Arch of Constantine
Rome, Italy
Colosseum, Rome
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Photo: FeaturedPics, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- ≈ €18
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Opening hours
- 8:30 to one hour before sunset; last entry one hour before closing
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 2 h
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Standard ticket
- ≈ €18 for 24 hours: Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine; free under 18
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Full Experience
- ≈ €24 — adds the arena floor and timed underground entry
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Closed
- 25 December and 1 January
- Free entry
- First Sunday of the month, no booking — queue early
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Location
- Piazza del Colosseo; Metro B, Colosseo station opens onto the walls
Key facts
AD 80Titus opened the amphitheatre his father Vespasian began around AD 72
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English Wikipedia189 × 156 mthe ellipse — the largest amphitheatre of the ancient world
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English Wikipedia≈ 48 mheight of the four-storey outer wall
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English Wikipedia50,000–80,000spectators, depending on the estimate
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English Wikipedia100 daysof inaugural games
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Cassius Dio, via English WikipediaFlavian Amphitheatrethe original name; 'Colosseum' comes from Nero's colossal statue nearby
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English Wikipedia1980the historic centre of Rome joined the UNESCO World Heritage list
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UNESCO≈ €18standard 24-hour ticket with Forum and Palatine
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official park ticket office, via 2026 guidesColosseum history in brief
The Colosseum is the amphitheatre where Romans watched gladiators and wild-animal hunts. Its real name is the Flavian Amphitheatre: Emperor Vespasian started it around AD 72, his son Titus opened it in AD 80 with a hundred days of games, and Domitian added the underground. The nickname came later, from a bronze colossus of Nero that stood next door.
The building is an ellipse of 189 by 156 metres, about 48 metres high, built of travertine, tuff and brick. It held somewhere between 50,000 and 80,000 people, seated by rank — senators at the bottom, ordinary citizens and women at the top. Medieval Romans used it as a quarry and earthquakes brought down the south side of the outer ring, which is why one half still shows all four storeys and the other reveals the inner arches.
Colosseum tickets: which one to book
Tickets are sold by the Colosseum Archaeological Park through its official website and on-site desks. The standard ticket (about €18: €16 plus a €2 booking fee) is valid for 24 hours and gives one entry to the Colosseum's first level and viewing galleries, plus the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Under-18s go free but still need a reserved slot.
The Full Experience ticket (about €24 — sources quote €22–24) adds the arena floor, a rebuilt wooden stage where you see the bowl from a gladiator's angle, and, in the underground version, the hypogeum — the passages and lifts that raised animals and scenery. Underground visits run at the time printed on your ticket, in small groups with park staff.
Tickets are named and checked against your passport. Sales open about 30 days ahead, and spring, summer and weekend slots go within hours. Resellers charge two or three times as much for the same entry; that's legal, but only worth it if the official site has nothing left.
Colosseum opening hours
The Colosseum opens every day at 8:30 and closes an hour before sunset — around 19:15 in summer and 16:30 in winter. Last entry is one hour before closing. It shuts only on 25 December and 1 January. The Forum and Palatine open half an hour later, at 9:00.
On the first Sunday of each month entry is free without booking, but the queue forms early and the gates close once capacity is reached. Hours can shift on public holidays, so check the park's website the day before.
How long do you need at the Colosseum?
Allow about 1.5 hours on a standard ticket — enough to walk the first-level ring and the small exhibition upstairs. With the arena and the underground it's closer to 2.5 hours. If you add the Roman Forum and Palatine on the same ticket, plan half a day and bring water: there's very little shade.
Highlights inside the Colosseum
- First-level galleries — a full loop above the arena with the best view of the bowl and the hypogeum below.
- Arena floor — the partly rebuilt stage on the south side, open on Full Experience tickets only.
- Hypogeum — two levels of underground corridors where animals and sets waited to be hoisted up.
- Second level — a small display on the building's afterlife as a fortress, market and stone quarry.
- North outer wall — the intact four-storey façade with Doric, Ionic and Corinthian half-columns.
- Via dei Fori Imperiali — the classic street view of the Colosseum, free at any hour.
How to get to the Colosseum
Tap a route to highlight it on the map.
Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Arch of Constantine is about 3 min away on foot.
- Domus Aurea is about 8 min away on foot.
- San Pietro in Vincoli is about 9 min away on foot.
More tips
- Metro line B to Colosseo — two stops and about five minutes from Termini.
- On foot from the Pantheon or Trevi Fountain: about 2 km via Piazza Venezia and Via dei Fori Imperiali, 25–30 minutes.
- Buses 51, 75, 85 and 87, or tram 8, stop around the square and on Via Labicana.
- From Fiumicino Airport take the Leonardo Express to Termini (about 32 minutes), then Metro B.
- Ticket holders enter on the west side, near the Arch of Constantine — follow the signs.
Best time to visit
Crowds are lightest from November to February and on weekday mornings. From April to October the bowl gets hot by midday, so take the first slot or a late-afternoon one. In the evening the walls are floodlit: the view from Via dei Fori Imperiali or the Oppian Hill park is free and far quieter than daytime.
