Catacombs of St. Callixtus: Guided Tour
Entry ticket + official guide — the standard way to visit
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Rome · Regina Viarum
Appian Way & Its Catacombs: What to See Around San Callisto
The road Romans called the Queen of Roads is now a regional park where you walk on 2,300-year-old basalt past tombs, towers and two great catacomb complexes. Here is the whole first stretch, ordered as a walkable itinerary — with San Callisto as the anchor of your half or full day.
- Road and park free — individual sites ticketed
- Car-free on Sundays and holidays
- San Callisto is 30–45 min on foot from the city gate
- Flat enough to cycle end to end
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The Queen of Roads
Regina Viarum: from 312 BC highway to open-air museum
Censor Appius Claudius Caecus began the road in 312 BC to move legions south; in time it reached Brindisi, the port for Greece and the East, 500-plus kilometres away.
Because Roman law banned burials inside the city walls, the Appian Way became Rome's grandest cemetery avenue: patrician mausoleums above ground, and beneath them the tufa galleries of the Appian Way catacombs, where early Christians buried their dead by the hundreds of thousands. Today the first miles are protected as the Parco Regionale dell'Appia Antica — a strip of countryside, pines and ruins that starts ten minutes from the Colosseum by bus.
The Catacombs of San Callisto sit at the heart of that first stretch, and they make the ideal anchor for a day here: a fixed appointment with an official guide, surrounded by sights you can wander freely before and after. This page orders everything as one itinerary heading out of the city, so you can walk it top to bottom — or cherry-pick. For the wider underground picture, see the Rome catacombs guide.
312 BCconstruction begins under Appius Claudius Caecus
2catacomb complexes open directly on the ancient road
30–45 minon foot from Porta San Sebastiano to San Callisto
0 carson Sundays and holidays, when the road closes to traffic
| Appian Way at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Start point | Porta San Sebastiano — bus 118 or 218, or a 20-min walk from Circo Massimo |
| Cost | Road and park free · catacombs and monuments ticketed separately |
| Best day | Sunday or a public holiday — the road is closed to private traffic |
| Avoid | Wednesday if San Callisto is your priority — it closes that day |
| Catacomb hours | 09:00–12:00 & 14:00–17:00 (source: official site catacombesancallisto.it) |
| Surface | Mostly flat; original basalt is uneven — flat shoes, and go slow on a bike |
Source: official site catacombesancallisto.it
Stop by stop
Via Appia Antica: what to see, walking out from Porta San Sebastiano
Distances below are walkable; everything as far as Cecilia Metella fits a half day on foot. Beyond that, a bike earns its keep.
Sunday rule: on Sundays and public holidays the Appia Antica is closed to private traffic — the single best time to walk or cycle it. Weekday mornings are quiet too, but watch for cars on the narrow first stretch before San Callisto, which has no pavement.
Porta San Sebastiano and the Aurelian Walls
The largest and best-preserved gate in Rome's 3rd-century Aurelian Walls is your starting line. Inside its twin towers, the Museo delle Mura — traditionally free — lets you climb onto the ramparts and walk a stretch of the wall itself, with the Appia stretching south below you. Ten minutes up there resets your mental map: this is where the city ended and the road of tombs began.
Domine Quo Vadis
A modest 17th-century church at the first fork marks the spot where, legend says, Peter — fleeing Nero's persecution — met Christ walking toward the city. "Lord, where are you going?" Peter asked; the answer, "to Rome, to be crucified again", turned him around to face his own martyrdom. A marble slab in the nave bears the footprints attributed to Christ; it is a copy of the original kept at San Sebastiano, your later stop.
Catacombs of San Callisto
The anchor of the day: the official cemetery of the early Church of Rome, with 20 km of galleries, the Crypt of the Popes and the tomb of St. Cecilia. Entry is only with an official guide — tours run about every 30 minutes in five languages and take 40–50 minutes. Book a slot ahead via the tickets page and build the rest of your walk around it; the pedestrian entrance is signposted off the road, up a cypress-lined avenue.
