Colosseum
Rome, Italy
Colosseo (Anfiteatro Flavio)
Rome's great amphitheatre, with the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on the same ticket.
Checked 6 October 2026
The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill form one archaeological park with one ticket, sold officially only at ticketing.colosseo.it. Tickets carry your name, need a timed Colosseum slot and go on sale 30 days ahead; the underground (hypogeum) tickets sell out almost at once, so plan around that first.
About Colosseum
The Flavian Amphitheatre, the Colosseum, is the largest amphitheatre ever built. The Flavian emperors raised it in the 1st century AD, and it took its nickname from a colossal statue that stood next to it. For four centuries it staged animal hunts and gladiator fights in front of crowds of about 50,000, with an underground of corridors, cages and lifts that sent animals and scenery up through trapdoors into the arena.
The ticket also covers the valley next door. The Roman Forum was the political, religious and commercial centre of the ancient city: the Senate house, temples, triumphal arches and the House of the Vestals. Above it rises the Palatine Hill, where Rome's legend says the city was founded and where the emperors built their palaces, with views over the Forum on one side and the Circus Maximus on the other.
Gladiator games ended in the 5th century. Over the following centuries the Colosseum was a quarry (some of its stone went into St Peter's Basilica), a home for workshops and houses, and a Christian site. Archaeologists began excavating and restoring it in the 19th century.
Today you can do much more than look down from the stands. You can walk on a rebuilt section of the arena floor, go down into the underground on a timed escorted visit, or climb to the attic level at the top for the view over the city. The catch is that the best areas have small numbers of tickets, and those go first.
What to see
Underground (hypogeum)
The maze of corridors, animal pens and lift shafts under the arena, where you see how the shows were staged. It is only open on the Full Experience Underground and Arena ticket, an official educational tour or a guided tour. Small groups go in on fixed slots, and you must be there 30 minutes early.
Arena floor
A rebuilt wooden platform on the east side where you stand where the fighters did, looking up at the stands. It is included in every Full Experience ticket and in the cheaper Only Arena ticket (20 minutes on the arena, nothing else in the Colosseum).
First and second tiers
The standard 24h ticket covers both levels, with the Colosseum Museum and terraces looking down into the uncovered part of the underground. You have 75 minutes inside, and there is a lift between the levels for visitors with reduced mobility.
Attic and upper gallery
The Full Experience Attic takes you along the restored gallery between the second and third tiers and up steep steps to the top, the highest view in the building. Slots run 8:30–14:30, with up to 8 people per booking. From 10 October 2026 entry is in groups of up to 25 every 30 minutes, and the panoramic lift is kept for visitors with documented difficulty on stairs.
Roman Forum
The heart of the ancient city: the Curia (Senate house), the Arch of Titus, the House of the Vestals, Santa Maria Antiqua with its early medieval frescoes, and the new Roman Forum Museum. On the 24h ticket you can enter once, any time within 24 hours of your Colosseum slot.
Palatine Hill
The emperors' palaces, the Farnese Gardens and the Palatine Museum, with the best view down over the Forum. Some rooms are 'SUPER sites' with capped numbers: the House of Augustus (closed Mondays), Aula Isiaca and the Domus Tiberiana rooms. They are included with Full Experience and Forum Pass SUPER tickets, or cost €4 extra on a 24h ticket.
Passage of Commodus
A vaulted tunnel dug under the stands that led to the emperor's box, shown on 25-minute guided visits of up to 8 people on Mondays and Wednesdays. It is sold as Full Experience Passage of Commodus, from 7 days ahead.
Colosseum tickets: which to buy and where
Most visitors should buy the €18 24h ticket (Colosseum first and second tiers plus Forum and Palatine), or the €24 Full Experience Underground and Arena if they can get it. Every ticket carries the visitor's name and is checked against an original ID at the entrance, so a name that does not match means no entry and no refund.
