Rome discounts

Cumulative admission tickets and sightseeing discounts in Rome, Italy

Rome has so many overlapping (and territorial) agencies overseeing its vast array of sights that it has only recently been able to coordinate a single city-wide admission pass—and even that one has caveats.

My advice: Work out your sightseeing schedule so that you can hit as many sights as possible in three days—including at least two expensive sights you'll be getting for free—and the Roma Pass will be worth its weight in gold for the discounts on other sights plus the public transport freebies.

Roma Pass–Good Deal

The Omnia Roma Pass (www.romapass.it) is a card that can—if used wisely—reduce the cost of visiting Rome's A-list sights.

It's a bit complicated, but in brief: There are two versions.

• The Roma Pass costs €36 and lasts 3 days.
• The Roma Pass 48 hours costs €28, lasts 2 days, and doesn't cover some sights outside the city center.

Either pass gets you:

• Unlimited rides on all public buses and the Metro (an €18 value in of itself—note this does not cover the airport train).
• Free admission into the first TWO sights you visit from a list of 41 museums, sights, and archeological areas—nearly everything in Rome except, unfortunately, the Vatican Museums.
• Discounted admission to all other sights: After your first two freebies—which, unfortunately, have to be the first two you visit, so plan your sightseeing accordingly to ensure you hit two of the priciest sights immediately—you get a varying amount of discount (anywhere from 17% to 50%) on entry to all other sights on the list.
• Discounts on cultural events (theater, art shows, opera, dance, music).
• Sightseeing bus tours.
• Sightseing guidebook.

Is the Roma Pass worth it?

• Coverage: Pretty impressive, covering 41 sights and nearly everything in Rome save the Vatican, plus all public transport. The downside is that there's no way to pack all of that sightseeing into three days.
• Savings: Since the public transportation function is already worth €16.50 (how much a three-day transport-only ticket costs), the sightseeing portion of pass really costs €19.50.
• Upshot: The Roma Pass card will pan out if you use it simply to get free entry to the Forum/Colosseum/Palatine Hill (which itself already costs €12) and one other major sight—perhaps the Capitoline Museums (€7.50), Galleria Borghese (€8.50), or Museo Nazionale Romano (€7–€10). After that, the discounts at further sights will just be gravy.
• Where to get it: In advance through Context Travel, or once in Rome at any participating museum, Rome tourist info point, major Metro stations, or www.romapass.it.

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Museo Nazionale Romano Cumulative Ticket—Great Deal

The Museo Nazionale Romano sells a single admission card good for three days at all four branches. At a mere €7–€10 (the higher amoutn whenever any venue is holding a special exhibition—which, frankly, is often), it's possibly the best sightseeing value in Rome.

• Coverage: It covers the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Palazzo Altemps, the Baths of Diocletian, and the Crypta Balbi. (The museo's fifth branch, the Aula Ottagona, is already free, though rarely open).
• Savings: Technically none, since you can't buy single admissions to these sights individually. Still, it's a good deal.
• Upshot: Only buy this if, for some reason, you do not plan to use this for one of your Roma Pass sights.
• Where to get it: Any participating museum or from www.coopculture.it.

Archaeologia Card—Bad Deal

This €23 archeological card is good for seven days and covers three groupings of ancient sights: the Downtown Ancient Rome group (Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and the Palatine Hill; normally €12), the Museo Nazionale Romano group (Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Palazzo Altemps, Baths of Diocletian, Crypta Balbi, Aula Ottagona; normally €7–€10, depending on whether a special exhibit is up at any venue), and the Appian Way group (Baths of Caracalla, Tomb of Cecilia Metella, Villa of the Quintili; normally €6).

You can book one ahead of time and pick it up at the Colosseum. For more info, visit the booking site www.coopculture.it.

• Coverage: It covers the most impressive, A-List archeological sites (Roman Forum, Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Baths of Caracalla) and one of the city's best museum networks covering ancient Rome (the various branches of the Museo Nazionale Romano).
• Savings: Minimal—a measly €2–€5. This card was, actually, a great deal for years—until the Forum joined the Colosseum and Palatine Hill on a single admission of €12 (used to be €18 combined) and collectively also joined the Roma Pass (which did not, at the time, cover these major sights, though it now does). Now, you'd have to visit practically everything covered by this card to accrue any savings—and they'd still be miniscule. Individual admissions to the biggest sights—all of which are already cumulative tickets—total €25–€28. Net savings with the pass: a mere €2–€5.
• Upshot: Don't bother—since you'd be far better served getting Forum/Colosseum/Palatine covered by the Roma Pass, then paying for the other two groups covered by this pass individually (or rather, using their existing group tickets).
• Where to get it: Any participating museum or from www.coopculture.it.

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