My husband and I are visiting Rome for the first time April 28-May 2 (Tuesday afternoon to Saturday morning). We want to see as much as possible: Vatican Museums, St. Peter's, Colosseum, Villa Borgese for sure.
Is the Romapass the best way to go? We want to save money, but also time -- since we have only 3 full days, one of them a national holiday! We're taking the train to Florence afterwards and plan to get the Firenze Card.
Any and all recommendations would be welcome, and thanks in advance!
Hi Amanda -
The Roma pass will not help you at the Vatican: they don't accept that pass. It many not help you at the Borghese as well as you must have a reservation - even with the pass - and my guess is that all time slots may be filled at this late date. If you plan on using the pass at the Borghese, you must call them for reservations. From the pass' website:
"For the Borghese Gallery and Palazzo Valentini (Domus Romane), booking is required also for Roma Pass and/or Roma Pass 48 hours holders. Reservations are not required for any other museums, though it is highly recommended that school or tourist groups make reservations, in order to facilitate entry to museums.
For reservations to the Borghese Gallery and/or Domus Romane/Palazzo Valentini, please call +39 06 32810 (open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm – Saturdays, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm). Bookings can be made directly from the visitor’s home country, even before purchasing the card. Please note: it is not possible to make an online reservation without prepaying the ticket. If you intend to visit the museum / site with your Roma Pass or Roma Pass 48 hours, you must make your reservation on the phone, by calling +39 0632810."
They'll tell you over the phone if they're sold out.
So if you won't be able to use it for the Borghese, the only other attraction on your list that applies is the Colosseum, and I wouldn't buy a pass just for that. Tickets to the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine (one ticket covers all three) can be pre-ordered here:
http://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm
I wouldn't buy it for the transportation piece either as central Rome just isn't that big. You can easily buy individual transport tickets for the few times you may want to jump the metro or a bus. The trick is to look at what the pass covers, make a list of the things which interest you and what individual entry fees to those would cost. Add those numbers up and compare it to the price of the pass.
A lot of attractions will be closed on May 1st but we've chatted about some other things to do on this thread:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/rome-on-may-day-2015
Amanda,
Kathy has given you excellent advice!
We're taking the train to Florence afterwards and plan to get the Firenze Card.
The Firenze card will cost you €72pp & it's not a good deal unless you plan to visit most of the museums in Florence.
You may want to read this article before you purchase the Firenze card:http://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/is-firenze-card-worth-it.html
I doubt you will encounter long lines at this time of year, but if you want to skip the lines, you may want to buy your tickets in advance especially for the Accademia & the Uffizi: http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/uffizi/default.aspx
Have a wonderful trip!
Amanda, if the only sites you plan to use the pass on are the Borghese gallery and the colosseum I would say to skip the pass.
You can easily book these on your own and bypass the lines. For the colosseum you can buy entry tickets at:
http://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm
These tickets are not date nor time specific. You can use them whenever they work best for your schedule.
For the Vatican museums you can book skip the line tickets here:
http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?weblang=en&do
These are date and time specific.
For booking the Borghese gallery you can use this site:
http://www.tosc.it/tickets.html
These are also date and time specific. Choose to pick up your tickets on site and don't worry about the "seating chart", it's just the way their website is set up.
Most likely you won't need to use public transportation in Rome. The city is small and walking from site to site is easy and the best way to see the city. If you choose to ride the bus or metro you can buy individual tickets for 1.50 euros each. There is also a 1,3 and 7 day pass that you can get but you must ride a lot in order to make those worth the money.
Donna
Thank you so much for the advice! I knew the Vatican wouldn't be covered, and managed to schedule the Villa Borghese and Colloseum (at night!) by myself. Now it need to square things away fro Florence -- and it looks like you're right about the Firenze card. Sometimes it makes sense not to get the package deal!
Now, if I can get my to-do list done before we leave Friday night, it will be a miracle.
Thanks again!
You're absolutely right. Passes are not always the best deal and people should do the math before buying them.
Have a great trip. I won't be too far behind you. I leave in a week.
Donna
I'll be a week behind Donna. Countdown clock!
