Domus Aurea ticket purchase strategy - can it really be this hard?

The resellers will sell tickets way further out.

Re-sellers have no way to get ticket before you and me, they are just selling a commitment to buy. Since they use bots who check the Coopculture site, they are quite good at securing as many tickets as they need.

But they’re selling Italian tour tickets for those days.

The site is open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The official site is selling Italian and not English tour tickets on the red days because the English tours are sold out on those days whereas the Italian tours aren't.

Through Eternity is expensive but they add in a little bit of time with their own guide

Since only archaeologists and official guides are allowed to enter the Domus Aurea, Eternity is justifying its prices making you listen to a 5 minutes introduction outside the entrance.

Could there be some new entity, buying up all the tickets?

It's just people. The site is open only to groups and only 3 days a week.

Incidentally, there are tickets available for all the English tours on next Friday; there are other tickets left for English tours on September 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 and October 1. They are sold out at the end of the September, but it doesn't seem they are mostly gone the all month. For now I see no reason to pay a re-seller's fee to monitor the site in your place.

Thanks, Dario! I was hoping you would weigh in!

I’ll sit tight for a bit and keep an eye on it. It seems funny that so many days went “red” over the weekend but maybe Rome is just going to be busy in October.

There’s only one single ticket available for Friday the 16th - for the entire day - on the CoopCulture site. And then the next two Fridays are red.

There are a total of four tickets available on the 17th.

There’s only one single ticket left for Saturday the 1st. There’s only one single ticket left for Sunday the 2nd.

Is that what you’re seeing as well? It just seems a little odd - because I’ve been watching those tickets for a few months and there’s always been a reasonable number available.

I’ve read mixed reviews on Tickitaly. Would you trust them for this particular purchase if I strike out on my own?

I can’t help with the Tickitaly part of this, but we did use Through Eternity for our Domus Aurea tour. I was embarrassed after the fact that I hadn’t gone directly to the official DA website since, as Dario says, the site has their own guides and the TE guide had to leave us at the door. However, he was so knowledgeable and entertaining in describing the history about what we were able to see that we didn’t feel too bad about what we paid.

Thanks for the info, my former Steilacoom neighbor!

In looking through reviews, I had gathered that Through Eternity does a short little intro and tacks on about 30 Euros a ticket so I was hoping to avoid them, even though lots of people do report that the intro is nicely done.

I know lots of people have been expressing interest about visiting Domus Aurea. I’ll report back on how I fare.

Valerie, you know I’m following this thread! 😬😉

I, too, appreciate the responses from Dario and Patty!!

I guess we just constantly reload that website….

@Pam - Oh, I know you are!!! LOL. We can commiserate over our dinner!!!!!!:)

So upset! I have checked the DA website constantly and finally realized they only sell 30 days out. Where did one know to buy from re-sale ? I am now shut out for September 30 and October 1! The substitute can be the Roman House at Palazzo Valentini. Any chance that is also sold through secondaries and might not be available. I do not like to use secondary sources only because I want the entity to get full payment.

Yes, Tickitaly seems to be sold out for those days. There are lots of other resellers. Through Eternity is very expensive but they have one ticket for the 30th and then many tickets for the 1st.

https://www.througheternity.com/en/rome-tours/domus-aurea-tour.html

And I hear you on the secondary sources but in this case, I think the site is getting the full ticket price even if you buy from another source because the other source is tacking on an extra fee of their own. For Tickitaly, it’s a more reasonable 6 Euros. The other sources were more expensive and so I was avoiding them.

Ellen! So sorry you missed the ticketing, possibly.....

What is really weird is that for this coming weekend there are literally dozens of tickets open on all 3 days for the English tours. Do they give the resellers a time limit to sell them by and if they aren't sold they have to return them? There are more than 60 slots on the Coopculture site. Makes no sense.

I’m wondering the exact same thing as you, Pam, about “returning” tickets. Trying to find out if someone is aware of that concept was one of my reasons for posting - but I just don’t know who might have the info we seek:(

I went ahead and posted a similar query on Trip Advisor to cast a wider net.

Someone has posted already and indicates that for the Coopculture ticketing for the Colosseum they have one set of tickets released 30 days out and a 2nd release 7 days out. That would fit with the pattern we are seeing with a bunch of tickets available for this weekend.

@Pam - That is super interesting and may well explain what we’re seeing!

And just fyi - the other member of my household here thinks I’ve lost my marbles and I am worried that if I approach him again with any more of my extremely fascinating Domus Aurea ticket stories or strategies, he might change the locks to the house while I am at the gym tomorrow:)