Why spend more money? Official attractions websites in Rome

Peak season is here again, and mass tourism has made its comeback to Rome, which means the main sights are also being taken by storm – after two years of virtually non-existent international traveling, this was to be expected!

In spite of it, some visitors at this time are really not prepared a Rome that’s back to normal: talking to many first-time travelers, the feeling is that they expected the city to be somehow still empty due to the lingering effects of the pandemic, with restaurants ready to accommodate any walk-ins and attractions devoid of any queues. That is not the case.

Avoid disappointment: book in advance!

Any landmark or establishment will have to be booked beforehand these days – expect this to last until the end of October at the very least. Not doing so may very well result in disappointment, especially if you’ve been planning a certain visit or a certain meal way in advance.

When it comes to restaurants and other eateries, we’ve devoted a specific blog post to the ways you can book a table online, with no need to do any phone calls, here.

With attractions in Rome, on the other hand, we noticed a disturbing trend lately, and this is what this post is about, really: help you avoid spending more than necessary!

The reason is (and here’s the disturbing trend) that a consistent number of our guests admits to paying over 100 EUR per person to secure stubs to places like the Vatican, the Colosseum or Borghese Gallery.

These prices are so high because they’re inflated by scalpers or resellers, and we realized that sometimes those who perform a Google search for landmarks in Rome and their tickets really stop at the first results even though those are nowhere near being their official websites.

And this is what this article is about, really. Consider it a public service post where we point you in the right direction. These official websites offer tickets at the absolute lowest price – resellers don’t, as they need to make a profit, after all. And we want this to be clear: From Home to Rome gains nothing from this list – there is no percentage we get for showing the correct website. It’s just what we do to avoid you being (essentially) scammed.

When is it ok to buy museum tickets from resellers?

While we don’t condone using a third party site to buy tickets in Rome, sometimes it is necessary because those will be sold out at the official pages we’re about to list. Only then consider buying from a reseller, but do compare their prices and their policies first. Tiqets, Viator, Viagogo or StubHub don’t offer the same exact services nor they have the same reputation, and that should be considered. With that in mind, let’s see those official websites!

Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill: Coopculture

Coopculture, as the name suggests, is an Italian co-op working with several landmarks all over the country. The Colosseum and its associated sites are arguably the most famous of their clients, but they also manage the ticketing for the Domus Aurea, across from the Colosseum, a must-visit which admission is by booking-only, or for the ruins at ancient Ostia.

To buy tickets for the Colosseum go here.

The official Colosseum website is this one (the ticket section will link back to Coopculture).

Vatican Museums: look out for the .va suffix!

The Vatican Museums are – obviously – in another sovereign country, which means their official site will also be housed there. Which is also why it is pretty easy to spot any website pretending to be them (yes, that happens) – they don’t end with .va! This is the English language portal for the attraction.

Borghese Gallery: yet another website!

Gebart is the name of the company managing the Borghese Gallery. Once on their page, there’s a very prominent red button that will take you to the actual ticketing page, hosted here.
​
Rome’s city museums (including Capitoline Museums): go for Vivaticket

Vivaticket is a well-known portal for concert tickets, however it’s also the go-to website for tickets to Rome’s museum network, which includes the Capitoline Museums, Trajan’s Market and Centrale Montemartini. These landmarks rarely go sold out, but why risk it? This page lists all the Roman museums available through Vivaticket’s system.

Bonus: looking for Pompeii’s official website?

If you’re coming to Rome and looking to visit Pompeii, this is the website you need.

Any other museum you’re interested in in Rome that is not listed in this post? Feel free to drop us a line!

Things to keep in mind before you buy your tickets

A good thing to do before you travel abroad, more generally speaking, is to confirm with your bank(s) that you are allowed to use your credit card on a foreign website. Many of our guests have had issues buying tickets on the Vatican Museums page for this exact reason.

Also, for some popular sites, tickets are made available once a month or so in the morning here, the middle of the night if you’re in North America: keep it in mind especially as summer is approaching because by your morning it’s very likely that they’re going to be all sold out. This happens, in particular, for the Colosseum.

Finally, make sure you check in advance if your travels to Italy and your intended museum visits happen when a bank holiday or other national closure is also on – this would dampen your experience, for sure!