The Roman catacombs: which to choose and whether to go with children

Which to choose

There are more than sixty catacombs under Rome and several are open to visitors. In practice the choice is between two, a twenty-minute walk apart on the Appian Way.

If it is your first visit and you want “the famous ones”, go to San Callisto. If you would rather have calm and fewer people in the corridor, San Sebastiano. Either way you spend about forty minutes underground.

Rules you cannot get around

• Only with a guide. Nowhere lets you in on your own. Groups are formed by language, and waiting for yours can take twenty minutes.
• No photography. In every catacomb, with no exceptions and no “just one shot without flash”. This is a burial place.
• Do not leave the group. The corridors branch, the lights come on section by section, and anyone left behind is left in the dark.
• About 15 degrees all year. In August it is the best place in Rome; out of season bring a jumper.

What is actually down there

The main misconception: the catacombs were not dug as hiding places from persecution. That is a widespread legend. They were dug as cemeteries — burial inside the city was forbidden by law, land outside the walls was expensive, and going down proved cheaper than going wide.

Hence the layout: a narrow corridor with rectangular niches in several rows on both sides. There can be up to four levels, one below another. The rock chosen was soft tuff, which cuts easily and does not collapse.

What you see: the niches themselves (empty — the remains were moved long ago), fragments of frescoes, carved symbols — a fish, an anchor, a dove. And the crypt of the popes in San Callisto, where the bishops of Rome were buried in the 3rd century.

From what age to bring a child

There is no formal limit, and the decision is yours. Our guideline is not under eight, and here is what it is based on:

• it is dark: the light is dim and in places comes on as the group moves;
• it is narrow: in some places the corridor is one person wide;
• you cannot step aside, go ahead or turn back — only stay with the group;
• the subject is death and burial, and the guide speaks about it plainly.

Teenagers usually love it: it is exactly the mix of history and eeriness that works at that age. Younger children can get frightened, and you find out in the middle of a corridor you cannot leave.

If you are unsure, go to Castel Sant’Angelo instead: it also has underground passages and a secret corridor, but it is light and you can leave at any moment. We covered it separately: Castel Sant’Angelo, tickets and the secret passage.

Getting there and how long it takes

The catacombs are outside the city walls, on the Appian Way. It is not a walk from the centre: take a bus from the Colosseum or Circo Massimo, about half an hour.

With the journey both ways and the wait for a group, allow half a day. In exchange you are on the Appian Way itself, where you can walk on the ancient paving; on Sundays it is closed to cars. That is free and is on our list of free places in Rome.

On a short trip the catacombs usually do not fit — you can see why in our routes: Rome in two and three days.