The official ticket site
Parco archeologico del Colosseo (PArCo), Italian Ministry of Culture
The park's own sales site, run on the MidaTicket platform and linked from colosseo.it. The site states that it is the only place to buy tickets online, and it has a form for reporting resale at inflated prices. The phone line +39 06 21115843 handles same-day problems, and the helpdesk email is helpdesk@ticketcolosseo.com.
24h Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine
€18 adult; €2 EU citizens 18–24; free under 18
Official ticketsSkips some lines
- Includes
- One timed entry to the Colosseum (1st and 2nd tiers, museum, no arena) with 75 minutes inside, plus one entry to the Forum and Palatine within 24 hours before or after your slot
- Best for
- Most visitors; skips the ticket queue but not the security check
Official site · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)Full Experience Underground and Arena
€24 adult (€32 with official educational tour); €2 EU 18–24
Official ticketsSkips some lines
- Includes
- Colosseum with underground and arena floor (90 minutes inside), plus Forum, Palatine and SUPER sites the day before, the same day or the day after. On sale 30 days ahead; arrive 30 minutes before your slot, with no allowance for lateness
- Best for
- Anyone who wants the underground; book the day sales open
Official site · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)Full Experience Arena
€24 adult; €2 EU 18–24
Official ticketsSkips some lines
- Includes
- Colosseum 1st and 2nd tiers plus the arena floor (90 minutes inside), Forum, Palatine and SUPER sites over 2 days. Online from 7 days ahead, also sold at the ticket offices on the day; last entry 15:00
- Best for
- Arena floor without the scramble for underground slots
Official site · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)Full Experience Attic
€24 adult; €2 EU 18–24
Official ticketsSkips some lines
- Includes
- Colosseum with the upper gallery, third tier and attic (steep steps), plus Forum, Palatine and SUPER sites over 2 days. Slots 8:30–14:30, on sale 30 days ahead; from 10 October 2026 groups of up to 25 go in every 30 minutes
- Best for
- Views and fewer people; not for anyone who struggles with stairs
Official site · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)24h Only Arena
€18 adult; €2 EU 18–24
Official ticketsSkips some lines
- Includes
- 20 minutes on the arena floor only, entering and leaving on the Sperone Stern side (no tiers, no museum), plus Forum, Palatine and SUPER sites within 24 hours
- Best for
- A fallback when 24h tickets are gone and you mainly want the inside view
Official site · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine guided tour
from €49 (listed as reduced from €61)
ResellerSkips some lines
- Includes
- 2.5-hour guided tour by Crown Tours with the €18 entry ticket and headsets; arena floor for an extra fee; no underground
- Best for
- When official 24h tickets are sold out for your dates, or you want a guide
GetYourGuide · as of October 2026See this ticket → (opens in a new tab)
How to buy
- Go to ticketing.colosseo.it (or follow 'Buy tickets' on colosseo.it), choose Individuals (1–8 people), then pick the ticket type and date. Sales open 30 days ahead for the 24h, Underground and Attic tickets, and 7 days ahead for Full Experience Arena, the Passage of Commodus and the night tour.
- Enter every visitor's full name exactly as on their passport or ID card. You can buy up to 8 tickets per order. Under-18s need a ticket too: choose the free fare and take their ID.
- If the date shows sold out, check again over the following days: slots come back in batches, and visitors report a larger batch about a week ahead. As a last resort, the ticket offices at Piazza del Colosseo and Largo della Salara Vecchia sell same-day tickets until that day's quota runs out.
- On the day, show the ticket on your phone together with the original ID. Arrive 15 minutes before a 24h slot (30 minutes for the underground). If you miss your Colosseum slot, the ticket still gets you into the Forum and Palatine, with no refund.
