A catacombs of Rome tour is different from most tours, because the guide is part of the entry. Every catacomb in Rome that opens to visitors does so with a guided group, so the choice is less about whether to join a tour and more about which catacomb, which operator and what to add on top. I compared eight guided visits on GetYourGuide, from $16 to $106. This page sets them side by side. If you are only deciding between entry listings, my guide to catacombs of Rome tickets covers the ninth listing and the official prices.
Tour
From
Rating
Length
Free cancellation
Book
Catacombs of St. Callixtus Entry Ticket & Guided Tour
Rome has several separate catacombs, not one, and each tour opens exactly one of them. Wikipedia counts five Christian catacombs open to the public in Rome: San Sebastiano, San Callisto, Priscilla, Domitilla and Sant’Agnese (Wikipedia). The listings here cover the first four, which makes the catacombs of Rome tour you pick the real decision.
Four tours cost $16 and are sold by the same operator, Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, for San Callisto, San Sebastiano, Priscilla and Domitilla. All four tell you to go straight to the catacomb’s ticket office and show your reservation at least 10 minutes before the visit. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before on every tour here. The official sites sell the same visits at 10 euros for adults, as I explain in the section on guided tour or ticket only below.
San Callisto Catacombs of Rome Tour
San Callisto is the best known stop and the most-reviewed catacombs of Rome tour by far: the Opera Romana listing is $16, lasts 30 minutes and holds 4.6 stars from 3,781 reviews. The listing describes the Crypt of the Popes, where 9 popes and 3 bishops were laid to rest. The address is Via Appia Antica 110/126, and the listing gives the route from Metro B with bus 118 to the Catacombe di San Callisto stop. Languages are Italian, German and French. The official San Callisto site says the Salesians of Don Bosco have run the guided visits since 1930.
OPERA ROMANA PELLEGRINAGGI
Catacombs of St. Callixtus Entry Ticket & Guided Tour
★4.6 (3,781 reviews)
30 minutes
Free cancellation
My pick: My pick for a first visit: San Callisto at $16, 4.6 from 3,781 reviews, 30 minutes, but no English among the listed languages.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Catacombs of Saint Callixtus entry ticket
✓ Guided tour
Not included / not suitable
✕ Hotel pickup and drop-off
✕ Food and drinks
Meeting point: Please go directly to the ticket office of the catacomb and show your reservation at least 10 minutes before the scheduled tour.
To get to the meeting point from Termini Station, take Metro A (direction Anagnina) to San Giovanni then bus 218 (direction Ardeatina) to the stop Fosse Ardeatine. You will find the entrance to the Catacombs in front of you.
Alternatively, you can take Metro B (direction Laurentina) to Colosseo or Circo Massimo (bus stop: Terme Caracalla/Porta Capena), then bus 118 (direction Appia/Villa dei Quintili) to the stop Catacombe di San Callisto. Via Appia Antica, 110/126, 00179 Roma RM, Italy
Languages: Italian, German, French
Duration: 30 minutes
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Martin Pacifique (Fr) was a wonderful guide, being very knowledgeable and a priest himself. Definitely recommend, although if you're looking to see piles of bones go for another destination like Capucin chapel” – GetYourGuide review
Reviewers praise the guides, one of whom is a priest. Two practical complaints are worth knowing: it is cold, and it is short. One wrote that it was one of the shortest tours they had taken and still easy to follow.
“Great guide and no waiting in line! Highly recommend it”
— GetYourGuide reviewer
San Sebastiano Catacombs of Rome Tour
The San Sebastiano catacombs tour is $16 for 40 minutes, with 4.5 stars from 739 reviews, and it has the widest language list of the four: Italian, English, French, German and Spanish. The meeting point is the catacomb’s ticket office at Via Appia Antica 136, a short walk from San Callisto, which is why one reviewer suggests doing both when you are in the area. A reviewer liked the preserved pagan tombs and another noted the small group. The official site says the last English tour leaves at 16:45 and that the catacomb is closed on Mondays.
OPERA ROMANA PELLEGRINAGGI
Catacombs of St. Sebastian Entry Ticket & Guided Tour
★4.5 (739 reviews)
40 minutes
Free cancellation
My pick: The English-friendly choice: San Sebastiano at $16, five languages, 4.5 from 739 reviews, 40 minutes.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Entrance ticket
✓ Guided tour in the chosen language
Not included / not suitable
✕ Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting point: Please go directly to the ticket office of the catacomb and show your reservation at least 10 minutes before the scheduled tour. Via Appia Antica, 136, 00179 Roma RM, Italy
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Well worth seeing. Reasonably priced. Only a short walk from the more visited San Calisto catacombs and definitely worth doing also when you are in the area. The preserved pagan tombs were a real highlight for me on the Rome trip.” – GetYourGuide review
Priscilla is the highest-rated of the four Opera Romana tours, at 4.7 from 540 reviews, for $16 and 45 minutes in Italian, English and Spanish. The meeting point is Via Salaria 430, north of the centre, away from the Appian Way. The catacomb spreads over two floors, per the listing, and reviewers single out the artwork. The official Priscilla site gives 13 degrees Celsius underground, groups of up to 25 and a closing day on Monday.
