Rome when you can't walk far
Facts checked on October 11, 2026
For people who can walk, but not far: with a cane or a rollator, with bad knees or a heart or lung condition, or who tire quickly. This page lists what Rome’s transport operator and the Vatican’s own sites say about getting around with less walking, where you can borrow a wheelchair, and what to check before you go.
Lifts and services change often, so confirm the details before your trip.
Not covered yet
The Pantheon. We found no official page we could reach that describes access for visitors with reduced mobility, and we only write what we have read on an operator’s own pages. Check with the Pantheon directly.
Getting around
Buses are the most reliable. ATAC, Rome’s transport operator, says every bus in its fleet has a boarding platform and a wheelchair area. About 70% of its trams have floors level with the platform.
The metro: most stations, but four in the centre are not. ATAC says all metro stations are accessible to people with reduced mobility except four on line A, which have no lift or stair lift down to the platforms: Spagna, Barberini–Fontana di Trevi, Repubblica–Teatro dell’Opera and Vittorio Emanuele. Trains stop level with the platform. ATAC asks you to check each station’s status before you travel.
The Termini–Centocelle railway is not accessible; ATAC suggests bus 105 instead.
Taxis: Rome’s scheme for taxis with wheelchair ramps works through a register you apply to on an online platform that needs an Italian digital identity (SPID or CIE). Ask your hotel to book an adapted vehicle.
Roma Servizi per la Mobilità: individual transport services (in Italian)
The sights, with less walking
Colosseo, Foro Romano and Palatino
The park’s own website could not be reached when we checked, so this comes from its accessibility page as archived on 11 June 2026. Parts of that page are older, so check with the park before you go.
- Step-free entrances. The three main entrances to the Forum and Palatine (Largo della Salara Vecchia, Arch of Titus and Via di San Gregorio) are wheelchair accessible, as are the Colosseum’s three entrances on its north side and the entrance at the Stern spur.
- The Colosseum: two levels without stairs. A marked route covers most of the first tier, and lifts for visitors with reduced mobility take you to the whole second tier, which has eight benches. Three wheelchairs can be borrowed at the first-tier reception and security office.
- The Forum without the Via Sacra. An alternative route reaches the main monuments, including the House of the Vestals and the Curia. There are lifts at the Salara Vecchia entrance and at the Curia Iulia (on the Via dei Fori Imperiali level), a lifting platform at the Arch of Titus, and a lift on Via dei Cerchi, which was under maintenance when the page was captured.
- The Palatine is a climb. Reaching the top means several short, fairly steep stretches and uneven paving throughout. The Palatine Museum has a lift and two stairlifts.
- Rest and help. About 70 benches across the park, five wheelchairs at the main Forum and Palatine entrances, and all eight public toilets are accessible. A golf cart can help visitors who bring their own wheelchair.
Parco archeologico del Colosseo: The Park for All (archived copy, 11 June 2026)
Musei Vaticani
- Borrow a wheelchair free at the cloakroom, if one is available, with ID and a deposit.
- No queue. Disabled visitors, and a companion where needed, go straight in.
- Free entry with a certificate of disability: the museum’s page says at least 67%. A companion also goes in free if you need help. These tickets can’t be booked online; ask at the Special Permits or Welcome Desk in the entrance hall.
- A barrier-free route is recommended, with a map and accessible toilets along it.
- Mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs can’t go into some areas; you can switch to a free manual wheelchair.
- Standard guided tours are not open to wheelchair users; the “Vatican Gardens without barriers” tour is.
Musei Vaticani: Visitors with disabilities
Basilica di San Pietro
- The Basilica has ramps and lifts.
- Use the reserved entrance in the right-hand semicircle of St Peter’s Square, with a ramp up to the security checks.
- Write ahead to accoglienza@fsp.va if you have particular needs.
- The dome is only partly reachable. The lift goes to the terrace; from there, 320 steps remain to the top.
St Peter’s Basilica: Accessibility FAQ
St Peter’s Basilica: Services for pilgrims
St Peter’s Basilica: Basilica + Dome with lift
Finding other places
Rome’s official tourism site has a “Rome accessible” section where you can filter places by accessible entrance, toilet, wheelchair path and reserved parking. Its contact centre is on 06 06 08.
Before you go
- Avoid Spagna, Barberini, Repubblica and Vittorio Emanuele stations; check every station on your route.
- Ask the Colosseum park whether the lifts on your route are working, especially Via dei Cerchi.
- Bring ID and a deposit to borrow a wheelchair at the Vatican Museums, and your disability certificate for free entry.
- Email St Peter’s ahead if you have particular needs.
- Ask your hotel to book an adapted vehicle if you need one.
Check Rome against your own needs
This guide is general. Step-Free can check a trip against how you get around: how far you can walk, how many steps you can manage, and what must be in place.