In large Italian cities with a large number of museums, monuments and historical centers, there are cards for tourists called Pass; in Rome there is a Roma Pass tourist card. What does this card give, how much does it cost, how can I use it to get to museums?
To begin with, let us clarify that there are only 2 types of transport and tourist cards: Roma Pass 72 hours and Roma Pass 48 hours, valid for 72 and 48 hours, respectively.
What does the Roma pass card give?
These cards provide many privileges to their owners:
- Free use of public transport (city buses, trams, the entire Rome metro network, railway lines Roma-Viterbo, Roma-Lido, Roma-Giardinetti, bus number 720 from Ciampino airport to Laurentina metro station there and back).
- Free (or discounted) admission to museums, exhibitions, tours and travel services.
- Roma Pass card for 48 hours allows you to visit one museum for free, and the card for 72 hours allows you to visit two.
- With the card you can skip the line at the Capitoline Museums, the Colosseum and Castel Sant’Angelo. True, you will still have to go through inspection, but it will still be much faster than standing in a general queue.
- Roma Pass tourist card is included in a special Kit. You will receive the electronic card, a paper map of Rome Roma Map with attractions, as well as a list of all Roma Pass partners with discounts for card holders.
Photo by JOE Planas on UnsplashAdditionally, for smartphones and tablets there is the Charta Roma application, with a virtual map of interesting places in Rome.
Roma pass card activation
You can buy Roma Pass at museums and tourist information points, at ATAC public transport ticket sales points or at Trenitalia and FrecciaClub ticket offices.
Buying online is also convenient, but please note that this must be done right before the trip, since you will need to pick up the card within 24 hours.
After purchasing the card, write your first and last name and activation date in English or Italian on the back of the card. But it is activated at the moment of first use – in public transport or a museum. If requested by staff or a supervisor, it must be presented along with identification.
Many tourists have a question about how to use this pass in transport. In the metro and buses, the card should not be inserted into the skinning machine at the turnstiles; just touch it to the black circle on this machine. Green color will indicate that the card has been used.
Photo by Simone Savoldi on UnsplashMuseums with Roma pass discounts
You should know that there are quite a few free museums in Rome that you can visit regardless of whether you have a tourist card or not.
- Museo Napoleonico
- Villa di Massenzio
- Accademia Nazionale di San Luca
- Museo della Repubblica Romana
- Museo di scultura antica
- Museo di casal de’ Pazzi
- Museo Carlo Bilotti
- Museo Pietro Canonica
- Museo delle Mura
The card gives you free access to 1 or 2 of the 45 museums with paid admission. The main ones are: the Colosseum, the Capitoline Museums, the Castel Sant’Angelo, Via Appia Antica and the Borghese Gallery.
But remember, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel are not included in the Roma Pass, as they are not government owned.
It should be noted that children under 10 years of age travel free on public transport, admission to state museums and archaeological excavations is also free, so you do not need to buy a card for them.