Do you need a separate ticket?
Probably not. Every Colosseum ticket includes one entry to the Roman Forum and the Palatine, which form a single archaeological area. If you are not visiting the Colosseum, or are coming back for a second look, the Forum Pass SUPER costs €18 (€2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 24) and covers the Forum, the Imperial Fora and the Palatine. It does not need a time slot: bought online, it can be used on any day within 30 days, and it is valid only for the day you use it. It cannot be used on the free first Sunday of the month.
Is the Roman Forum worth it?
Yes, if you go in knowing what the Forum was: the public centre of Rome for more than a thousand years, where politics, trials, markets and religion shared one valley. Without that, it looks like a field of broken columns. The simplest thread through it is the Via Sacra, the Sacred Way, which crosses the valley and passes under the Arch of Titus, built after 81 CE. At the other end stands the Arch of Septimius Severus, from 203, and nearby the Column of Phocas, the last monument added to the Forum, in 608.
The Forum area also includes the House of the Vestals and the new Roman Forum Museum, both on the same ticket.
Is the Palatine worth it too?
Yes, even though it is the easiest part to skip, because it means a climb after the Forum. The Palatine is the hill where the emperors built their palaces, and it gives you the best view down onto the Forum, which makes the valley easier to read than from inside it. On the hill you will find the Palatine Museum, the Domus Tiberiana with its own museum, and the Ninfeo della Pioggia, all on the same ticket.
The Palatine also holds some of the “SUPER” sites, a set of rooms with fragile Roman paintings. Entry to them is limited to protect the paintings, from 9:30 until one hour before closing. They are worth it if you care about Roman painting; if a site is full when you arrive, the rest of the hill is still worth the visit.
What can you skip?
Skip trying to see every stone of the Forum: follow the Via Sacra and stop at the arches, the House of the Vestals and the museum. Skip the Forum Pass if you already hold a Colosseum ticket, since you would be paying twice for the same entry. And do not save the Palatine for the end of a long day in winter: from 25 October the whole park closes at 16:30.
How long do you need?
About three hours for the Forum and the Palatine together, longer if you want the SUPER sites and both museums. The area opens at 9:00, half an hour after the Colosseum, so a simple plan is the Colosseum first, at your booked slot, then the Forum and the hill. The entrance by Trajan’s Column is no longer in use. The passage to the Imperial Fora is open from 9:00 to 18:00. For the Colosseum part of the day, see Colosseum tickets and tips; for the rest of Rome, the Rome shortlist.
The Forum and Palatine in brief
- Ticket
- Included in every Colosseum ticket (€18 or €24); on its own, Forum Pass SUPER €18; €2 for EU citizens aged 18-24
- Booking
- Forum Pass: no time slot, use it within 30 days of buying online
- Hours
- From 9:00; until 24 October 2026 to 18:30 (last entry 17:30); 25 October-28 February to 16:30 (last entry 15:30); SUPER sites from 9:30 to one hour before closing
- Free
- First Sunday of the month, 25 April, 2 June, 4 November
- Time
- About 3 hours for both
- Note
- The Trajan’s Column entrance is no longer in use; Forum Pass not valid on the free first Sunday
- Verified
- October 2026, on the official site. Prices and hours change: check before you go.
Questions
Is the Roman Forum included in the Colosseum ticket?
Yes. Every Colosseum ticket includes one entry to the Roman Forum and the Palatine.
Palatine or Roman Forum: are they the same site?
They are one archaeological area with one entry: the Forum is the valley, the Palatine the hill above it.
How long does the Roman Forum take?
An hour and a half for the Forum alone, about three hours with the Palatine.
Sources
- Parco archeologico del Colosseo, “Opening Times and Tickets”, “Forum Pass SUPER” and the Roman Forum and Palatine pages (October 2026).
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Roman Forum” (as checked for the History guide).
