Getting to the Callixtus catacombs

Where the catacombs are

The catacombs are at Via Appia Antica 110, on the Appian Way between the church of Quo Vadis and the Basilica of St Sebastian. They sit outside the city centre on purpose. Roman law kept burials outside the city walls, so cemeteries grew along the roads leading out of Rome, and the Appian Way is the best known of them. The road entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2024. Treat the trip as a half-day outing rather than a quick stop between sights. Just inside the entrance stand two small three-apsed basilicas called the Trichorae.

Read next: Were the Catacombs Secret Hiding Places? No.

By metro and bus

The catacombs' own directions give public-transport routes from Termini. Each pairs a metro stop with a city bus: Metro A to San Giovanni or Arco di Travertino, or Metro B to Colosseo or Circo Massimo. The official page names the bus and the stop for each route, and one stop is named after the catacombs, at the gate. Check the ATAC timetable before you set out, because routes and frequencies change, and allow for the walk from the stop. A city bus suits you if you are happy to read a timetable and change once.

By tour with transport

A tour with transport takes the navigating out of it. The tour we link to meets in front of the Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano, Via dei Fori Imperiali 1, where staff wear light blue vests. The meeting time can change, and the provider calls or messages you, so keep your phone on. Late arrivals are not refunded. The driver speaks English, and admission and a guided visit are included. On Wednesdays, when St Callixtus is closed, the tour goes to the Catacombs of St Sebastian instead.

By car

The catacombs say public parking is available in front of the site. The official directions describe road routes from the ring road, one by Via Cristoforo Colombo and one by Via Ardeatina, and they give the junctions step by step. On public holidays private vehicles are banned on the Appia Antica, though reserved groups may pass, so keep your reservation at hand. Coaches use a separate entrance gate. Look up the current road rules and use a navigation app before you drive.

Opening days and timing

The catacombs open in a morning session and an afternoon session with a midday break. The official hours page shows the exact times and the start of the last tour in each session. Groups leave every 30 minutes. The site is closed every Wednesday, on 1 January, at Easter and on 25 December, and for about four weeks each winter from mid-January. Changes for exceptional reasons are posted on the catacombs' Facebook page and homepage. Underground it is about 16 degrees all year, so summer heat stays behind you. Dress for the cool, humid air, and wear shoes you can climb steps in.

Tickets on the day

If you bought a direct ticket online, collect it at the ticket office on arrival by showing your receipt. The office takes cash and credit or debit cards for tickets bought there. The ticket covers the guided visit, and you keep it until you leave. If you booked the tour instead, admission is included, so you pay nothing at the gate, and your confirmation tells you where to meet. Whichever you chose, arrive with time in hand: on the tour late arrivals are not refunded, and at the catacombs groups that have reserved and arrive on time get priority.

What the visit is like

You visit only in a guided group of at least two people, and you can't leave the group or go past the gates. The guided visit takes about 40 minutes, in Italian, English, French, Spanish or German. Keep your ticket for the whole visit, because staff may check it at the exit. Translating the guide aloud for others in your group is not allowed. Arrive on time: groups that have reserved and arrive punctually get priority over other visitors.

• About 50 irregular steps down, and as many back up
• No lift and nowhere to sit
• About 16 degrees with high humidity: bring a layer
• No photos or video, no food or drink

What you will see

Only part of the roughly 20 kilometres of galleries is on the route. The Crypt of the Popes was the burial place of nine popes of the third century, and the original Greek inscriptions of five of them are still on the walls. Pope Sixtus II lies in the front wall. In the next crypt, a statue of St Cecilia is a copy of Stefano Maderno's 1599 work, and her relics were moved to Trastevere in 821. Five small chambers called the Cubicles of the Sacraments have frescoes of baptism, the Eucharist and Jonah. The route is a short sample of a very large cemetery.

Read next: The Crypt of the Popes: the 'Little Vatican'

Children, access and what to bring

Children aged 6 and under enter free on a direct ticket, and ages 7 to 16 pay a reduced rate. Strollers, luggage and other bulky items are not allowed, so travel light, and pets are not allowed either. The tour also bans large bags. Wheelchairs are not permitted because of the steps, and the catacombs warn anyone with serious mobility problems about the walking. Wear comfortable shoes, and keep your voice low, because this is an active place of prayer.

Read next: Visiting the Catacombs with Respect

Along the Appian Way

Quo Vadis church, at Via Appia Antica 51, marks the road junction near the catacombs. The Basilica of St Sebastian is next door along the road, with its own catacombs. Domitilla is a separate visit, off Via delle Sette Chiese. The road was named after Appius Claudius Caecus, who began the first section in 312 BC, and it was called the queen of the long roads. Wikipedia notes that the first stretch out of the city carries heavy traffic and is quieter further out, so take care if you walk. Coming out of Rome, the catacombs are on the right of the Appian Way, after the church of Quo Vadis.

Who this isn't for

If you use a wheelchair, the visit isn't possible, because wheelchairs are not permitted inside. If you have serious claustrophobia, the catacombs advise against it. If you are short of time in central Rome, the trip out to the Appian Way and back takes longer than the 40-minute visit itself, so a different sight may suit you better. And if you want to explore at your own pace, a guided group won't give you that.