Booking visits in Rome: which providers to choose?

Hi Michael,

I always book on official websites, even if it’s sometimes complicated!

It’s cheaper, and if everyone did that, it’d avoid the insane speculation on entry tickets... I think three-quarters of tickets should be sold this way and one-quarter for groups.

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For the Colosseum, finding a slot for the ticket that includes the underground visit is quite the feat. These tickets sell out as soon as the site opens (30 days in advance, I think—hour by hour, so 30 days before at 10:00 AM for a visit 30 days later at 10:00 AM...).

The official site is this one, and the ticket is called: FULL EXPERIENCE - UNDERGROUND LEVELS AND ARENA.

Personally, I didn’t manage to buy this ticket. I had to settle for the Full Arena ticket (sold 7 days in advance).

There are also guided tours on the official site. Another way to access the undergrounds, especially if you’re not picky about the language of the tour.

The ticket lets you skip the ticket office (that’s the "skip-the-line" concept...). Just show up at the entrance 30 minutes early.

It’s best to plan this visit on a Wednesday (since on Wednesdays, people tend to go to the Vatican hoping to see the pope...).

There weren’t many people when I went, but it was in December—a pretty quiet month outside the holiday season.

The ticket also gives access to the forums.

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St. Peter’s is free. There’s a security check before entering the square, then you wait. Personally, I didn’t wait long—5 minutes, tops! (Not on a Wednesday...). For the dome, I bought the ticket on the spot without any issues. It’s definitely worth it! However, it’s not for claustrophobics, those afraid of heights, people who are significantly overweight (it’s narrow), or those who can’t climb 320 difficult steps.

During peak tourist season, it’s probably better to buy a ticket in advance. It’s much more expensive but much more reliable...

More expensive because even on the official site, there isn’t a ticket that *only* includes the dome. You have to buy a package. I assume the ticket lets you skip the line for the basilica.

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I didn’t visit the Vatican Museums.

The official site is here, and the online ticket is skip-the-line (meaning, like at the Colosseum, direct entry without going through the ticket office) at a set time. It’s 5 € more than if you go through the physical ticket office and its line...

There you go! 😉

Hello

Thanks for this detailed feedback. I also tend to prefer going through official operators... but I don’t know which ones they are—there are way too many ticket-selling sites!

For example, the Vatican Museums: On this site: https://www.museivaticanitickets.com/fr — 85 € (it looks totally official). On this other site (which looks just as official 😕): https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/fr.html — it’s 22 €...

(Okay, it seems the first site is a fake—I keep running into the same kind of site, same layout with crazy-high prices when searching for the Colosseum.)

Thanks for the link for the Colosseum (though it doesn’t show up at all at the top of the list when you search "Colosseum ticket"). But there’s nothing available for April, and everything’s already booked for March no matter the option...

About St. Peter’s—yes, I remember it’s free, but with a *looong* potential queue. I get that paying to access the dome (which might interest the teens) acts as a skip-the-line ticket.

We haven’t even tackled the last hurdle yet: the Trevi Fountain, which is now regulated (which isn’t a bad thing, honestly).

It’s still wild how much of a jungle these ticket-selling sites are! !🤪

The sites I mentioned are normally the official ones.

It's true that it's becoming a jungle, and not just in Italy! Reselling something you bought for 10 at 50 is a lucrative business!

I found this site that explains everything and seems reliable.

When a site charges more than the price listed in a recent guide, there’s something fishy...

April is too early (30 to 7 days before, depending on the option). The Arena ticket is currently on sale for the next 7 days, and the full experience for the next 30.

Yesterday, I found a full experience with an Italian-guided tour. They need to offer all languages...

Your chances of getting the full experience are slim, even if you’re right on time when bookings open. They sell out fast!

For the Trevi Fountain, that’s where I saw the biggest crowds. Access was still free but limited. Guards let tourists in periodically to avoid overcrowding.

The Pantheon is also worth a visit. Expect a queue there too... Early morning is best. Groups arrive later! !

Yeah, thanks for your links.

I already know Rome pretty well since I’ve been there several times, but except for 20 years ago, I’ve never done any tours—just wandered the streets.

Twenty years ago, you could just show up and buy a ticket. It’s gotten more complicated over time 😕

I’ll manage, thanks for your advice. Yeah, the Pantheon—I know it well, and I even love the Piazza Della Rotonda right in front of it.

With time, but especially with the crowds!

Afterwards, I feel like the internet distorts reality a bit.

I was worried about the crowds in December, but once there, everything went smoothly.

The place where I waited the longest was where the last pope is buried.

I went to Pisa and Tuscany a few years ago. In August, so right in the middle of the tourist season. It was a bit tense in Florence, but ultimately nothing unbearable.

I had more trouble in Granada in March!

I went to Rome almost 40 years ago. It was definitely easier back then! ;)

No internet, no resellers, just Westerners. Back then, in summer, the crowds were like what we see in December today. And even then...

Hi Michael,

In my opinion, the best way is to go through the official city of Rome website:

https://www.turismoroma.it/en

From there, for each monument/museum, it redirects you to the official website of the site you're visiting.

The Trevi Fountain has been ticketed since the beginning of February.

Happy planning!

Catherine