Skip the Line: Crypts and Roman Catacombs Small-Group Walking Tour
Safety measures
3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Operators have paid Viator more to have their experiences featured here
Overview
Go underground to see Rome’s ancient catacombs and crypts on a half-day tour. Visit the Domitilla Catacomb and Basilica of San Clemente with skip-the-line access, plus visit the Capuchin Crypt, where you’ll see a Caravaggio painting and marvel at a chapel made entirely out of human bones. Learn about past burial customs and secret Christian worship spots during this fascinating exploration into the history of Rome.
- See Caravaggio’s St Francis in Meditation painting in the Capuchin Crypt Museum
- Learn about the Capuchin monks who used human bones to build and decorate their crypt
- Head inside the Basilica San Martino ai Monti, adorned with frescoes, and see the Chapel of Our Lady of Carme
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
Saved to wishlist!
Your walking tour starts at Piazza Barberini, where you’ll meet your guide and board and air-conditioned coach to the Christian Catacombs.
Descend into the chill of Rome’s mysterious underworld with Skip-the-Line access to three of the city’s strangest discoveries.
Unmask a new side to the Eternal City as you explore the eerie Bone Chapel, adorned with the bones of 4,000 Capuchin monks, and the Christian Catacombs, a series of hidden tunnels where early Christian’s practiced their forbidden faith.
Then travel beneath the Basilica San Martino ai Monti to discover layers of ancient foundations offering an insight to civilizations long fallen.
Descend into the chill of Rome’s mysterious underworld with Skip-the-Line access to three of the city’s strangest discoveries.
Unmask a new side to the Eternal City as you explore the eerie Bone Chapel, adorned with the bones of 4,000 Capuchin monks, and the Christian Catacombs, a series of hidden tunnels where early Christian’s practiced their forbidden faith.
Then travel beneath the Basilica San Martino ai Monti to discover layers of ancient foundations offering an insight to civilizations long fallen.
Itinerary
Escape the noise and heat of Rome as you explore its cryptic past on the city’s longest running crypts and catacombs tour. Beat the heat with air-conditioned travel and Skip-the-Line access directly down into cool, shadowed spaces that hide layer upon layer of history.
First, you’ll visit the hallowed catacombs where, beneath their persecutors’ feet, early Christians practiced their forbidden faith. Almost 2,000 years ago, this secret network of tunnels doubled as a place of worship and burial ground. As you explore tombs carved out of solid rock, your guide – a local, expert English-speaker – will relate the fascinating history of this sacred spot.
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
When you exit the catacombs, your bus will take you back within the city walls to the Basilica of San Martino ai Monti. Near the edge of the Parco del Colle Oppio, this unassuming church dates back to the 4th century - it has been rebuilt over the years, but is filled with a great sense of history just waiting to be discovered. Stunning frescoes adorn the walls, from artists such as Pietro Testa, Matteo Riccione and Giannangiolo Canini.
Duration: 40 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
Your final destination is the Capuchin Crypt. Capuchin monks used the bones of nearly 4,000 of their brothers to decorate this somber space in intricate floor-to-ceiling designs, lending it the macabre nickname of ‘the Bone Chapel’. Your guide will tell you the theories, but it’s up to you to draw your own conclusions about the meaning of the crypt’s robed skeletons and vertebrae chandeliers.
Open your eyes to the city’s hidden side – and you’ll never see Rome the same way again.
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Admission Ticket Included
Traveler Photos



See More


See More
Traveler Tips
- "There is a good amount of walking involved so if you have mobility issues, beware." See review
Reviews
Why you are seeing these recommendations
Compare Similar Experiences
Current

Skip the Line: Crypts and Roman Catacombs Small-Group Walking Tour
3 hours 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$72.01
Why you are seeing these recommendations
Explore Similar Things to Do
Unique ExperiencesGhost ToursWalking ToursCultural ToursHistorical ToursHalf-day ToursWalking & Biking ToursCultural & Theme ToursTours & SightseeingUnique ExperiencesRomeUnique Experiences - Lake BraccianoGhost Tours - Lake BraccianoWalking Tours - Lake BraccianoCultural Tours - Lake BraccianoHistorical Tours - Lake BraccianoHalf-day Tours - Lake BraccianoUnique Experiences - Lake BolsenaGhost Tours - Lake BolsenaWalking Tours - Lake BolsenaCultural Tours - Lake BolsenaHistorical Tours - Lake BolsenaHalf-day Tours - Lake BolsenaUnique Experiences - AssisiGhost Tours - AssisiWalking Tours - AssisiCultural Tours - AssisiHistorical Tours - AssisiHalf-day Tours - AssisiCategory
Triton Fountain (Fontana del Tritone) Tours & TicketsRome Opera House (Teatro dell'Opera di Roma) Tours & TicketsBasilica di Santa Prassede Tours & TicketsLa Pietà Tours & TicketsDomus Romane of Palazzo Valentini (Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini) Tours & TicketsTiber Island (Isola Tiberina) Tours & TicketsTestaccio Tours & TicketsPiazza Navona Tours & TicketsRome Olympic Stadium (Stadio Olimpico) Tours & TicketsProtestant Cemetery of Rome (Cimitero Acottolico di Roma) Tours & TicketsCatacombs of Rome (Catacombe di Roma) Tours & TicketsChurch of St. Peter in Chains (San Pietro in Vincoli) Tours & TicketsHerculaneum Archaeological Park (Parco Archeologico di Ercolano) Tours & TicketsGladiator Museum Tours & TicketsBasilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem (Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme) Tours & TicketsMuseum of Contemporary Art of Rome (MACRO) Tours & TicketsBorghese Gallery (Galleria Borghese) Tours & TicketsLargo di Torre Argentina Tours & TicketsBaths of Diocletian (Terme di Diocleziano) Tours & TicketsBioparco Tours & Tickets
Why you are seeing these recommendations