Fosse Ardeatine
A short detour along Via Ardeatina leads to a memorial of a different weight. In these tufa quarries, on 24 March 1944, German occupying forces executed 335 prisoners and civilians in reprisal for a partisan attack — one of the gravest atrocities of the occupation of Rome. The site is now a national mausoleum, sober and free to enter. If you visit, allow quiet time; it asks for the same respect as the catacombs themselves.
Basilica and Catacombs of San Sebastiano
Back on the Appia, the basilica of San Sebastiano stands over the hollow the Romans called ad catacumbas — "by the hollows" — the place that gave every catacomb in the world its name. Underground, the tour threads through pagan mausoleums swallowed by the Christian cemetery; upstairs the basilica keeps the original Quo Vadis footprint slab. Deciding between the two catacomb tours? The comparison guide settles it.
Circus of Maxentius
Just beyond San Sebastiano, the emperor Maxentius built a private circus for chariot races in the early 4th century — and it survives as the best-preserved Roman circus anywhere, better legible than the Circus Maximus in town. The full 500-metre sweep of the track, the starting gates and the spine are all traceable from the ticketed grounds, or largely visible through the fence as you pass.
Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella
The drum-shaped tomb of a 1st-century BC noblewoman is the landmark of the whole road — a travertine cylinder later crowned with battlements when the Caetani family turned it into a toll castle in the Middle Ages. It marks the practical turning point for walkers: buses back to town stop nearby, and the handful of trattorie in this cluster are the best lunch bet on the ancient road.
The basalt stretch beyond
Past Cecilia Metella the modern asphalt gives up, and the Appia becomes what you came for: long runs of original basalt slabs, rutted by cart wheels, lined with pines, tomb fragments and headless statues, running die-straight toward the Alban Hills. Even twenty minutes out and back here is worth it; cyclists should slow down or use the beaten-earth shoulders.
Villa dei Quintili
About the fifth mile out, the largest suburban villa of ancient Rome rises from open fields — so splendid that the emperor Commodus had its owners, the Quintili brothers, put to death and took it for himself. Baths, reception halls and aqueduct arches survive at genuinely imperial scale. It is a long walk but an easy ride; the site is ticketed, with an entrance on the ancient road.
Parco degli Acquedotti
East of the Appia, the Park of the Aqueducts is where six ancient aqueduct lines, including the mighty arches of the Aqua Claudia, stride across open meadow — the classic Roman-campagna photograph. It is not on the ancient road itself, but flat lanes make it an easy add-on by bike, and guided e-bike loops pair it with the catacombs area in a single ride.
On two wheels
Cycling the Appia: flat terrain, bumpy history
The park is mostly flat and distances shrink fast by bike — but the basalt sections rattle; an e-bike smooths both the bumps and the one long rise back toward the gate.
Rental points operate near the start of the road and around Cecilia Metella, and the park lanes connecting the Appia to the aqueducts are quiet and signposted. If you would rather not navigate, the guided e-bike tour covers the catacombs area and the Parco degli Acquedotti in one ~4-hour loop, and the minivan sightseeing tour does the road, the countryside and a catacomb visit without any pedalling at all.
Appian Way & Catacombs: Sightseeing Tour + Transfer
Catacombs plus the aqueducts and Roman countryside in one loop
Guide in: EN
from €98per personCheck Availability
Appian Way E-Bike Tour with Catacombs Option
Cover the whole Appia Antica park without the walk
Guide in: EN, IT
from €65per personCheck Availability
Sample plans
Half day or full day around the Appian Way catacombs
One constraint shapes every plan: San Callisto closes for lunch from 12:00 to 14:00, and all day on Wednesdays. Slot the guided tour first, then let the road fill the rest.
