Castel Sant'Angelo is easily one of Rome's top attractions.

Castel Sant'Angelo quickly turned into one of our favorite historical sites in Rome.

Castel Sant'Angelo, which was originally built as Hadrian's Mausoleum, is hands down one of the most iconic sights in Rome. We could spot this impressive Roman monument with Ponte Sant'Angelo in the front on nearly every postcard.

Back on my first trip to Rome, I managed to see Castel Sant'Angelo, but didn't have enough time to actually go inside. Still, the sight of that huge rotunda surrounded by huge walls and the picturesque bridge out front really stuck with me until this day.

So when Lucie and I decided to travel to Rome, I knew the second time would be the charm. I was set on exploring its interiors, and it honestly didn't take much to convince her that this was the kind of historical place that would be really cool for us to explore.

During the first few days, we focused on exploring all of Rome's main highlights, and even though Castel Sant'Angelo ended up taking a backseat, it wasn't like we missed out on it. With Castel Sant'Angelo sitting right in the center of Rome, it was honestly pretty hard not to run into it anyway.

Because we were staying really close, we decided on the second evening to stroll along the Tiber River, which eventually led us to Castel Sant'Angelo sitting right on its riverbank. The following day, we walked to Vatican City for our guided tour of the Vatican Museums, so we ended up seeing it early at sunrise and then once more later in the day when we were coming back.

Right after, we were ready to do our self-guided tour of the castle. I wasn't quite sure what the experience would be like or what surprises waited inside. Some of these old sites are just regional museums, sometimes you can't see much, and sometimes they turn out to be really fun to explore. I honestly had no idea which way Castel Sant'Angelo would go. So this is how our visit went.

Castel Sant'Angelo was stunning even after dark.

Getting to Castel Sant'Angelo on Foot

During the first half of our vacation, we stayed right in the heart of Rome's historic center at the lovely Hotel Navona, right next to the famous square with the same name. From there, Castel Sant'Angelo was only about a kilometer away, so just a 10-minute walk. It honestly wasn't even a question, as walking just made sense.

W walked across the Ponte Sant'Angelo as we headed to the mausoleum.

Later, we moved closer to Termini and stayed in the Leonardo Boutique Hotel. From here, Castel Sant'Angelo was a bit farther, about 2.5 kilometers, but still within walking distance. Sure, it was almost a 30-minute walk, which we did, for instance, when we went to see the nearby Palazzo Altemps, but there was so much to see along the way that the whole walk felt like one long sightseeing adventure.

Being so central, we honestly never needed to take the metro or a bus to reach Castel Sant'Angelo. The metro stops, like Lepanto and Ottaviano out in Prati, were a little farther away anyway. Buses run to Pia Square, which is serviced by a bunch of lines and sits just a few steps from the castle.

Tickets to Castel Sant'Angelo

The entry fee for Castel Sant'Angelo was €16 per person when we visited, which was a little pricier than we thought it would be. The whole experience was awesome, but I felt like this was one of those places that could've been a bit cheaper.

We grabbed our tickets from the ticket office inside the fortress.

Anyway, we chose to buy our tickets at the site. From what I could tell, Castel Sant'Angelo didn't look like it would be as crowded as some of the more famous spots, like the Colosseum, and we were honestly curious to see how things would go since this was the first place we'd try visiting in Rome without prebooked tickets. It's not like we didn't check the online options, but this time, curiosity simply won.

When we visited, getting the official tickets for Castel Sant'Angelo online was more complicated than it needed to be. The Beni Culturali website was only in Italian, looked like nobody had updated it since the 2000s, and had no option to actually buy the tickets. The other official site, Musei Italiani, oddly still sent us to CoopCulture to actually buy the tickets.

Hopefully, things will get easier in the future, so buying tickets for Castel Sant'Angelo won't be so confusing. Even GetYourGuide sold official tickets, but they always included an audioguide, which brings me to another tip worth mentioning.

