The Colosseum in Rome is the indisputable symbol of Italy. However, having arrived in the Eternal City to enjoy one of the most popular attractions in the world, you have several options for how to get inside the amphitheater:
- Do not worry in advance, do not read the tips in this article to come at any convenient time and, having stood in line, in the end DO NOT BUY tickets at the box office on this day, and if you're lucky explore the amphitheater with another thousand tourists. This method is not the most fun and reliable, in addition, from April to the end of October, a 30-degree heat can help you. Since 2019, the Colosseum administration has introduced a daily limit for tickets at the box office - they are sold only on this day and in limited quantities;
- Book your own tickets on the official website and enter the Coliseum “without a queue”, preferably in the afternoon. How to do this, see the instructions below. Keep in mind that you still have to pick up at the box office for a ticket for a reservation or print them out yourself if you go without children;
- Sign up for an individual excursion to a good guide who will tell you the optimal entry time and fall in love with the history of Ancient Rome. Without a guide, you run the risk of not understanding the grandeur of this grand attraction and it will remain a “pile of stone” for you. Read tips to watch in Rome with a guide.
- As part of a group tour in English or Italian, there is an opportunity to get to the upper tier to the Coliseum and the Arena, detailed instructions are given at the end of the article.
In order not to worry, save time and nerves, you need to buy a ticket in advance online. Here is a detailed instruction:
We begin our journey with a description of the Coliseum on the official website of the Italian Ministry of Culture www.coopculture.it. The site is presented in Italian and English.
Having opened the tab “Orari, biglietti, servizi” (“Schedule, tickets, services”), you can always check the current time and cost of tickets yourself.
Attention: A ticket to the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill is valid for 2 days. Entrance to the Coliseum is possible only at the booked time, and you can visit the Forum before or after the visit or the next day.
Opening hours
As of January 2019, we see that the Colosseum is working:
- From the last Sunday of October to February 15: from 8.30 to 16.30 (last visitor at 15.30);
- From February 16 to March 15: from 8.30 to 17.00 (last visitor at 16.00);
- From March 16 to the last Saturday of March: from 8.30 to 17.30 (last visitor at 16.30);
- From the last Sunday of March to August 31: from 8.30 to 19.15 (last visitor at 18.15);
- From September 1 to September 30: from 8.30 to 19.00 (last visitor at 18.00);
- From October 1 to the last Sunday of October: from 8.30 to 18.30 (last visitor at 17.30);
- Closed: January 1, May 1 and December 25.
Tickets
Upon arrival in Rome, tickets can be purchased at the box office of Palatine Hill, located on Via di San Gregorio, 30, and Piazza Santa Maria Nova, 53 (200 meters from the Coliseum). Tickets to the Coliseum allow entry to the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum and vice versa. Please note that tickets for this day may no longer be available or you will have to wait 5-6 hours to visit.
How much is a ticket to the Coliseum
Since 2019, new types of tickets have been introduced - now both groups and independent tourists must reserve a visit time in advance online.
The most common is a basic ticket.COLOSSEUM, ROMAN FORUM, PALATINE ORDINARY ADMISSION for 14 euros. If you go to the Colosseum on your own, without a guide or an excursion, then to understand the scale of construction, this type of ticket will be enough for you.
- Reduced rate: 7 € for citizens of the European Union from 18 to 25 years old and for teachers of the European Union;
- Admission is free: visitors under 18 years old with parents
COLOSSEUM, ROMAN FORUM, PALATINE ORDINARY ADMISSION + ARENA: for 16 euros, with access to the arena through a special entrance with a minimum queue. Such a ticket is available only for excursion groups (tour operators) and visitors with an individual guide (this ticket is reserved for groups and visitors with an authorized tour guide) - independent travelers on it will not be allowed and money will not be returned! The guide must have 2 special licenses and he also needs a reservation.
Independent travelers can buy tickets for the arena for only 26 euros a few days before the desired date here - you will be held as part of a group, but will not be told anything.
COLOSSEUM, ROMAN FORUM, PALATINE ORDINARY ADMISSION + UNDERGROUND AND PANORAMIC VIEW (dungeon and panoramic view): 16 euros is booked in 2-3 months, all quotas are almost always bought by agencies for group excursions.
A panoramic 2-hour group tour in English costs 33 euros per person.
COLOSSEUM, ROMAN FORUM AND PALATINE REGULAR ENTRANCE + UNDERGROUND ENGLISH TOUR: = 23 euros, also for 3 months there are usually no tickets anymore. The tour in English lasts 60 minutes.
COLOSSEUM, ROMAN FORUM AND PALATINE REGULAR ENTRANCE + COLOSSEUM ENGLISH TOUR (45 '): 19 euros, 45 minutes guide in English only talks inside the Coliseum and then see the forums yourself.
