Nowhere on earth captures the spectacle of ancient Rome quite like the Colosseum.
This guide will help you plan the perfect visit. We cover what to see and do in each area, how to choose and buy the right tickets online, and everything else you need to know to plan your visit.
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Rome Tourist Card
This pass is the easiest and quickest way to check off everything on your Rome bucket list.
Colosseum tickets
Colosseum tickets sell out fast, so we recommend buying your tickets online as early as possible. Here are the most popular options:
(Access to the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill is included in all tickets)
🏛️ Entry Tickets: Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill
Enjoy reserved entry to three of Rome’s top sites. Pick your visit date, check the available tickets, and choose the one that suits you best.
⚔️ Colosseum Arena Experience
Get exclusive Arena Floor access plus entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Digital audio guide included in 6 languages.
🚶♂️ Guided Tour: Colosseum Arena & Roman Forum
Go deeper with expert guides! Get the full story of ancient Rome with Arena Floor access. Live guide available in 6 languages.
➡️ All Other Tickets & Tours
Looking for more experiences? Browse all admission tickets, special access, and guided tours.
We recommend looking on both Tiqets and GetYourGuide to increase your chances of finding a ticket for your visit dates.
Highlights
sborisov/DepositphotosTickets & Prices
Colosseum tickets can feel tricky, but it really comes down to which part do you most want to see. Your ticket determines your access. Here’s a simple guide to the main areas to help you decide.
Your Colosseum Tickets Explained
Unsplash License Daniel Azevedo/UnsplashArena Floor Access
The Arena Floor is the famous stage at the center of the Colosseum where the gladiators fought. From here, you can get amazing 360° photos without the usual crowds, since it’s a restricted area.
You’ll need to book a ticket with Arena Floor access to enter this area.
Recommended Tickets:
0 1.0 Universal AlfvanBeem/Wikimedia CommonsUnderground Access
The Underground is the network of hidden tunnels beneath the arena. It served as the “backstage” where gladiators and animals waited before the combats.
Access is highly restricted. You can only enter this area with a guided tour.
Recommended Tickets:
🎟️ Guided Tour of the Colosseum, Arena & Underground
Unsplash License Merakist/UnsplashBalcony Access
The Balcony (Upper Levels) is the main spectator stands where the Roman public watched the games. This offers fantastic views down onto the Arena Floor as you walk around the amphitheater.
Access to these main viewing areas is included with every standard ticket.
Recommended Tickets:
🎟️ Colosseum & Mamertine Prison
🎟️ Colosseum & Roman Forum + Audio Guide
🎟️ Guided Tour of the Colosseum
Tips to Help You Pick
Standard entry to the Colosseum doesn’t include the Underground. You can access this area with a guided tour.
Short on time? Join an express guided tour to explore the Colosseum in just an hour.
The Colosseum can be crowded year-round. A small-group guided tour will help you understand the highlights with a local guide.
FAQ
1. How far in advance should I book Colosseum tickets?
As soon as you can. Tickets can sell out weeks, sometimes months, ahead of time, especially for a trip between May and September. If you want to see the popular Underground or Arena Floor areas, you should book them the moment you see they’re available.
2. Is it cheaper to buy Colosseum tickets online or at the door?
The price is the same, but this is really important: don’t wait to buy at the door. The line to buy tickets is huge, but the bigger problem is that they’re almost always sold out for the day. You could wait for an hour just to be told you can’t get in. Buying your ticket online beforehand is the only way to guarantee you’ll have a spot.
3. What is the best “skip-the-line” ticket for the Colosseum?
That “skip-the-line” term can be confusing. It just means you get to skip the long line to buy tickets. You’ll still have a short wait for the security check, which everyone has to do.
The “best” ticket really just depends on what you want from your day:
Standard Ticket: you just want to get inside and explore the areas on your own.
Rome Tourist Card: you’re also planning to visit the Vatican and want to bundle them.
Guided Tour: you love hearing the stories behind what you’re seeing and want to access special areas like the Underground.
4. Is the Colosseum Arena Floor ticket worth it?
We think so, yes. It’s a totally different experience from just looking down from the stands. You get to stand on the ground where the gladiators fought and see the Colosseum towering above you from their perspective. It’s less crowded and makes for amazing photos. If you’re on the fence, we’d say it’s a worthwhile upgrade.
5. What’s included in the standard Colosseum ticket?
Your standard ticket gets you into the Colosseum itself (the main first and second levels), plus the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. These are the two of ancient Rome’s most important ruins, right next door.
What not included are the special access areas like the Arena Floor and the Underground tunnels. You’ll need a specific tour or upgrade your ticket to see those.
6. How to get to the Colosseum?
The Colosseum is very well-connected. Here are your best options:
By Metro: Take Metro Line B (the blue line) to the Colosseo station.
On Foot: If you’re staying in the city center, walking is ideal. It’s about a 15-minute walk from Piazza Venezia and roughly 25 minutes from the Trevi Fountain or Pantheon.
By Bus: Lines 75, 81, 85, and 87.
By Hop-on Hop-off Bus: It’s super convenient to combine your attraction visits with one of the Hop-on Hop-off tours. These tours often has a dedicated stop at the Colosseum and connects all of Rome’s major landmarks. You can find routes and book tickets on our Rome Hop-on Hop-off Bus page.
What to See & Do (with Pictures)
Now for the exciting part. Let’s walk through the areas you’ll be exploring on your visit.
