Mamertine Prison and Catacombs small group tour with driver

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Rome, Italy

Great choice

10+ bookings last month.

3 to 4 hours (approx.)
Offered in: English

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Overview

Visit two of Rome's most significant early Christian sites without the hassle of arranging tricky logistics with this Mamertine Prison and Catacombs small-group tour with transportation included. Begin by learning about the lives of the saints Peter and Paul while exploring the ancient Roman Mamertine Prison with an audio guide and skip-the-line access. Then enjoy seamless transport by minivan to the Catacombs of San Callisto for a guided small-group tour of this ancient Christian burial site.

Optimize your time with private transport and guaranteed skip-the-line access
The ease of pre-booked Mamertine Prison admission and audio-guide
Explore the labyrinthine Catacombs of San Callisto with an official guide
Learn about Rome's ancient Christian history and the lives of early saints

What's Included

Professional guide
Guaranteed to skip the long lines
Mamertine Prison tickets with audio guide
Catacombs tickets and sharing tour with live guide
Air-conditioned vehicle

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Santi Cosma e Damiano
Via dei Fori Imperiali, 1, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
You will find our staff outside the Basilica di Santi Cosma e Damiano in Via dei Fori Imperiali 1, wearing a light blue vest with our logos.

End point

Piazza Venezia, Roma RM, Italy

Operating hours
.1:30 pm

Itinerary

Mamertine Prison (Pass By)

Catacombe di San Callisto (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Meeting time is subject to change; if this occurs, you will receive a call or message from the activity provider. Please provide your correct phone number and country code

Late arrivals will not be refunded
Please dress accordingly: knees and shoulders must be covered.
Please note that during certain period of times you might find a high level of water; in that case you can buy covers for your shoes
By purchasing this tour, you agree to our Terms and Conditions
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 13 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.3

based on 41 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Viator Pulls a Switcheroo

Suzanne_G, Nov 2025

Viator switched the Mamertine Prison tour with a different tour that I didn’t pay for nor was I compensated correctly for their mistake. The switch wasn’t communicated until after the tour ended and only after I spoke up. Unprofessional!

Great guide!

Emily_M, Sep 2025

We were running behind and our tour guide waited for us and helped us find the meeting point. She escorted us to the Catacombs and gave us some information on the Catacombs. Then she escorted us back and to the Mamertine prison. She was very nice and knowledgeable. Worth booking.

Do Not Recommend

Ryan_W, Sep 2025

The company changed the time of tour at the last minute to 30 minutes before scheduled time, which was listed on our itinerary multiple times. So we hustled and left another site early to get there 20 minutes before original meeting time. However, the tour did not wait for us at meeting point. They finally got us a taxi to catch up to rest of tour. However no guide from company at either site. Would have been much easier to do on own. Tour provided no tangible benefit. Definitely would not book again with this company.

Amazing

Jessica_W, Jun 2025

Absolutely loved this tour and our guide, Zeyna, was so lovely and helpful!! Best tour we’ve had in Rome to date.

Fantastic!

Wesley_C, May 2025

Well worth the visit. The tour guide was knowledgeable and was able to answer our questions and provide us with clarity! Thanks for a great experience.

Great Service

Lauryn_T, May 2025

Maria did a great job leading us in our experience. She was very knowledgeable and super nice. This was definitely one of the coolest places I visited during my duration in Rome.

Comparative

Greg_C, Nov 2024

Seeing where Paul and Peter were imprisoned. Our tour guide was helpful going the extra mile to care for us.

A New Discovery.

Mark_L, Oct 2024

Learned so much…. Discovery. Many areas of this I was unaware of. A highlight of our visit to Rome. Definitely worth the visit.

Perfect Christian Journey step

Don_D, Oct 2024

The information from the catacomb guide was a ton. Loved it. Our guide for the overall experience was great. She had a great character. You could tell she just loved people.

The Terrible Tour

Flo_S, Oct 2024

None of it was memorable. Could not locate the tour guide at the designated spot. The local booking company never responded to my texts. I want my money back. 🤨 Do not book this tour.

