piu pass started it was supposed to cover transport from the airport into Rome. It now states that it's not included.

Roma Pass Transport
Free admission to ATAC urban buses and trans, Underground lines A and B, Met.Ro trains: Roma - Lido, Roma - Viterbo (in the Roma - Sacrofano section), Roma - Pantano railways lines.

Roma&Più Pass Transport
Free admissionto ATAC urban buses and trans, Underground lines A and B, Met.Ro trains, extra-urban coaches Cotral and regional railways Trenitalia - 2nd class (except servizio metropolitano FR1 FCO aeroport to Rome, special connections Leonardo Express and and local urban services though carried out by Cotral).

Yes, you need to stand in line.

The pass does not provide admission by itself, you still need a ticket.

At the Borghese, we had to wait in in line to get our tickets (we did have advance reservations too), but did not pay because it was the first use of our pass.

At Ostia Antica, we waited in line and again, did not pay because it was the second use of the pass.

At the Castel sant Angelo we had to wait in line and paid the discounted rate for the ticket (4.50 instead of 7 euro).

At the Coloseum, I think there may have been a separate line, but we still had to wait in a long security line.

The Roma pass offers a couple of 'free' entries, then discounts on any additional sites' entries.

We used ours for the Colosseum - we bypassed a tremendously long line waiting for tickets, did go through a brief line for a security/bag scan, then right in. Most DEFINITELY worth the pass. We used it for free entry into the Baths of Caracalla, but no lines there anyway. Otherwise, we used it for the buses for 4 days.

If you use the pass on the buses- I assume you still stamp it like a regular bus pass? are there any busses or metro trains it is not good for?

Mikki

When you use the transit passes, you validate it the first time you use it. It's then good for 3 days on busses and metro. You won't need to validate it again on busses, but you may be asked to show it and have the validation checked.

There is also a 7 day pass available in Rome; it gives access to 20 "archaeological" sites -- Colosseum, Palatine but also Palazzo Altemps (not sure how archaeological THAT is), Trajan's market, etc etc. May even include the Capitoline Museums.

What it does NOT include is transport.

We saw it on sale at Palazzo Altemps, alongside the RomaPass.

For those who do not need buses or metro, this is an interesting alternative. As it is for those who, like us, were in town for the entire week.

Does the Roma pass include admission or discount to the Vatican and it's museums, etc?

The Roma Pass sounds like a great deal, if only for the transportation or museums alone. Is there a "catch" to it? We will be in Rome for 4 days, one of which is our arrival day from the U.S., so it should be perfect. I was hoping to order it online and pick it up in Rome. I am assuming you would still make reservations for the places where you need them(Borghese), but then could use the pass for the tickets.

The Vatican is an independent city-state within the city of Rome.

The Roma Pass does *not* include free admission or a discount for the Vatican Museums.

Is there a weekly pass for transportation only?

Yes, there are weekly passes:

CIS – Integrated Weekly Ticket
>How much does it cost?
€ 16.00
>How long does it last?
For 7 days from the date indicated by the ticket holder and for an unrestricted number of journeys.
>Where can I buy it?
- ticket offices and shops
>Where can I use it?
On public transport within Rome:
- on buses, trams, trolleybuses and Cotral coaches
- on the metro lines A and B
- on Met.Ro regional trains: Rome–Lido, Rome–Viterbo, Rome–Pantano
- on Trenitalia regional trains (travelling second class)

There is also a regional Lazio pass if you plan to travel further outside or Rome.

Thanks, kybourbon! We'll be in Rome for 10 days in July so that's something I'll look into.

We purchased our Roma Pass online with the pick up at FCO arrivals. I will report back on how that works out.

Marija, Do consider it carefully before you buy the weekly transportation pass. If you're staying anywhere central, you may use it much less than you think. Individual tickets are only 1 Euro or, if you have a particularly wide ranging day planned, daily passes are 4 Euro. I've never used more than six individual tickets in a week in Rome; I buy them all at the same time at a tabacchi.

Thanks, Zerlina. I'll see how much we use the buses before buying a pass. Thanks also for the info on single day passes.

Pros and Cons of the Roma and Archeological passes...

Roma Pass is good for 3 days from the time you first use it. It allows you free access to 2 of its dozens of sites and discounts on all others. The discounts can vary from 10-50% off of the listed admission price. It also provides a 3 day unlimited use on the local bus/metro system and, if I remember correctly, one access to a suburban train. This does not include the Leonardo Express.

Archeo pass allows for 1 free access into each of its listed sites, about a dozen, over the course of its 7 day life from the time you first use it. It does not provide access to any transportation.

Whether you are in the center of Rome or not, having access to the buses and subways is a good idea. Whether it is bad weather, you get tired or you just want to ride, it can work out great. The cost of the Roma Pass pays for itself with the transportation access and if you use it to get into the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine area.

The negative is that if you don't use the metro system, then it isn't such a great deal. For me, I prefer to have the travel tickets in advance, so I can just hop on a bus if I want.

I do not feel that the Archeological Card is a good deal, unless you intend to visit almost all of their listed sites.

Vatican Museum is totally separate and has nothing to do with the other. The Borghese requires a reservation, but is part of the Roma Pass.

At the Colosseum, the giant line you see is for purchasing a ticket. If you have the pass, instead of standing in the line, go to the outside of the big line and walk up to the security area. It does not take long to go through this. Colosseum/Palatine/Roman Forum are all part of the same ticket access, so going into these 3 is considered one admission.

In most other places, the lines are not very long. We have found in many instances that the ticket checkers don't care and will just let you in with the Roma Pass, even if you have already used up your 2 free visits. It seems that the computer system fails alot.

Hope that helps

dave

Thanks Daveesl. That's exactly what I wanted to know. I think I will purchase the pass online and pick it up at the airport.