Rome Catacombs & Capuchin Crypts Group Tour with Transfers
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Rome, Italy
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Centrally located near Barberini Station, the Capuchin Crypts are one of Rome’s most popular religious sights, while the Roman Catacombs are just outside the city. With this tour, visit both ancient burial sites and the Mouth of Truth in just a few hours without stressing about transportation. Travel with a fun tour guide who gives historical context to some of Rome’s most unusual attractions.
- Check off multiple spread out sites in one convenient tour
- Choose from various departure times to suit your schedule
- Visit Pope Hadrian I’s Crypt in Santa Maria in Cosmedin
- Travel in a luxury vehicle with air-conditioning—a must in summer
What's Included
- Skip the line access to the Capuchin Crypts and Museum
- Admission and Guided Tour of the Rome Catacombs
- Admire the Ancient Via Appia Antica & Aurelian Wall
- Round-trip air-conditioned transportation from central Rome
- English-speaking expert guide
- Hotel pick up / drop off
- Gratuities (optional)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Fontana del TritoneP.za Barberini, 00187 Roma RM, Italy
Please Arrive 10 Minutes Early. Piazza Barberini - in front of the Fontana del Tritone. A representative will be there holding a sign with ''The Tour Guy'' on it.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Piazza Barberini
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Museum and Crypt of Capuchins Friars
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Appian Way (Via Appia Antica) (Pass By)
3
Catacombe di San Callisto
55 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Piazza Barberini
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Due to traffic regulations all children must be seated. Car seats available upon request. Must be requested at least 72 hours in advance.
- Depending on the opening days of the Catacombs, the Catacombs visited can vary
- DRESS CODE: Entrance into any religious site requires a strict dress code. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. The company will not be held responsible for refused entry due to unsuitable dress.
- TTG reserves the right to change itineraries for safety, restoration, maintenance, adverse weather conditions, or occasional events
- We will do everything in our power to ensure schedules and itineraries are adhered to; however, due to issues beyond our control, schedules and sites are subject to last-minute changes on rare occasions
- We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any walking impairments that require special assistance on our group tours. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travellers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveller Photos
Reviews
4.5
based on 849 reviews
Donna_L, July 2026
It was an amazing experience to see and enjoy, I had a great time. Found out things I didn't know about which was great, our tour guide was exceptional. Saw a museum, crept and the catacombs outside the Roman walls which was incredible to see! It was really worth it and I recommend you do this tour.
Tasha_P, June 2026
Very interesting! Both activities were great and set up well. The guides were fairly patient with us (Ubers took forever and traffic was BAD). Neat to learn that history.
Michael_C, June 2026
I would highly recommend this tour both from the Capuchin Crypts tour as well as the Catacombs. The time spent at both sights is plenty to explore. The guided tour portion at the Catacombs was informative and educational to learn about the historical usage of such burial practices. I would recommend this tour and Sylvia as the guide!
Mari_E, June 2026
Arvin was an amazing guide. He was knowledgeable and made sure we had all the information about the sites we visited. Both the crypts and catacombs were very interesting. Would definitely recommend
Bsufranski, June 2026
We visited the catacombs with an excellent guide and the crypt. The catacombs were very interesting.
Due to known events, traffic in Rome was horrendous and since we did not follow the itinerary we spent over 2 hours traveling first to the catacombs and then to the crypt and only about 35 minutes in each site.
Had they followed the itinerary and started with the crypt, we would have avoided the traffic. In addition, one guide accompanied us in 3 vans but we could not hear her through the headset since she was in a different van.
RoseMarie_C, June 2026
We found the catacomb part to be top-notch! The museum of the church was a good beginning, although a couple of people in my group thought the display of artwork with bones was a little gruesome. The rest of us thought it was a little strange yet interesting, but history is what it is!
The meeting place was excellent/super easy-to-find (as opposed to the tour we signed up for the day before at the Colosseum, in which the gps directions sent by the Tour Guy were WAY off; we finally found the guide way across the street w/ our tickets but missed the tour due to horrible 'meeting 'place). I am aware that the Tour Guy was the subcontractor for this catacombs & crypt tour, but the guidance to find our tour guide was like night and day!
Again, this Catacombs & crypt tour was great, inlcuding the transportation between venues!
Melina_R, June 2026
The tour is great BUT the tour operator may not be clearly holding a sign or flag. I watched and waited for 20 mins before meeting time near the meeting spot and didn’t see the tour guide indicate she was waiting. I had to ask a local who said they had already left and gone to start the tour at the crypt without me. It was unnecessarily stressful when I was there very early. Please just hold up a sign!