Look-alike sites
Search results for 'Colosseum tickets' are full of sites with Colosseum in the domain name, Roman photos and words like 'official' that sell the same ticket for far more, or sell a tour you did not mean to buy. The only official online seller is ticketing.colosseo.it, linked from the park's site colosseo.it. Check that the address ends exactly in colosseo.it (Italian spelling, one word), that the 24h ticket costs €18 and the Full Experience €24, and that the site is the Parco archeologico del Colosseo. The old CoopCulture sales site is no longer the seller. Big platforms such as GetYourGuide or Headout are legitimate resellers that name themselves; the problem is sites that pretend to be the monument.
We can never guarantee a ticket seller, tour company or deal. Prices, opening hours and what is included change, often without notice: check the details on the seller’s own page before you pay, and book through the official site where you can. How to avoid ticket scams · Disclaimer.
Guided tours of Colosseum
The official tickets already skip the ticket queue, so a tour is worth paying for in two cases: you want a guide to make sense of the Forum and Palatine, which are hard to read on your own, or the underground is sold out and a tour company has slots. For a standard visit, the free MyColosseum app (official, with audio guides in English and Italian) is enough.
Official guided visit
Full Experience Underground and Arena, educational tour
Parco archeologico del Colosseo
The park's own guided route through the underground and onto the arena floor, in English, French, Italian or Spanish. It is the cheapest way to see the underground with a guide. Sold on the same 30-day release as the plain underground ticket, and it sells out just as fast.
€32 (ticket and tour)
See this tour → (opens in a new tab)Official evening guided tour
A Night at the Colosseum
Parco archeologico del Colosseo
Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 20:00–23:00, in the 2026 programme: first tier, arena floor and underground by night, maximum 25 people. Sold only on the official site, from 7 days ahead. Names cannot be changed after purchase. Check the page for the current season's dates.
€50 (€24 ticket plus €26 tour); €28 for EU 18–24
See this tour → (opens in a new tab)Group or small-group guided tour
Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Guided Tour
Crown Tours (sold on GetYourGuide)About 1.5 hours in the Colosseum and 30 minutes each in the Forum and Palatine, with headsets. Arena floor is an optional extra; no underground. Languages include English, Italian, German, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Free cancellation up to 3 days ahead.
Small-group guided tour
Colosseum Underground Tour with Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
The Roman GuyRome-based operator. Maximum 10 guests, English-speaking guide, pre-reserved underground and arena tickets, then a short Forum overview. If the park closes the restricted areas on the day, the company says it refunds €18 and still runs the main tour. Arrive 15 minutes early at the meeting point.
from €199
See this tour → (opens in a new tab)Guided tour
Colosseum Underground and Arena Floor Guided Tour
HeadoutUnderground, arena floor and tiers with a guide in English, French or Spanish; a guided Forum and Palatine visit is an optional upgrade. Cannot be cancelled or changed. Not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers.
from €135
See this tour → (opens in a new tab)
We can never guarantee a ticket seller, tour company or deal. Prices, opening hours and what is included change, often without notice: check the details on the seller’s own page before you pay, and book through the official site where you can. How to avoid ticket scams · Disclaimer.
Colosseum deals and discounts
The official ticket is the best buy: €18 standard, or €24 with the underground, against €135–199 for an underground tour. Tours and resellers mostly sell availability. The real savings are free entry for under-18s, €2 tickets for EU citizens aged 18–24, and the free first Sunday, which leaves out the arena, underground and upper levels and comes with a long queue.
Free for under-18s (any nationality)
Children and teenagers under 18 get in free but still need a named, timed ticket: choose the free fare when booking and bring their ID or passport. Under-12s must be with an adult who has a ticket.
€2 for EU citizens aged 18–24
EU citizens from their 18th birthday up to the day they turn 25 pay €2 for any ticket type, including Full Experience. Bring your passport or ID card to prove age and citizenship. Non-EU students pay full price.
Free first Sunday of the month (and 25 April, 2 June, 4 November)
Entry to the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine is free. Free tickets cannot be booked online: you collect them in order of arrival at the ticket offices (Piazza del Colosseo by the Temple of Venus and Rome for the Colosseum route; Largo della Salara Vecchia for the Forum Pass route), so expect long queues. The arena, underground, upper levels and SUPER sites are closed, and the Domus Aurea is not included.