Is the Colosseum worth it?
Yes, especially on a first trip to Rome. From outside you see the shell; inside you understand the scale — the tiers of seating, the hidden machinery, the size of a crowd that could fill it. The ticket also covers the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, which have more space and far fewer people, plus the best view back over the Colosseum. If heat or crowds bother you, go early in the day or in winter.
Before you go
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Ancient Rome: compare and choose
Ancient sites in Rome rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Pantheon | 82 | 30 min | ≈ €5 | 27 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colosseumyou are here | 73 | 2 h | ≈ €18 | — |
| Roman Forum | 63 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €18 with Colosseum | 11 min walk |
| Circus Maximus | 63 | 30 min | Free | 13 min walk |
| Trajan's Column | 60 | 15 min | Free | 16 min walk |
| Capitoline Hill | 58 | 30 min | Free | 14 min walk |
| Castel Sant'Angelo | 57 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €15–20 | 45 min walk |
| Arch of Constantine | 57 | 15 min | Free | 3 min walk |
| Palatine Hill | 54 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €18 with Colosseum | 8 min walk |
| Mausoleum of Augustus | 53 | 45 min | ≈ €5, booking | 38 min walk |
| Largo di Torre Argentina | 53 | 30 min | Free from street; walkways ≈ €5 | 24 min walk |
| Pyramid of Cestius | 52 | 20 min | Free | 31 min walk |
| Appian Way | 49 | 3 h | Free | 6.4 km |
| Domus Aurea | 49 | 1 h 15 min | ≈ €18, with VR ≈ €26 | 5 min walk |
| Mouth of Truth | 49 | 20 min | Donation ≈ €2 | 16 min walk |
| Baths of Caracalla | 48 | 1 h 15 min | ≈ €8 | 19 min walk |
| Catacombs of Rome | 48 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €10–12 with guide | 12 min walk |
| Ara Pacis | 47 | 1 h | ≈ €13–15 | 39 min walk |
| Theatre of Marcellus | 47 | 20 min | Free | 19 min walk |
| Vatican Museums | 44 | 3 h | ≈ €25 | 3.6 km |
| Capitoline Museums | 43 | 2 h 30 min | ≈ €15–19.50 | 15 min walk |
| Baths of Diocletian | 42 | 1 h | Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12 | 26 min walk |
| Basilica of San Clemente | 39 | 1 h | Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12 | 8 min walk |
| Imperial Fora | 38 | 1 h | Free from the street; museum ≈ €13–15 | 12 min walk |
| Testaccio | 38 | 2 h | Free | 37 min walk |
| Palazzo Massimo | 34 | 2 h | ≈ €10–12 combined ticket | 23 min walk |
| Ostia Antica | 31 | 3 h | ≈ €12–18 | 22.7 km |
| Hadrian's Villa | 29 | 3 h | ≈ €12–15 | 24.1 km |
Ancient Rome in a day
Colosseum at opening time, then the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on the same ticket, and the floodlit Colosseum from Via dei Fori Imperiali after dark.
- Colosseumyou are here2 h · ≈ €18
- 11 min walk from the previous stopRoman Forum1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum
- 8 min walk from the previous stopPalatine Hill1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum
3 places · about 5 h 19 min with walks · 19 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- Tickets go on sale about 30 days ahead — set a reminder.
- The classic photo is from Via dei Fori Imperiali or the Oppian Hill, no ticket needed.
- Come back after sunset for the floodlit walls.
- There's no shade in the bowl: aim for 8:30 or after 15:00 in summer.
Questions
How much are Colosseum tickets?
About €18 for a standard 24-hour ticket including the Roman Forum and Palatine; about €24 with the arena and underground. Under-18s go free with a booking.
Where do I buy official Colosseum tickets?
On the Colosseum Archaeological Park's official website or at its ticket desks. Sales open about 30 days ahead.
What time does the Colosseum open?
8:30 every day, closing an hour before sunset; last entry is an hour before closing. Closed 25 December and 1 January.
Can you go inside the Colosseum underground?
Yes, on a Full Experience ticket with an underground time slot, in small groups with park staff.
How long do you need at the Colosseum?
About 1.5 hours on a standard ticket, 2.5 hours with the arena and underground, half a day with the Forum and Palatine.
Is the Colosseum free on Sundays?
Only on the first Sunday of the month, without booking; queue early.
When was the Colosseum built?
Work began under Vespasian around AD 72, and Titus opened it in AD 80.
Can you bring a backpack to the Colosseum?
Small bags only; large backpacks and suitcases are refused and there's no cloakroom.
Is the Colosseum ticket valid for the Roman Forum?
Yes, the standard ticket covers the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill within 24 hours.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- Colosseum Archaeological Park (Parco archeologico del Colosseo), official website
- English Wikipedia, Colosseum
- UNESCO World Heritage: Historic Centre of Rome
- 2026 ticket guides: Through Eternity, museos.com, artvisitguide.com
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