One reviewer did not like waiting while someone translated on an English tour, which tells me the language mix in a group can slow it down.
OPERA ROMANA PELLEGRINAGGI
Catacombs of Priscilla Entry Ticket & Guided Tour
★4.7 (540 reviews)
45 minutes
Free cancellation
My pick: The pick for early Christian art: Priscilla at $16, 4.7 from 540 reviews, 45 minutes, English available.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Entrance ticket to Catacombs of Priscilla
✓ Guided tour of the Catacombs of Priscilla
Not included / not suitable
✕ Hotel pick-up and drop-off
✕ Transportation
Meeting point: Please go directly to the ticket office of the catacomb and show your reservation at least 10 minutes before the scheduled tour. Via Salaria, 430, 00199 Roma RM, Italy
Languages: Italian, English, Spanish
Duration: 45 minutes
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Excellent tour. Very knowledgeable guide. Learned a lot of things and had many misconceptions explained. Highly recommended!” – GetYourGuide review
A second seller, The Touring Company, lists the same catacomb for $29 with a 45-minute visit, Italian, Slovak and English, and asks you to arrive 15 minutes early. It has no reviews yet. I would take the $16 tour and use this one only if your slot is full.
The Touring Company Limited
Catacombs of Priscilla Guided Tour With Entry Ticket
45 minutes
Free cancellation
My pick: The same catacomb from a second seller: $29, no reviews yet, so the $16 tour comes first.
What you get, where you meet
Included
✓ Catacombs of Priscilla entry ticket
✓ 45-minute guided visit in the selected language
Not included / not suitable
✕ Food
✕ Transportation
Meeting point: Meet at the entrance of the Catacombs of Priscilla at Via Salaria 430, Rome. Look for the main entrance of the Catacombs of Priscilla.
Please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled guided visit.
Please download your ticket & present your ticket at the entrance. Via Salaria, 430, 00199 Roma RM, Italy
Languages: Italian, Slovak, English
Duration: 45 minutes
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Domitilla costs $16, lasts 30 minutes and holds 4.6 from 168 reviews, in English and Italian. The address is Via delle Sette Chiese 282. Reviewers like the guide Andrea and call the place underrated, with one saying it could last longer and one describing a chaotic check-in. The official Domitilla site says it is closed on Tuesdays, which differs from the Monday closing at Priscilla and San Sebastiano.
OPERA ROMANA PELLEGRINAGGI
Catacombs of Domitilla Entry Ticket & Guided Tour
★4.6 (168 reviews)
30 minutes
Free cancellation
My pick: The quieter catacomb: Domitilla at $16, 4.6 from 168 reviews, English and Italian, closed Tuesdays per its own site.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Tour guide
✓ Entrance fees
Meeting point: PLEASE GO DIRECTLY TO THE TICKET OFFICE OF THE CATACOMB AND SHOW YOUR RESERVATION AT LEAST 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE SCHEDULED TOUR. Via delle Sette Chiese, 282, 00147 Roma RM, Italy
Languages: English, Italian
Duration: 30 minutes
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Our tour guide Andrea was amazing and very friendly, real professional passionate about history and art. Couldn’t have wished for someone better! Totally recommend!” – GetYourGuide review
Two tours bring you from the city centre. The Via Appia Guide walking tour costs $97 and takes 4 hours, in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. It meets at a bike rental shop at Via Marco Aurelio 30a, passes the Baths of Caracalla and the Aurelian Walls, follows the Appian Way, enters San Callisto, and ends at Caffarella Park. Entry to the Museum of the Walls is included. Its rating is 4.8, from 12 reviews. Two reviewers note that the catacomb part is run by a different guide in a larger group, and one Portuguese-speaking guest said the guide used Portuguese and Spanish mixed, with only English inside.
Via Appia Guide
Walking Tour to the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus
★4.8 (12 reviews)
4 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The long way there: 4 hours on foot via the Appian Way to San Callisto, $97, 4.8 from 12 reviews, five languages.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Tour leader
✓ Entrance to the Museum of the Walls
✓ Guided visit of the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus
Not included / not suitable
✕ Food
✕ Public transport to get back to your location in Rome
Meeting point: The starting point is at a bike rental shop. Via Marco Aurelio, 30a, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
The Rome Eternal Walks golf cart tour is $106 for 1 hour, in English. It starts at Via del Cardello 31 near the Colosseum, and an electric golf cart takes you to San Callisto, where the official catacomb guide leads the visit. It has no reviews yet. The price includes admission, so you pay about $90 more than the $16 tour for the ride.