Roma Pass: free or €11.50, with a booked slot
The official Roma Pass booking page offers two fares: free, if you use the Colosseum as one of the free entries included in your pass, or €11.50 reduced if you have already used them. Both cover the Colosseum first and second tiers plus the Forum and Palatine, not the arena or underground. You must book a timed slot on that page (at most a month ahead) and show the pass at the gate; in October 2026 only a few Roma Pass slots were left per day. Used as the reduced entry it saves only €6.50 on the €18 ticket.
Visitors with disabilities and one companion go free
The park's visitor regulation gives a free ticket to visitors with a certificate of disability. Italian state sites normally admit one companion free as well, but the regulation does not spell this out, so check when you book. Book the free fare online and show the certificate at the entrance.
PArCo Membership card for return visits
€25 (Young), €50 (Individual) or €80 (Family and Friends) for a year: unlimited Forum and Palatine, plus a free 24h Colosseum entry and a free Only Arena entry once a week, booked free online. The underground and attic are not included. It only pays off if you are in Rome for a long stay or come back often.
Best time to visit Colosseum
Time of day: the 8:30 opening slot is the calmest and coolest, and the Forum and Palatine open at 9:00, so you can go straight on. Late afternoon is the other quiet window. Note the last entry, an hour before closing.
Season: November to February has the fewest visitors but short days (from 25 October 2026 to 28 February 2027 the park closes at 16:30, last entry 15:30). April to October is busy, and July and August are hot, with little shade in the Forum and on the Palatine.
Avoid the first Sunday of the month unless saving money matters most: entry is free, but free tickets are only handed out at the ticket offices, so the queue is long and the arena, underground and upper levels are shut. The park can also close at short notice: it shut on 23–25 September 2026 after an accident on site, and booked visitors were refunded automatically. Check the news on colosseo.it a few days before you go.
Tips and tricks
Gathered from travel forums, locals and the sight’s own advice, rewritten in our own words. What worked for others, not a guarantee.
Keep checking after a sell-out
Slots are released in batches. A date that looks sold out often gets new slots later, with a bigger batch about a week before. Checking at different times of day works better than staying up for the release.
From Rick Steves Travel Forum, Italy threads, 2024–2026; mamalovesrome.com ticket guide, 2026
Copy names from the passport
Tickets are nominative and checked against an original ID. A name can be changed only once, up to midnight on the seventh day before the visit, and only for typos or serious documented reasons. Bring the physical passport or ID card; a photo of it does not count.
From Parco archeologico del Colosseo visitor regulation and ticketing site, 2026
Be early for the underground
Full Experience Underground holders must be at the entrance 30 minutes before the slot, with no allowance for lateness. Miss it and you lose the Colosseum part of the ticket (the Forum entry stays valid).
From Parco archeologico del Colosseo visitor regulation, 2025 revision
Split the visit over two days
Full Experience tickets cover the Forum and Palatine the day before, the same day or the day after, and the 24h ticket allows 24 hours either side of your slot. Do the Colosseum in the morning and the Forum and Palatine the next morning, when your legs are fresh.
From colosseo.it ticket pages, 2026
Download the free official app
MyColosseum is the park's own free app, with audio guides in Italian and English that follow you through the Colosseum, from the underground to the attic. That saves renting a guide just for commentary.
From colosseo.it Opening Times and Tickets, 2026
Pack small and leave the selfie stick
Everyone goes through a metal detector, even with a tour. Bags must not exceed 30x40x15 cm and there is no cloakroom. Glass bottles, trekking poles, large umbrellas, scooters and selfie sticks are banned, and tripods and drones need permission.
