Rome practical info: free museum days, tax-free, lost passport and phrases

Free entry ²⁶

Museums and sights that are free, always or on certain days. From each place’s official page.

Always free

Ancient siteColosseum
First Sunday of every month; 25 April, 2 June, 4 November
On free days the arena floor, underground, upper levels and panoramic lift have been closed; tickets only on site, first come first served
Booking: No online booking on free days: free tickets collected at the on-site ticket offices in order of arrival
Source: howdyeurope.com
Ancient siteRoman Forum
First Sunday of every month; 25 April, 2 June, 4 November
On free days some SUPER sites in the Forum/Palatine have been closed; tickets only on site, first come first served
Booking: No online booking on free days: free tickets collected at the on-site ticket offices in order of arrival
Source: howdyeurope.com
Ancient sitePalatine Hill
First Sunday of every month; 25 April, 2 June, 4 November
On free days some SUPER sites in the Forum/Palatine have been closed; tickets only on site, first come first served
Booking: No online booking on free days: free tickets collected at the on-site ticket offices in order of arrival
Source: howdyeurope.com
Place of worshipPantheon
First Sunday of every month
Source: leggo.it
MuseumVatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
Last Sunday of the month, 9:00-14:00 (final entry 12:30)
Not when the last Sunday coincides with Easter Sunday, 29 June, 25, 26 or 31 December; final entry 12:30
Source: museivaticani.va
MonumentCastel Sant'Angelo
First Sunday of every month
Booking: No online booking on free days; single queue at the ticket office
Source: imuseidiroma.it
MuseumGalleria Borghese
First Sunday of the month; 25 April, 2 June, 4 November (EUR 2 booking fee still due)
Not fully free: the EUR 2 mandatory reservation fee applies on free days
Booking: Booking mandatory even on free days (EUR 2 fee); free-day tickets released online 10 days before
Source: vivereroma.org
MuseumCapitoline Museums
First Sunday of every month (free for everyone)
Some temporary exhibitions are excluded from the free Sunday (e.g. in 2026 the Diego Rivera show)
Source: museiincomuneroma.it
MonumentTrevi Fountain
Ticketed 9:00-22:00; after 22:00 the fountain is visible free to everyone
The EUR 2 ticket (inner perimeter/basin area, 9:00-22:00; Mon and Fri from 11:30) also applies on the first Sunday of the month; after 22:00 closing the fountain stays visible free to all
Source: comune.roma.it
Ancient siteBaths of Caracalla
First Sunday of every month
The Domus di Vigna Guidi inside the site is closed on first Sundays
Source: imuseidiroma.it
MuseumPalazzo Massimo alle Terme
First Sunday of every month
Source: imuseidiroma.it
MuseumAra Pacis Museum
First Sunday of every month (free for everyone)
The separate Ara Pacis exhibition space (temporary shows) is excluded from free entry
Source: museiincomuneroma.it
Ancient siteTrajan's Markets
First Sunday of every month (free for everyone)
Source: museiincomuneroma.it
MuseumPalazzo Altemps
First Sunday of every month
Source: imuseidiroma.it
MuseumPalazzo Barberini (Gallerie Nazionali d'Arte Antica)
First Sunday of the month; 25 April, 2 June, 4 November
Booking: Booking recommended (not mandatory) on free Sundays and special free days (tel. 06 39967500)
Source: barberinicorsini.org
Ancient siteOstia Antica
First Sunday of every month
Source: imuseidiroma.it
MuseumGiovanni Barracco Museum of Ancient Sculpture
First Sunday of every month (free for everyone)
No longer free every day for tourists: since 2 February 2026 non-residents pay (EUR 7.50 full / EUR 6 reduced)
Source: museiincomuneroma.it
MuseumPietro Canonica Museum
First Sunday of every month (free for everyone)
No longer free every day for tourists: since 2 February 2026 non-residents pay (EUR 7.50 full / EUR 6 reduced)
Source: museiincomuneroma.it
MuseumMuseo Napoleonico
First Sunday of every month (free for everyone)
No longer free every day for tourists: since 2 February 2026 non-residents pay (EUR 7.50 full / EUR 6 reduced)
Source: museiincomuneroma.it

Tax-free shopping

Visitors can get the VAT back here.

Only for people who live outside the EU; nationality does not matter. If you live in Türkiye you qualify. A Turkish citizen living in the EU does not.

VAT rate: 22%
Minimum purchase: More than EUR 70 per invoice.
Time limit: Leave the EU with the goods by the end of the 3rd month after the month of purchase.
Where to get it approved: Customs at the airport or port where you leave the EU (digital OTELLO stamp).

Step by step

Show your passport when you pay and ask for an electronic tax-free invoice. Check that a request code (codice richiesta) is printed on it.
Keep the goods in your own luggage. At customs where you leave the EU, get the digital OTELLO approval; customs may ask to see the goods.
Customs never pays out. The money comes from the shop or its tax-free company, minus their fee.

Official sources: adm.gov.it

Lost passport

If your passport is lost or stolen, here is what to do.

If you are a citizen of another country

Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in this city. Your foreign ministry’s website lists its address.

If you are a Turkish citizen

Book an appointment with the Turkish mission in this city at konsolosluk.gov.tr and go in person.
If you need to get home, ask for a temporary passport. It is free, valid for one trip to Türkiye or to the country you live in, and usually valid for one month.
Bring your Turkish ID card (if it is lost too, a photo document such as a driving licence), a biometric photo 50 x 60 mm taken in the last six months, and your ticket home.
For a lost passport you do not need a police report.
The temporary passport ends with that trip. Apply for a new passport in Türkiye or at the mission in the country you live in.

Turkish mission here

Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Rome

Via Palestro 28, 00185 Roma, Italy

Call: +39 06 445 941

Out of hours: +39 340 1766431

[email protected]

Website · Book an appointment

Consular call centre of the Turkish foreign ministry, open 24/7: +90 312 292 29 29

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, konsolosluk.gov.tr (Passport: lost passport, temporary passport).

Show the waiter

Sentences in Italian to show the waiter or the driver.

Il conto, per favore.
The bill, please.
Un tavolo per due, per favore.
A table for two, please.
Avete piatti vegetariani?
Do you have vegetarian dishes?
Sono allergico (allergica) alla frutta a guscio e alle arachidi.
I am allergic to nuts, including peanuts.
Avete piatti senza glutine?
Do you have gluten-free dishes?
Posso avere dell'acqua del rubinetto, per favore?
Can I have tap water, please?
Scusi, dov'è il bagno, per favore?
Where is the toilet, please?
Mi porti a questo indirizzo, per favore.
Please take me to this address.

Checked against phrasebooks. Tell us if a sentence sounds wrong.

Practical info

Free entry 26