Rome Digital Pass
The Rome Digital Pass is a new combination ticket from Tiqets and closely related in design to the Rome Tourist Card. The Vatican Museums with the Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum with the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are fixed. As the third building block, you choose between 24 hours of hop-on hop-off bus and St Peter's Basilica with an audio guide, and an audio guide app for the whole city is added. Each attraction gets its own date when you book.
What is included
- Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel Fixed in the package, and that is the most important difference from the Rome Tourist Card, where you can swap the Vatican for Castel Sant'Angelo. You choose between a skip-the-line ticket and an entry with a host who takes you inside. In both cases you explore at your own pace.
- Colosseum with Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Also fixed. You can choose the version with an audio guide for all three sites, or a version that includes the Mamertine Prison at the foot of the Capitoline Hill instead of the audio guide: the dungeon where, according to tradition, St Peter was held.
- Hop-on hop-off bus or St Peter's Basilica Here you decide: either 24 hours of sightseeing by bus, getting on and off as you like, with stops at the Colosseum, the Vatican and Villa Borghese among others, or entry to St Peter's Basilica with an audio guide. You cannot have both.
- Audio guide app for the city More than 100 stops in Rome with pictures, texts and maps that also work without internet access. The app is valid from your start date and needs no reservation.
The small print
- Validity
- fixed dates, chosen when booking
- Scope
- 3 attractions, one of them your choice
- Public transport
- not included, hop-on hop-off bus available as an option
- Pickup
- digital, no pickup
- Cancellation
- non-refundable
Reservations
When you buy, you choose a start date, then a version and a separate visiting day from that date for the Vatican, the Colosseum and the third building block. You see straight away what is available. The Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays. The tickets arrive by email.
How the Rome Digital Pass works
The Rome Digital Pass is not a city pass with a validity period but a combination ticket made up of four building blocks. Two of them are fixed, for one you choose between two options, and the audio guide app is always included. Within the building blocks there are sometimes several versions, and when you buy, Tiqets only shows you those that still have space on the day you want.
The four building blocks
- Vatican Museums with Sistine Chapel. Always included, either as a skip-the-line ticket or as an entry with a host.
- Colosseum with Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Also fixed, either with an audio guide or together with the Mamertine Prison.
- 24 hours of hop-on hop-off bus or St Peter's Basilica with an audio guide. Here you choose one of the two.
- Audio guide app for the city. More than 100 stops, with maps that also work offline. It is valid from your start date.
When you buy, you first choose a start date and the number of people. Then you set the version and visiting day for the Vatican, the Colosseum and the third building block, each independently of the others. So you do not have to fit everything into one day. The Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays. The tickets then arrive by email; there is nothing to collect.
Rome Digital Pass or Rome Tourist Card?
Both products come from Tiqets and work on the same principle. The Digital Pass is the leaner version: the Vatican is fixed rather than optional, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Pantheon and the second audio guide are dropped, and the hop-on hop-off bus is added as a new option.
| Feature | Rome Digital Pass | Rome Tourist Card |
|---|---|---|
| Vatican Museums | always included | a choice against Castel Sant'Angelo |
| Colosseum | fixed, with audio guide or Mamertine Prison | fixed, with audio guide or multimedia video |
| Third building block | hop-on hop-off bus or St Peter's Basilica | St Peter's Basilica or Pantheon |
| Audio guides | city app | city app and a separate Colosseum audio guide |
| Discount on further bookings | not stated | 10 per cent, for one month |
| Price | from €71.00 | from €100.00 |
The decision is usually quick. If the Vatican is definitely on your programme and one audio guide is enough for you, the Digital Pass is the cheaper choice. If you want to keep Castel Sant'Angelo or the Pantheon open, or if you value the many reviews the Tourist Card has collected, stay with the Rome Tourist Card.
Bus or St Peter's Basilica?
St Peter's Basilica itself is free to enter. What you pay for with this building block is the audio guide that takes you through the basilica. The bus tour, on the other hand, is something you would otherwise have to buy separately. If you do not particularly value the commentary in St Peter's, you get more out of this building block with the bus. It works especially well on the day you arrive, when you want an overview and do not yet have a fixed appointment.
You can still visit St Peter's Basilica in that case, just without the audio guide and through the usual security check on St Peter's Square.
Does the pass pay off?
Compared with the official ticket offices, you save little or nothing with the pass. It is roughly on a par with what the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, a bus tour and an audio guide app cost individually. On ticket platforms, however, you usually pay more for the same services.
Bought individually, depending on the seller
- Colosseum with Roman Forum: around €18 to €40
- Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel: around €25 to €50
- Audio guide app for the city: around €7
- St Peter's Basilica: free entry, the audio guide costs extra
The real reason to buy it is therefore the same as with the Tourist Card: you secure the two most sought-after appointments in Rome in one step, with an overview of which versions are still available on your travel days. If you plan early and do not mind the official websites, you will pay a little less booking individually.
What speaks against the pass
- It is new. Tiqets has only recently started selling the Digital Pass, and there are hardly any reviews yet. Because it is based on the same building blocks as the Tourist Card, there should be no surprises in how it works.
- Cancellation is not possible. Tiqets lists the product as non-refundable, because fixed dates are booked for you. Only buy once your travel dates are settled.
- No public transport. You pay extra for buses and the metro. The hop-on hop-off bus does not replace a travel ticket and only runs for 24 hours.
- Three attractions are the limit. If you want to see more in a few days, a pass based on days is the better choice, such as the Rome City Pass.
For families
There is a reduced ticket for young people aged 6 to 17. Children under 6 also need their own ticket, which costs almost nothing, and Tiqets requires valid ID for all minors at the entrance. Without ID, entry is refused, so pack it for the children too.
When the pass is worth buying
The Rome Digital Pass suits a short stay in Rome where the Vatican and the Colosseum are fixed on the programme and the dates should be secured before you travel. Compared with the Rome Tourist Card it works on the same principle but currently costs considerably less, and it lets you swap St Peter's Basilica for a bus tour. In return, Castel Sant'Angelo and the Pantheon are not available as alternatives, and there is no second audio guide for the Colosseum. Public transport is not included, and if you want to see more than three attractions, a pass based on days is the better choice.