Other than the official sites, there were plenty of resellers offering tickets for Castel Sant'Angelo, but they almost always charged more. Even the basic tickets usually came with a digital audioguide (that you play on your phone), which we honestly didn't find worth the extra cost.

We got to Castel Sant'Angelo just before it opened. There were two lines: one for people with timed tickets and another for those of us without. There was only one couple ahead of us, so things looked good. A handful of others arrived before opening, but the line stayed nice and short.

When the gates opened, they let the timed-entry folks in first (luckily, it wasn't a big crowd), then waved the rest of us inside. The whole process wrapped up in under three minutes. After we passed the first gate, we found the ticket kiosk right to the left. In short, going to Castel Sant'Angelo without tickets worked out just fine for us in early September (still a busy season).

We showed up at Castel Sant'Angelo without tickets, and there was basically no line.

Opening Hours of Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant'Angelo is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 AM to 7:30 PM, with last entry at 6:30 PM. The main thing we had to keep in mind was that it's closed on Mondays (like a few other sites, including the Baths of Diocletian and the Borghese Gallery), but since we had plenty of days in Rome, it honestly didn't impact us at all.

History of Castel Sant'Angelo

Originally, this place was built as the Mausoleum of Hadrian. Emperor Hadrian commissioned it in 135 CE, and it was finished after he died in 139 CE. The whole idea was to create a grand tomb for the emperor and his successors. Eventually, emperors up to Caracalla were buried here.

Since the mausoleum was on the other side of the Tiber, Hadrian also had the Aelian Bridge built (what's now Ponte Sant'Angelo) to link it to the city center. Even today, those two together make one of the most iconic views in all of Rome.

Right from the start, I felt like we were stepping back into ancient times. As we climbed higher, the history just seemed to unravel right in front of us. Honestly, I can't think of any other place where the story of the past felt so linear and easy to follow.

This chamber might have been the final resting place of Emperor Hadrian.

By the 5th century, they'd already turned the Mausoleum of Hadrian into a fortress, making it part of Rome's defensive walls. While exploring, we found out the name Castel Sant'Angelo came from a legend in 590 CE, when Pope Gregory the Great saw the Archangel Michael sheathing his sword on top, a sign he interpreted as the terrible plague was finally over.

For centuries, Castel Sant'Angelo was the impregnable papal hideout, best illustrated by the Passetto di Borgo, a hidden passage leading straight to the Vatican. Over time, it served as a prison and military barracks. After Italy was unified, they restored the place and made it a National Museum in 1901.

Touring the Castel Sant'Angelo Without a Guide

After grabbing our tickets, we walked back to the entrance, took a left, and stepped into the big rotunda, where our tour started. Like I mentioned before, we didn't have a guide, so we just stuck to the marked route and read the info panels at each stop along the way.

Even on our own, we got to see just about everything, including these gorgeous frescoes in the papal apartments.

All in all, I didn't feel like we needed a guide at Castel Sant'Angelo because the route was easy to follow and every cool spot had info panels in English. I guess if we'd been in a rush, a guide might have helped, but since we had plenty of time, exploring at our own speed made the whole experience even better.

Hadrian's Mausoleum

One of my favorite parts was realizing how different Castel Sant'Angelo looked from the inside compared to the outside. It honestly caught me off guard, and judging by Lucie's reaction, she was just as surprised as I was.

Like I've said before, we'd seen Castel Sant'Angelo a few times over the last days, and every time, from any angle, the place, with its round tower and tall walls, really looked like a perfectly preserved medieval castle, even though it's rooted in Roman history.

The biggest surprise was that as soon as we walked through the main gate, we found out the main rotunda looked nothing like the rest of the place. It was like stepping into a 1900-year-old Roman structure. I'd mentioned a bit of the history earlier, and there's a good reason for this difference.

This spiral ramp took us all the way to the top of Hadrian's Mausoleum.