From Parco archeologico del Colosseo visitor regulation, 2025 revision
If everything is sold out, try the ticket offices or the Forum
The offices at Piazza del Colosseo and Largo della Salara Vecchia sell a daily quota to individuals until it runs out. Go before opening with the whole party and passports. If you miss out, the €18 Forum Pass SUPER (no Colosseum) is valid on any day within 30 days of buying and needs no time slot.
From Rick Steves Travel Forum, Italy, 2024–2025; colosseo.it Forum Pass SUPER page, 2026
See the underground from above
The standard ticket's first and second tiers look straight down into the uncovered part of the underground. If underground slots are gone, you still see its layout from above; you just do not walk through it.
From Rick Steves Travel Forum, Italy, 2024
Use the water points
The park has about 10 drinking fountains and water in all its toilets. Inside the Colosseum there are courtesy fountains between the first and second tiers, and bottled water at the bookshops. Fill up before the Forum, where shade is scarce.
From colosseo.it The Park for All – Services, 2026
How to get to Colosseum
- Metro: Line B to Colosseo, whose exit faces the amphitheatre, or Line C to Colosseo-Fori Imperiali. From Termini station it is two stops on Line B.
- Bus and tram: buses 51, 75, 81, 85, 87 and 118, and tram 3, stop at or near Piazza del Colosseo. The Palatine entrance on Via di San Gregorio is a few minutes' walk south of the Arch of Constantine.
- Entrances: 24h and Full Experience holders enter the Colosseum near the Arch of Constantine (the Valadier spur); Only Arena holders use the Sperone Stern side. The Forum and Palatine entrances are at Largo della Salara Vecchia (Via dei Fori Imperiali), the Arch of Titus on the Via Sacra, and Via di San Gregorio. The Trajan's Column entrance is no longer used.
- From Fiumicino airport, take the train to Termini, then Metro B. Driving is not practical: the centre is a limited-traffic zone and there is no visitor parking at the park.
Scams and problems to watch for
Look-alike 'official' ticket sites
Sites with Colosseum in the name and official-looking logos resell the €18 ticket for much more, or bundle a tour. The tell-tale sign is a domain that is not ticketing.colosseo.it, or prices other than €18 and €24. You can report suspected secondary ticketing to the park through its form at ticketing.colosseo.it.
'Sold out, buy from me' touts
People with lanyards near the metro exit and the queue say the official tickets are gone or the line is two hours, and sell an overpriced tour on the spot. Pre-booked tickets already skip the ticket line, and nobody can skip the security check. If you have no ticket, walk to the official ticket offices yourself.
Costumed 'gladiators'
Men dressed as Roman soldiers around the square offer a photo, then demand a large fee once it is taken. If you do not want to pay, do not pose. If you do, agree the price first.
Pickpockets on Metro B and in the square
Crowded trains to and from Colosseo and Termini and the packed security queue are prime spots. Keep phones and wallets in a zipped front pocket, especially while you get your ID out at the entrance.
Tickets in someone else's name
Tickets cannot be resold or transferred, and names are checked against ID. A ticket bought from a stranger or a resale group, with someone else's name on it, will be refused at the gate with no refund.
Accessibility
The Colosseum has a marked step-free route over most of the first tier, and a lift for visitors with reduced mobility up to the second tier. The underground is reached by a goods lift, and from 10 October 2026 the attic's panoramic lift is reserved for visitors with documented difficulty on stairs (the attic itself still involves steep steps). The Colosseum entrances on the north side and at the Sperone Stern are wheelchair accessible, and the Forum and Palatine have lifts at Largo della Salara Vecchia and the Curia, a lifting platform at the Arch of Titus, and an accessible path past the main Forum monuments. Reaching the top of the Palatine involves short steep stretches and uneven ancient paving. Wheelchairs can be borrowed (3 in the Colosseum, 5 at the Forum and Palatine entrances), toilets are accessible, and visitors with a disability certificate enter free (ask about a companion ticket when booking). Electric wheelchairs and strollers are refused on some reseller tours, so check before booking.
