Roma Pass vs Omnia Card for visiting the Colosseum. What is the best ?

Is Roma Pass worth it ? When visiting Rome for the first time it can be hard to figure out what to visit and which tickets to buy. One thing is sure, the Colosseum is on the must-see list of most novice visitors. However, the different ticket options can easily lead to confusion.

Two Rome city passes you are most likely to come across are the Roma Pass and the Omnia Card. This guide gives you an overview of each. We also compare the two to help you find the one that suits your Rome itinerary best.

Roma Pass vs Omnia Pass : which one should you take?

Now let’s look at each card in detail to help you make an informed comparison of the Omnia Pass vs Roma Pass.

What is Roma Pass ?

The Roma Pass is the basic 48 or 72-hour sightseeing pass introduced by the city of Rome to help novice visitors see as much as possible during their time in the Eternal City. In a nutshell, this is what the Roma Pass is all about:

Who benefits from the Roma Pass?

First or second-time visitors to Rome who haven’t seen the Colosseum and most of Rome’s other major attractions apart from the Vatican City.

With fast-track entry, free public transport, and a detailed city map, the Roma Pass makes it easy to get around while trying to see as much as possible in 2 or 3 days.

People who like to plan in advance and keep a tight hold on their budget will also benefit from the fact that they can buy the Roma Pass online ahead of their visit.

Where to buy the Roma Pass?

There are several options for buying the Roma Pass.

Before your arrival:

Most people conveniently buy the Roma Pass online before their visit. This way, the expense is taken care of and you can start detailed planning before you arrive. Cards purchased online is easy to collect at any of Rome’s many tourist INFOPOINTS.

After your arrival:

• Museums and tourist INFOPOINTS.
• ATAC – subway ticket office
• Trenitalia ticket offices and FrecciaClub

Roma Pass review

If only the Colosseum and some other major Rome attractions outside the Vatican is on your itinerary, then looking at the following figures may help you decide whether it’s worth buying the Roma Pass only.

Save money with Roma Pass :

The total cost of individual tickets is €79,50 for 48 hours and €86 for 72 hours.

The cost of the 48-hour Roma Pass plus reservation fees and discounted entry is €53,50. With the 72-hour Roma Pass, the cost is €64. That’s a saving of over €20 and €10 respectively with the Roma Pass.

If you like to explore a city slowly and on foot, the Roma Pass may not be worth it for you. Work out what you want to visit and what you’ll need public transport for and calculate the costs. This is the only way to know whether you’re going to win or lose by buying the Roma Pass.

But remember, with the Roma Pass you aren’t saving money only. Skipping the lines and hopping on and off public transport without a second thought also counts for something.

What is Omnia Pass ?

The Omnia Pass, also known as the Omnia Vatican & Rome Card, is a 72-hour sightseeing pass that allows free entry to two top Rome attractions, including the Colosseum with Roman Forum/Palatine Hill, as well as the Vatican Museums.

With the Omnia Pass comes skip-the-line access, hop-on-hop-off bus tours for 3 days, a free guidebook and a travel card for unlimited use on the city’s public transport network. It’s tailor-made to save visitors to Rome time and money while discovering the Eternal City.

Basically, the Omnia Pass is a 2-in-one city sightseeing pass. Why? Because it includes the Roma Pass.

With the Roma Pass, the holder gets free admission to two of the following main attractions: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, Capitoline Museums, Borghese Gallery, National Museum, Castel Sant'Angelo, and Carcer Tullianum.

However, the Omnia Card is unique compared to other Rome city passes in that it includes free entry to the Vatican Museums with the Sistine Chapel.  You’ll also get fast-track entry to St Peter’s Basilica with a free audio guide for a self-guided tour.

Who benefits from the Omnia Card?

• First-time visitors to Rome who want to see all the highlights in 3 days, with the Colosseum and Vatican at the top of their list.
• Those who like the idea of jumping on and off public transport to get them to the next attraction on their list as quickly as possible.
• Novice visitors who love taking informative hop-on-hop-off bus tours to orientate themselves and get a good overview of a city. With the OMNIA Card, this can be combined with public transport travel to suit your itinerary and time schedule.
• Budget travellers who like to save money and time with city passes and booking ahead to avoid unnecessary last-minute costs.

Omnia Pass Rome prices

The Omnia Vatican & Rome Card costs €113. But always check first to see if there aren’t any seasonal discounts of up to 25%.

Where to buy the Omnia Pass ?