Another thing that caught us off guard was realizing the whole inside of Castel Sant'Angelo, or at least this part, the Mausoleum of Hadrian, was really just a spiral ramp. We both instantly remembered the Domitian Ramp from the Roman Forum we'd seen two days back. To be honest, this ramp, at three meters wide and six meters high, felt a bit humbler.

But the ramp here had a totally different function. Since this part was a mausoleum (also called Hadrian's mole), the ramp's main purpose was to let a funeral procession move from the atrium below up to the Urn Room (that's where all the emperors were laid to rest) at the very top, taking on the 12-meter climb along the way.

This is the trap door that was added in the 16th century for defense.

The Museum

After leaving the ancient mausoleum, I really felt like we'd jumped forward in history. We ended up in a courtyard straight out of the Middle Ages. By this period, the mausoleum was no longer a tomb as it had been turned into a fortress for the popes. So right after we finished exploring the tomb, we were suddenly standing in a medieval fortress.

But before we got very far, we went into the building on the right, which turned out to be a fairly informative little museum. There, we learned all about the Mausoleum of Hadrian, from how it came to be and the reasons it was built, to how it eventually became Castel Sant'Angelo. The museum also covered the legend of the Archangel Michael, the stories behind the statues on top of the tower, and what the place was like as a papal home, a prison, and even army barracks.

This is what Hadrian's Mausoleum might have looked like back in the day.

My favorite detail here was learning that the mausoleum used to be covered in Carrara marble and white travertine, which made it look totally different from the tan color it has now. At the very top, there was a massive bronze chariot statue with Emperor Hadrian shown as Helios, the sun god. What I found most unique was that the top of this huge round drum wasn't a flat terrace like today, but it was actually a kind of earthen hill planted with cypress trees.

Papal Residence and Fortress

Once we left the museum, we made our way to the outer edge of the mausoleum, where we got some great views of Castel Sant'Angelo's surroundings through openings in the thick walls. As we walked along this section, it really felt like we'd stepped straight into a medieval fortress (well, a modernized one, thanks to the on-site Italian restaurant).

The views from Castel Sant'Angelo were just stunning.

The fun part was that there was a café with tables set right by these openings, serving up classic pasta and desserts with a view. We walked past since we usually skip touristy spots, but I have to admit, there was something to it.

Once we'd had our fill of the views, we walked into the papal residence, and suddenly, the whole atmosphere changed once again. Now, it felt like we'd stepped right into a Renaissance palace. I'd have to say, this was the biggest surprise we found inside.

What blew us away was that these weren't just simple papal apartments, but they were stunning, richly decorated rooms. The popes used them as a safe retreat during tough times, and the walls were covered in gorgeous frescoes (a lot of them commissioned by Pope Paul III).

The most famous room we saw up there was the Sala Paolina (Pauline Hall), with its elaborate frescoes showing scenes from the life of St. Michael the Archangel and Roman history. Other rooms, like the Hall of Cupid and Psyche and the Hall of Apollo, were also decked out with amazing decorations, showing that even during rough times, the popes weren't about to lower their standards.

This lavishly decorated room was called the Sala Paolina.

A few days later, we took a trip from Rome out to Tivoli, a charming town that, looking back on it, gave us a surprisingly similar vibe. We first explored the Roman ruins of Hadrian's Palace (yep, the same emperor behind this mausoleum) and then made our way to Villa d'Este, another Renaissance masterpiece. Even though these sites were a few kilometers apart, the experience felt a lot like what we'd just had at Castel Sant'Angelo.

This beautiful room was called the Sala della Biblioteca.

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Terrace of the Angel

Climbing up, we had the chance to enjoy some awesome views from the fortress, but hands down, the best ones were at the very top, the Terrace of the Angel. Since it was the highest spot in Castel Sant'Angelo, it was no wonder the views up here were so breathtaking.

