passes for Rome

How long are you going to be in Rome, and what sorts of things are you interested in doing?/

4 days in Rome ..I am wondering about getting a Roma Pass and when and how to reserve for the Borghese Gallery . We are interested in the Vatican , the Sistine Chapel, and the Colosseum as this is probably all we will have time for.

We spent 3 nights/3 1/2 days in Rome after 2 weeks in October. Borghese Museum in the search engine will provide "How to Book Borghese Museum". Please, pre book this B. Museum if it is on your "must list". Spend up to your maximum dollars for an early entry and a guide to the Vatican Museum. The Vatican provides excellent opportunities and guides. Beware to book on the Vatican site the CC you use will require additional approval. More than likely, it will require, calls to your CC to get this approval. It is a headache. Check the search engine. It is there. St Peter's requires standing in line for security, up to an hour, it is manageable, as an independent, visit if you choose. Roma pass is more than likely not a cost saver, it is a time saver. The manual for coverage is on the web site. We validated ours on day two, entered 4 sites, travelled transportation for 3 days. One metro site did not recognize and the gentleman just let us through, I think he thought if these tourist want to travel this crazy, crowded metro, why not? The pass was active at the time. We helped another American traveler get through a site when it would not read their ticket.

I am wondering about getting a Roma Pass and when and how to reserve for the Borghese Gallery . We are interested in the Vatican , the Sistine Chapel, and the Colosseum as this is probably all we will have time for.

The Roma Pass may be good if you do the two most expensive sites first: The Colosseo/Forum/Palatine Hill and the Borghese Gallery. Then other sites will be at a reduced rate and you will get three days of public transportation. But if you are not able to do those two sites first or do not plan to see any other sites that qualify for a discount OR do not need public transportation, the Roma Pass is not a good deal. You can get a transit pass for 24, 48, or 72 hours if you plan on using public trans a lot.

Note that the Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums. A great way to see the museums and the chapel is Walks of Italy's "Pristine Sistine" tour. Pre-reserve that.

Easter will be busy. Do you have Rick Steves' Guide to Rome? It will help you a lot with this type of question including details on making a res for the Borghese.

You do have time for a lot in four days but tell me: are you there 4 nights and therefore 3 full days, or 5 nights and thus 4 full days?

are you there 4 nights and therefore 3 full days, or 5 nights and thus
4 full days?

Good observation from Laurel as this can make a difference. Your exact dates come into play too as you may be working around interesting complications. The Vatican Museums, for instance, are closed on both Easter Sunday (April 1) and Monday April 2nd. Easter Sunday this year also falls on a "First Sunday" of the month when all of the Italy's National Museums are usually free...and mobbed. They are NOT a day you want to try and do the Colosseum, for instance, and Roma Passes would be of no advantage there.

The exception is the Borghese as they observe their same reservation mandate/crowd limit on "free" Sundays as on other days they're open. A pass, however, would be of no financial advantage there either. Tickets will go VERY QUICKLY.

Just worth the mention as you might be doing some creative dancing around closure and First Sunday issues depending on your dates.

Editing to add: Laurel, maybe you can confirm but I believe the Colosseum closes early (14:00 or so?) on Good Friday to prep for the "Way of the Cross" procession that evening? I can't find anything definitive for 2018 yet.

Yes, Kathy, good points! Easter weekend has a lot of closures and events to work around. Good catch on the First Sunday coinciding with Easter. First Sunday is a terrible day to go to a museum.

St. Peter's Basilica closes early on Saturday to prep for Sunday and the Colosseo does close early on Friday for the Stations of the Cross. I want to say it closes no later than 14:00. I am sure times will be posted soon-ish. Signing up for a tour will ensure you get into sites when they are not closed. Try Walks of Italy for many good choices.

Be aware - the Roma Pass is not accepted at the Vatican.