Half day on foot (about 4–5 hours)
| Time | Stop |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Porta San Sebastiano — climb the walls at the Museo delle Mura |
| 09:45 | Domine Quo Vadis, then the walk (or bus 118 one stop) to San Callisto |
| 10:30 | San Callisto guided tour — take a departure well before the 12:00 close |
| 11:45 | Walk on to San Sebastiano; basilica and, if energy allows, its catacombs |
| 12:45 | Circus of Maxentius and Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella |
| 13:30 | Lunch near Cecilia Metella, then bus 118 or 660 back to town |
Full day, ideally with a bike
- Morning as above through San Callisto and San Sebastiano — or flip it and take a 14:00-reopening catacomb slot if you prefer a slow start; check the opening hours first.
- Long lunch near Cecilia Metella, then ride the original basalt stretch south.
- Afternoon choice: Villa dei Quintili for imperial-scale ruins, or cut across to the Parco degli Acquedotti for the aqueducts, and loop back on quiet park lanes.
- Head back with daylight to spare — the park is unlit and empties out toward evening.
Where to refuel — honestly
Manage expectations: the ancient road itself has very few cafés or restaurants. Your realistic options are the bars around the information point near the start of the road, the café at the San Sebastiano end, and a couple of trattorie clustered near Cecilia Metella — book ahead for Sunday lunch, when all of Rome has the same idea. Beyond Cecilia Metella, assume nothing: carry water in summer and snacks if you are riding to the aqueducts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Appian Way free to visit?
The road and the regional park are free and open at all times — you can walk or cycle the whole stretch without a ticket. Individual sites along it are ticketed: the catacombs of San Callisto and San Sebastiano, the Cecilia Metella–Circus of Maxentius area and Villa dei Quintili. The Museo delle Mura at Porta San Sebastiano is traditionally free.
How long does it take to walk the Appian Way?
From Porta San Sebastiano to the Catacombs of San Callisto is about 30–45 minutes on foot; continuing to Cecilia Metella takes roughly another 30 minutes. A sightseeing pace from the gate to Cecilia Metella and back, with stops, fills a half day. Reaching Villa dei Quintili on foot makes it a full day — most people cover that stretch by bike.
Is the Appian Way safe to walk?
Yes, in daylight it is a well-frequented park. The one caution is the first stretch between Porta San Sebastiano and the Quo Vadis church: the road is narrow, walled on both sides and carries cars on weekdays, with no real pavement. Walk it single file facing traffic, or simply go on a Sunday when the road is closed to private vehicles.
Can you cycle the Appian Way?
Yes — the terrain is mostly flat and the road is popular with cyclists, though the ancient basalt sections are bumpy and best taken slowly. Rental points operate near the start of the road and around Cecilia Metella, and a guided e-bike tour covers the catacombs area and the aqueducts in one loop.
Which catacombs are on the Appian Way?
Two complexes open directly on the ancient road: San Callisto (the largest, with the Crypt of the Popes) and San Sebastiano (where the word "catacombs" was born). Domitilla is a short detour away on Via delle Sette Chiese. The comparison guide helps you pick if you only have time for one.
Is Sunday the best day for the Appian Way?
For the road itself, yes — on Sundays and public holidays it closes to private traffic, so you can walk or cycle down the middle of the carriageway. It is also the busiest day with local families. One caveat: plan the catacombs carefully, because San Callisto closes every Wednesday and for lunch from 12:00 to 14:00 — see the opening hours page.
How do I get to the Appian Way from central Rome?
Bus 118 from the Circo Massimo/Colosseum area runs along the ancient road past San Callisto; bus 218 from San Giovanni serves the first stretch; bus 660 from Arco di Travertino (Metro A) drops you near Cecilia Metella. There is no metro station nearby. Full routes on the how to get there page.
See the Appian Way and its catacombs in one trip
The sightseeing tour pairs the Regina Viarum and the Roman countryside with a guided catacomb visit — transfer included, no bus timetables to decode.
Book the Appian Way sightseeing tour · from €98