Rome Essentials Pass
The Rome Essentials Pass is the smaller of the two Turbopass products and is designed for a first trip to Rome. It contains six fixed services, including the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums and the Pantheon, and you do not have to make any choices. For the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums, the provider reserves the time slots before you leave home. This is exactly where most travel plans for Rome otherwise fall apart.
What is included
- Colosseum with Roman Forum and Palatine Hill The three sites lie next to each other and share one ticket. From the Colosseum you walk over to the Roman Forum and from there up onto the Palatine Hill, which gives you a view over the whole complex. Your entry time slot is reserved before you even arrive in Rome.
- Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel The route leads through the galleries of the popes to the Sistine Chapel, which lies at the end of the way. This time slot is also fixed before your trip. It is the ticket that sells out fastest in Rome, and the main reason why travel plans fall through.
- Pantheon The best-preserved building of antiquity stands in the middle of the old town, and light falls through the open dome onto the marble floor. Entry now has to be paid for and is included here.
- Vatican courtyards The courtyards belong to the Vatican and are listed separately in the pass. They lie along the route through the museums and are easy to combine with your visit there.
- Guided city walk in Rome A guided walk through the historic centre. If you schedule it at the start of your trip, you will find your way around much more easily in the days that follow.
- Multimedia video “Ancient Rome” A film that shows what the Forum and the Colosseum looked like when they were still standing in full. If you watch it before walking through the ruins, the remaining walls make a great deal more sense.
The small print
- Validity
- 2, 3 or 4 calendar days
- Scope
- 6 fixed services
- Public transport
- not included
- Pickup
- digital, no pickup
- Cancellation
- Check the terms with the provider
Reservations
You choose the time slots for the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums when you book.
How the Rome Essentials Pass works
The Essentials Pass is the smaller of the two Turbopass products for Rome. Its scope is fixed from the outset: it contains six services, all of which are known before you book. This means you do not have to make a selection, and there is nothing to collect once you are in Rome.
When you book, you decide whether the pass should be valid for two, three or four calendar days, and you set the first day of use. For the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums, you also state straight away on which days you would like to go. Turbopass then reserves the time slots and sends you the pass and the admission tickets by email.
This is the real difference from the official city passes. Someone else takes care of the two reservations on which most travel plans for Rome get stuck. You therefore do not have to handle this part of the preparation yourself.
What to expect at each place
Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
The three sites form a single connected area and share one ticket. Most visitors start in the Colosseum, then walk across the Roman Forum, which was once the centre of the empire, and finally climb up the Palatine Hill. From up there you can see across the entire site, and for the first time the ruins really make sense as a whole. Allow half a day for this part and wear sturdy shoes, because the site is larger and more uneven than it looks from outside.
Entry is at a reserved time slot. This is exactly where most travel plans for Rome fail, because in high season the allocations are gone weeks in advance. With the Essentials Pass, this appointment is already booked before you leave home.
Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
The route leads through the galleries of the popes, past tapestries, maps and ancient statues, to the Sistine Chapel at the end of the way. If you walk it briskly, you will understand less of what you have seen afterwards; if you take your time, three hours pass easily. Here, too, your time slot is fixed before the trip, and this ticket is also one of the fastest to sell out in the city.
Pantheon and Vatican courtyards
The Pantheon stands in the middle of the old town and is the best-preserved building of antiquity anywhere. Daylight falls through the open dome as a bright circle on the marble floor and moves across the walls over the course of the day. Admission now has to be paid for and is included in the pass. In addition, there are the Vatican courtyards, which the pass lists separately and which combine well with your visit to the museums.
St Peter's Basilica is not part of the Essentials Pass. If you have firmly planned to visit it, the Rome City Pass from the same provider is the better choice, as it is included there. Entry to St Peter's Basilica itself is free, but the security check does take time.
Guided city tour and multimedia video
There are also two services that are best placed at the start of your trip. The guided city tour is in English and takes you through the historic centre; if you join it on your first day, you will find your way around much more easily on the days that follow. The multimedia video "Ancient Rome" shows the buildings as they looked when they were still complete. If you watch it before walking through the ruins, the remains of the walls make a great deal more sense.
What is not included
Public transport, the hop-on hop-off bus, Castel Sant'Angelo and all the other museums in the city are not included. This is not an oversight but the way this pass is designed: it covers the highlights and nothing else. If you are planning more, the Rome City Pass is the better choice. It contains the same two reservations and considerably more services on top.
Validity and age groups
The pass is valid for two, three or four calendar days, not for a set number of hours. If you arrive in the afternoon, the first day is therefore largely used up. If possible, make your first day of use a day that you spend entirely in Rome.
For pricing, Turbopass distinguishes four groups: adults aged 18 and over, young people aged 10 to 17, children aged 6 to 9, and infants up to 5, who pay nothing. For families, this breakdown matters more than with the Roma Pass, which has no such division.
What the pass costs
The price depends on the number of calendar days. Children aged 6 to 9 and young people aged 10 to 17 pay less than adults; infants up to 5 pay nothing.
| Calendar days | Adults | Children & teens from |
|---|---|---|
| 2 days | €89.00 | €29.00 |
| 3 days | €99.00 | €35.00 |
| 4 days | €109.00 | €39.00 |
Prices include the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums, as Turbopass lists them. The public transport ticket and the airport bus are added if you need them.
Whether the pass pays off
Three of the included services already make up a good part of the price if you buy them individually: the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums and the Pantheon. At normal prices, the calculation looks like this:
Bought individually, normal prices
- Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel: around €25
- Colosseum with Roman Forum and Palatine Hill: around €18
- Pantheon: around €5
On paper, the difference is therefore small. The guided city tour, the multimedia video and the Vatican courtyards are added on top, but the saving is still modest. The value lies elsewhere: in the season, you will rarely get the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums at these official prices. And if you make both reservations yourself, it costs you time, and it does not always work.
If you want to see a lot, you are better off with the Rome City Pass. If you only want to see a little, the Rome Tourist Card or individual tickets will cost you less. The Essentials Pass is intended for the range in between.
Purchase and documents
The pass is sold by Turbopass. After purchase, you receive the pass and the admission tickets by email; there is nothing to collect in Rome. The tickets for the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums sometimes arrive a little later than the confirmation, but in good time before your trip.
We do not have reliable information on the cancellation terms for this product. The €50 rule of the Rome City Pass does not automatically apply to this product as well. Check what applies to your booking in the booking step at Turbopass before you complete the purchase.
What speaks against the pass
- The scope is fixed at six services. The pass does not allow you to make your own selection or to add anything. If you would like to keep your options open about what you see while you are travelling, it does not suit your trip.
- Public transport is not included. You pay for buses and the metro separately. On a stay with many journeys, this amount adds up.
- Calendar days are counted, not hours. Your day of arrival counts in full, even if you only arrive in the evening.
- The guided city tour is in English. If you would prefer a tour in another language, you will need to book a separate one.
When the pass is worth buying
The Essentials Pass is made for a first trip to Rome, with two to four days available and the big names on the programme. You get exactly the admissions that planning usually depends on, including reserved time slots, and you do not have to organise anything yourself. If, on the other hand, you already know that you want to see a great deal, or if you prefer to make your own choice, the Rome City Pass or the Rome Explorer Pass will suit you better.