Rome Catacombs and Capuchin Crypts Tour with Transfers
The Capuchin bone chapels, a guided hour in the Catacombs of Domitilla and a private coach doing the cross-city journey for you.
- Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Underground: 1 hour at the Catacombs of Domitilla, plus 45 minutes in the Capuchin Crypts
- Group size: max 25
- Departs from: Rome
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
You won't be charged yet — free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The Capuchin bone chapels
Five small rooms decorated with the remains of about four thousand friars, with a timed entry and audioguide.
A guided hour at Domitilla
The largest and oldest underground cemetery in Rome, walked with a guide rather than glimpsed.
The only underground basilica
You come up mid-visit into the semi-underground church of Nereus, Achilleus and St Petronilla.
San Martino ai Monti
A fourth-century basilica with its own lower level, on all but the after-hours option.
A private air-conditioned coach
The cross-city journey between Via Veneto and the Appian Way, handled for you.
Free cancellation
Full refund up to 24 hours ahead, and nothing charged when you reserve.
Three and a half hours, two burial grounds and a coach between them
This is the trip that solves the geography of the catacombs. The Capuchin Crypt sits on Via Veneto in the middle of Rome; the Catacombs of Domitilla lie outside the Aurelian Walls off the Appian Way, and between them is a cross-city journey nobody wants to make twice in an afternoon. A private air-conditioned coach does it for you, and the whole thing runs three and a half hours door to door from Piazza Barberini.
You start above ground in the crypt, with an audioguide and a guide of your own, then travel out to Domitilla for a guided hour in the galleries, and finish at the basilica of San Martino ai Monti. It is the most-booked catacombs experience in Rome by a wide margin, and the reason is simple: it puts the two things people come to Rome's underground for into a single afternoon.
The bones are in the crypt, not the catacomb
Worth being clear about, because it is the single biggest misunderstanding on this attraction. The Capuchin Crypt is an eighteenth-century chapel whose five small rooms are decorated with the remains of roughly four thousand friars: arches built from vertebrae, rosettes of shoulder blades, chandeliers of small bones, robed skeletons standing in the niches. It is astonishing and it is not ancient.
The Catacombs of Domitilla are the opposite: kilometres of second-century gallery cut into the tufa, and almost every grave in them empty, because the remains were carried into the churches of Rome from the eighth century onward. Seeing both in one afternoon is the only way to understand how different they are. If you want the background first, the catacombs one by one sets them side by side.
Your afternoon, hour by hour
- Piazza Barberini, at the Triton Fountain. Meet your guide ten minutes before departure. The coach parks nearby rather than at the fountain itself, so there is a short walk to it.
- The Capuchin Crypt, about 45 minutes. The museum first, then the bone chapels, with a timed entry and an audioguide included in the fare.
- Out past the walls, about 25 minutes. Air-conditioned coach south, with the Aurelian Walls and the start of the Appian Way on the way.
- Domitilla, a guided hour underground. The galleries, the early Christian painting, and up into the semi-underground basilica of Nereus and Achilleus — the only one in Rome.
- San Martino ai Monti, about 30 minutes. The fourth-century basilica and its own lower level. Not included on the after-hours option.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book this if
- It is your first time and you want both the bones and a real catacomb
- You would rather not work out Roman buses in August
- You want the crypt with an audioguide rather than a glance
- You are travelling as a couple, a family or a small group
Book something else if
- You use a wheelchair or cannot manage stairs — the galleries are one metre wide with steps at both ends
- You want two full hours underground rather than one
- You want to photograph what you see — no cameras inside, at any of the sites
For a step-free afternoon that still gets you into a catacomb, the golf-cart trips along the Appian Way are described by their operators as wheelchair accessible; you will find them on Colosseum and Catacombs tour Rome. For more time in the galleries, take the two-hour skip-the-line walk at Domitilla.
What the fare covers
Included
- English-speaking guide throughout
- Entrance ticket to the Capuchin Crypt and Museum
- Rome Catacombs entrance ticket
- Entrance to the Basilica of San Martino ai Monti (not on the After Hours option)
- Transfers in a private air-conditioned coach
Not included
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Where you meet, and where the coach actually is
The meeting point is the Fontana del Tritone in Piazza Barberini, and your guide will be holding a sign. Arrive ten minutes early. One thing travellers mention: restrictions in the historic centre mean the coach cannot park at the fountain, so there is a short walk to reach it. Wear shoes you are happy walking a few hundred metres in, and allow the ten minutes rather than arriving on the hour.
Know before you go
- Dress code: knees and shoulders covered at both sites, checked at the door. Carry a scarf or light shirt — it doubles as the layer you want at 16 °C.
- No photography inside: leave the camera in your bag and spend the time looking. Our gallery has the pictures.
- Group size: up to 25 travellers, so stay near the guide in the narrow sections if you want to hear everything.
- After Hours option: starts at 17:00, runs two and a half hours and ends at Piazza della Repubblica rather than back at Barberini.
- Sundays: the church visit is not guaranteed because of services.
- Not for claustrophobia: the corridors are narrow and low. If that is difficult, take a shorter descent instead.
More from this departure
Frequently asked questions
Which catacomb does this tour actually visit?
The Catacombs of Domitilla, the largest and oldest underground cemetery in Rome and the only site with a semi-underground basilica. Your guide confirms it on the day, because the sites close on different weekdays.
Are there bones in the catacomb itself?
Almost none. The remains were moved into the churches of Rome from the eighth century onward, so the galleries are bare cut rock. The bones on this trip are in the Capuchin Crypt, which is exactly why the two are paired.
How much of the three and a half hours is underground?
About an hour in the catacomb and 45 minutes in the crypt. The rest is the coach between them and the basilica at the end. If you want longer below ground, the two-hour Domitilla walk is the one to take.
Can I do this in a wheelchair?
Not the catacomb section — the galleries are a metre wide with stairs at both ends. The golf-cart tours along the Appian Way are described by their operators as wheelchair accessible and still include catacomb entry.
Is the tour refundable?
Yes, in full up to 24 hours before departure. You are not charged when you reserve, so booking early costs nothing but the decision.
Is hotel pickup included?
No. You meet at the Triton Fountain in Piazza Barberini, which is on Metro line A. Hotel pickup is available on the private Appian Way tour instead.
Two burial grounds, one afternoon
The bone chapels on Via Veneto and the Crypt of the Popes at San Callisto, with the transport between them already handled. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Other ways into the galleries
If this one is not quite your day, these two cover the same ground differently — or open the full list for every departure with the price and the time underground side by side.
Check dates and availability
You won't be charged yet, and this departure refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead.
Check Availability