For most visitors, no. The 24-hour ticket costs €28.05 online against €8.50 for a 24-hour ATAC pass, and only 3 of Rome's 10 main sights sit within 7 minutes of a working stop.
Five checks, the same in every city. The total decides the verdict.
| Check | What we found | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Price vs public transport | €28.05 for the bus, €8.50 for a day of transport: 3.3 times as much | 2/3 |
| Stops near the sights | 3 of the 10 main sights are within 7 minutes' walk of a stop | 0/2 |
| Waiting time | A bus every 50 minutes at worst | 0/2 |
| Shape of the city | 3.7 km between the farthest main sights, mostly flat | 0/2 |
| Loop time | The shortest full loop takes 90 minutes | 1/1 |
| Total | Skip it | 3/10 |
| Route | Stops | Frequency | Full loop | First / last bus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Line (City Sightseeing Roma) | 10 | 15 min | 90 min | 09:00 / 18:00 |
| Yellow Line (Omnia Vatican & Rome) | 12 | 15–50 min | not published | 09:25 / 16:25 |
Audio guide in 8 languages. Wheelchair access: yes, according to the operator.
| Ticket | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours | €28.05 | €13.60 |
| 48 hours | €33.15 | €16.15 |
| 72 hours | €39.10 | €19.55 |
Child fare: ages 5 to 15.
| ATAC | Adult |
|---|---|
| Single ride | €1.50 |
| One day, unlimited rides | €8.50 |
Change the numbers to match your group. Fares are adult fares from the tables above.
Public transport is charged per ride up to the daily maximum. Multi-day passes can be cheaper still.
If you do buy, the 24-hour ticket at €28.05 is enough for what this bus is good at: one full loop and two or three hops. The 48-hour ticket is only €5.10 more at €33.15 and the 72-hour €39.10, so the extra days are cheap, but the loop does not change and the last yellow bus leaves at 16:25.
The 1 Day ticket at €22.95 saves €5.10 if you start at 09:00, and loses value fast if you board after lunch because it ends with the last bus that evening. The One Loop ticket at €15.30 suits people who only want the ride and the commentary.
The bus costs €19.55 more per adult
A 24-hour ATAC pass costs €8.50, so two adults pay €17 against €56.10 on the bus. Metro B runs Termini to Colosseo in two stops and on to Circo Massimo.
Metro A links Termini with Barberini, Spagna and Ottaviano, the station for the Vatican Museums. Buses 40 and 64 run from Termini through Piazza Venezia and Largo Argentina to the Vatican side of the river, which is close to the sightseeing bus's own line, and tram 8 goes from Piazza Venezia to Trastevere.
What you lose is the open top deck and the commentary. What you gain is a metro station at the Colosseum door, where the sightseeing bus currently has none.
Children aged 5 to 15 pay €13.60 for 24 hours online and under-5s ride free. The family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children is €69.70.
On ATAC the same family with children under 10 pays €17 for two adult day passes. The top deck does hold a child's attention for the 90-minute loop, and it gives small legs a rest between the Circo Massimo and the river.
Bring the children's own headphones, since the ones handed out are single-use earbuds.
Compare all citiesThe upper deck is open, and the lower deck is enclosed with far fewer seats and a worse view. In steady rain the bus becomes a slow way to move between stops that are already a walk from the sights.
October and November are Rome's wettest months, so check the forecast before activating a 24-hour ticket, and keep in mind that from November the combined frequency drops from 15 to 25 minutes.
Compare all citiesFrom June to early September, afternoon temperatures in Rome regularly pass 30°C and the top deck has little shade when the bus is stuck in traffic around Piazza Venezia. Ride the loop at 09:00 from Terminal A or after 17:00.
Carry water for the waits at Circo Massimo and Lungotevere Tor di Nona, which are 15 minutes at best. The city's drinking fountains, the nasoni, are free.
The operator lists the service as having facilitated access for disabled people, and Civitatis states it is wheelchair accessible with an accompanying person required. Check with the staff at Terminal A before boarding, as the operator publishes a separate accessibility policy rather than a per-bus guarantee.
For people who cannot walk far, the weak points are the distances after you get off: 12 minutes from Circo Massimo to the Colosseum, 13 from the Tiber stop to St Peter's Square, 10 from Piazza Barberini to Trevi, all partly on cobblestones.
Compare all citiesBuy the €8.50 ATAC 24-hour ticket and split the city in two. Do the Colosseum, Forum and Capitoline in the morning using metro B, then walk Piazza Venezia, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and Trevi, which fit in about 2.5 km.
Take metro A to Ottaviano for the Vatican on another day. If you want commentary, a guided walking tour of the historic centre covers the Pantheon, Navona and Trevi, the part no bus can reach.
Free walking tour of Rome| Sight | Nearest stop | Walk |
|---|---|---|
| Colosseum | Circo Massimo (Piazzale Ugo La Malfa) | 12 min |
| Roman Forum | Piazza Venezia (Via del Teatro di Marcello) | 8 min |
| Pantheon | Largo Argentina | 5 min |
| Trevi Fountain | Piazza Barberini (Via Barberini 14) | 10 min |
| Spanish Steps | Piazza di Spagna (Via Ludovisi) | 7 min |
| St Peter's Basilica | Vaticano (Lungotevere Tor di Nona) | 13 min |
| Vatican Museums | No stop within 20 minutes | – |
| Piazza Navona | Vaticano (Lungotevere Tor di Nona) | 8 min |
| Castel Sant'Angelo | Vaticano (Lungotevere Tor di Nona) | 4 min |
| Trastevere | Piazza Venezia (Via del Teatro di Marcello) | 17 min |
About City Sightseeing: who they are and how travellers rate them
City Sightseeing Roma charged €28.05 for 24 hours, €33.15 for 48 hours and €39.10 for 72 hours on its website on 4 October 2026. List prices are €33, €39 and €46. Children aged 5 to 15 pay €13.60 for 24 hours.
Not at the moment. The operator has suspended the Colosseo stop until further notice, and the nearest working stop is Circo Massimo, about 12 minutes on foot from the entrance.
It stops on Lungotevere Tor di Nona, across the Tiber from Castel Sant'Angelo. St Peter's Square is about 13 minutes on foot from there, and the Vatican Museums entrance is over 20 minutes away.
The operator gives a combined frequency of 15 minutes from April to October and 25 minutes from November to March. Three yellow-line stops, San Giovanni in Laterano, Largo Argentina and Piazza Navona, are served every 50 minutes.
The red line takes 1 hour 30 minutes without getting off. Traffic around Piazza Venezia can add to that.
Yes. An ATAC 24-hour ticket is €8.50, 48 hours €15 and 72 hours €22, and children under 10 travel free with a paying adult. The 24-hour sightseeing bus ticket costs 3.3 times the ATAC day ticket.
Read on 4 October 2026. Timetables and prices change with the season, so check the operator's page before you travel.
Could not be confirmed on an official page and may differ: full loop (Yellow Line (Omnia Vatican & Rome)), nearest stop (Piazza Navona), nearest stop (Villa Borghese).
