Is Rome Pass Worth It?

If you are planning to visit Rome and you don't know whether or not the city's tourist card is right for you, read on and I'll tell you all about it in this article.

Camilla Graciano

Camilla Graciano

10 min read

Is Rome Pass Worth It?

pareja en la calle | ©Carla del Ciotto

Rome is a city with a great variety of things to see and activities to do and many times the tourist card can be your great ally, but other times not so much. Undoubtedly, everything will depend on what you want to do, the attractions you prefer to visit in the city, the number of days you plan to travel and your budget, among other things.

So, if you want to know whether it is worth buying it or not, here are the pros and cons of the Rome Tourist Card.

When is it worth buying the Rome Tourist Card?

people walking in the square| ©陈欢
people walking in the square| ©陈欢

The Rome Sightseeing Card is ideal if you plan to spend short periods of time in the city, as you can purchase passes from 48 to 72 hours that include the main attractions.

By purchasing the Roma Pass, you will not only have access to the main attractions of the city, but you will also save money and time, two fundamental things to take into account in a trip and even more if it is for a few days. But to define whether or not it is worth it for your particular case, I suggest you to evaluate some fundamental aspects.

Tourist attractions you want to visit

If you are the type of traveler who wants to visit many of the typical places of interest that require an entrance ticket, you will undoubtedly benefit a lot from the Rome Tourist Card, since it includes the entrance ticket to the most important places in the city. I leave you this article where you can find the best monuments of the city to build your itinerary.

But if this is not your case, and you prefer to walk the streets of the city and visit a particular attraction, it is probably more profitable to buy the ticket on your own and not buy the city pass that will include many sites that are not of interest to you.

Number of days you have to visit the city

You can buy the tourist card for two or three days, which makes it your ideal ally if you have little time to visit the city, so you can organize yourself better, visit all the sites of interest that are included and avoid buying all the tickets at the time and waiting in long lines. If you are well organized you can even visit essential sites of Rome in one day.

On the contrary, if you plan to travel to Rome for a week or longer, it will not be very useful to purchase the tourist card, as you will only use it for part of your trip and you may be able to organize yourself better to visit the attractions on your own and at your own time.

Waiting time at tourist attractions

Keep in mind that in many attractions, if you purchase the tourist pass you will have the exclusivity to access through a special place, avoiding long lines to enter. This happens in the most popular and crowded places in the city such as the Roman Colosseum, Castel Sant Angelo and the Capitoline Museums. For this reason, if any of these sites are on your wish list, you may want to take advantage of the tourist card.

On the other hand, if you are not interested in these places or you prefer to buy the tickets on your own without worrying about the queues, the tourist card may not be useful for you.

Transportation you will use to get around Rome

It is important to note that the Roma Pass includes free transportation on the subway and city buses, so you can save money by purchasing the pass and move around the city for free.

Otherwise, if you plan to stay in the center of Rome or have in mind another means of transportation such as private car or Rome tourist bus to tour the city, you will not take advantage of one of the main benefits of the tourist card.

Special discounts on attractions

Please note that many attractions in the city provide a discount for age or profession and one of the main benefits of the Roma Pass is the 20% discount on admission to museums and monuments. Considering this and the fact that discounts are NOT cumulative, you will have to do the math to see if the tourist card will be profitable or not.

Buy the Roma Pass

Is it worth buying the tourist card to visit Rome just to see the main attractions?

Roma Pass| ©Hellotickets
Roma Pass| ©Hellotickets

Without a doubt the answer is yes! Of course it is worth it if you want to see the main attractions of Rome. With the city's tourist card you will have access to most of them, with a special discount and avoiding the queues to get in. Saving time and money on your trip to Rome is essential.

With the city tourist card, you will have included access to 2 of the 6 main attractions in Rome, among which are:

But that's not all, as you will also get discounts at more than 30 other sites of interest in the city. On the official website of Roma Pass you will find the complete list, but among the most important sites, you will have:

  • Ara Pacis Museum
  • Palazzo Barberini
  • Baths of Caracalla
  • Trajan's Market
  • National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia
  • Baths of Diocletian
  • Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
  • Altemps Palace
  • Balbi Crypt
  • National Gallery of Modern Art of Rome
  • Palazzo Venezia
  • Spada Gallery
  • Museum of Rome

In case you decide to purchase also the Omnia Card you will have included everything you need to enjoy the Vatican City. You will be able to enter all the monuments and main places of interest such as the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.

Buy the Omnia Card

Is it worth buying the tourist card to visit Rome with children?

children playing with bubbles| © eleonora
children playing with bubbles| © eleonora

Let me tell you that I don't have the exact answer to this question, as it will depend a lot on the type of trip you want to make with your family.

First of all, I want to clarify that Rome is a very well prepared city and offers an interesting variety of activities to do with children. However, keep in mind that Rome's tourist card includes cultural and historical attractions so that you can get to know the main sites of the city, so it is possible that many of the activities you plan to do with children are not included.

However, if your children are interested in learning about the origins of the city and it is fun for them to learn about Rome, it may be a very good option to purchase the tourist card to visit the main attractions as a family.

What I am sure of is that you will save time and money buying the passes, instead of getting all the tickets separately. Also, keep in mind that the children's tourist pass has a reduced price.

