Roma Pass VS Prepaid Tickets

We did not have a Roma pass, so I cannot share that experience, but we were in Rome twice, in late May and early June of this year. It is crowded! I would reserve everything that you can ahead of time. We had online tickets for the Vatican, and walked right in past a long line. But the line to walk into the Basilica was long. One of our group waited an hour plus at about 2:30pm on a Monday in May--luckily most of us went the same day at 5:30pm and waited about 30 minutes. On a Friday in June, at 4:30pm, the wait was said to be 2 hours. I am told that tours are allowed to go directly from the Vatican into the Basilica, so you might want to look into that. We had a similar experience at the Colosseum. In May, with a ticket that we had purchased at the Forum, there was a 2 hour wait in line. A very messy, easy for people to mill about and cut into line. In June, we had tickets with a tour group and walked right in past a huge line of people. If you could arrange an inexpensive tour (CoopCulture), even if you left the tour group when you got in, it would be worth it. In Florence, the Uffizi Gallery was booked up days in advance. So if you're reading Rick Steve's books, and he says you can probably reserve something a day or two in advance, I would ignore that advice. Book everything you can and read all you can per time-saving tips. If you have trouble with web sites (lots of complaints with CoopCulture site), call. In the big picture, the expense will be worth it. Good luck! I hope you enjoy Italy as much as we did.

The advantage of the Rome Pass is that it lets you skip the line...you need to figure the $$$ amount for the attractions you wish to see. For the Borghese you need to book a reservation by phone and tell them you are a passholder.

The Vatican is not included in the Pass. Your best bet here is a tour. Do not book on Wednesdays
very crowded.

We will be in Rome for 3 days in the Fall. I recently compared the ticket cost for the Collosseum, Forum, Palantine Hill, and Capitoline Museum to the Roma Pass. I have reviewed endless tour companies. Most companie's tours do not include the admission ticket but you still 'pass the line' as a member of a tour group.

This will be our 2nd time in Rome. Our first visit was 15 years ago when there were no lines except for the Vatican Museums, and the mass of pilgrims like ourselves for the Wednesday Papal Audience in Piazza San Pietro.

For some additional Euros we are definitely buying the Roma Pass. So whether we are on our own or with a tour guide, we will not be waiting in any lines.

We are in Rome right now. The lines are CRAZY even for those with reserved tickets.

My advice: buy tickets online for Borghese and not mess with calling for reservations etc even with Roma Pass.

Ditto for tours with Colleseum. The tours breezed right in,it seemed. The day we booked there was a threat of strike by the Colleseum/Forum/Palatine Hill , and it was really nice to have the tour planners worried about it and communicated with us everything.

For the Vatican, book a tour that includes St. Peter's. We had no wait and my family were able to even climb St Peter's dome and visit crypt without waiting afterwards.

We all enjoyed those three popular and busy places without stress because we forgo eating nice meals in restaurants to pay for tours and no waiting. Gelato and cheap pizza work for us.

We are using our Roma Pass for the Capitaline Museum and National Museums and transportation these last days with tired feet.

We used Walks of Italy and very impressed with their service. 10 percent off with Rick Steves code.
I think there are cheaper tours, but we decided to go with them because another travel writer rec them.

Rome is beautiful, even when it rains!!! Can't complain when you"re taking shelter in thousand year-old churches.:)

Thank you all for your information! Sounds like I should book tickets a head of time for the most popular attractions as we are traveling in the height of tourist season!