Out of our eight days in Rome, the day we picked to visit Castel Sant'Angelo, the weather forecast called for clouds and maybe a little rain, at least in the morning. And it turned out they were right. The morning was gray, the streets were damp, and as we headed over, it seemed likely that we'd need our umbrellas.

A couple of hours later, by the time we made it up to the Terrace of the Angel, the weather had improved and the clouds started to give way to the first rays of sunshine. The top platform was a lot busier than the rest of the castle, but it made sense since the views here were unbelievable. And after we hung out for a while, the clouds finally gave up, and the sun started shining through.

The views from the top were even more breathtaking.

Lucie said this had to be the best view in all of Rome. I've got my own favorites (the one from the top of Domus Tiberiana comes to mind), but even I had to admit that the view from the Terrace of the Angel was just stunning. Looking west, we could see the Tiber River, Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, Janiculum Hill, and St. Peter's Basilica. With almost a full 360-degree view, we really got to take it all in.

The Ramparts

Before we left, there was one last thing on our list: walking the ramparts along the Marcia Ronda (March Patrol). This walkway links the four bastions of the fortress and was once patrolled by the guards who kept watch over the ramparts. Since it was included in our ticket, we didn't think twice about checking it out.

We also took a walk along Castel Sant'Angelo's ramparts.

It ended up being a pretty short walk, since the inner defensive perimeter was much smaller than the outer one, which we had walked right after leaving the site. Still, it was really interesting to circle the entire fortress and get an up-close look at all its defensive features.

One of the coolest things at Castel Sant'Angelo was the Passetto di Borgo. We spotted it from here, from the top, and also on our earlier walk toward Vatican City. The day before our Vatican Museums tour, we walked right by it, and Lucie actually thought it might be an aqueduct at first glance.

The resemblance was uncanny, but it wasn't an aqueduct. The Passetto di Borgo is actually a secret raised passage built for the Pope to escape from the Vatican Palace to Castel Sant'Angelo in case of danger. The pope's 800-meter escape route still stands, and you can walk it, but only with a special guide. We just admired it from above and, later, from the street below (we walked under it a few times, too).

The Passetto di Borgo is the passage that connects Castel Sant'Angelo to the Vatican.

How Much Time Did We Spend in Castel Sant'Angelo

Overall, it took us about two hours to see everything in Castel Sant'Angelo. Since this was our first stop of the day, we had plenty of energy, and even though we didn't rush, we were always moving and exploring the inside. If we'd shown up in the afternoon after lots of sightseeing, we probably would have spent even longer here.

Is Castel Sant'Angelo Worth Seeing?

Lucie and I both really enjoyed our visit to Castel Sant'Angelo, and honestly, the experience was way better than we expected. By the time we managed to see the fortress, we'd already spent a few days in Rome and checked out a bunch of amazing sights, like the Pantheon or the Roman Forum. Honestly, Castel Sant'Angelo was one of the most interesting places, and I'd go so far as to call it a true Rome must-see (obviously, not just from the outside).

No matter how many times we’ve been to Castel Sant'Angelo, it always amazed us.

I loved its Roman roots, but the way the history kept going through the Medieval period made Castel Sant'Angelo a fascinating spot to explore. My only small gripe is that the ticket could have been a bit cheaper, not because it was pricey per se, but because we visited so many places with similar entry fees, and it all started to add up.

For a place as famous as Castel Sant'Angelo (since almost every tourist to Rome comes to see it), I was honestly surprised by how quiet it was during our visit. It wasn't as empty as Trajan's Market (which, to be fair, was in a league of its own), but inside, it felt pretty peaceful, even with all the crowds that pass through every day. Most people stuck to the outside areas, so we got to enjoy the inside in a relaxed way.

Travel Resources

Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.

Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.

Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.

We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.

Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.

Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.

Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.

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How to Visit Castel Sant'Angelo (Hadrian's Mausoleum)