Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome: tickets, opening hours, terrace and Passetto

Updated on October 1, 2026

Castel Sant'Angelo, on the right bank of the Tiber opposite the Ponte Sant'Angelo, began as the mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian, built in the 2nd century. Fortified from the 6th century onwards, it takes its name from the appearance of the Archangel Michael on its summit during the plague of 590, and later served as a fortress, a prison and a refuge for the popes. The National Museum of Castel Sant'Angelo is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 7:30pm (last entry 6:30pm); a ticket costs €18 (prices checked in October 2026). Allow about 2 hours to climb from the ancient ramp up to the terrace, passing through the Renaissance papal apartments. The visit combines easily with St Peter's Basilica, 15 minutes' walk away along Via della Conciliazione.

Highlights

The Terrace of the Angel

At the top of the castle, beneath the bronze statue of the Archangel Michael installed in 1753, the terrace looks out over the dome of St Peter's, the Tiber and the rooftops of the historic centre. Puccini set the last act of the opera Tosca here.

The Passetto di Borgo

This fortified corridor, built in the 13th century on top of the walls of the Borgo district, links the Vatican to the castle. Pope Clement VII used it to take refuge here during the Sack of Rome in 1527. Until 18 October 2026, a one-hour guided visit of the Passetto and the San Marco bastion is offered on booking, for €10 on top of the entrance ticket.

The spiral ramp and the Hall of the Urns

The visit begins inside the Roman mausoleum: a spiral ramp climbs through the ancient masonry to the hall where the ashes of the imperial family were laid.

The papal apartments

The Sala Paolina, frescoed for Pope Paul III, the Loggia of Julius II, open to the Tiber, and the Treasury Room show the castle transformed into a papal residence during the Renaissance.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Full price €18; €2 for European Union citizens aged 18 to 25; free for under-18s and for everyone on the first Sunday of the month, when no online booking is possible (a single queue at the ticket desk). Tickets are nominative: bring an ID. Booking is recommended at weekends and on public holidays. Until 31 December 2026, the ticket also gives free entry, on the same day or the following two days, to the Casa Museo Boncompagni Ludovisi and the Casa Museo Hendrik Christian Andersen. On the first Monday of the month, until 7 December 2026, the castle opens from 2pm to 8pm (last entry 7pm) with a €5 ticket sold only at the ticket desk.

How to get there

Lungotevere Castello 50, 00193 Rome. Metro line A, Lepanto or Ottaviano station, about 15 minutes' walk. Bus 40 from Termini station. From Piazza Navona, allow about ten minutes on foot across the Ponte Sant'Angelo.