The Fascinating History of the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome: From Mausoleum to Fortress Castle

From Tuesday to Sunday, 9.00 am-7.30 pm (last admission at 6.30 pm).

Closed on Monday, May 1st, August 16st, December 25th, January 1st (subject to unforeseen circumstances).
Free admission: every 1st Sunday of the month, June 2th, November 4th.
With easy access to public transportation, you can easily fit Castel Sant'Angelo into your day.

You can visit Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome at the above mentioned time slots: don't forget to book at any Touristation Point as per instruction below.

With your Rome City Pass you can experience Castel Sant'Angelo for free. Even before your trip, you will receive your Rome City Pass, which gives you free admission to Castel Sant'Angelo and free or reduced admission to other top attractions. This gives you a wonderful basis for a relaxing stay in the Italian metropolis. 

To collect the ticket, please go to one of the the following tourist stations:

From Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:30 to 12:00 – and from 3 pm to 4 pm, you can get your tickets directly in front of the Castel Sant’Angelo. From November, collection is possible directly in front of Castel Sant'Angelo Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please show your Rome City Pass Ticket to the Touristation staff in front of the entrance of the Castel Sant'Angelo. The staff will be wearing a red jacket and holding an orange umbrella.

TOURISTATION VATICANO, Viale Vaticano 97 (opening hours: Monday to Saturday 8:30 am - 4 pm). Closed on Religious festivities year 2022 - 2023: January 1 and 6, February 11, March 19, April 10, May 1, June 29, August 15 and 16, November 1, December 8, 25 and 26.

TOURISTATION NAVONA, Piazza Navona 25 (opening hours: Monday to Sunday: 10 am - 5 pm) 

TOURISTATION PIAZZA VENEZIA, Piazza D'Ara Coeli 16, 00186 Roma (opening hours: Monday to Sunday 8:30 am - 4 pm) 

Please note that for security reasons, admission to Castel Sant'Angelo is limited to 220 entries per time slot. Each time slot has a duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The Castle of the Holy Angel can be reached using the Ponte Sant’Angelo, which crosses over the Tiber River. Because the Castle of the Holy Angel is surrounded by the beautiful Parco Adriano, Castel Sant’Angelo is truly situated in an attractive location. When compared to other structures in Rome, the Castel Sant’Angelo is very tall and as a result, offers its visitors a fantastic terrace-side view of Rome. Take your time and enjoy this view for a moment. Castel Sant’Angelo is also minutes away from connections to local transport, which means that bus stops and train stations can be easily reached from the castle and you can continue exploring other top attractions in Rome.

Metro A to Lepanto
Bus 23, 34, 40, 62, 280, 982 or N11 to Piazza Pia-Castel Sant‘Angelo  

Because Rome's public transportation system is a very good network of buses and trains, traveling to the Castel Sant'Angelo is flexible! You can take the Metro A to the „Lepanto” station. From there, you only have a 15-minute walk to reach the Castel Sant’Angelo. If you would prefer to see more of the city and also have a shorter walk to the Castel Sant’Angelo, you can take the bus instead. The bus lines 23, 40, 62, 271 and 982 give you a scenic tour through Rome while making its way to the Castel Sant’Angelo. If you take any of these buses, get off at „Piazza Pia.” You will only have about 250 meters between you and the entrance of the Castel Sant’Angelo - which means you can begin your visit into the museum immediately.

The Castle of the Holy Angel is closed on the following days/dates: January 1, May 1, and December 25. 

The Palazzo Altemps is located very near the Castel Sant’Angelo. The palace is currently a part of the Museo Nazionale Romano. Here you can find an exhibition of ancient artwork from the collections of Ludovisi and Hohenems. The Museo Napoleonic is only a few streets away from the Castel Sant’Angelo as well as the Palazzo Altemps. In this museum, you will find private pieces from the Bonaparte family that explains their family history. Castel Sant’Angelo is also close to the Accademia Nazionale di San Luca, which exhibits artwork of its members and is considered to be the predecessor of modern art academies.

Please note in advance for events held at the museum during the summer, such as „Notti d'Estate a Castel Sant'Angel”. During these events, the escape passage between the Vatican and Castel Sant’Angelo is accessible.Walk on the Ponte Sant’Angelo, which is a beautiful, ancient bridge in Rome that Hadrian built in the year 136 as a way into his mausoleum.  

The history of the Castel Sant’Angelo started in the year 133, when the construction of the mausoleum began. Only year after, construction of the mausoleum was completed. The mausoleum was planned to house the Roman Kaiser Hadrian and his future successors. The mausoleum received the name "Castel Sant’Angelo" in 590 BC when pestilence ran rampage in Rome. Pope Gregory I had seen the archangel Michael on the roof of the Hadrian Mausoleum. The archangel is said to have predicted the end of the plaque, when he sheathed the sword of divine wrath. Because illness soon went away, a statue of the archangel Michael was placed on top of the mausoleum to commemorate this difficult time-- and so, Hadrian's Mausoleum received the name Castel Sant'Angelo. Over time, many renovations were conducted, until eventually the mausoleum became more of a fortress and castle. For example, during the fortification of the city, the Castel Sant'Angelo was integrated into the protective city wall in the 6th century, and it also became the city’s control base. Late in the 10th century, the pope came to own the Castel Sant'Angelo. During this time, it was used as a place of refuge during times of danger. Because of this, an 800-meter long, fortified corridor was built into the city wall and connected the castle with the Vatican. Plush apartments were also later built here and a treasure chamber which contained a portion of the secret archive was also placed here. Sometime in the history of Castel Sant'Angelo, the castle was used as a prison during the era of Inquisition. At that time, famous historical figures like Galileo Galilei were imprisoned. However, around the 18th century, the castle was rarely used by popes. After a brief take over by the French Republic, the castle became a part of Italy in 1870. Afterwards, the castle once again served as a fortress and prison. Then at the beginning of the 20th century, a new chapter in the history of the Castel Sant'Angelo began. The castle was restored and since then it has been opened as a museum for the public to enjoy. Currently, you can see (amongst other things) a weapons collection as well as models that depict the architectural development of Castel Sant'Angelo.

Experience the Castle of the Holy Angel with the Rome City Pass for free.