How I Visited Rome’s Top Attractions with Tiqets
Rome has always been my dream, and this time, I also wanted to show the Eternal City to my girlfriend. We both love architecture, museums, and ancient streets, so I wanted her to see the Colosseum, the Vatican, and enjoy the atmosphere of the narrow alleys of Trastevere together. Here is the story about our experience of visiting Rome and using Tiqets.
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Booking Rome Attractions: Is It Better to Plan Ahead?
Honestly, I planned everything on the fly. I booked my plane tickets and hotel while I was in my home country. But I decided not to buy tickets to attractions beforehand. I didn’t know exactly how the route would go.. And I wanted to be flexible.
Once we arrived in Rome, sitting in a café in Piazza Navona with a cappuccino in hand, I realized that without reservations, we simply wouldn’t be able to get inside the Colosseum and the Vatican. The lines were miles long, and tour groups booked in advance. I started looking for options.
You should definitely buy tickets for Rome attractions in advance. This is my personal recommendation. The Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, and the Sistine Chapel are not just some popular tourist destinations.. They attract millions of travelers! Especially during the peak months, from April to October, admission tickets are sold out for weeks in advance. Even if you are ready to stand in line, it can take 2-3 hours under the scorching sun. And sometimes there are simply no tickets left.
How Did I Buy a Ticket to the Colosseum?
We saw tourists who arrived at the Vatican at lunchtime, hoping to buy tickets on the spot, and left disappointed — the next available slots were two days away. Some paid local “assistants” twice as much for dubious tours just to get inside. I wanted to avoid this, so I started looking online.
First, I went to the official website of the Vatican Museums — terrible interface, almost all slots already taken, unclear how to pay. The same thing happened on the Colosseum website. I didn’t want to waste another hour trying to figure it out. Then I stumbled upon the Tiqets service — and, to be honest, now I don’t understand how I didn’t remember about it before.
Tiqets is an international online platform for selling tickets to tourist attractions and various events around the world. Their unique feature is that they provide electronic tickets. I also found the interface to be user-friendly and working well both on the website and in their mobile app.
Here is my advice: do not wait until the last minute. Even if you don’t have a clear travel plan, book at least a day or two in advance. A service like Tiqets allows you to choose a convenient time slot and get instant confirmation, and sometimes even on the day of your visit, if you’re lucky. But don’t rely on luck: we’ve seen people who simply couldn’t get in because there were no tickets available. And if you’re going to Rome for a few days rather than a month, every missed opportunity can spoil your trip.
As I said earlier, everything looked very simple: an English interface, tickets conveniently divided into categories, clear time slots, full descriptions, and mobile tickets. My girlfriend and I liked the combo offer: “Colosseum + Roman Forum + Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel.” What about the price? It was around 70 euros per person. Honestly, not the cheapest option, but completely worth it: no queues, guaranteed entry, and an online ticket.
I bought the tickets the day before the visit, at around 10 p.m. The confirmation arrived literally a minute later, by email. It contained the full schedule, separate instructions for the Colosseum and the Vatican, as well as QR codes. I also bought a ticket for my girlfriend — a total of €140 for the two of us, but compared to how much time and energy we would have wasted on site, it was one of the most reasonable euros spent during the entire trip.
My mistake — I thought I could just show the security guard my phone screen and get through without any problems. But that wasn’t the case, so be careful and read the instructions on the ticket!
We Bought a Ticket from Tiqets, but What’s Next?
The first part of the program was the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Since we chose a time slot in the morning, around 9:00 a.m., we had to arrive a little early. How we were surprised to see that there were already queues at the ticket offices..
As I mentioned, we just wanted to show the QR code to the security guard, go through the security check, and get inside with almost no waiting. Turns out, it wasn’t that easy after all!
I’ll say right away that it was our fault! We didn’t look carefully at what was written in the ticket conditions. Here’s what it said: Redeem your voucher at TOURISTATION ARACOELI, (Piazza d’Aracoeli 16), a 15-minute walk from the Colosseum. Start your experience at the activity provider’s office, where you’ll enjoy a multimedia video about ancient Rome. Unfortunately, we had to search for this TOURISTATION ARACOELI, but fortunately, the Colosseum staff were polite and pointed us in the right direction.
This whole story did not overshadow the Colosseum in the slightest. It’s incredible to stand in the place where gladiatorial battles took place, to feel the scale and spirit of the time. The Forum turned out to be even more exciting: you walk there as if in an ancient city, among the ruins of temples, triumphal arches, basilicas… The sun was already rising higher, and it was getting hot, but we were delighted. One important tip: bring water and a hat, especially if you go in the morning in summer.
A couple of hours later, we had lunch, took a short break, and set off again: now to the Vatican. Here is what happened next. At the entrance to the museum, the security guards couldn’t understand what kind of combined ticket we had. So we had to explain that it is from Tiqets. We were sent to the information desk, where they checked everything, confirmed it, apologized, and let us in. The whole “delay” took about 15 minutes, but it didn’t spoil our impressions of the museums and the chapel.
The Vatican Museums are my absolute recommendation. You walk through the galleries, looking at the ceilings, statues, and paintings that you’ve only seen in textbooks. And when you reach the Sistine Chapel, you simply freeze. I’ve seen many photos, but seeing it in person is something else. Michelangelo’s ceiling is astonishing. And again, we were lucky with the timing: we arrived around 3:00 p.m., and there were fewer tourists than we expected. So take it like my other advice.
Would I Use Tiqets.com Again?
Two days later, already in a relaxed mood, we decided to discover something new again. I went back to Tiqets and chose tickets to Castel Sant’Angelo. We wanted something romantic, with a view of the city. The tickets cost €17 per person, and we bought them just two hours before sunset. And it was exactly right.
We found the castle to be incredibly atmospheric: stone halls, spiral staircases, ancient artifacts, antique weapons.. But the most important part is the view from the terrace. You stand at the top of the fortress, and in front of you is the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Tiber River, and the sunset sky. Luckily, there were almost no people, silence, and a light breeze. We just stood there silently, holding hands. It was one of those moments that made coming to Rome worthwhile.
What can I say about Tiqets after two purchases? Benefits definitely overweight drawbacks.
Pros:
- Convenient, intuitive interface in English.
- Instant confirmation and e-tickets.
- Ability to buy even at the last minute.
- All instructions, addresses, maps, and entry rules are included in the email.
- Often has interesting combo tickets and great deals.
Cons:
- You should read the instructions carefully because some places have a separate entrance, and others require you to register your visit time.
Final Thoughts
Tiqets truly saved our trip to Rome. Without it, we definitely wouldn’t have been able to see and experience as much as we did. It also helped us save time, avoid stress, and enjoy the city instead of standing in endless lines. Use my personal promo code SUMMERTP5 at Tiqets to book tickets with 5% discount for your next vacation!
Traveling around Europe, especially during peak season, you will find Tiqets to be reliable and incredibly convenient. From now on, I’ll be starting all my trip planning with this service.. It is better than relying on official websites or booking on the spot.
Finally, there is one more tip from my personal experience: visit Rome attractions early in the morning or around sunset. Rome gets extremely hot during the day, especially in summer. As well as the crowds can really harm your emotions around sights. But in the quiet hours of the early morning or golden hour, the city is at its best.
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