Combine it with
Capitoline Museums
The city's oldest public museum, on the Capitoline Hill at the far end of the Forum, with the original bronze Marcus Aurelius and a terrace over the Forum. Easy to add after leaving the Forum by the Via del Tulliano exit.
Domus Aurea
The remains of Nero's Golden House on the Colle Oppio, a few minutes' walk from the Colosseum. Run by the same park; guided visits Friday to Sunday only, closed on the first Sunday of the month.
Trevi Fountain
About 20 minutes' walk north via Piazza Venezia, a natural evening stop after a day in the ruins.
Pantheon
Rome's best-preserved ancient temple, still roofed by its unreinforced concrete dome, about 25 minutes' walk from the Forum.
Vatican Museums
On SightsaleOn the other side of the Tiber. Too much to combine with the Colosseum on the same day; plan them on separate days and book both well ahead.
Questions people ask about visiting Colosseum
Where do I buy official Colosseum tickets?
Only at ticketing.colosseo.it, the site of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo, or at the park's own ticket offices at Piazza del Colosseo and Largo della Salara Vecchia. The standard 24h ticket is €18 and Full Experience tickets are €24 (October 2026). Other sites with Colosseum in their name are resellers charging more.
How far in advance should I book Colosseum tickets?
Tickets go on sale 30 days ahead, or 7 days ahead for Full Experience Arena and the night tours. In season, book on the first day you can: in early October 2026 the underground was sold out for every date shown, and standard 24h tickets for every remaining October date but one. If your date is gone, keep checking, because slots are added in batches, often about a week before.
How do I get tickets for the Colosseum underground?
Buy the official Full Experience Underground and Arena ticket (€24, or €32 with the park's educational tour) on ticketing.colosseo.it as soon as your date opens, 30 days ahead. If it is sold out, the official night tour (€50, sold 7 days ahead) also goes underground, or tour companies sell guided underground visits for roughly €135–199 (October 2026).
Do I need my passport to enter the Colosseum?
Yes, or another original photo ID. Since October 2023 every ticket carries the visitor's name, and staff check it against your ID at the entrance; if they do not match, you are refused with no refund. Children need ID too.
Can you skip the line at the Colosseum?
A timed ticket bought in advance skips the ticket-office queue, and that is all 'skip the line' can mean here: everyone, including tour groups, goes through the airport-style security check. Groups with radio headsets use a separate group entrance, but still go through security.
Is the Colosseum free on the first Sunday of the month?
Yes, and also on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November. Free tickets are not booked online: you collect them in order of arrival at the ticket offices by the Temple of Venus and Rome or at Largo della Salara Vecchia. The arena, underground and upper levels are closed that day.
How long do you need at the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine?
You get 75 minutes inside the Colosseum on a 24h ticket and 90 minutes on a Full Experience, then you are asked to leave. Allow another 2–3 hours for the Forum and Palatine, or use the ticket's 24-hour or two-day window to do them on a separate morning.
More sights in Italy
Accademia Gallery
Florence, Italy
Michelangelo's David, his unfinished Prisoners, and a museum of Medici musical instruments.
- From
- €20 at the door, €24 booked; €2 EU citizens 18–25; free under 18
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours; the museum's own estimate is about 1 hour 30 minutes
Galleria Borghese
Rome, Italy
Bernini's marbles and Caravaggio's paintings in a cardinal's villa, in a strict 2-hour slot.
- From
- €18
- Time needed
- 2 hours inside (the slot is fixed); add 1–2 hours for the Villa Borghese park
Pompeii
Pompei (near Naples), Italy
A whole Roman town buried by Vesuvius in AD 79, its streets, houses and frescoes intact.
- From
- €20
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours for the main sights; a full day with the Villa of the Mysteries and the Amphitheatre
Before you go
The things that apply at every big sight: booking ahead, what skip-the-line really means, and the scams that follow tourists everywhere.