Roma Pass for under 18

Can I just buy Roma pass for my husband and myself to skip the
security lines and then buy tickets for my kids online?

Passes and tickets allow you to skip TICKET lines only: no one is allowed to skip security check queues.

Your 16 year-old is not allowed to ride public transit for free: only children under age 10.

Your 19 year-old is only eligible for reduced entry to most attractions if he/she is an E.U. citizen. If this isn't the case, he/she will need a Roma Pass or his/her own entry tickets to enter attractions with you. You'll need to show passports (or E.U. student ID for your older child) for free or reduced entry.

No, there isn't a reduced fee for a teen or child's Roma Pass.

Answers to quite a lot of questions can be found in the FAQ section of the Roma Pass website:

http://www.romapass.it/p.aspx?l=en&tid=33

I'm not sure where you have gotten your information from but you are mistaken in a few aspects of it.

Anyone under 18 will receive free entry into state run sites. Those between 18-25, who are EU citizens with proof, will get in for the reduced fee. Everyone else pays full price.

There is NO way to skip any security lines. Everyone goes through them. Passes and pre-purchased entry tickets allow you to bypass the ticket lines, not the security lines.

Only children under 10 ride public transportation for free. Everyone in your family will require a ticket or pass to ride public buses, trams and the metro.

Not all sites offer free entry for those under 18. This is just for state run sites and doesn't include the Vatican.

The romapass doesn't offer age discounts. Those under 18 don't need one. Those 18 and older, who are not a citizen of the EU, are able to purchase them for the full price offered. If you are a Canadian citizen you will need three romapasses. Your 16 year old will need a ticket any time you ride public transportation. You can get these as needed for 1.50 euros each.

Donna

Thanks for clarification. Apparently I mixed up different things!
I think it'd be better if we book online for the chosen museums and Vatican and then by HOHO busses ticket instead of Roma Pass. I read a few reviews that said Rome's public transportation is limited and unreliable. I'm not sure how accurate the reviews are.

Not a big fan of HOHO bus as a transportation method -- maybe as an orientation tour, but walking, trams, metro, city buses, taxis are the way to get from A to B ... And at lower cost!

HoHo buses can work well in some cities, but Roma isn't one of them, in my opinion. Only get you to major streets, get caught up in traffic, etched.

You can buy a multi-day transportation pass if you plan to take bus and metro a lot. Otherwise, just walk.

You can buy passes (for metro/tram/bus): €7 for an single calendar day, €12.50 for 48 hours, €18 for 72 hours, or €24 for a 7-day pass. Single tickets are €1.50

There is a separate security line at the Vatican for pre-booked tickets. Be sure to bring your reservation to show to the guards to use that line.

I'll agree with Laura and Zoe about the HOHOs: they've gotten largely negative reviews for a long time, and really aren't an efficient form of transport. Central Rome really isn't all that big, and you'll experience more of it on foot than on buses or metro. I buy a few € 1,50 euro BIT tickets and just tuck them away for rare instances where we might want to cover a longer distance in a hurry or simply poop out.

http://www.atac.roma.it/page.asp?p=229

Over several trips, we've only used city transport 3-4 times, and then only the metro or an urban train.

" I read a few reviews that said Rome's public transportation is limited and unreliable. I'm not sure how accurate the reviews are."

Again, this is not really accurate. The Rome metro only has two lines, and only goes a few places that tourists want to see, so it's of much less use to visitors than, say, the Paris or Berlin systems. However, the buses are hardly "limited"; they cover the whole city, and go everywhere a tourist would want to be, and are very frequent on main routes. The problem is that they can get stuck in traffic, and during the day they can be packed, and some are frequented by pickpockets (and have been for years, like the infamous number 64 between Termini and the Vatican).

As said by others above, the tourist core of Rome is quite walkable, so many visitors end up taking only a few buses. Depending on where your hotel is, and if you're going to farther flung sights like EUR or Ostia Antica, you may or may not get good value out of a transit pass. I actually do, as I'm a fan of taking transit to a sight so I'm not tired when I actually get there. And I like the convenience of a pass. When using regular single tickets, you have to make sure to have bought one before getting on the bus (they're not sold on the bus), then remember to validate it upon boarding. With a pass, you just validate it the first time you use it, and then keep it stashed away in your purse, wallet, etc. You have to insert it each time you take the metro, but not for buses and trams.

The HOHO's, on the other hand, are indeed "limited and unreliable," and have been so for years.