Unsplash License Den Harrson/UnsplashYour experience begins before you ever set foot inside: the first sight of the Colosseum is always special. The crumbling ruin of the south side gives way to the imperious magnificence of the stunning north side.
The ornate structure is 57 metres tall, built using travertine marble sourced from quarries around Italy. It is almost tradition to pose gleefully outside the Colosseum when visiting Rome – the photo op might be cliché, but it is a memory you will undoubtedly treasure forever.
Unsplash License Merakist/UnsplashSee the arena from above as you walk around the amphitheater. The second floor of the Colosseum would have been reserved for the wealthiest, most important members of Ancient Roman society.
You can see the Colosseum from the spectators’ perspective high above the arena. Marveling at the sheer size of the structure, the ornate stonework and general sense of greatness are all part of the experience.
There are small exhibits and information points on the second floor. You can discover more about the Colosseum’s history while admiring the ancient artefacts unearthed during archaeological digs.
Unsplash License Daniel Azevedo/UnsplashEntering the arena is both an awe-inspiring and chilling experience. Standing where so much blood has been shed and thousands of lives were lost is humbling – it is easy to envision a time thousands of years in the past, when people were fighting for their lives in the sand, under the watch of 50,000 frenzied spectators.
From the arena floor you can get a closer look into the Hypogeum, and enjoy a unique perspective peering into the maze of tunnels below.
If you have access to the arena floor, you will walk through the Gate of Death. The rather gruesome purpose of this gate was to ferry the dead bodies of defeated gladiators and executed prisoners out of the arena.
The Gate of Life was located on the opposing eastern side. This is where the gladiators would enter the arena before a battle.
0 1.0 Universal AlfvanBeem/Wikimedia CommonsThe most mysterious and fascinating part of the Colosseum is, without doubt, the Hypogeum. For years, archaeologists avoided the labyrinth of tunnels due to its sheer complexity, and it has only been fully opened to visitors since 2021.
The ‘backstage’ of the games is where the gladiators would prepare for battle, and wild animals were kept. You can see previously hidden secrets when wandering the Hypogeum; like the trap doors used to raise lions and other predators into the arena from below.
The Arena, Gate of Death and Hypogeum are special access only; they’re not included in the basic ticket price.
bermed2009.hotmail.com/DepositphotosOnce you leave the Colosseum, you’ll walk right into the Roman Forum. You are now standing in what was the absolute heart of the ancient world. Take a look around you at the ruins of towering temples and grand government halls. Imagine Roman senators and citizens walking these same stone streets 2,000 years ago. Take your time wandering the main paths, it’s an incredible walk through history.
The Forum is bigger than it looks and the ground is uneven. Plan for at least 90 minutes to explore, and remember there is very little shade on sunny days.
From the Forum, look for the path that leads up Palatine Hill. This was the most exclusive neighborhood in ancient Rome, where the emperors built their lavish palaces. Legend says this is the exact spot where Romulus and Remus founded the city. As you explore the peaceful, green spaces, you’re walking through the former homes of emperors.
Patryk_Kosmider/DepositphotosThe top of the hill offers the best panoramic view of the entire Forum, with the Colosseum perfectly framed in the background. This is the photo you came here to get.
Did you know that: (4 Interesting Facts!)
- Everyone knows about the wild animal hunts and gladiator fights. But did you know that the Colosseum was once the setting of naval battles? Emperor Titus ordered the Colosseum to be flooded to allow a reenactment of an ancient sea battle between Athens and Syracuse to take place.
- The Colosseum was originally known by its official name, the Flavian Amphitheater. It is believed the name Colosseum derives from the amphitheater’s proximity to the Colossus of Nero, a huge bronze statue that once stood nearby.
- In 2007, the Roman Colosseum was chosen as one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’.
- Tickets to the largest spectacles were often free – they were usually paid for by the emperors to keep public morale high.
History
An almost 2000-year-long timeline of the Roman Colosseum:
AD 70-72
Construction of the Colosseum begins under the authority of Vespasian, the founder of the Flavian dynasty.
AD 80
The Colosseum opens with great fanfare. The son and successor to Vespasian, Titus, kicks off 100 days of games in celebration.
AD 82
Final touches are added to the Colosseum. The upper stand is completed during the reign of Domitian.
AD 404
The rise of Christianity makes the games fall out of style. The last gladiatorial fight in Rome takes place at the Colosseum.
AD 523
The last staged hunt, or venatio, is recorded.
AD 1349
A huge earthquake causes untold damage to the Colosseum. The entire outer shell of the south side collapses, leaving behind the iconic ruin we see today.
AD 1750
After centuries of looting and neglect, Pope Benedict XIV declares the Colosseum a ‘sacred place’ and forbids any further damage. Small restoration work begins.
AD 1800 onwards
Restoration work begins in earnest. A fascination with antiquity in the 19th century prompted archaeological digs and reconstruction work.
1990s
Modern technology and techniques are used in an attempt to restore the Colosseum to its former glory. The work continues to this day.
Present Day
The Roman Colosseum is one of the most recognizable tourist attractions in the world. It welcomes over six million visitors every year.
Map & Address (Location)
The Colosseum is located in the centre of Rome, at the Piazza del Colosseo.
Colosseum
Piazza del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy · Google Maps
Head to the heart of Rome.
If using the metro: take the Linea B metro line, and get off at the ‘Colosseo’ station.