Passetto with a guide · Castel Sant'Angelo ticket office
One hour with a guide on the Passetto di Borgo, the fortified corridor the popes used to escape from the Vatican to the castle, and on the Bastione di San Marco. After that, you have the castle to yourself, with the audio guide on your phone.
The Passetto di Borgo can only be visited with a guide: there is no ticket to walk it alone. This listing books the daytime guided tour combined with castle entry, a formula that according to CoopCulture runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings, in Italian and English. On GetYourGuide it has 4.4 out of 5 with 142 reviews and starts from $38 per person. It is non-refundable: book it when the date is certain.
The passage runs for about 800 metres along the walls, from the castle towards the Vatican Palaces; CoopCulture attributes it to Nicholas III, in 1277. Alexander VI passed through it in 1494, and Clement VII in 1527, during the Sack of Rome, with the Landsknechts of Charles V in the city. The guide tells these escape stories and also takes you to the Bastione di San Marco, with the view of St Peter's colonnade, according to the listing.
The Passetto is never visited on the first Sunday of the month, when the castle is free: in 2026 these are Sunday 1 November and Sunday 6 December. The listing advises against it for anyone with claustrophobia and says wheelchair access is limited. For those who need an accessible route, the museum organises a separate visit on the second and fourth Sunday of the month, from Torre del Mascherino.
The meeting point is at the castle ticket office, Lungotevere Castello 50: during renovation works it is in a temporary structure outside the castle. CoopCulture asks you to arrive 15 minutes early; according to reviews, on arrival they hand out headsets and receivers.
You go up onto the walkway of the walls. The guide tells you who built it and who escaped through it. According to one review, the tour can be done with a walking stick: few steps, and there is a lift for part of the castle.
On the bastion, the guide explains its architecture. From here, according to the listing, the view reaches St Peter's colonnade.
After the guided tour, you enter the castle with the same ticket. The audio guide is an app in 8 languages: the instructions arrive with your booking confirmation.
From Hadrian's tomb to the papal rooms, then the terrace below the archangel. The castle is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 19:30, with last entry at 18:30.
★★★★★Joining the tour was easy. At the meeting point they immediately gave us headsets and receivers, and the guide checked that we were all connected before we set off. The guide was an archaeologist and had a wonderful enthusiasm for her subject, which made the tour much more interesting. [...] At the end there was time to explore freely.
★★★★★Very knowledgeable and friendly guide. The Passetto and Castel Sant'Angelo combination is excellent, also because the ticket includes a downloadable link with the castle audio guide.
★★★★★A truly exciting story about the Passetto, a short route and an interesting tour. Highly recommended if you want to hear and see something new and out of the ordinary.
★★★★★A very interesting story, and great access to explore after the tour.
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The daytime tour runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the morning, never on the first Sunday of the month. On Saturday evening the museum also offers evening tours, described in the article on the castle at night.
According to CoopCulture, in 2026 the daytime guided tour with castle entry costs €30 full ticket, €14 for ages 18 to 25 and is free under 18. The price of this listing for your date is on the booking page, with the audio guide on the app included.
No, not for those with claustrophobia, according to the listing, and wheelchair access is limited. The museum has an accessible route on the second and fourth Sundays, at 10:45 and 12:15, from Torre del Mascherino: about 450 meters, without castle entry and without Bastione di San Marco.
No: the tour is non-refundable. If you need flexibility, the 2-hour guided tour can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before, but does not include the Passetto.
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One hour with the guide on the Passetto di Borgo and Bastione di San Marco, then the castle with the audio guide. Non-refundable.
Passetto di Borgo and castle, reserved entryReserved entry to the Passetto di Borgo and the castle, with the guide or the Vatican Museums as an option. Non-refundable.★ 4.1 · 1-3 hours · from $55
Castel Sant'Angelo with a guideLive guide and ticket: Hadrian's tomb, papal apartments, terrace and, according to the listing, areas usually closed.★ 4.7 · 1-2 hours · from $65
2-hour guided tourTwo hours with the guide, reserved entry and headsets: Hadrian's tomb, papal frescoes and terrace, with the highest rating.★ 4.8 · 2 hours · from $55