Is it worth buying the Rome Sightseeing Card for a long or short trip?

aerial view of rome| © Caleb Miller
aerial view of rome| © Caleb Miller

It all depends on what you want to see in the short or long time you are in the city, but if you are going to make a short trip of less than 4 days in Rome, the tourist card of the city can be your great ally, as it will allow you to save time and money, which is what you need. Time, because you will be able to enter the main attractions without waiting in long lines to buy tickets. And money, because by buying the pass you will have access to the most popular sites without overpaying and you will have special discounts.

On the other hand, if you are planning a longer trip, more than a week, you will have much more time to explore the city at your own pace and the tourist card may not be very useful. However, if you prefer to organize your trip concentrating the main attractions in the first few days, the pass will make a little more sense.

If you plan to make a short trip, I leave you this itinerary so you can organize yourself and visit Rome in 3 days and another to do it in 5 days without missing anything.

Is it worth buying the tourist card to visit Rome in summer?

house with flowers| ©_tonidelong
house with flowers| ©_tonidelong

The summer months are high season in Rome, so prices are much higher than if you go at other times of the year and you will probably spend more money on accommodation, meals and attractions. For this reason, the tourist card can be your great ally to move around the city and visit the main monuments and museums at a cheaper price.

Another advantage will be to avoid large crowds of people to enter the main attractions of the city, which is very common at this time of the year. On the contrary, with the tourist card you will be able to enter directly to these sites without wasting time.

To finish defining whether or not it is convenient to purchase the tourist card to visit Rome in summer, I recommend that you make an itinerary of all the things and activities you want to see and do in Rome at this time of the year and evaluate whether it will be profitable or not.

Is it worth buying the tourist card to visit Rome in winter?

boy on a bike in an orange poncho| ©Aaron Garrett
boy on a bike in an orange poncho| ©Aaron Garrett

The winter season is considered low season in Rome, so in terms of prices and accessibility to tourist sites, it will be less chaotic than if you travel in summer. You will be able to tour the city with more tranquility and the crowds of people to enter the main monuments and popular sites, decrease considerably.

For this reason, I can not assure you if it is worth it or not, since it will depend on the attractions you want to visit and mainly the days you have to visit the city. So that you can define your travel itinerary, I leave you a guide with the main activities to do in Rome in winter.

Is it worth it if I am going to visit the city in a weekend?

people around the ruins| ©--MARCO POLO--
people around the ruins| ©--MARCO POLO--

Definitely yes! The Rome Tourist Card is ideal if you plan to visit the city in a weekend, as you will get a lot out of it.

If you are going to spend two days in Rome, I recommend two fundamental things. First, you should prepare your travel itinerary very well with the tourist attractions you want to visit, their opening and closing times and their locations on the map. This will be necessary so that you do not waste time and you can just enjoy the city.

And secondly, you should check if the attractions you want to visit are included in the Rome Tourist Card. If your answer is yes, my advice is to buy the pass, as it will be your fundamental ally to save time and money on your weekend trip.

This will allow you not only to see the main sites of the city, but also to use public transport without paying extra and even get on the tourist bus routes that connect the main points of the city to move around Rome in the easiest way.

Is it worth buying the tourist card if I want to use the tourist bus?

Tour Rome on the tourist bus| ©Chris Sampson
Tour Rome on the tourist bus| ©Chris Sampson

Of course it is! The Rome Tourist Card has the particularity that it includes the Rome tourist bus. For this reason, once you have identified the attractions you want to visit and located them on the route of the city's tourist bus, I recommend that you purchase the tourist card. This way, you will be able to travel to the different points of interest of the city by tourist bus and enter the most popular attractions, avoiding long lines and saving money, which is great!

In case you want to use the tourist bus of Rome but because of the type of trip you decide to do or the places you want to visit, you are not interested in getting the tourist card of the city, it is also a good plan to get it. This way you can get to know Rome at your own pace, using this bus to move from one side of the city to the other and choosing which sites to visit.

Buy the Rome Sightseeing Bus Pass

Why else is the Rome Sightseeing Bus Pass worth it?

brown structure view| ©陈欢
brown structure view| ©陈欢

So that you can finish deciding whether or not the Rome Tourist Card is worth it for the type of trip you want to take, let me tell you what other benefits you will have included in your pass. In addition to 2 free tickets to the museums included in the pass, you will have access to:

  • A reduced rate, with a minimum 20% discount to the other important museums and monuments in the city for which you do not use the free admission.
  • Free public transportation during the time the pass is active.
  • Access to a map and guide to the main tourist attractions in Rome.
  • Special discounts on shows, some additional tourist services and exhibitions.
  • Access without long queues to the Colosseum and other major attractions.

Other options that may interest you

people on the beach| ©ho visto nina volare
people on the beach| ©ho visto nina volare

If you decided that for the type of trip you want to make or for the attractions you plan to visit, the Rome tourist card is not worth it, here is some information that may be useful to organize your trip in the best way without missing anything.

One attraction you can not miss on your trip to Rome is the Colosseum, so in this article you will find all the information to buy your tickets to the Colosseum at the best price.

Another must-see is the Vatican, so in this article you will learn all about what to see and do in the Vatican.

Finally, I recommend you not to leave out of your itinerary the Capitoline Museums, here you have all the information you need to buy your tickets.

Buy your tickets for the Colosseum and the Vatican