Rome’s attractions and official websites: what a mess!

[revised November 2023]

When we travel, we experience the confusion of someone looking for the most direct and official platform to book tickets for attractions and finding tons of options.

The “real one” is usually several lines under the fake ones. The reason is easy to get: these alternative platforms pay to be on top of the list and sell their services, obviously adding a commission on top, in explicit or not so transparent ways.  This is becoming an issue especially when reservations are mandatory.

This post is to help you reaching the official websites for main attractions that really need a reservation, at the minimum possible cost. All these sites are also at least in English, just check at the corners on top to switch yo the language you prefer. We also talked about “skip the line” tickets in this article. 

We remind you to contact us before booking anything, if you plan to have our guide with you, so we can agree on best day and time first.

We will then provide instructions for you to buy tickets at the minimum possible cost.

The reason why we cannot issue the tickets for you is that the booking activity would conflict with our core activity that is providing tours on a daily basis. If we have to be in front of the screen at the right time to secure the perfect slot for you, we cannot be out touring. If you need that level of service, you  need a travel agent, while we are a team of tour guides. 

• Vatican Museums 
• Colosseum and archeological park or the site manager Coopculture
• Borghese Gallery or the site manager Gebart
• Pantheon you have first to register and then book the tickets
• Catacombs: there are many, look for individual sites and info. You can reserve online the catacombs of St. Sebastian and the catacombs of St. Callixtus 
• Castel Sant’Angelo will redirect you to their official seller TOSC
• Terme di Caracalla through Coopculture 
• Capitoline Museums and all the sites/museums of the municipality network through Zetema and Vivaticket

We know…it’s a mess! We are here to help and assist. Let us know if some other venue is generating confusion and we will add it to the list.