What to Book in Advance in Rome

Last Updated on 13th August 2023 by Sophie Nadeau

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The Eternal City is ever popular and for good reason. There are few places in the world where you can stroll through centuries old streets and find millennia old architecture around nearly every turn. But due to this uniqueness, Rome is undoubtedly one of the most popular places to visit in Europe, if not the world. As such, you’re probably wondering what to book in advance in Rome to make the most of your trip and avoid disappointment.

And so, if I could just give you one travel trip prior to your Eternal City visit, it would be that it’s of the utmost importance to book some attractions in advance.

Even on a recent visit in late May, we found that it was impossible to purchase tickets to some of the most sought after attractions.

The Vatican (which includes the Sistine Chapel) is often sold out at least a week ahead of time and so this is the kind of thing you’ll need to plan for before your plane to reach Rome has even taken off. Here are some of the attractions I highly recommend booking ahead of time:

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What to book in advance in Rome

What to book in advance in Rome

The Colosseum

Undoubtedly the most famous attractions in Rome is its jaw-dropping Colosseum, which is known as Colosseo in Italian. This former Amphitheatre once hosted up to 50,000 spectators who would watch shows ranging from battleships (yes, they flooded the arena for this) to gladiator fights.

During the Middle Ages, the Colosseum was transformed into a church before then being used as a fortress by two separate families. Unfortunately, the Colosseum was then abandoned, vandalised, and even used as a quarry for approximately 1000 years until it was restored in the 1900s.

There are a few ways to see the Colosseum; you can either go on a self-guided tour of the Colosseum or you can opt to visit with a professional guide. Plan to book your Colosseum visit at least two months ahead of time, though a month in advance should be sufficient to secure a ticket.

We personally opted to visit the Rome attraction with a guide as we wanted to delve deep into the history and see the Roman forum at the same time. Our guided tour also included a guided visit of the Roman Forum.

If you have left it too late to acquire regular Colosseum tickets, then your best option is to look for a guided tour on somewhere like GetYourGuide as they typically have some slots on tours as late as the day before.

The one thing that you should note about the previously mentioned Colosseum tours is that they do not include access to the underground. This is more restricted and fewer visitors can go due to the fragile nature of the Arena.

Book a small group tour like this one that will allow you to see the dungeons, underground tunnels, and chambers of the Colosseum. Another option is to book a Colosseum night tour like this one.

Roman Forum

If you are only planning to visit the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill (they are considered one park) and aren’t planning to see the Colosseum then you do not need to book your ticket in advance. The park is huge and it’s pretty easy to buy a ticket on the day you wish to visit.

The Pantheon

Although I have visited the Pantheon on previous visits to Rome, this past visit I was unfortunately able to go in because I didn’t know about the new entry requirements. Even to visit the Pantheon, you’ll now need to book a ticket ahead of time!

The Pantheon was originally intended to serve as a Roman temple but was converted into a church in 609 CE. As of July 3rd, visitors will have to pay to visit the Pantheon. Under 18s, residents of Rome, and those who are only visiting the church to worship will still go in for free.

You can only book around two to three weeks ahead so be sure to book these tickets around two weeks before your visit. You an find more details on the official website of the Pantheon.

If you don’t manage to secure a regular slot, then you can opt to go on a guided tour like this one which is a little more expensive, but typically guided tours will still be available on booking platforms up to the day before the date you wish to visit.

St. Peter’s tomb (Scavi)

Due to limited availability, one of the hardest to visit attractions in Rome lies directly under Vatican City in an area known as Vatican Necropolis and is alleged to be St Peter’s Tomb. Only 12 people are allowed in per tour, with a maximum of 250 visitors to the excavations allowed per day.

As such, you can see how hard it is to acquire tickets for this experience. Your best bet in securing a ticket is to try and book your visit at least two to three months before your planned trip to Rome.

There are two ways to book a ticket to this special place. The first is to contact the Excavations office directly (this is why you need to do it a few months ahead of your planned visit).

You can find their details on the official website. You’ll need to fill in a form stating the number of visitors (no children under 15 are allowed) including their names and the language you would prefer for the tour to be in. Tickets cost €13 and there are no reductions.

The other option is to book a guided tour through an agency. This is personally what I would do as you have more chance of getting a ticket even if it’s quite a bit more expensive. Find out more details to book through an agency here.

St Peter’s Basilica

If you’re planning a visit to the Vatican, then one of the most important things to note is that you should dress appropriately, otherwise you will probably be refused entry (even if you have a ticket to visit).

You should note that St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums (which include Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel) are entirely different attractions and have separate entrances which are around a five minute walk from one another.

The first thing you should note is that entrance to St Peter’s Basilica itself is free, but you should expect to queue for about two hours for the privilege of visiting (so be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes).

To be honest, the best way to beat the crowds is to get to the Basilica early in the morning (the ecclesiastical building opens at 7 AM throughout the year). If you want to go up to St Peter’s Basilica dome, then you can book a dome tour like this one but note that there is no skip-the-line option.

Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

The Vatican Museums should be booked at least a few weeks ahead of time (I would say that a month ahead of your scheduled visit is a good time to aim for).

There are a few different ways to visit the Museums but, whatever you do, you should be prepared for just how many people are visiting at the same time as you!

The first is simply to book an entrance ticket like this one which includes a self-guided tour. As part of the perks of booking ahead of time, you’ll get to go in a fast-track queue and save some of your precious vacation time.

The other option is to book a guided tour like this one. I opted for a guided tour during my Vatican Museum visit as I love delving deeper into the history of the place with the help of a local guide.

To be honest, the museums are pretty large and overwhelming, so it can be nice to have someone who can point out the crème de la crème of masterpieces so that you don’t miss any of the most famous pieces. Find more details here.

Castel Sant’Angelo

The breathtaking Castel Sant’Angelo (also known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian) was constructed along the banks of the River Tiber between 134 and 139 CE.

Although originally commissioned by Emperor Hadrian to serve as his Mausoleum, over the centuries the landmark has been used by the Popes as a fortress. Today, the castle has been transformed into a museum and offers breathtaking views of the surrounding area.

Typically, there are more tickets available for this attraction, though I do recommend booking at least a few days in advance as sometimes tickets do run out. Book your skip the line ticket here in advance.

Borghese Gallery and Museum

Lying in the heart of the Villa Borghese park (the most beautiful centrally located green space that Rome has to offer), the Borghese Gallery and Museum showcases an 18th-century home filled with treasures such as masterpieces by Rubens, Raphael, Titian, and Bernini.

If you want to see the Borghese museum for yourself, then it’s worth noting that you should plan to book your tickets at least a few weeks ahead of time as tickets often sell out before the day of visit.

Unfortunately, your time inside the museum will be limited to just two hours, so do be wary of the time and allowing yourself to soak it all up before you’re ushered out.

Book your Borghese Gallery and Museum ticket here in advance. Another option if you don’t want to miss all of the highlights is to book a guided tour of the Borghese Gallery like this one.