Show & Go™ Combo Vatican Museums Including Sistine Chapel + Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

From USD $123.00
  • Duration: 6 Hours (approx.)
  • Product code: TRVATCOLSN

About the Show & Go Pass™

Our exclusive pass lets you join two different, equally fascinating guided tours—whenever you want without the need to book in advance, and on different days if you like. This special feature of the Pass is unique to ItaliaRail—you won't find this kind of flexibility with other combo passes!

Plus, special Skip-the-Line access means you’ll see all the wonders of the Vatican City, including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, without waiting to enter; you’ll also get a thrilling, in-depth exploration of the iconic Colosseum and other sites of ancient Rome. On each group tour, you’ll be accompanied by an English-speaking expert in Roman art and history.

What Customers Love About This Pass

  • Convenience and flexibility of TWO great must-see attractions on one pass
  • Super-competitive price and excellent service
  • No advanced reservations required, just Show & Go!
  • Flexibility to book tours on separate days
  • Amazing guided tours that show you in the artistic wonders of the Vatican Museums—including sumptuous ancient tapestries, maps, and sculptures
  • Gazing at Michelangelo’s masterworks: the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, and his sublime Pietà
  • Delving into the fascinating—and bloody—history of The Colosseum, the iconic amphitheater of ancient Rome
  • Discovering the hub of the ancient city, the Roman Forum—once home to bustling markets, festivals, temples, and senatorial debates—and the surrounding
  • Palaces of Palatine Hill

How It Works

No reservation is required to use your Show & Go Pass™. If you want to join a tour you can SHOW up at the Meeting Point just 30 minutes before, and GO!


Colosseum Tour Departure Schedule:

November 1st through March 31st daily tour departures: 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m

April 1st through October 31st daily tour departures:  10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m.


Vatican Tour Departure Schedule:

November 1st through March 31st tours depart Monday through Saturday (not offered on Sunday): 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m.

April 1st through October 31st tours depart Monday through Saturday (not offered on Sunday): on the hour 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. 

Please note that this tour is not available on Sundays. Extra closures can occur in case of religious festivities or special religious functions, please check availability before.  Please note that due to Vatican Museums regulation, departure days and times may change


Show & Go Pass™ Money-Back Guarantee

As we care about your satisfaction, we offer you our Money-Back Guarantee: if, after taking one or both tours included in the Pass, you find that the product does not correspond to the description we provided you with at the time of purchase, you can activate the Guarantee.


Vatican City Tour Itinerary (small guided tour, 2,5 hours):

Stop 1: The Vatican Museums

Reaching the Vatican Museums, the guide will give you an overview of the history and art of the smallest state in the World.  At the entrance to the Vatican Museums—and skipping right past the long entry lines—you’ll walk through cavernous galleries filled with ancient sculptures, tapestries, maps, and Etruscan antiquities. 

Stop 2: The Sistine Chapel
The most famous frescoes in the world will greet you when you enter the jewel box of the Sistine Chapel. Here, you’ll be surrounded by the stunning Michelangelo masterpieces that have adorned a million picture postcards—including the nine central panels of the chapel ceiling, each depicting a tale from Genesis (the most famous being The Creation of Adam).

Stop 3: St. Peter’s Basilica (self guided)
This grand cathedral—one of the world’s largest churches, and one of its most sacred Catholic sites—sits atop the very spot where St. Peter was buried. On this self-guided part of the tour, you’ll see the church’s chapels and elaborately painted, multi-domed ceiling; also, Michelangelo’s remarkable Pietà—a sculptural depiction of the Virgin Mary cradling her dying son. IMPORTANT: The Basilica is closed on Wednesdays for the Papal Audience.


Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour Itinerary (2.5 hours):

Stop 1: The Colosseum

Your group will start at The Colosseum: the extraordinary amphitheater that was ancient Rome’s center of public entertainment. Gladiatorial clashes, wild-animal fights, and mock-naval battles were once staged here; and today, you can still see remnants of the seating arcades that once fit 50,000 spectators, and the staging areas where the brutal spectacles took place.  

Stop 2: The Roman Forum

The onetime cultural, economic, and political center of ancient Rome, the Roman Forum still retains its grandeur today. You’ll walk along the Via Sacra, a path once lined with bustling market stalls, tracing the paths of ancient military processions and political rallies. You’ll also see important sites like the Temple of Julius Caesar (which still contains the altar where the emperor’s body was ceremonially burned), and the Curia Julia—the still-intact Senate House where Cicero and Mark Antony once orated.

Stop 3: Palatine Hill

According to legend, the twins Romulus and Remus first decided to begin building the city of Rome atop this impressive hill (the most famous of the city’s Seven Hills). Here, you’ll get to walk among ruined emperors’ palaces, and the still-verdant plantings of the Farnese Garden (one of Europe’s first botanical gardens). You’ll also enjoy the hill’s sweeping views over the nearby Forum, Colosseum, and Circus Maximus (a grand sporting arena where chariot races were held).


What’s Included

  • Entry fees to all sites 
  • Special Skip-the-Line access at the Vatican Museums
  • Prepaid Ticket Line access at the Colosseum
  • Headsets for large-group tours, to ensure you always hear your guide


Not Included

  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off
  • Gratuities
  • Transport to and from the Vatican City and The Colosseum


Vatican Blackout Dates

The Vatican Museums are closed on ALL Sundays.

  • March 13th
  • April 21st and 22nd
  • April 25
  • May 1st and 16th
  • June 29th
  • August 14th and 15th

IMPORTANT: Extra  closures can anyway occur without notice, so be sure to check in advance.

Colosseum Blackout Dates

  • April 21st, 22nd
  • April 25th
  • May 1st, 9th
  • June 2nd, 5th and 29th
  • August 15th
  • September 23rd
  • October 5th
  • November 4th

In the following dates tour at 04.00 pm won't be available: May 30 // June 27 // September 26 // October 31 // November 28