The Guided Tour of the Catacombs

The Guided Tour of the Catacombs allows you to visit the ancient Christian cemeteries that, usually, are built in underground cubicles. For security reasons you can not visit them without being accompanied by a tour guide who knows the structure.

In addition to the guided tour included in ticket, some tour operators offer the chance to combine with the Tour of the Catacombs a bus tour and a walking tour, allowing visitors to get a 360 ° idea about the origins of the ancient Rome and the religious customs of its inhabitants.

This type of guided tour combo lasts about 3 hours and takes place only on certain days of the week, having to respect the closing days of the holy places.

The tour consists of a pre-established group of up to 20 people that you meet with the guide at a predefined location easily recognizable and accessible by the instructions on the voucher (document that is sent after booking the tour, which contains all the information relating to the service purchased). Thanks to an object or distinctive garment like a shirt, an umbrella, a scarf of a particular color or with a sign saying the name of the tour operator organizing the visit, visitors easily identify the guide.

Once you have met the guide, the group gets on the bus and here we begin the tour. This part of the Tour’s visit can be carried out entirely on the bus or may provide stops to allow visitors to admire the monuments and archaeological sites are included in the information provided.

Usually, the tour continues with a guided Tour of the Catacombs (San Callisto, Santa Domitilla or San Sebastiano) where you need to pick up the entrance tickets, the guide will take care of this presenting the voucher at the special customer counter customer and, thanks to the reservation, the group can enter the archaeological site without having to queue at the ticket offices.

Finally, some tour operators include in the tour an external visit the Thermae of Caracalla.

In order to better understand the explanations, earphones are usually available to visitors that amplify the voice of the guide and that, at the end of tour, must be returned. This service is also included because some are multi-lingual tours, which is carried out simultaneously in English and in another language (which may be the Italian, French, Spanish or German), so, through the use of these devices, every visitor has the opportunity to follow the visit in the language of preference.

Tour Itinerary:
Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
Scala Santa
Palazzo Laterano
Basilica of San Giovanni
Appia Antica
Catacombs
Thermae of Caracalla