Colosseum Advice!

Bump.

Also, another question... Do I need to still somehow resserve a time for the Colosseum? My impression was that with the Roma Pass, you could go in at any time?

If you are just using the pass for the discount you will go through the regular ticket lines. You only bypass the lines when getting free admission so using the pass for discounted entry doesn't allow you to use the special line. Just follow the signs for purchasing entry tickets. I would just get there a few minutes before 9. The line may be long but an hour wait is an hour wait and the ticket line may not be that long.

Is there any way you can rearrange your days to use the pass for free entry to the colosseum? This is one of the few sites in Rome that will have a really long line. If not, the other thing you can try is to go to the forum entry and get your reduced ticket there. If you do that you can bypass the long ticket line at the colosseum and go through the line for those with tickets.

The romapass has not changed its terms in when it can be used. You can go at any time as of right now.

Donna

Thank you for the reply! We decided to just buy a combo ticket and forego the Roma Pass. We’ll get a Metro Pass for the week instead. I do have a question in regards to the combo ticket... the system would not let me select any option other than to pick up the tickets at the box office. I do have the voucher email and it is instructed that I bring that to the ticket office. I still get in the already have tickets line right?

Yes, your voucher allows you to bypass the long ticket lines. You'll still go through the security line, which can get backed up, but you won't wait in the regular ticket lines.

donna

I was planning to be there when it opens to hopefully beat some of the
tour rush but I know the Rome Rick Steves book does indicate it gets
pretty crowded first thing in the morning

We decided to just buy a combo ticket and forego the Roma Pass.

What sort of "combo ticket" did you purchase? If it's just an "open" ticket, you will not be able to enter the Colosseum before 2:00 PM. To visit in the morning, you would have needed to purchase a "scheduled- entry" ticket for a specific morning time slot on a specific day. Is that what you bought?

I got a timed ticket with the audio video guide for 8:30 am. The tickets without the audio guide or video guide were all gone for timed entry. I did see that about the open ticket.

I don't know how good the audio guides are, but IMHO, the colloseum is best experienced with guide you can interact with. Spend a few dollars and get a guided tour. When I went last year, I think I got something for $65 a person for something that included the colloseum , the palatine hills, and the roman fora. Totally worth it. I'm sure the pre-canned audio guides will deliver a consistent experience that will cover the bits that will make it into the history books, but I don't they will do justice to the wonder that is the Colloseum (and the adjacent sites).

Plus, no audio guide will be able to tell you that if you stand at spot X, you can get the shade of the trees, while still take in sights Y and Z! And believe me, it will be hot.

I've been to the UK as well. And while there is no shortage of history and pomp in the UK - particularly in London, the blast of history you will get from Rome will knock any comparisons to to London off its feet (yes, I know that makes no grammatical sense, but this is the best I could do on short notice). If this is a once in a lifetime trip, get the best out of this by getting a guided tour.

For the Vatican - I don't know how much you'll get out of multiple tours. The most important aspect of any Vatican tour will be the time of day. Anything after 8AM probably means shoulder to shoulder crowds. IIRC, our tour started at 7:30 AM, we went through the Sistine chapel, and looped around an hour later. By then, it was so crowded, I couldn't take pictures. St Peters was insanely crowded at 9AM and while it is big enough that one can freely walk around there, I wasn't motivated to take any pictures then. I came in two days later at 6:30AM and pretty much had the church to myself (I exaggerate - there were a hundred or so folks there, but that is a small / tiny crowd for St. Peters).

[Edited to add] Re-read your request - and I see that you talk about the gardens and the Scavi. haven't been there, so I have no clue about the crowds there. I also see your question about how early to stand in line. Not sure about that - but the doors open at 7:30 AM (or something like that). But the line was already 500+ people long by then. I see now from the public website that the hours state 9AM, but I know the tour I was in started at 7:30AM. Not sure if the hours have changed, or if the published hours have no bearing on when the tour groups can get in.

I got a timed ticket with the audio video guide for 8:30 am

OK, very good to know that you got tickets that'll get you in at the time of day you wanted to go, and when it's a little cooler than it'll be during the afternoon. :O)

I also see your question about how early to stand in line
(VaticanMuseums). Not sure about that - but the doors open at 7:30 AM
(or something like that). But the line was already 500+ people long by
then. I see now from the public website that the hours state 9AM, but
I know the tour I was in started at 7:30AM. Not sure if the hours have
changed, or if the published hours have no bearing on when the tour
groups can get in.

Marvin, there are early-access tours which enter the museums before opening to the general public & later tours at 9:00. If your tour started at 7:30, you'd booked one of those.

and I see that you talk about the gardens and the Scavi. haven't been
there, so I have no clue about the crowds there.

The scavi tour/area will not be busy as tickets are very limited (only 250 per day) and must be ordered well in advance. The groups are small, and no children under 15 allowed. The gardens are also accessible only by tour so no worries about crowds there either.

Personally, I think it's up to the individual to decide if they prefer and audio guide or a guided tour. For me, I prefer an audio guide because I like to go at my own pace and skip the things I'm not really interested in. The official audio/video guides are very good and give great information.

Plus, no audio guide will be able to tell you that if you stand at spot X, you can get the shade of the trees, while still take in sights Y and Z! And believe me, it will be hot.

I'm sure most people will be able to figure out that they can stand in the nearby shade and still see what the audio guides are referring to. You really don't need to pay 65 or more euros for that bit of knowledge.

The basilica opens at 7am and usually there is little to no line to get in at that time. If you go after 8:30 you will find a line.

For the Vatican gardens, you must take a tour to see them. There is a bus tour as well as a walking tour. Your tour ticket allows you to skip the long ticket lines outside. Your tour ticket also give you access to the museums after the gardens tour. Be aware the museums are always crowded. Unless you book an early hours tour you will find the museums are usually wall to wall with people in the most popular galleries.

As for the scavi tour under the basilica, that books up months in advance. The capacity is very limited because of the fragility of the site as well as the small areas involved. If you don't have reservations for it by now I'm afraid you probably won't get on it.

Donna

Scavi Tour was booked in March so we’re all good there. Garden Tour has also been reserved. We’re doing the longer walking tour. Our Vatican Museum/Basilica Tour starts at 8:30. That was the earliest English tour available for that particular combination. And I have tickets for just a timed entry in the mid afternoon for the museums a few days after it just for a repeat of anything we want to see, so hopefully even if we have to combat crowds on one or both of those days, overall it will be ok. We’ll have to opportunity to see the Basilica again on our own too, early in the morning before we leave Rome.

And thank you for the advice on the Colosseum, Donna & Kathy! Marvin, I am sure a tour would be lovely, I believe you, but given everything else we are doing/paying for, we just decided it was one tour we could foregoe in favor of the audio guide. You have made me very excited to ‘see’ the history of it all though. :) And we’ll have the Rick audio downloaded for the Forum. I think/hope it’ll work out ok.

I just feel much better overall now having the timed ticket. That was what I was most worried about with the Roma Pass since it was unclear if just using the discount would get you into the reserved line, but Donna cleared that one up. I think having the Metro Pass and paying for the various things will work better for cost and for the order in which we are doing things.