# Palatine Hill, Rome

> The Palatine is the hill where, legend says, Romulus founded Rome and where emperors later built their palaces — the word 'palace' comes from its name. Entry is on the Colosseum ticket (about €18 for 24 hours), together with the Roman Forum. It opens at 9:00 and closes an hour before sunset; allow 1–1.5 hours.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palatine-hill

- City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy
- YesGo score: 54/100 (Yes, go)
- Time on site: 1 h 30 min
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Ticket: ≈ €18 — shared with the Colosseum and Forum, 24 hours; free under 18
- Houses of Augustus and Livia: Timed entry, included on Full Experience tickets
- Opening hours: 9:00 to one hour before sunset
- Entrances: Via di San Gregorio 30 — or from the Roman Forum
- Time needed: 1–1.5 hours, 2–3 with the Forum
- Location: Between the Forum and Circus Maximus; Metro B Colosseo or Circo Massimo
- Coordinates: 41.88833, 12.48694
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **753 BC** — the legendary date when Romulus founded Rome on the Palatine (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Palatium** — the hill's Latin name gave us 'palace' and 'palazzo' (source: English Wikipedia)
- **≈ 40 m** — height above the Forum (source: English Wikipedia)
- **1st century** — Domitian built the main imperial palace, the Domus Flavia and Domus Augustana (source: English Wikipedia)
- **House of Augustus** — keeps frescoes from the 1st century BC (source: English Wikipedia)
- **16th century** — Cardinal Alessandro Farnese laid out gardens over Tiberius's palace (source: English Wikipedia)

## Palatine Hill tickets

The Palatine is part of the **Colosseum Archaeological Park ticket** — about **€18**, valid 24 hours, with the [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum) and [Roman Forum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/roman-forum). The hill and the Forum form one site, and you move freely between them. Under-18s go free with a booking.

The **House of Augustus** and **House of Livia** open to small groups at set times, usually on the Full Experience ticket or as a separate slot. Check availability on the park's official site — these slots sell out first.

> **Use the Palatine gate** The Via di San Gregorio entrance is usually much quieter than the Forum or Colosseum gates. If you already have a ticket, start here: climb the hill, drop down into the Forum and walk out to the Colosseum in time for your slot.

## A short history

The Palatine is the most central of Rome's **seven hills** and, by tradition, the oldest part of the city. Legend says **Romulus** founded Rome here in **753 BC**, near the cave where a she-wolf nursed him and his twin; archaeologists have indeed found 8th-century-BC hut foundations on the hill.

Republican aristocrats built houses here, and under the empire the whole hill became an **imperial residence**. The Latin *Palatium* came to mean any palace — hence 'palace' and 'palazzo'.

## What to see on the Palatine

- **Domus Flavia** — the state rooms of Domitian's palace, with a throne room and peristyle garden.
- **Domus Augustana** — the emperors' private quarters on two levels, looking over the Circus Maximus.
- **Stadium of Domitian** — a long sunken garden shaped like a racetrack.
- **House of Augustus** — the first emperor's rooms with vivid frescoes, timed entry.
- **House of Livia** — his wife's house with painted walls, also timed.
- **Farnese Gardens** — Renaissance terraces over Tiberius's palace, with pavilions and roses.
- **Palatine Museum** — finds from founding-era huts to palace statuary.
- **Viewpoints** — the Roman Forum on one side, the Circus Maximus on the other.

## The imperial palaces

**Augustus** lived here first, in a deliberately modest house beside a temple of Apollo. Tiberius built a larger palace on the north slope, and at the end of the 1st century **Domitian** raised a huge complex — the **Domus Flavia** for public business and the **Domus Augustana** for private life — which later emperors kept extending.

What survives are multi-storey brick walls, arches, fountain basins and fragments of marble floor. The most dramatic view is from the **Circus Maximus** below, where the ruined palace rises above the grass where chariots once raced.

## How to get to the Palatine Hill

1. Metro line B to **Colosseo**, then 7 minutes along Via di San Gregorio to the Palatine gate.
2. Metro line B to **Circo Massimo**, then 10 minutes across the Circus Maximus.
3. From the Roman Forum, take the paths uphill from the Arch of Titus.
4. Tram 8 and buses 51, 75 and 81 stop near the Colosseum and Circus Maximus.

## Best time to visit

The Palatine has more trees than the Forum, but summer middays are still hot. Go **at opening** or in the **last two hours** before closing, when the low sun lights the palace walls from the Circus Maximus side. In spring the Farnese Gardens fill with roses and wisteria.

## Is the Palatine Hill worth it?

Yes — it's already on your Colosseum ticket and far less crowded. You get the best views over the Roman Forum and [Circus Maximus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/circus-maximus), and a real sense of how emperors lived. A map with labelled buildings helps: without it, the palace ruins blur together.

## Before you go

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

- [ ] Book the Colosseum park ticket — the Palatine is included
- [ ] Check timed slots for the Houses of Augustus and Livia
- [ ] Start at the Via di San Gregorio gate
- [ ] Find the Farnese Gardens terrace for the Forum view
- [ ] Bring water and good shoes — lots of slopes

## 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

## 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.

1. [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum) — YesGo score 73/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · ≈ €18
2. [Roman Forum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/roman-forum) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum
3. [Palatine Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palatine-hill) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum

## Don't mix it up

The Palatine Hill isn't the Palatine Chapel in Palermo. It's one of Rome's seven hills, with the Capitoline, Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline, Quirinal and Viminal.

## Tips

- The San Gregorio gate often has no line.
- Farnese Gardens give the best view of the Forum.
- The palace ruins look best from the Circus Maximus.
- House of Augustus slots sell out first.

## Questions

### Is the Palatine Hill included in the Colosseum ticket?

Yes, the standard ticket covers the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine within 24 hours, about €18.

### Where is the Palatine Hill entrance?

Via di San Gregorio 30, or from inside the Roman Forum.

### What is there to see on the Palatine Hill?

Domitian's palace (Domus Flavia and Augustana), the stadium, the Houses of Augustus and Livia, the Farnese Gardens and the museum.

### What time does the Palatine open?

9:00, closing an hour before sunset.

### How long do you need on the Palatine Hill?

1–1.5 hours, 2–3 with the Forum.

### Why is the Palatine Hill important?

Legend places Rome's founding here, and it was the emperors' residence.

### Can you visit the House of Augustus?

Yes, in small timed groups, usually on the Full Experience ticket.

### Where does the word 'palace' come from?

From Palatium, the Latin name of the Palatine Hill.

## How we checked

History, legend and palaces from English Wikipedia; tickets, entrances and hours from the Colosseum Archaeological Park and 2026 guides. Prices and timed access to the Houses of Augustus and Livia change, hence the 'checking' badge.

## Sources

- Colosseum Archaeological Park (Parco archeologico del Colosseo), official website
- English Wikipedia, Palatine Hill

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