Rome City Pass – A Comparison of the Best Options

Is the Rome City Pass Worth It?

If you are wondering if it getting a Rome City Pass is worth it, in my opinion the answer is yes. Rome is a city full of history and wonderful ancient landmarks to see, but getting tickets for these sites can become quite expensive and time-consuming. You can save both money and time by purchasing a Rome city pass, which offers skip-the-line entry to most popular landmarks and numerous discounts.

The only problem may arise when it comes to choosing the right one. I have put together on this page a comprehensive comparison of the best Rome tourist cards, with prices, duration and sites included, to help you decide which one is most suited for your trip.

Types of Rome City Pass

1. Omnia Card

The Omnia Card is the most comprehensive city pass available, combining both the Roma Pass and Vatican Pass. This card grants you skip-the-line access to 2 of Rome’s top historic sites:

• Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
• Castel Sant’Angelo
• Capitoline Museums
• Borghese Gallery

In addition to that, this card offers entrance to the most famous landmarks in the Vatican:

• Entrance to Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
• Basilica of St. John in the Lateran
• Entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica
• Entrance to St. Peter’s Prison

This pass is valid for three days from the moment you first use it. Since it is counted in full days rather than hours, it’s best to begin using it early in the morning.

It also includes price reductions to many museums and attractions, including the following:

• National Roman Museum
• National Gallery in Palazzo Barberini
• Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia
• Centrale Montemartini
• National Museum of Oriental Art
• MACRO – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Roma
• MAXXI – National Museum of XXI Century Arts
• Planetarium and astronomical museum
  
• Circo Maximo Experience
• Trajan’s Market
• Palazzo Valentini – Archaeological Area of the Domus Romane
• Ara Pacis

It’s a physical card which means you will have to collect your Omnia Card when you arrive in Rome. To do so, you can go to one of the ORP offices in Rome and present the voucher you received by email after purchasing it. There are 2 sites: one by St. Peter’s Basilica (Piazza Pio XII, 9) and one by Lateran Palace (Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano).

2. Roma Pass

The Roma Pass offers skip-the-line admission to 1 or 2 attractions, depending on the chosen duration. You can select from a list of 45 monuments, including significant landmarks such as the Colosseum, Capitoline Museums, National Roman Museum, Borghese Gallery, and Castel Sant’Angelo, to name a few.

It can be valid for 48 or 72 hours, which is counted in hours from first use and not in days.

It’s the cheapest one out of them all but also the most basic one in terms of variety of benefits.

It’s also a physical card, which means you will have to collect your Roma Pass when you arrive in Rome. To do so you can go to one of Rome’s Tourist Infopoints and present the voucher you received by email after purchasing it. There are 6 collection points: Termini train station, Via Marco Minghetti, Castel Sant’Angelo ticket office, Fori Imperiali and Ciampino and Fuimicino Airports.

In my opinion, this card is ideal for tourists staying in Rome for 2-3 days who want to focus on the city of Rome, its historical landmarks and museums.

3. Rome Tourist Card

This Rome Tourist Card offers skip-the-line entry tickets to the most famous landmarks in Rome and Vatican City. It includes:

• Skip-the-line ticket to Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
• Entry to St. Peter’s Basilica with guided tour or skip-the-line tickets for Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
• Entry ticket to Pantheon with audio guide or skip-the-line ticket for Castel Sant’Angelo

Unlike any of the previous ones, this card is 100% online, which means there is no need to collect it once you have arrived in Rome.

There is no time limit to use it, you just select your visit dates to the different attractions when you purchase it. These visit dates can be spread over a few days.

After that you will receive the 10% discount code that can be used when booking other entry tickets.

Unlike the Omnia Card, this card doesn’t give you unlimited use of public transport, so you will have to buy transportation tickets separately.

In my opinion, this card is ideal for tourists visiting Rome for the first time and for short duration but wish to see the key sites of both Rome and Vatican.

4. Vatican City Pass

The Vatican City Pass is a convenient option for visitors looking to explore the main attractions of Vatican City. It includes:

• Skip-the-line ticket to Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel or Castel Sant’Angelo
• St. Peter’s Basilica and Dome with guided tour

This card is 100% online, which means there is no need to collect it once you have arrived in Rome.

You can use it without any time restrictions, simply choose your visit dates for the various attractions when you are buying it.

Following your purchase, you will get a 10% discount code for use when booking additional entry tickets.

Like the Rome Tourist Pass, this card does not include unlimited public transport, so you will need to purchase transportation tickets separately.

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Comparison of each Rome City Pass

Choosing the right Rome city pass depends on your interests, the length of your stay, and the level of coverage in terms of extra benefits.

Check the comparative table I’ve put together below for each of the cards mentioned on this page:

Card	Short stay	Long stay	Public Transport	Sightseeing Bus Tour	City	Physical Collection
Omnia Card	x	✓	✓	✓	Rome & Vatican	✓
Roma Pass (48H)	✓	x	✓	x	Rome only	✓
Roma Pass (72H)	x	✓	✓	x	Rome only	✓
Rome Tourist Card	✓	x	x	x	Rome & Vatican	x
Vatican City Pass	✓	x	x	x	Vatican only	x

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