Essential Tips for Visiting Rome's Colosseum and Vatican: Must Read To Avoid Disappointment
Visiting Rome? You must be excited! And, I bet, you want to visit the Colosseum, the Vatican, and everything that makes the Eternal City special! In this article we’re going to share all the insider info to make sure you get your heart’s desire: too often I speak to disappointed tourists who didn’t manage to get in.
First things first, if you're feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of having to plan itineraries and things to do to make the most of your Rome trip, there’s a perfect solution: the Rome in One Day WhatsApp self-guided tour is here to rescue you from the burden of planning and from the boredom of overly detailed guided tours! You’ll explore Rome at your own pace, guided with real-time Whatsapp messages by local experts like myself: you ask for what you fancy and we provide solutions! Plus, we share a lot of interesting information in a quick, engaging way.
Now, back to the must-know info!
The Colosseum
How do we get tickets?
In short, to get inside the Colosseum you’ll need tickets - and it’s recommendable to buy them in advance if you want to avoid a long queue and the possibility it’ll be sold out.
There’s different ways to obtain tickets:
On the day: be prepared to queue for an hour if not longer, with no guarantee of success. There’s two official tickets shop on the site: don’t trust the resellers loitering outside, unfortunately they’re scams!
Pre-book: do it a week in advance and you should be safe. Now, there’s a variety of websites offering tickets: this is the official website, and you’ll find different packages depending on whether you want 24h entry or 48h. The ticket also includes a visit to the Fori, which are fantastic! Tickets come in time slots, and you’ll need to be fairly precise: you may be excused if you're 15 minutes late, but no more - so make sure you turn up on time. They’re also nominal, so you’ll need an ID (don’t worry if there’s a typo, but you can’t turn up as a whole different person). If possible, go for the skip-the-line tickets, or you may be delayed in the queue to get in even if you already have your ticket.
Guided tour: last but not least, you can go in with a guided tour. I often hear complaints about this method - and I’m myself not a fan: you end up rammed in a large group, all looking at the same thing, and it just takes the magic away… But, if you love a group guided tour, you’re bound to find some on GetYourGuide!
How much does it cost?
Prices are affordable: the 24h ticket is 16 EUR and the 48h is 22 EUR. If you’re a EU Citizen and you’re under 25, it’s half the price, and if you’re Under 18, it’s actually free.
It does get more expensive if you go in with the guided tours, which average at about 40 EUR per person and can easily go up to 90 EUR - yikes!
Do we need actually need a guided tour to learn about the history?
Not really: there’s plenty of posters and signs with key information inside, and if you don’t mind reading you’ll definitely learn the key bits this way.
If you want a more interactive experience, for an extra 8 EUR you can purchase the audiovideo guide app, which contains a lot of information and voice excerpts. It’s certainly packed (some might say too packed) - and if sustainability is a concern of yours, you way want to avoid getting the single-use plastic headphones. There’s tons of them hanging by the gates and it’s unnecessary waste.
About that: we’ll soon launch a Whatsapp Guide for inside the Colosseum and the Fori. It’ll be in quick bites of information so you only learn what actually interests you instead of having to take in loads of boring stuff, it’ll contain audio, video and text - and you won’t need to download anything or use single use headphones.
But, if you prefer to hear directly from an expert and don’t mind being part of a large group - then you may want to get a guide!
How long does it take to visit?
It depends on you: you’ll want to spend at least 1 hour inside the Colosseum, and at least another hour inside the Fori Romani. All things considered, you’ll need to factor in at least 3h to do both - but you can always split them over the course of 2 days.
Is it worth going inside?
Well… on the one hand the Colosseum and the Fori are gorgeous and unique. If you love history, you certainly should try to get in - ideally without being part of a super large and noisy group, which will dampen your experience a little.
At the same time, there’s no need to stress or ruin your holiday over it: Rome really is an open-air museum. You can see plenty of ruins for free from the outside (and if you join this All Killer No Filler Whatsapp Tour we’ll show you the best viewpoints to take the Fori in) - and you’ll still feel the magic of the Eternal City.
So yeah, it’s beautiful, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t make it inside!
The Vatican Museums & St. Peter’s
Do we need tickets to go in and how much does it cost?
You actually don’t need tickets to visit St. Peter’s Cathedral: it’s totally free, and so are the Vatican Grottos underneath. What you will need, on the other hand, is patience: the queue can take up to 2h - so you’re best off turning up early in the morning between 7-9am or later in the day at around 5pm (the last entries are at 5.30pm).
What you will need a ticket for are the Vatican Museums and the Dome: it’s 8 EUR for the Dome, and 20 EUR for the Vatican Museums (8 for kids) - but it can easily be 50/75 EUR per person if you select the option to go in with a guided tour. It’s advisable to book 2-3 days in advance to make sure you find availability: the tickets come in time slots, and you better not be more than 15 minutes late on yours! This is the official site for purchasing tickets - and the only one where you’ll find the 20 EUR ones without the guided tour. Everywhere else, you’ll need to go in as part of a guided tour!
How long does it take to visit?
There is so much to see that you can easily spend at least 2-3 hours inside. It’ll be more like 4 if you’re part of a guided tour. And, don’t forget, you’ll also need to factor in the time to pass the security checks, which can take longer than an hour on very busy days.
Is it actually worth going inside?
That depends on how long you're in Rome for and how you’d like to spend your time here.
As a general rule, if you’re only in Rome for a day, we’d recommend other spots - see our Whatsapp All Killer No Filler guide. If you have more time, it’d be a shame not to at least walk by St. Peter’s and see it from the outside (and, why not, pop inside if the queue isn’t terrible).
If you do love art and history, then you won’t regret a visit to the Vatican Museums: it is as fascinating as you suspect it to be, and more! If the spiritual aspect is what fascinates you the most, then prioritise St. Peter’s - which is not only beautiful, but filled with the history of the religion. Plus, it’s free to enter!
But also… Rome’s Christian heritage is not all about the Vatican! There’s many more incredibly amazing Cathedrals, each home to fantastic artwork, interesting relics and unexpected mysteries. If you’re interested but just hate queues and crowds, why not try our Whatsapp Top Rome Churches tour and benefit from an off-the-beaten path experience instead?
I want to visit: do we really need guided tours to learn about the history and the art?
Again, it all depends on you. It’s certainly beneficial to have a level of guidance when visiting, as some of the treasures and secrets kept inside St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museums have fascinating stories that will enrich your experience. At the same time, there is plenty of information already available for free inside - providing you’re happy to read through it!
The thing is, guided tours are not for everyone: I personally don’t like them - and nor do most of my friends. It’s the whole large group and no control to go at my own pace thing - plus I find that tour guides often… talk too much!
Audioguides are another option and they are available for purchase with your tickets: not the most engaging and often come with single use plastic headphones, but if you prioritise independence, they’ll work for you.
We don’t yet have a Whatsapp Guide for the Vatican Musems - although we’re working on it as we know you’d enjoy having just enough guidance and fun facts whilst retaining your independence and not having to use those weird headphones!
Phew, now that we've covered the essentials, you're ready to conquer Rome's landmarks like a true gladiator! If all the planning seems to much for you and you’d rather just relax, that’s also fine: get yourself one of our Rome Whatsapp guides, start chatting and get ready to make your Roman adventure as seamless as a Roman toga.