Maria_G, June 2026
Frederica our guide was very informative and shared amazing information which made our experience a day that we would never forget.
William_O, June 2026
Radio sets don't work when it's more than one car so missed a lot on transfers other than that it was quite good
CONSTANCE_P, June 2026
Make sure you are on time. They will leave without you. Young man who is greeter will not give you entrance tickets if you miss transportation. Will not let you meet group at site. Look for different provider. This company kept changing meeting times.
Response from Host, June 2026
Hi Constance,
thank you for sharing your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you missed the departure for your tour, as it is never our goal for travelers to miss out on the experience. We always aim for precision with our schedules to respect the time of all booked guests and to ensure we do not miss our strict, pre-booked entry slots at these sacred historic sites. Our local greeter was following our standard protocol, as our group tickets require entry together with the guide and cannot be distributed individually for independent access. Our Rome Operations Team only adjusts meeting times when absolutely necessary due to sudden site schedule changes or local events, and we always communicate these updates immediately.
We hope to have the opportunity to provide you with a seamless journey in the future.
Marc_N, June 2026
So it's important to be clear that this tour is in 3 section: 1) The crypt, 2) The catacombs, and 3) travel. Due to restrictions at the 2 locations, the tour guide actually only gives you information during the travel portion (to/from each location). And I should be clear, she is very good at that part, with lots of history, references, context, and background. For example, she pointed out the first Roman milestone as we came back from the catacombs, as well as several relics from pre-imperial Rome, which was very cool. So you will enjoy her part of the tour.
The crypt is also very interesting. It's important to understand that it's in 2 parts: a standard museum (small) (with a recorded audio guide) of the Capuchin friars, and then the crypt - the place with the bones. We felt that the guide did a good job explaining about the friars, and the crypt itself was definitely a sight to see.
Then, we have the catacombs. Again, the tour guide does not give this tour- an employee of the catacombs does. And this is where I can't complain too much, because our tour was primarily disturbed by a small child who kept talking over the guide, making it very hard to hear any of the information. With that said, the guide talked quietly normally, did not pause, adjust or otherwise account for the interference, and then moved quickly between locations in the catacombs. This meant we basically ran through the underground area we were trying to see, and got very little out of it. It certainly was interesting and would have been worth it with more time and explanation, but it didn't work out that way. That all said, our main guide made the point that this was the only Christian catacombs with pagan crypts in them, which was very cool - I wasn't expecting to see a thousand -year-old mural of Medusa!
Overall, very interesting tour, definitely worth doing, with a great guide, but would be improved by coordinating/coaching the catacombs guide to give folks more time and ensure they hear the information.
Kenneth_S, June 2026
It was a totally fascinating, "other-worldly" - and a little frightening - experience on every level. Truly unforgettable. Here is what I wrote on Facebook:
REMARKABLE REMAINS:
‘That which you are, we once were; that which we are you shall be.’ – Quote displayed at the entrance to the Capuchin Crypt
The Capuchin Crypt beneath Rome’s church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini is not for the faint of heart. It’s quite shocking at first and I’ll admit that I was very uncomfortable as I entered. But my perspective changed (just a little) when I realized it is a sincere, albeit disturbing, symbol of the fleeting nature of life, the inevitability of death, and the need to prepare our souls for the hereafter.
“Macabre.” “Horrifying.” “Striking.” “Grotesque.” “Fascinating.”
These adjectives and more have been used by such literary luminaries as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Mark Twain when describing this place. The Capuchins themselves regard it as a source of peace and joy, a reminder to focus on eternity, not earthly life.
All seem accurate.
The church where the crypt is located was built in the early 1600s. It is the headquarters of the Capuchin Order of Friars, an offshoot of the Franciscans. When they first moved into the church in the 1630s, they brought the remains of hundreds of their fellow friars and buried them under the church. From there, until 1870, nearly 4,000 friars and destitute Romans who had nowhere to be buried, were laid to rest in the crypt.
It has six small chapels with skeletal decorations that represent the transient nature of human life: Crypt of the Skulls, Crypt of the Tibias and Femurs, Crypt of the Pelvis, Crypt of the Skeletons of Children, Chapel of the Mass, and Crypt of the Resurrection.
It was a chilling, fascinating and sobering experience. As we walked past and peered into the dimly lit spaces casting shadows here and there and containing grinning skulls and bones arranged into all kinds of artistic configurations, you could have heard a pin drop. Our small tour group of 18 seemed to collectively hold its breath.
