Catacombs of Rome: Which to Visit, Tickets, Hours & How to Get There

Updated on October 31, 2026 · Hours, prices and closures checked on each catacomb’s official website on October 31, 2026.

Five Christian catacombs in Rome are open to visitors: San Callisto, San Sebastiano and Domitilla near the Appian Way, and Priscilla and Sant’Agnese in the north. You enter only on a guided tour of 30–45 minutes; tickets cost €10 (€7 reduced). For a first visit, pick San Callisto or San Sebastiano and pair it with the Appian Way.

Cover photo: Dnalor 01, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Which catacombs in Rome can you visit?

Rome has more than 60 catacombs, underground cemeteries dug between the 2nd and the 5th century. Only five Christian catacombs are open to the public, all run by the Holy See’s Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology. Each one has its own entrance, ticket office and guides.

Opening hours and closed days (checked on October 31, 2026)

Which catacomb should you choose?

• First visit, or you only have time for one: San Callisto, the best known, or San Sebastiano, which is open without a lunch break.
• You want to see the Appian Way too: San Callisto and San Sebastiano are a 10–15 minute walk apart, right on the ancient road.
• You love early Christian art: Priscilla, for its 3rd-century frescoes.
• You prefer smaller groups: Domitilla, where the visit starts inside a 4th-century basilica built partly underground.
• You are staying near Termini or in the north: Priscilla and Sant’Agnese, both reachable by Metro B1 and easy to combine.
• You are visiting on a Monday: San Callisto, Domitilla and Sant’Agnese are open; San Sebastiano and Priscilla are closed.

San Callisto: the Crypt of the Popes

The Catacombs of San Callisto are among the largest in Rome, with about 20 km of galleries on four levels. The tour takes you to the Crypt of the Popes, where several 3rd-century bishops of Rome were buried, and to the crypt of St. Cecilia, patron saint of music. The entrance is on the Appian Way, in a park of cypress trees.

• Address: Via Appia Antica 110
• Open: every day except Wednesday, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM and 2:00–5:00 PM. The last tours start at 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM; the ticket office closes at 4:50 PM.
• Booking: the official site asks individuals to book online. Groups over 15 send a request form.
• Official site: catacombesancallisto.it

San Sebastiano: the catacomb that gave catacombs their name

The Romans called this spot ad catacumbas, “by the hollows”, after the old quarries in the area. The name later passed to every underground Christian cemetery. Under the Basilica of San Sebastiano you see three richly decorated Roman tombs from the 2nd century, the crypt of St. Sebastian and a wall covered in ancient graffiti invoking the Apostles Peter and Paul. It is the catacomb you can add to our Appian Way tours. Read more in our guide to the San Sebastiano Catacombs.

• Address: Via Appia Antica 136
• Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:15 AM–5:15 PM, last entry 4:45 PM
• Closed: Mondays, December 25, January 1, Easter Sunday and, in 2026, from December 7 to 27
• Booking: recommended. You can reserve for free and pay at the desk, or buy online (€12, booking fee included). Without a booking you enter only if there are places left.
• Official site: catacombe.org

Domitilla: an underground basilica

Domitilla is one of Rome’s largest catacombs, on Via delle Sette Chiese, about 15 minutes on foot from San Callisto. The visit starts in the 4th-century Basilica of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, built partly below ground level, and continues through galleries with frescoes and inscriptions. It is usually quieter than the two catacombs on the Appian Way.

• Address: Via delle Sette Chiese 282
• Open: every day except Tuesday, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM and 2:00–5:00 PM
• Booking: through the request form on the official site, which confirms by email
• Official site: catacombedomitilla.it

Priscilla: the “Queen of the Catacombs”

Under a convent of Benedictine nuns on Via Salaria, Priscilla holds the oldest known image of the Virgin Mary with the Child, painted in the 3rd century, and the Greek Chapel, a small room covered in early Christian frescoes. Tours take up to 25 people and the galleries stay at about 13 °C (55 °F) all year.

• Address: Via Salaria 430
• Open: Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 AM–1:00 PM and 2:00–5:00 PM; Sunday 11:30 AM–1:00 PM and 2:00–5:00 PM. The last tours start at 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM.
• Booking: required for all visitors, through the form on the official site. Tickets bought online cost €2 more.
• Official site: catacombepriscilla.com

Sant’Agnese: St. Agnes and the Mausoleum of Santa Costanza

The catacombs of Sant’Agnese lie under the church built over the tomb of St. Agnes, a 12-year-old martyr. Next door, the Mausoleum of Santa Costanza was built in the 4th century for Constantina, a daughter of Emperor Constantine, and still has its original mosaics in the vault.

• Address: Via Nomentana 349
• Tours: Monday to Saturday at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM; the language changes by slot (Italian, English, French or German). Up to 20 people per tour.
• Closed: Sundays, January 1, Easter, August 15, Christmas, the mornings of religious holidays and, in 2026, from November 16 to December 6, the afternoon of December 24 and December 31
• Mausoleum of Santa Costanza: open every day, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM and 3:00–6:00 PM, except during services
• Official site: santagnese.net

How much are tickets, and do you need to book?

All five catacombs charge the same at the ticket desk:

• Full ticket: €10
• Reduced ticket: €7, for children aged 7 to 16, school groups and, with proof, students of archaeology, architecture and art history up to 25
• Free: children up to 6 and visitors with a certified disability

The guided tour is always included in the ticket. Buying online usually adds a €2 fee. Book directly on the official sites: some resellers charge several times the ticket price for “skip the line” vouchers. San Callisto names Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi as its only authorized online seller.

Booking is required at San Callisto and Priscilla, and strongly recommended at San Sebastiano and Sant’Agnese, where tours in English fill up first.

Which catacombs are closed this winter (2026–27)?

