Long opening hours and cheap combination admission tickets make seeing Ravenna’s early Christian monuments and Late Antiquity (and Byzantine) mosaics easy. Time-slot reservations are essential to see the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia.
Ravenna in northeastern Italy between Venice and Bologna has some of the most splendid monuments from the Late Antiquity period. Eight sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list as superb examples of early Christian monuments and Late Antiquity and Byzantine mosaics. Opening hours are generally long without a closing day. Five of the sights are seen on the same combination ticket, which is available online or onsite, with time-slot reservations essential to see the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia and the Neonian Baptistry. Guided tours are available too with many day-trip excursions from Venice.
Combination Tickets for Ravenna’s UNESCO-Listed Sights
The UNESCO-listed monuments may be divided into the sights in central Ravenna, which use a single combination ticket, and those outside the center, which may be seen on individual or combination tickets.
Tickets for Sights in Central Ravenna:
The top UNESCO-listed sites in Ravenna may only be seen on combination tickets. The three-site pass includes the Basilica San Vitale, the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, and the Archbishop’s Chapel. The five-site pass adds the two sights that require time-slot reservations: the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia and the Neonian Baptistery. Single-admission tickets are not available for these five sites.
Time-slot reservations are essential to see the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (top priority!) and the Neonian Baptistry (it is small). This is easiest done when buying the tickets online. When making time-slot reservations, add children to the number too, and bear in mind:
The Basilica San Vitale and Mausoleum of Galla Placidia are next to each other, it is around a 15-minute walk to the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, and another 15 minutes to the Neonian Baptistery, which is next to the Archbishop’s Chapel, and about 15 minutes from San Vitale. Allow 10 minutes for the mausoleum and baptistery and around half an hour to 45 minutes for the other sights. Add walking time and a break for coffee, lunch, and other activities en route.
The combination ticket is available online or in person in Ravenna only from the shops at the Archbishop’s Museum and the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo.
The Ravenna 3-site combination ticket is currently €10.50 (€9.50 for children 6 -18) and valid for a single entry per site within a week of purchase. Add €2 — money very well spent — for the 5-site pass that includes the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. DON’T save on not seeing this magnificent site!
Admission to the Arian Baptistery is €3 — short opening hours, usually morning only.
The National Museum in the San Vitale complex uses a separate ticket (€6).
Tickets for Sights Outside Ravenna’s City Center
The UNESCO-listed sites outside central Ravenna may be seen on individual or combination tickets. (These sights are free on the first Sunday of the month.)
- Admission to the Mausoleum of Theodoric is €4.
- Admission to the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe is €5.
- Combination tickets for the Mausoleum of Theodoric, Basilica, and the National Museum of Ravenna (at San Vitale) are €10. (Note that the museum is closed on Monday.)
Opening Hours of Monuments in Ravenna
Opening hours of all Ravnna’s sights are long but time-slot reservations are currently essential for the Mausoleum of Galla Placida and the Neonian Baptistry — out of season usually not a problem if not made in advance but it is simple and free when buying tickets online.
Opening hours of the UNESCO-listed sites in Ravenna are generally long with sights open daily, with the notable exception of the National Museum of Ravenna which is closed on Monday.
Expect sites to be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day and some other holidays. If visiting on a public holiday, or December 24 or 31, a phone call may save unnecessary disappointment, as even the official publications and websites in English fail to mention hours on these days.
Last admissions are officially 15 minutes before closing time but the ticket offices at some close 30 minutes before closing time.
The top sights are open daily, although some smaller sights may have shorter hours in the off-season (especially the Mausoleum of Theoderic).
Note that the changeover days below are approximate. The exact days change every year and are rarely as simple as the first or last day of the month — in 2024, the longer hours are valid from 9 March 2024 to 3 November 2024:
| March to October | November to February | |
| Basilica de San Vitale Mausoleum of Galla Placidia Neonian Baptistery Archbishop’s Chapel with Museum Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo | 9:00 – 19:00 | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| Arian Baptistery | Monday to Friday 9:00 to 12:00 | Saturday and Sunday 9:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00 |
| Mausoleum of Theoderic | Monday to Thursday 8:30 – 13:00 | Friday to Sunday 8:30 – 16.30 |
| Sant’Apollinare in Classe | Monday to Saturday 8:30 – 19:30 | Sunday 13:30 – 19:30 |
| National Museum of Ravenna | Tuesday to Friday 8:30 – 19:30 | Saturday and Sunday 8:30 – 14:00 |
Ravenna is hugely popular with tour groups and cruise boat excursions. When arriving at the same time as a cruise excursion group, the sites can get crowded. However, don’t despair, as groups generally move on fast.
Even better, temporarily join the group and get a free guided tour. Italian historic sites generally control strictly who may give guided tours. The guide will most likely be a specialist giving facts and pointing out interesting bits in a melodic Italian accent. Enjoy the monument in peace when the group moves on.
More Articles on Ravenna, Italy
Time-slot reservations are currently essential to see the Mausoleum of Galla Placida and the Neonian Baptistry in Ravenna. This is easiest done when buying the tickets online.
- Top Sights to See in Ravenna
- UNESCO-Listed Sites in Ravenna
- Visiting UNESCO-Listed Sites in Ravenna – Opening Hours and Tickets
- The Neonian Baptistery & Archbishop’s Chapel
- The Arian Baptistery
- Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo
- Basilica of San Vitale
- Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
- Mausoleum of Theodoric
Book Guided tours of Ravenna — tours are generally three hours. For tours not including admission fees, around €12 per person must be added. Small groups and families may find better value in private tours.