I was relieved when we exited into a brightly-lit gift shop on our way out.
Signing the guest book, I couldn’t help but think of a quote from a famous song by The Eagles: “You can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave.” It was bizarre that it popped into my head, but I guess it was my brain’s way of lightening the mood just a bit.
Response from Host, June 2026
Hi Kenneth,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a thoughtful and beautifully written review. I am so glad that our tour left such an unforgettable impression on you.
The Capuchin Crypt is certainly a powerful place that can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but you captured its true essence perfectly. It really is less about the macabre and more about a profound, reflective reminder of our shared human journey. Your description of the group collectively holding its breath truly brings the atmosphere of the chapels to life.
I love that you found a bit of humor with The Eagles quote to lighten the mood at the end. Thank you again for joining us and for sharing your experience so eloquently.
Britney_H, June 2026
Had a fun time on this tour. With traffic it was about a 35-49 minute ride outside of the city to the catacombs. We didn’t have gift shop time because we were late due to traffic but that’s no one’s fault. The tour itself was informative, respectful, and just really cool. The museum portion after was my favorite part, the bone exhibit was breathtaking. Can’t recommend this tour enough
Response from Host, June 2026
Hi Britney,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us. I am so glad to hear you had such a fun and informative time exploring the catacombs and that the bone exhibit in the crypt museum left such an impression on you.
Rome traffic can definitely be unpredictable, so thank you for your understanding regarding the drive and the missed gift shop time. We always aim to keep things moving smoothly so you do not miss a moment of the actual history, and it sounds like our team kept everything respectful and engaging for you.
We really appreciate your recommendation and hope you had a wonderful rest of your vacation in Rome.
Ellen_D, June 2026
Not worth the expense or time! Out of the 4 guided tours that we took in Rome (3) and in Pompeii (1), this was by far our least favorite. Visting the crypt was a waste of time and while the catacomb tour was interesting, the assigned English-language guide we received was very difficult to understand (for all 4 members of our party, who speak various languages, among them English native speakers and not). The guide provided by the tour company was also rather listless and uninterested and I can't say that she added anything to the tour. Moreover, the instructions received at the meeting point about what we would be doing very confusing and not clear to everyone.
Just imagine meeting somewhere in a townsquare, then walking a few minutes to the actual crypt museum, receiving very quickly spoken unclear instructions by a noisy road there, which basically came down to what we will use a different audio guide in the museum, listen to their instrutions but we should go to the end of the crypt and then work our way backwards, which were the exact opposite instructions as the museum audio guide gave. Maybe a better instruction would have been to watch time and move towards the crypt with at least 15 minutes to spare, so that we get a 25 minute introduction to the order and the museum and the crypt, and then move to the crypt. All in all, however, we could have skipped the crypt visit and we should have just arranged our own transportation to the catacombs or booked only a catacomb visit. That would be my recommendation for anyone else.
Response from Host, June 2026
Hi Ellen,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. I am so sorry to hear that this tour did not live up to your expectations, especially compared to your other experiences in Italy, and that you found the meeting point instructions and guide difficult to understand.
I want to clarify that the Capuchin Crypts do not permit physical live guides to lead tours inside. Because of the nature and rules of the site, it is always conducted via an audio guide, which we do note on our booking page. That said, the instructions given by our staff should always be crystal clear, and I appreciate your feedback on how we can better manage the timing and directions for the museum portion.
I will also be addressing your comments regarding the catacomb guide with our team to ensure our standard of quality is maintained. We truly value your insights as they help us improve, and we wish you the best with the rest of your travels.
Michael_S, June 2026
Ecxellent, informative guide. Museums were awesome.
Highly recommend. The history was amazing. Transport was cool and clean.
Eric_J, June 2026
This was a very interesting tour. The idea that 30,000 people were entombed in the catacombs was so crazy.
Matt_A, June 2026
Not quite the tour I expected… for many reasons. I debated giving a slightly lower review but perhaps some of this was my misunderstanding as well.
Perhaps the biggest issue that we encountered was that when transporting from one location to the other, we had three vehicles and the guide was in one vehicle and the technology didn’t work great unless you were in her vehicle and so we only heard bits and pieces for that 20 minute drive there abd back and supposedly she did share quite a bit of information that we could only slightly hear…
The information at the crypts (prior to the crypts themself) was interesting, but spent a lot of time talking about the monks and their habits and momentous, which was interesting but just something we hadn’t anticipated… We also had to separate from our tour guide here and do a pre-recorded audio recording and if you actually tried to listen to all the audio recordings, you would never get through it so we had to pick and choose…
The catacombs tour was also interesting, but we had kind of expected to be able to see some skeletons and so forth, but those had all been removed, but that also was not something that was an expectation based on reality necessarily.
