Castel Sant'Angelo Entry Ticket with Audio Guide

From St. Peter's Square it is about a ten minute walk along Via della Conciliazione, and from Piazza Navona about fifteen minutes across Ponte Sant'Angelo, the pedestrian bridge lined with Bernini's angels that leads straight to the castle.

Take Line A to Lepanto or Ottaviano, the two closest stations. From either one it is a ten to fifteen minute walk toward the river along Via Cola di Rienzo or Via Crescenzio. No metro line stops at the castle itself.

Lines 23, 34, 40, 62, 280 and 982 stop near Piazza Pia or by Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, both a few minutes from the entrance on Lungotevere Castello. Routes in this area are occasionally diverted for works around Piazza Pia, so check the stop on the day.

Ask to be dropped at Lungotevere Castello or Piazza Adriana, right beside the entrance. Use only the licensed white taxis with a working meter, and expect the driver to stop short of the castle when the riverside road is closed for events.

There is no visitor parking at the castle. The streets around it are narrow with paid on-street spaces that fill early in the morning, and limited traffic zones apply nearby at certain hours, so check the current restrictions before driving in. Public transport or a walk from the Vatican is the easier option.

Entry to Castel Sant'Angelo with the downloadable audio guide app, plus the permanent collections, the temporary exhibitions and the panoramic terrace at the top of the castle.

Your voucher carries a download link. Install the app on your own phone before the visit and follow it level by level, in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian or Chinese. Bring headphones if you prefer them, as no device is handed out on site.

The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 19:30, with last admission at 18:30, and closes on Mondays, 25 December and 1 January. The slots you can book with this ticket are the ones shown in the calendar, and the first Sunday of each month is not among them.

Most visitors spend ninety minutes to two hours on the five levels, the museum rooms and the terrace. The audio guide is self-paced, so you can stretch that out or move faster.

The monument is listed as wheelchair accessible and a lift serves the main levels, but the historic route also includes the sloping Roman ramp, cobbles and steps, and parts of the ground floor circuit can be diverted while accessibility works are under way.

The name comes from the Archangel Michael, said to have appeared above Hadrian's tomb sheathing his sword as the plague of 590 ended. The bronze angel by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt has crowned the roof since 1753.