Monuments and museums

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Monuments and museums

Are there special discounts that encourage people to visit museums?

Yes. A very interesting initiative called carte turistiche (city pass) has been created for major Italian cities in order to encourage cultural tourism. A few examples: the city of Rome has the ROMA PASS CARD city pass (promoted by the City Council and the Ministry of Cultural Activities with the cooperation of ATAC, the city public transportation company). This card offers discounts for museums, artistic sites, public ATAC transportation and touristic services. The city of Venice has the VENICE CARD, a city pass that allows tourist to obtain discounts on major touristic services, public transportation, museum access, Marco Polo airport transfers (from and to the airport), public toilets and casinos entries. Since July 2010, the city of Milan has got the AmaMi card city pass that allows discounts on museums, banking services and public transportation. For more information we suggest you browse the official city websites.

At what time do museums open and close in Italy?

Most common opening hours for museums in Italy are from 9/10 a.m. to 6/7 p.m. but this is a very approximate information because each museum has its own opening hours and working days (some museums are opened on holidays others are closed or opened for half a day).

What is the closing day of museums in Italy?

Usually museums are closed on Monday. Example: in Rome all museums are closed on Monday except Colosseum and Terme di Caracalla.

Is it advisable to visit Rome with a tour guide? If so, how can I contact an official one?

Yes. It is advisable to visit Rome with a tour guide. The city of Rome has official tour guides provided with authorized working cards. Each tour guide is required to show his/her working card when working. Pay attention to fake tour guides (they surely do not own authorized working cards). Tourists can book a tour guide at authorized agencies, museums and appropriate tourist info points. If in Rome they can simply call + 39 060608. Suggested websites:

The official tourist website for Rome

Is it possible to book museum and monument tours?

Yes. Most Italian monuments and museums offer the opportunity to book guided tours by calling their offices or by following an online booking procedure. In this case, we suggest that you always call and have the museum confirm the booking.