# Imperial Fora and Trajan's Market, Rome

> The Imperial Fora are five public squares built beside the Roman Forum by Julius Caesar and later emperors, from the 1st century BC to the 2nd century AD. Their ruins line both sides of Via dei Fori Imperiali and are free to see. Above Trajan's Forum rises Trajan's Market, an ancient shopping complex now a museum (about €13–15); allow 30–40 minutes, or 1.5 hours with the museum.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/imperial-fora

- City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy
- YesGo score: 38/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 1 h
- Entry: Free from the street; museum ≈ €13–15
- Opening hours: Street views 24 hours; Trajan's Market museum ≈ 9:30–19:30 daily
- With kids: Fine with kids
- From the street: Free, 24 hours — along Via dei Fori Imperiali
- Trajan's Market museum: ≈ €13–15; entrance on Via IV Novembre
- Museum hours: ≈ 9:30–19:30 daily
- Evening show: Summer light show at the Forums of Augustus and Caesar
- Time needed: 30–40 minutes' walk, 1.5 hours with the museum
- Location: Between Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum
- Coordinates: 41.89444, 12.48556
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **46 BC** — Julius Caesar opened the first of the fora (source: English Wikipedia)
- **5 fora** — of Caesar, Augustus, Peace (Vespasian), Nerva and Trajan (source: English Wikipedia)
- **AD 112** — Trajan's Forum opened — the largest (source: English Wikipedia)
- **≈ 150** — shops and offices filled Trajan's Market over several levels (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Mars Ultor** — the temple at the heart of the Forum of Augustus (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Basilica Ulpia** — the great hall of Trajan's Forum (source: English Wikipedia)

## Can you see the Imperial Fora for free?

Yes — most of the ruins are visible from the pavements and viewing points along **Via dei Fori Imperiali**, the avenue cut straight through them in the 1930s from Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum. Only the museum inside **Trajan's Market** and some guided or evening visits charge. On Sundays and holidays the avenue is often closed to traffic, which makes the walk especially pleasant.

## What are the Imperial Fora?

By the late Republic the old [Roman Forum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/roman-forum) was overcrowded, so Rome's rulers began building **new ceremonial squares** next to it, each with its own temple, porticoes and statues. **Julius Caesar** went first in **46 BC**, followed by **Augustus**, **Vespasian** with his Temple of Peace, **Nerva** and finally **Trajan** in **AD 112**, whose forum was the largest and grandest.

## What to see

- **Forum of Caesar** — three columns of the Temple of Venus Genetrix, on the Capitoline side.
- **Forum of Augustus** — a towering tufa wall and the steps of the Temple of Mars Ultor.
- **Forum of Nerva** — two columns with a frieze, nicknamed the 'Colonnacce'.
- **Forum of Trajan** — columns of the Basilica Ulpia and [Trajan's Column](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trajans-column).
- **Trajan's Market** — the curved brick façade above the forum, now a museum.
- **Emperor statues** — bronze copies of Caesar, Augustus, Nerva and Trajan along the avenue.

## Trajan's Market

Behind Trajan's Forum, cut into the Quirinal slope, rises **Trajan's Market** — a vast semicircle of brick on several levels. It held some **150 rooms**: shops, storerooms and administrators' offices. It's one of the few Roman 'shopping centres' to survive nearly intact, with the ancient Via Biberatica and a vaulted great hall.

Today it houses the **Museum of the Imperial Fora**, with sculpture, reliefs and architectural fragments from all five fora, plus reconstructions and models. The highlight is walking the ancient corridors out onto terraces overlooking Trajan's Forum and Column. Enter from **Via IV Novembre**; tickets are about **€13–15** according to guides.

> **Evening light show** In summer the 'Viaggio nei Fori' show projects reconstructions onto the walls of the Forums of Augustus and Caesar, with headphone narration in several languages. Tickets are sold separately; dates and prices are announced each spring.

## How to get to the Imperial Fora

1. Walk from [Piazza Venezia](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-venezia) — the fora begin just past the Vittoriano.
2. From the [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum), stroll Via dei Fori Imperiali past all five, 10–15 minutes.
3. Trajan's Market entrance: Via IV Novembre 94, 5 minutes uphill from Piazza Venezia.
4. Buses 40, 64, 70 and 87 to Piazza Venezia; Metro B to Cavour or Colosseo.

## Best time to visit

Sunday mornings, when the avenue is often car-free, are ideal for the walk. In the **evening** the ruins are floodlit, and summer brings the light shows. The Trajan's Market museum is rarely busy, so any time works.