Historical Christian Sites During Well Guided Visits

Adolph_J, Oct 2024

Being in a group of 6 made all the difference. It was a congenial group. Our guide, Lena, was very nice and thoughtful as was our driver. Merton Prison is a place I have had on my list nearly my whole life. The catacombs tour was well done also. I was disappointed that no photos were allowed. I believe that Mamertine Prison is as sacred or more so than the catacombs and yet we were allowed to take photos.

More please

Steve_M, Oct 2024

Please advise customers to download the audio app on WiFi before arriving at Mamertine. The catacomb tour was interesting but our guide was rushed due to a large number of tour groups present. As a result, we did not learn as much about the catacombs as we had hoped.

Worthwhile Time Spent

James_F, Sep 2024

Inside the Mamertine Prison was moving, because I already knew something of its history(and certainly the history of Saints Peter and Paul here). So it was a meaningful time, being in that enclosure and imagining the actual drama that unfolded there. At the same time, how much better to have had an articulate, standard-pronunciation guide to narrate what we were seeing, in comprehensible, passionate English (ours retained a heavy accent and seemed reticent about filling in details). Compared to this Mamertine employee, our overall guide was always communicative, insightful, personable. Accompanying us to the San Sebastiano catacombs, she patiently answered my questions and communicated details we needed to know of the history that unfolded here. A postscript: it was difficult to actually find the initial place relying, as we unfortunately did, on Google Maps. Street construction happens. Should you go, don't be shy about asking directions, with the actual meetup address in hand.

Disorganized

Mei_A, Sep 2024

The directions to find our tour guide just says look for someone in a blue shirt. It would have been helpful to tell us the name of the tour company or to hold up a sign that said “Mamertine prison” as we walked up and down the crowded street looking at everyone wearing a blue shirt. When we finally found her, we were not on her list even though we booked several weeks ago. Then she spent the next ten minutes or so trying to confirm we were supposed to be with her while at the same time trying to get us to download the POP guide app. She had special access codes for the app that didn’t initially work for anyone in the group. We walked to Mamertine prison which was a short walk away and had to wait another 10 to 15 minutes before everyone was able to log into the app to start our self guided tour. Someone commented that it would have been nice if we were told about the app beforehand and the tour guide said the instructions were provided when we signed up. Some people did not have strong enough internet connection to download the app so she had to set up a WiFi connection through her phone. It would have saved a lot of time if we got an email reminding us to download the app before the tour started (although I’m not sure if we would have gotten an email since we were not on her list). We did multiple tours during this trip to Rome and then on our cruise ship. The other tour organizers emailed or texted us before the tour and reminded us where we would meet and held a sign at the meeting location. The prison was a very moving experience since we are Christians. She had to arrange a second van for our group to take us to the Catacombs since we were not on her list. Also another couple who booked the same day were not on her list. So everyone could not fit in one van. The catacombs tour was great. The tour guide was provided by the catacombs. He was very knowledgeable and professional. Overall, we feel like this tour was something we could have done on our own. The Mamertine prison is self guided and the Catacombs had their own tour guide. So we basically paid for transportation from Mamertine prison to the catacombs. On the plus side, we met some nice people in our group. I dislike writing bad reviews so I am giving this 3 stars to not be mean.

Wonderful experience.

Tom_F, Jul 2024

Loved seeing this. Amazing to be where Paul & Peter were held. Our guide who helped us was amazing. We had a wonderful experience.

Great tour but a couple of little things.

jon_P, Jul 2024

Visiting the prison where Paul and Peter were kept and seeing the history and standing in same or similar dungeon as they did was very moving. I would recommend when you do go bring personal headphones or earbuds. You need to download a self listening app to listen to as you go through the prison.

Great day

George_R, Jul 2024

The lady leading my wife and I did a wonderful job leading our tour on July 3rd. We think she deserves a raise:)

Amazing but need to be organised

Adetokunbo_O, Mar 2024

Firstly, the meeting location is different from the location shown on map. There were a few of us that ended up where the map states we should go and there was no one there. There was no one in blue either. Went round trying to find the host. They eventually called us. It was not organised well and didn’t not get the time promised at the mamertine prison. However, the Catacombs was amazing. Best part of my holiday. The guide was amazing. The people doing the tour were nice but they need to organised better

Likely to Sell Out