It’s easy to buy the Omnia Card online before arriving in Rome. Securing your ticket in advance, means you can schedule both your visits to the Colosseum and Vatican to suit your preferred dates and times.

The Omnia Card can also be bought at one of three Omnia Redemption Points (O.R.P) after your arrival in Rome:

• Piazza Pio XII, 9 (St. Peter's Basilica)
  Open: Monday to Sunday 09.00 – 16.00
• Piazza di Porta S.Giovanni, 6 (St. John in the Lateran)
  Open: Monday to Sunday 09.00 – 16.00
• Largo Argentina, Via dei Cestari 21 (Pantheon)
  Open: Monday to Sunday 10.00 – 16.00

NOTE: If you bought your Omnia Card online, you can simply collect it at one of the above-mentioned redemption points after arriving in Rome.

Omnia Pass review

In our opinion, the biggest advantage of an Omnia Card is that it includes the Vatican Museums. With that, the convenience of skip-the-line tickets to the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, and St Peter’s Basilica is a great benefit which is hard to give a monetary value to.

Just looking at the figures, this is how you can also save some money with the Omnia Card:

That’s a monetary saving of €10 on a do-able itinerary. And don’t forget there are more discounts included on various tours and events.

Furthermore, planning is and getting around is made a lot easier by the detailed Rome guidebook and map. Therefore, the Omnia Card can definitely be recommended if you’re planning on seeing and doing as much as possible during your 3 days in Rome.

How to book Colosseum tickets with Roma Pass ?

Choose the best time to visit the Colosseum

The best months to visit the Colosseum is from November to February. However, this doesn’t include the Christmas and New Year holidays when it gets crowded pretty quickly.

Avoid visiting the Colosseum on the first Sunday of the month when tickets are free for all and no reservation is possible.

Between March and October, you can almost always expect crowds at the Colosseum. The best time of the day to avoid long security check lines even with your fast-track entry tickets are:

• when the Colosseum opens at 08:30
• when the crowds begin to thin out an hour or two before last entry. Closing time is more or less an hour before sunset. You can check the official Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill website for up to date opening hours.

Enjoy the two-day ticket

Remember your Colosseum ticket is valid for 2 days and includes the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill. However, most people use one day to visit all three. If this is your plan, we recommend starting at Palatine Hill, crossing over to the Roman Forum, and ending at the Colosseum when the biggest crowds have left by mid to late afternoon.

Other practical informations

Keep in mind that certain parts within the Colosseum can only be visited as part of a guided tour which is not included in the standard ticket.

Don’t be surprised to find airport-style security at the Colosseum. Even with your skip-the-line Roma Pass tickets, you may still have to stand in line for long periods at peak times.

Arriving at the Colosseum 60 minutes to half an hour before your Colosseum visit will give you time to store big bags and fluids, use the restrooms, and getting in line without worrying that you’ll miss your scheduled entry time.

Take the stairs instead of the lift when you enter the Colosseum. Stop by the recently added exhibition to help you better understand what you’re seeing, especially if you don’t have an audio guide or aren’t part of a guided tour.

Getting to the Colosseum with your Roma Pass or OMNIA Card

The Colosseum is pretty much in the centre of ancient Rome. You’ll find the main entrance on Piazza del Colosseo just east of the Roman Forum.

With the free travel card that’s included with your Roma Pass and hop-on-hop-off bus tours that comes with the Omnia Card, there’s no shortage of transports options to the to the Colosseum.

They are:

Metro

If you’re coming from Termini Station, this is the quickest way to reach the Colosseum. Take the Blue Line B (direction Laurentina) and get off at Colosseo, which is only two stops away.

Bus

Lines 75, 81, 673, 175, and 204 stop near the Colosseum.

Tram

Line 3 will drop you a stone’s throw from Rome’s biggest attraction.

Hop-on-hop-off bus

With three of Rome’s major attractions concentrated in this area, most hop-on-hop-off buses have a route passing the Colosseum.

Conclusion

There’s no winner or loser in a comparison of the Omnia Card vs Roma Pass. It all depends on whether you want to include the Vatican Museums with Sistine Chapel in your itinerary or not. If you do, the Omnia Card is the most convenient option, saving you time and saving you money.

Basically, the Omnia Card is a two-in-one Rome city sightseeing pass. It includes the Roma Pass with all its benefits, as well as the added advantage of fast-track entry to the Vatican attractions and a 3-day hop-on-hop-off bus ticket. What more can you ask for from a city pass?