Is It Worth Visiting Castel Sant’Angelo In Rome?

First, a mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian, then transformed into a fortress, a prison and now a historical attraction, but is it worth visiting Castel Sant’Angelo?

If you have visited Rome and made your way to the Tiber river, near Vatican City, you have probably seen Castel Sant’Angelo. It is an imposing fortress along the river and it is one of the most recognizable sites in Rome, at least from the outside.

It has a long and important history, but the question is out there: “Is It Worth Visiting Castel Sant’Angelo?”. Let’s take a look at what it has to offer and if it is worth the price. If you ask the AI bots or the ticket sellers, their answer is “Yes!”. Let’s decide together.

A Brief History Of Castel Sant’Angelo

Castel Sant’Angelo was originally built as the mausoleum of the Roman emperor Hadrian and became the burial place of the Antonine emperors until Caracalla. It was built in 135–139AD and converted into a fortress in the 5th century. 

In its architectural design, the fort is a circle surrounded by a square; each corner of the square is protected by an individually designed fortified outpost, while the central circle is a lofty cylinder containing halls, chapels, apartments, courtyard, and prison cells.

Throughout the middle ages, the castle served as an escape in times of Papal trouble. The Pope could flee from St. Peter’s Basilica to the safety of the Castle in a secret passage known as Il Passetto di Borgo (or Passetto).

Later, the Castle became a military barracks and a prison, then in the beginning of the 20th century, it no longer housed the military and became a museum. Due to its unique history, the National Museum of Castel Sant’Angelo reflects the alternating and numerous variations in use of its site over the years and must be considered, at the same time, a monument, an archaeological area and a museum.

Is Castel Sant Angelo Connected To The Vatican?

As mentioned above, St. Peter’s Basilica was connected to the safety of the Castle by a secret passage almost ½ mile long (800 m) known as Il Passetto di Borgo (or Passetto). At least twice the tunnel was used as an escape, including in 1527 during the Sack of Rome.

Small groups can visit Il Passetto, but access was limited during the pandemic and it continues to be a difficult ticket to get.

How To Find Castel Sant’Angelo

Saint Angelo Castle Opening Times

The Castle rules limit your visit time to only 2 hours, with a 15 minute limit in each room, so plan your visit accordingly. Here are the opening times:

• Tuesday through Sunday. Open from 9:00AM until 7:30PM, with the last entrance allowed at 6:30PM
• The Bookshop and the Cafè are open from 9:00AM until 7:00PM
• The Castle is closed on Mondays, January 1st and December 25th.

Where Should I Buy Tickets For Castle Saint Angelo?

We visited the Castle off-season (early December) and it was easy enough to show up first thing in the morning and buy tickets in the ticket office (biglietteria). If you plan on visiting during the season, I would suggest buying tickets in advance.

Their museum map seems to be inaccurate as it directs you to the gebart.it website to buy tickets, but they are not available. The correct place to buy tickets is from COOP Culture.

How Much Does It Cost To Visit Castel Sant’Angelo?

Is There A Dress Code For Castel Sant’Angelo?

This is a good question, considering its relationship with the Vatican, but the answer is: No, there is no dress code. Keep in mind, there will be a fair amount of climbing, so your choice of footwear is important.

Tours Available At Castel Sant’Angelo

There are tours available for Castel Sant’Angelo. These include guided tours for up to 20 people as well as audio tours. To be honest, we were less interested in that than the exhibit they were showing, so we skipped the guides this time.

How Long Does It Take To Walk Through Castel Sant’Angelo?

Per the requirements of the museum, you are required to leave the museum in under 2 hours, so that is definitely a limit. For us, being unguided, the visit lasted a little more than an hour. It would’ve been quite a bit shorter if we weren’t interested in the temporary exhibit.

Temporary Exhibits At Castel Sant’Angelo

This was one of the two major reasons we were visiting the castle. In their exhibit space, the castle was showing a celebration of the 100 years of Marcello Mastroianni. He is a favorite of mine and seeing what was a photo exhibit amongst the castle fixtures was a great experience.

This show is an official event of the 19th Rome Film Festival and it presents an extraordinary collection of photographs tracing the career and life of one of the greatest protagonists of Italian cinema, a symbol of the Dolce Vita (editors note: and he is pretty cool!).

So, Is It Worth Seeing Castel Sant’Angelo?

We have lived in Rome for more than 3 years and this was the first time we made an attempt to visit Castel Sant’Angelo. Hopefully, that put into perspective how low on our priority list was seeing the castle.

Online, it said that the bar would be under renovation until the end of November, but alas, it was closed during our visit. Even though it isn’t surprising when estimated completion dates for construction/restoration projects aren’t met, it was annoying.

So, to answer the question: Yes and No. The temporary exhibit made the visit worth it for us, but if there was no exhibit and the bar was still closed, I don’t think it is worth €16. There is limited art and artifacts and there is a lot of climbing. I will say the views are spectacular, but not the only place in the city to see them, and some are free. My recommendation is enjoying the Castel Sant’Angelo bridge statues, and that is probably enough.

Other, More Interesting Things To See In Rome

• Connecting Rome To The Vatican And St. Peter’s Basilica.
• The Ponte Sant’Angelo Statues Line A Beautiful Bridge.
• The Tiber River In Rome Is As Historic As The City Itself.
• The Best Hotels Near The Vatican In Rome, Italy To Consider.