Bus 118 to the Catacombs in Rome, and the Other Ways to Reach the Gate

How to get to the catacombs in Rome, option by option

Five approaches work in practice: one metro leg plus a city bus, a second bus route that comes in from the San Giovanni side, a bus that leaves you a walk along a side road, your own car as far as the parking area in front of the entrance, and your own legs or a bike along the park's itineraries. A sixth removes the connections altogether, because a vehicle collects you in the centre or at your hotel.

San Callisto, San Sebastiano and Domitilla stand within a short stretch of the same road, so the transport decision is identical for all three. Priscilla and Sant'Agnese lie on other consular roads north of the centre and need their own plan.

• The 118, picked up at Colosseo or Circo Massimo on line B, heading for Appia/Villa dei Quintili, off at the Catacombe di San Callisto stop
• The 218 in the Ardeatina direction, boarded at San Giovanni on line A, as far as Fosse Ardeatine
• The 714 as far as Navigatori, which leaves about a kilometre of Via delle Sette Chiese to cover on foot
• Your own car off the GRA at exit 24, marked Roma centro and Fosse Ardeatine, into the public parking in front of the entrance at Via Ardeatina 174
• On foot or on two wheels along the regional park's itineraries, more than 16 km of them
• A visit with transfers or hotel pick-up, with nothing to work out at a bus stop

Bus 118 to the catacombs in Rome, stop by stop

The catacomb's own directions page puts bus 118 first, and it earns that place. Board at Colosseo or Circo Massimo on Metro B, take the direction marked Appia and Villa dei Quintili, and stay on past Porta San Sebastiano until the stop named Catacombe di San Callisto. The entrance and ticket office stand back from the road behind their own drive, so the last few minutes are on foot through the fields.

Time the ride against the guided departures, not the traffic. San Callisto is shut every Wednesday, runs 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, and sends out its last morning group at 12:00, so arriving at 12:20 means waiting until two. The same 118 also serves the Porta San Sebastiano access point to the Appia park, which helps if you intend to walk the first stretch of road before going underground.

The 218 from San Giovanni, and the one that leaves a walk

Metro A to San Giovanni, then the 218 in the Ardeatina direction, puts you off at a stop called Fosse Ardeatine. Take this if you are staying on line A and would rather not cross the city to line B. It brings you in from the Ardeatina side, the same side as the car park.

Bus 714 is the weakest of the three. It stops at Navigatori and leaves about a kilometre on foot along Via delle Sette Chiese, which is pleasant in March and hard work at two in the afternoon in July. All of these stop names come from the official directions page, so glance at the stop display on the day in case a line is running a diversion.

Driving out: GRA exit 24 and where to leave the car

Come off the GRA ring road at exit 24, signposted Roma centro and Fosse Ardeatine. It leads to the public parking area in front of the catacombs, addressed at Via Ardeatina 174, which is why the same complex appears under two different streets depending on which page you read. There is also an unattended private car park, reached from the junction of the Appia Antica and the Ardeatina by the Quo Vadis church.

Private vehicles are banned from the Via Appia Antica on public holidays, reserved groups excepted, so on those dates you cannot drive to the gates at all. Ordinary traffic is kept off the first stretch past the Maxentius complex every Sunday and public holiday too, so that approach shuts along with it. If your only free day falls on a holiday, plan on the bus, on foot, on a bike, or on a visit where someone else does the driving.

On foot and by bike along the park itineraries

The regional park's walking and cycling itineraries cover more than 16 km and the park calls them always passable, so you can arrive at the catacomb gates on foot or on a bike as part of a longer day outdoors. Bikes are hired at the Centro Servizi Appia Antica, Via Appia Antica 58/60, for the Appia itself, and at Fuori di ruota, Via Lemonia 31, for the aqueducts side.

Two rules decide how the ride actually goes. On the surviving Roman basolato, still rutted by cart wheels, cyclists dismount and push or use the dirt paths alongside. Riders linking Parco degli Acquedotti to the catacomb strip can use the San Callisto private road, open daily 9:00 to 18:00 except Wednesdays and for the whole of February; when it is shut the alternatives are about 1.5 km of the Appia in traffic or a detour through the Caffarella valley.

Visits that take the connections out of the day

Paying for transport makes sense in three cases: a public holiday when cars cannot use the Appia, a schedule where two connections each way swallow the afternoon, and a party with small children who will not enjoy a kilometre of Via delle Sette Chiese. The tours on this site start in the centre and bring you back to it.

Piazza Barberini at the Tritone fountain is the departure point for The Original Roman Crypts and Catacombs Tour with Transfers: private air-conditioned coach, 3.5 hours, from €49, rated 4.6 (5439 reviews), with the Capuchin Crypt and Museum in the same run. The Private Tour of Catacombs and Ancient Appian Way cuts out the bus stops entirely: 2.5 hours, from €158, rated 4.4 (128 reviews), with pick-up and drop-off at your hotel, tickets and an English-speaking driver. For the active version, the Rome Bike / EBike Tour: Appian Way, Catacombs & Roman Aqueducts runs 4-6 hours, from €59, rated 4.9 (1966 reviews), and includes the guided catacomb visit in the 6-hour tour only.

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