Rome Eternal Walks
Golf Cart Tour & Catacombs of San Callisto Group Visit
1 hour
Free cancellation
My pick: A ride from the centre: $106 for 1 hour, golf cart plus San Callisto entry, English only, no reviews yet.
What you get, where you meet
Included
✓ Electric golf cart
✓ Professional local driver-guide
✓ Sightseeing experience in Rome
✓ Transportation to and from the Catacombs of San Callisto by golf cart
✓ Guided visit inside the Catacombs of San Callisto with the official catacomb guide
✓ Catacomb admission ticket
Not included / not suitable
✕ Food and drinks
✕ Personal expenses
✕ Gratuities
✕ Anything not specifically mentioned under Inclusions
Meeting point: Via del Cardello, 31, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Languages: English
Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
The WeGoTrip product is $31 for 2 hours, and it is the one listing here with no physical guide. It sells an entry ticket to San Callisto and a self-guided audio walk of Rome on your phone, and the audio does not play underground, where a live guide leads. An Italian reviewer rated it low because the entry can be bought on site for 10 euros with a guide, while the audio adds only short tracks. I agree with that reading, and I would skip it unless you want the phone-guided city walk.
WeGoTrip USA
Catacombs of Saint Callixtus Ticket & Audio City Tour
2 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: Audio city walk plus San Callisto for $31: no ratings yet and a reviewer says the entry alone is 10 euros on site.
What you get, where you meet
Included
✓ Entry ticket to the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus – via the WeGoTrip app or web browser
✓ Self-guided audio walking tour of Rome – via the WeGoTrip app or web browser
Not included / not suitable
✕ Audio guide inside the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus - you will have a live guide
✕ Live tour guide for the city walking tour
✕ Headphones and smartphone
Meeting point: Please note that this tour doesn't include physical guide.
The ticket & digital tour are available on the WeGoTrip app only!
Skip the line and show your smartphone ticket at the "access with ticket" entrance. Via Appia Antica, 110/126, 00179 Roma RM, Италия
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Almost no catacombs of Rome tour here is a plain ticket, because the catacombs only admit guided groups. The Priscilla, Domitilla and San Sebastiano official sites sell the guided visit at 10 euros for adults and 7 euros for ages 7 to 16 per their pages, so the $16 listings cost more than the door price. What the extra buys is a booked slot and free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on the listing. If your dates are fixed, that is worth a few dollars, and if they are flexible, the door price is lower.
Small Group, Private or Standard Catacombs of Rome Tour
The listings do not publish group size, apart from the official Priscilla cap of 25 and the Via Appia Guide tour that is described as a small group on the walk. A reviewer of that tour was alone with the guide on the walk, which shows a low group size is possible, though not promised. I found no private catacombs tour in the set, so if you want one, ask the operator.
How I’d Choose a Catacombs of Rome Tour
First visit: the San Callisto catacombs of Rome tour at $16, the most-reviewed tour, if Italian, German or French suits you.
English: San Sebastiano at $16, with five languages.
Art and fewer people: Priscilla at $16.
A quiet alternative: Domitilla at $16.
A morning on the Appian Way: the Via Appia Guide walk at $97.
No energy for the transfer: the golf cart tour at $106.
The catacombs lie a long way apart, and my Catacombs of Rome map shows how they relate to each other and to the centre. If you are in the area, the Colosseum tickets page is the obvious next stop. When you are ready to pick, the full list of tickets for the Catacombs of Rome is the place to go, and the home page lists the other attractions I compare.
Frequently asked questions
Which catacombs of Rome tour should I pick?+
For a first visit I would take the San Callisto tour at $16, the most-reviewed of the eight with 4.6 stars from 3,781 reviews. Choose Priscilla at $16 (4.7 from 540 reviews) if early Christian painting interests you more. Check the languages first: the San Callisto listing offers Italian, German and French, not English.
Can you visit the catacombs of Rome without a guide?+
No, not in the ones I checked. The official Priscilla site says the catacomb can only be visited with a staff member, and every listing here is a guided visit with a booked slot. This is why a catacombs of Rome tour is mostly a booking, not an upgrade over a plain ticket.
How long is a catacombs of Rome tour?+
30 to 45 minutes underground for the four $16 tours: San Callisto and Domitilla are 30 minutes, San Sebastiano 40 and Priscilla 45. The Via Appia Guide walk from the Colosseum area takes 4 hours, and the golf cart tour 1 hour in total.
Is the golf cart catacombs tour worth $106?+
Only for the ride. The listing includes an electric golf cart, a driver-guide, transport to San Callisto and the catacomb admission with the official catacomb guide. The visit underground is the same as the $16 tour, so the extra $90 pays for the transfer. It has no reviews yet.
What do I wear on a catacombs of Rome tour?+
Layers. Reviewers say the catacombs are colder than expected, and the official Priscilla site gives 13 degrees Celsius underground. The Priscilla listing also says photography and video are not permitted inside.
