which card to get

Depends on what you plan to see and how long you will be in Rome. At this site http://www.romapass.it you can see all of the sites covered by the Roma Pass. There are some "biggies" like the Borghese, Colosseum/Forum/Palatino, National Museum, sites on the Appia Antica. But only the first two are free, the rest are at a reduced admission, and all are within 3 days of validating. The Roma Pass also covers 3 days of public transportation. At this site http://www.rome.info/museums/cards/ you will see the Archeologia Card, which covers 6 specific sites, one time each over 7 days. No public transportation. If you are only in Rome for three days, the Roma Pass is probably the best bet because of the unlimited bus and metro use. But it depends on your personal sightseeing plans and trip duration. Ciao!

Laurel's answer is dead on... but to add more confusion, you can also now get the Roma & Piu Pass again, and these other Discount Passes. As Laurel describes, it really comes down to where you want to go and what you want to see. So I'd set my priorities. If you are planning to use the transportation system, and are only in town for three days, then the Roma Pass or Roma & Piu Pass may be the best bet for you.

We are in Rome for 8 nights, and are staying close to the Vatican so I am assuming we will be using the transportation system as I do not know how far it will be to each attraction.

If you are staying in the Vatican area, you will be a little further out from most of the core sights, so while still walkable, you may end up using public transportation more than otherwise. We used the Roma Pass and loved it - the convenience of being able to hop onto a bus or the metro and whisk home after a long day of sight-seeing was very nice. The 2 included admissions were a bonus.

Just want to point out one thing. The Colosseum and the Roman Forum count as one entry, so I would use one of my free entries for these two.

Plus, there's a special entrance at the Colosseum just for Roma Pass holders - always a plus to cut in line at a major tourist attraction!

Hi - I don't mean to ressurect old posts :-) - but my sister is coming to visit us while we are in Rome and we are trying to decide which pass is best for her. We are leaning toward getting the Archeology Card since she will be there a week and a weekly transit pass on top of that to cover transportation. Does the Archeology Card allow you to skip the line like the Rome Pass? Would it cover the night tour of the Colleseum? Should I post my own question and not mooch off of Linda's? :-)