## Are the Imperial Fora worth it?

Yes, as part of the walk from Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum — it's free and passes all five. If ancient architecture appeals, step inside Trajan's Market: its corridors see a fraction of the Colosseum's crowds, and the view down over the forum is superb.

## Before you go

Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.

- [ ] Walk Via dei Fori Imperiali from Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum
- [ ] Spot the three columns of Venus Genetrix
- [ ] Enter Trajan's Market from Via IV Novembre
- [ ] Check the summer light show dates
- [ ] Come back after dark for the lights

## Ancient Rome: compare and choose

Ancient sites in Rome rated by YesGo.

- [Pantheon](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pantheon) — YesGo score 82/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · ≈ €5
- [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum) — YesGo score 73/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · ≈ €18
- [Roman Forum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/roman-forum) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum
- [Circus Maximus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/circus-maximus) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Trajan's Column](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trajans-column) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 15 min · Free
- [Capitoline Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-hill) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Castel Sant'Angelo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/castel-sant-angelo) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €15–20
- [Arch of Constantine](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/arch-of-constantine) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 15 min · Free
- [Palatine Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palatine-hill) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum
- [Mausoleum of Augustus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/mausoleum-of-augustus) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · ≈ €5, booking
- [Largo di Torre Argentina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/largo-di-torre-argentina) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free from street; walkways ≈ €5
- [Pyramid of Cestius](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pyramid-of-cestius) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free outside
- [Appian Way](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/appian-way) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free
- [Domus Aurea](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/domus-aurea) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ≈ €18, with VR ≈ €26
- [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Donation ≈ €2
- [Baths of Caracalla](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/baths-of-caracalla) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ≈ €8
- [Catacombs of Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/rome-catacombs) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €10–12 with guide
- [Ara Pacis](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/ara-pacis) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ €13–15
- [Theatre of Marcellus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/theatre-of-marcellus) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Vatican Museums](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/vatican-museums) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ €25
- [Capitoline Museums](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-museums) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ≈ €15–19.50
- [Baths of Diocletian](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/baths-of-diocletian) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12
- [Basilica of San Clemente](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-clemente) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Upper free; excavations ≈ €10–12
- [Imperial Fora](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/imperial-fora) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free from the street; museum ≈ €13–15
- [Testaccio](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/testaccio) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free
- [Palazzo Massimo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palazzo-massimo) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ≈ €10–12 combined ticket
- [Ostia Antica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/ostia-antica) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ €12–18
- [Hadrian's Villa](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/hadrians-villa) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ €12–15

## The Imperial Fora on foot

From Piazza Venezia to Trajan's Column and Trajan's Market, then along Via dei Fori Imperiali to the Colosseum.

1. [Piazza Venezia](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-venezia) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free
2. [Trajan's Column](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trajans-column) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 15 min · Free
3. [Imperial Fora](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/imperial-fora) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free from the street; museum ≈ €13–15
4. [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum) — YesGo score 73/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · ≈ €18

## Don't mix it up

The Imperial Fora aren't the Roman Forum, which is older, lies on the other side towards the Palatine and is included in the Colosseum ticket. The Imperial Fora are free to view; only the Trajan's Market museum charges.

## Tips

- Everything is visible free from the pavements.
- Enter Trajan's Market from Via IV Novembre.
- The avenue is often car-free on Sundays.
- Summer evenings bring a light show at the Forum of Augustus.

## Questions

### Are the Imperial Fora free?

Yes, from the street; the Trajan's Market museum costs about €13–15.

### What is Trajan's Market?

A 2nd-century complex of about 150 shops and offices on the Quirinal slope, now the Museum of the Imperial Fora.

### How many Imperial Fora are there?

Five: Caesar's, Augustus's, the Temple of Peace (Vespasian), Nerva's and Trajan's.

### Where are the Imperial Fora?

Along Via dei Fori Imperiali between Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum.

### How are they different from the Roman Forum?

The Roman Forum is the old Republican square; the Imperial Fora are newer squares built beside it by Caesar and the emperors.

### What are Trajan's Market opening hours?

About 9:30–19:30 daily.

### How long do you need?

30–40 minutes on foot, about 1.5 hours with the museum.

## How we checked

History of the fora and the market from English Wikipedia. Museum prices and hours and light show dates weren't confirmed with official sources at the time of checking — hence the 'checking' badge.

## Sources

- Rome municipal museums (Sovrintendenza Capitolina): Mercati di Traiano — Museo dei Fori Imperiali
- English Wikipedia, Imperial fora and Trajan's Market

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