Colosseum, Roman Forum And Palatine Regular Entrance + Audioguide: 19.50 euros with an audio guide, available in Russian. Personally, my opinion is that the audio guide is boring, you fall asleep in the 2nd minute.
ROMAN FORUM-PALATINE S.U.P.E.R .: 18 euros, a tour of the Forum and the Palatine in Italian with a laser pointer. But if you do not know who they are, such as vestals or the history of Rome, then it is useless to watch. You can book a Reservation Of The English Projection House Of Livia visit for this ticket for free. I repeat, in order to evaluate this program, a certain level of training is needed.
COLOSSEUM BY NIGHT - ITALIAN TOUR: 20 euros, evening visit (20:00 - 22:30) The Coliseum with a group in Italian is available only from May 14 to October 31.
DOMUS AUREA. VISIT AT ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESTORATION SITE WITH VIRTUAL REALITY: 16 euros, a tour to the archaeological area in Italian, is only available on Saturdays and Sundays.
Advance booking
Advance reservation is € 2.00. It is carried out by telephone +39.06.39967700 (Monday - Friday from 9 to 18, on Saturday from 9 to 14), or on the official website www.coopculture.it
The website www.coopculture.it is available in Italian and since 2018 in English, we hope that those who have not yet learned Italian can easily book tickets using this instruction.
- Important: a ticket can be bought at any time, but it can only be used to enter a reserved date and time.
Self-booked tickets to the Coliseum
We wind the main page down a little and press the BUY NOW button in the CHOOSE YOUR PERSONAL SOLUTION section.
We get to the general information page with safety warnings: no more than 3,000 people can visit the Coliseum at a time. We are warned that there may be delays at the entrance, even for those who made a reservation in advance. Press the DETAILS button.
We get to the next page, where the ticket price will be indicated - 14 euros. You must press DETAILS again
We wind the page to the very bottom of the calendar. Tickets are on sale approximately 2 months in advance. In the example, select the date March 28th.
And the time recommended by the guide for an individual excursion in case you want to not just see the ruins, but to understand their history. We recommend visiting the Coliseum in the afternoon.
We select the time 14:30, for this you need to go to the 4th tab and click on the AVAILABLE button.
In the pop-up window, select the necessary tickets. For example, you need to buy 2 adult tickets and one for children. Adults choose FULL TICKET (Individual entrance) for 14 euros, EU citizens from 18 to 25 years old need a REDUCED TICKET for 9.5 euros.
For example, you need 2 adults and 1 discount for EU citizens from 18 to 25 years old:
Your cart is shown in the right column.
We check the order, we have for 2 adults - only 28 euros. Push Check out. Enter your first and last name, country and electric mail 2 times.
- If you go to the Coliseum without children, then select the Print & Home option - for some reason this option is sometimes not shown in the English version of the site.
- If with children, then you will need to get them a ticket for 2 euros at the box office, choose [email protected]
Once again we check the order, put 2 checkmarks. You can pay for the order with Master Card or Visa.
Click Aquista ora.
A message pops up that your payment will be protected by 128 bit encryption and the purchase is safe. Push avanti (forward).
Another warning pops up, click avanti.
Enter your credit card details: Titilare della carta (name and surname, as on the card), Tipo carta (type of card: Visa, Mastercard), Scadenza carta (card expiration date) and an email address to which payment confirmation will be sent.
Congratulations, you yourself bought tickets to the Colosseum in Rome. Check your inbox, save the PDF ticket on your phone or print.
An electronic ticket looks like this:
The barcode is your cherished ticket for all adults at once. It says the number of people, the date and time of entry into the Coliseum. With him you go already without going to the ticket office right at the entrance.
Instructions for independent travelers:
How to get the top tier and dungeons?
You can get to the upper tier of the Coliseum only as part of a group tour in English. Tickets must be booked in advance for several months. At the last moment, after a little overpayment, you can book tickets at the official intermediary www.getyourguide.ru
Also on the site are group tours in Russian.
A tour with a visit to the upper tier costs 84 euros per person, but there are discounts up to 20%.
Since 2019, the Colosseum administration has also been organizing special nightly visits to the Coliseum, with an aperitif included (Prosecco and snacks). For 99 euros you can see the amphitheater without a huge crowd, as well as visit the dungeons.
In the summer months, when the heat in Rome reaches 40 degrees, the opportunity to visit the Coliseum in the evening is especially relevant.
Conclusions and Tips
- If your goal is to find out a maximum of interesting facts, to touch history, then book an individual tour for 100 euros in the afternoon in Russian with tickets for 14 euros. Without dungeons and the upper tier of impressions and information will suffice in abundance. Want more? Book an individual tour with a visit to the Arena, Forum and Palatine.
- If it is important to visit the upper tier or a nightly atmosphere with an aperitif, book a group tour (from 55 euros / person) in English or Spanish.