Winter is when the catacombs take turns for maintenance, so check this list before you plan:

• Sant’Agnese: November 16 – December 6, 2026, the afternoon of December 24, December 25 and 31, January 1, and the mornings of religious holidays such as December 8 and January 6
• San Sebastiano: December 7–27, 2026
• Priscilla: December 8, December 24–26, January 1 and 6, then January 11 – February 1, 2027
• San Callisto: December 25, January 1, then January 13 – February 10, 2027
• Domitilla: no winter closure announced yet. In past years it has closed for a few weeks around Christmas and New Year.

In December 2026, San Callisto and Domitilla are your safest choices. In late January 2027, choose San Sebastiano, Domitilla or Sant’Agnese.

How do you get to the catacombs?

Appian Way catacombs (San Callisto, San Sebastiano, Domitilla)

• Bus 118 from the Colosseo or Circo Massimo stops (Metro B) to the San Callisto and San Sebastiano stops. It is the most direct line from the center, but it can be infrequent, especially on Sundays.
• Bus 218 from San Giovanni (Metro A) to the Fosse Ardeatine stop, near San Callisto’s side gate and about 300 m from San Sebastiano.
• Bus 660 from Arco di Travertino (Metro A) to the Appia Pignatelli/Appia Antica stop.
• Domitilla: bus 714 from Termini to Piazza dei Navigatori, then a 10-minute walk along Via delle Sette Chiese, or walk from San Callisto along the same street.
• By car: on Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 to 19:00, except in August, the Appian Way from Porta San Sebastiano to Via Appia Pignatelli is a limited traffic zone: you may enter only if you leave by the same gate, so you cannot drive through it (Roma Mobilità).

If you would rather skip the buses, a private golf cart tour of the Appian Way, with an optional visit to the San Sebastiano Catacombs, picks you up in the center and adds the Museum of the Walls at Porta San Sebastiano. See our guide to the Appian Way for what else to see along the road. Or browse all our golf cart tours in Rome and vintage Fiat 500 tours in Rome.

Northern catacombs (Priscilla, Sant’Agnese)

• Priscilla: bus 92 or 310 to the Priscilla stop, or Metro B1 to S. Agnese/Annibaliano, then about 15 minutes on foot.
• Sant’Agnese: Metro B1 to S. Agnese/Annibaliano, then a short walk to Via Nomentana 349.

What are the catacombs, and what will you see?

The catacombs are underground cemeteries carved into the soft volcanic tuff outside Rome’s ancient walls, where Roman law required burials to be. Christians, and some Jewish and pagan families, dug them between the 2nd and the 5th century, level after level, as space ran out. Along the narrow galleries you see stacked wall niches called loculi, family rooms called cubicula, frescoes and early Christian symbols such as the fish, the dove and the Good Shepherd.

A common myth says Christians hid or lived in the catacombs during the persecutions. In reality they were cemeteries and places of remembrance, known to the authorities. After the 5th century, burials moved inside the city, the martyrs’ relics were taken to churches, and most catacombs were forgotten until their rediscovery from the 16th century onwards.

Tips for visiting the catacombs

• Bring a layer: inside it is 13–17 °C (55–63 °F) all year, and humid.
• Expect steps: about 50 uneven steps down and up at San Callisto, about 70 at San Sebastiano, with no lift and nowhere to sit. The catacombs are not accessible to wheelchair users.
• No photos: San Callisto and San Sebastiano forbid photos and videos inside; assume the same everywhere unless your guide says otherwise.
• Dress respectfully: these are sacred places.
• Arrive 15 minutes early for a booked tour.
• Claustrophobia: galleries are narrow and low in places. If you are unsure, start with San Sebastiano or Domitilla, which have larger rooms.

Visit the Appian Way catacombs with us

We have been showing Rome to visitors since 2012, and the Appian Way is one of our favorite drives. All four tours below are private, with pickup at your hotel, apartment or restaurant in the historic center (staying further out? we meet at our office, Via del Colosseo 11A). Inside the San Sebastiano Catacombs, one of the catacombs’ own guides leads the visit; our drivers are not licensed guides, but they gladly help along the way.

• Appian Way, Roman Walls & Catacombs by golf cart, 3 hours from 10:00 AM: a stretch of the Appian Way, the Museum of the Walls and, if you wish, the guided visit of the San Sebastiano Catacombs. €450 for 1–3 guests, €150 per person from 4 guests.
• Appian Way, Roman Walls & Catacombs by Dolce Vita, the same 3-hour route in a vintage electric Fiat 500 or 850 cabrio. €590 for 1–3 guests, then from €240 per person.
• Underground Rome by private golf cart, 4 hours from 9:30 AM: a drive past Piazza Navona, Piazza Venezia and the Circus Maximus, then the Quo Vadis church, the Appian Way and the San Sebastiano Catacombs. €590 for 1–3 guests, €200 per person from 4 guests.
• The Underground Dolce Vita, the same 4-hour route by vintage Fiat 500 or 850. From €790 for 1–3 guests.

Good to know:

• The tours run on the days San Sebastiano is open: Tuesday to Sunday, but not December 7–27, 2026, December 25, January 1 or Easter Sunday. On weekends our driver changes the route.
• The catacomb ticket costs €12 per person and is added for each guest when you book. On the Appian Way tours the catacomb visit is optional.
• Golf carts run in the rain, with rain covers; the Fiat 500 tours switch to golf carts if it rains.
• Children of any age can join the golf cart tours, with child seats on request. On the Fiat 500 tours children must be at least 3, and there are no child seats.
• Up to 21 guests guaranteed (15 on the Underground Dolce Vita); larger groups on request, with plenty of notice.
• The Museum of the Walls and the catacombs have stairs and no lift.