Roma Pass - To buy or not?

yes. If you will be visiting the attractions :-) then it is worth it (check the list - I can't remember) It also includes public transportation - very handy to be able to get on and off buses without worrying about tickets.

You will have to do some calculations to determine if the Roma Pass is for you. Go to the official website http://www.romapass.it/?l=en for more info. Cost is €23; first two sites are "free", sites after that are discounted; duration is three days; unlimited bus and metro transportation during that time. Also a slight time saver, since you don't have to stand in ticket lines.

For 6 nights, if you plan on seeing alot of the "traditional" sites, then YES! We were there for 5 nights and SO got our money's worth. It covered the Borghese Gallery, Palatine Hill & Forum, the Colosseum, and 1/2 price at Ostia Antica. Plus, it covered the few bus rides we took. I would get it there, tho'. (Tobacco shop-like our Quick Stops. Also for bus tickets.)
Louise

Paul, we bought ours at the TI at Termini train station. From track 24 (the one the express airport train stops at), you will probably need to walk BACKWARDS further down the track, not towards the main station. I believe the TI is near the baggage claim/check, quite a ways down track 24. They accept credit cards.

You can also buy a roma pass at the sites where they can be used (Colosseum, Palentine Hill, Capitoline Museum, etc) but I've heard that the actual sites tend to run out.

Thank you for your response. I was leaning on going ahead and purchasing the pass. We will do the Vatician on our first full day and then start the stops with the Roma Pass. I also plan to make my reservations for the Borghese Gallery the day we do the Vatician. Or should I go ahead and make my reservations now?

Where can one buy the Pass once in Rome? Cash or credit? Thanks

I think I will get ours before we leave the states.

Yes, Yes, Yes. It pays for itself and you skip ticket lines (but not security check lines).

Yes, it's a great deal. And it is good for 3 days of public transport in Rome as well. A money saver and a time saver.

Absolutely - we loved the flexibility of the pass and particularly the public transport options (the use of the bus, in particular as we had our 3 year old with us). Before you leave print out the routes of the electro mini buses on the ATAC website (Rome Transport) - I didn't find anywhere that had these listed, even on the Roma pass packet, so was glad I did. Learn to the use the electric mini buses , they're very convenient, frequent and great for hopping around the ancient parts of Rome that aren't well served by the metro rail. A great time saver if you want to pack a lot into a day and quickly get from a to b.

Thank you for this information. We have been able to locate this information on the computer plus it is in the RS Rome 2009 Book.

I say buy it. We used the bus system often, especially the electric buses. We breezed past the long lines for the Colosseum. After making reservations in the U.S. for the Borghese, we showed up, presented our cards and were promptly given our tickets with no extra fees charged. We bought our Roma Passes at a kiosk across the street from the Doria Pamphili Museum on Via del Corso. They don't seem to get a lot of people there. Regards.

PS...if you move fast enough you may outpace the computer system. I am fairly sure we got into an extra sight or 2 for free that should have been reduced because we hit a couple within in hours of each other. I mean, we didn't really do this...someone I know did. :-)

What I had planned to do is, buy the pass in the US and pick up at the termini on Monday (not to use until Wednesday) after we arrive in Rome and settle in at the hotel. We are also planning on buying our bus ticket to Siena (depart for Siena on Sunday) at the same time we pick up our pass. Visit the Vatican on Tuesday (already talked with Angle tours) and make reservation for the Galleria Borghese after the tour of the Vatican for later in the week. Any comments for adjustments to these plans?

What exactly is the "discount" to sites after the first two, with Roma Pass? Is it a significant discount or like...1 euro?