The catacombs that we went to was only one of several in the area and I didn’t realize that there may have been different ones to choose from and perhaps the others were more inclusive I’m not sure.
It was a bummer that we couldn’t take any photographs in either location and I understand why because it is human remains and so forth, but I feel like this would’ve been interesting to be able to document.
For the good part, Marielena, which I hope this poor review does not reflect on her part because she was very knowledgeable and she had so much information to share. She was very kind and apologetic about the technology that wasn’t working. With what she had to work with on this tour she’s amazing. I don’t want the rating to reflect on her because she did a good job.
Response from Host, June 2026
Hi Matt,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback and for your incredibly kind words about Marielena. She truly cares about her guests, and we will make sure she hears your praise. I am so sorry about the audio tech issues during the drive. We are looking into our vehicle communication systems right away to ensure that information is clear for everyone, no matter which vehicle they are in.
To help clarify a few things for future travelers, the Capuchin Crypts do actually require all guests to use their official audio guides to keep the space quiet and respectful, which is why Marielena had to step back during that portion. Regarding the catacombs, you are totally right that the remains were moved long ago to protect them, and the strict no-photo policies are indeed set by the religious authorities who manage the sites.
We really appreciate your understanding and your constructive notes. They help us keep improving the experience for everyone.
Nicole_L, June 2026
Fun experience with a lot of learning involved. Matched our expectations. Tour guide was great. Kids enjoyed it too.
Amanda_C, June 2026
Very good tour thoroughly enjoyed everything. You get a true VIP experience and see something of great interest.
Nancy_O, June 2026
Loved this tour. So interesting& our guides great & knowledgable . The only problem we had was hearing our guide when we were in our cars going & coming. There were 3 cars & if guide was in your car it was good but in the other 2 cars it kept cutting in & out with lots of static Missed about half of what she said which was a shame as she was so interesting to listen to. Even with that problem would still recommend you to go on this tour as the catacombs arevsomething you will not see anywhere else and the guide that took us through the catacombs was easy to hear so it was just on the commute back-and-forth that we had problems
Mary_S, June 2026
The catacombs were fascinating on so many levels. The sheer size is hard to wrap your mind around. Multiple levels and 13 miles of tunnels as well as all of the artifacts! It is an excellent “off the beaten path” kind of tour.
Patricia_R, June 2026
This tour was a beautiful experience! Was a bit rushed but our guide was funny, informative and present for every person in the tour! You could tell he cared about the history he was explaining. Pointed out all the "highlights" so we didn't miss things. Sadly can't remember his name but he is a singer an does lots of tours. Would definitely recommend.
Brent_C, June 2026
The tour was very good, we loved all of the great background that explained the history of the Crypts and Catacombs.
Linda_H, June 2026
The Vatican tour guide did not speak English well at the catacombs. Disappointed as I missed key information.
On the return drive the headset did not work properly so unable to hear the viator guide. Missed key highlights of Rome.
Response from Host, June 2026
Hi Linda, we are genuinely sorry to hear that language barriers and faulty headsets caused you to miss out on key information. We dropped the ball on ensuring seamless communication, and we have immediately raised this with our Rome Operations Manager to audit our audio equipment and guide assignments so this does not happen again.
Melissa_M, June 2026
Meeting point was easy. Guide organised tickets and transport was arranged to catacombs of Saint Sebastian which were great to see. Just found it difficult to hear at the back of the car when the guide was explaining sites along the way. But realistically that’s on me, I could have spoken up.
Tom_A, June 2026
OK experience. we moved through the catacombs at a brisk pace, slower would have been better. the first part of the Capuchin crypt tour was a bit boring, the narration was hokey.
Deborah_J, June 2026
Great guide, very informative about the tour and Rome history. I learned a lot. We were happy to have an air conditioned van and not much walking. The tombs were super fascinating. The monk bones were weirdly cool but morbid when you realized what it really is.
Linda_N, May 2026
Very interesting. A little creepy. But worth going to see. A different experience than everything else you will do or see in Rome.
Jasmine_B, May 2026
Such a great experience! Beautiful to spend time in the museum and crypts and the catacombs were the most amazing place! Highly recommend.
Alison_W, May 2026
Great guide! Transfers comfortable and quick. Started on time and took 3.5 hours. The second half you will see empty tombs cut into the walls but no intact burials. Exactly as described. Would choose Viator again
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