Is it worth going inside?
From the outside the Colosseum is a postcard. From the inside it is a machine for 50,000 people, and that is the part worth paying for. Walk up to the second level and look down: you can see the oval of the arena, the stumps of the seating tiers and, where the floor is missing, the corridors and rooms of the underground, where animals, sets and fighters waited to be lifted up. It was begun under Vespasian around 70-72 CE and opened by his son Titus in 80 with a hundred days of games; when it was built covers the dates.
Is it overrated? Only if you expect a complete building. Much of the stone was taken away over the centuries, and what you see is a ruin. The visit works if you come for the scale and the engineering, and if you treat the Forum and the Palatine, which share the ticket, as part of the same visit.
Which Colosseum ticket should you buy?
There are six tickets, and the names do not make the difference obvious. They all cost €18 or €24 (€2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 24), and all except the Forum Pass include the Colosseum.
| Ticket | Price | What it adds | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine | €18 | First and second levels of the Colosseum, plus the Forum and Palatine; valid 24 hours | First visit, most people |
| Full Experience Underground and Arena | €24 | The underground and the arena floor, plus the Forum, Palatine and the extra “SUPER” sites; valid 2 days | Anyone curious about how the games worked |
| Full Experience Arena | €24 | The arena floor, plus the Forum, Palatine and SUPER sites; valid 2 days | A view from the floor, without the underground |
| Full Experience Attic | €24 | The top level with a panoramic lift; groups of 8 at most; valid 2 days | The view from the top, in a small group |
| Only Arena | €18 | 20 minutes on the arena floor, plus the Forum, Palatine and SUPER sites | Can wait: short and limited |
| Forum Pass SUPER | €18 | Forum, Imperial Fora and Palatine; no Colosseum | A second visit to the ruins |
On the Full Experience tickets you can stay inside the Colosseum for 90 minutes. If this is your first visit and you have half a day, the basic ticket shows you what matters. Choose the underground if you want to see how the seating, the corridors and the lifts worked.
How do you get tickets?
Buy them on the official site, ticketing.colosseo.it. Sales open 30 days before each date, and you must book a time slot for the Colosseum; the slot applies to the Colosseum, and the ticket gives one entry to the Forum and the Palatine. Tickets are in your name, and you need to show an identity document at the entrance, so book with the names on your passports or ID cards.
If your date is sold out, check again the next day: because sales run 30 days ahead, a new date opens every day, and plans change. If you cannot get a Colosseum slot, the Forum Pass SUPER still gets you into the Forum and the Palatine, and the outside of the Colosseum costs nothing.
What can you skip?
Skip the Only Arena ticket on a first visit: twenty minutes on the floor is a short reward for a fixed slot. Skip resellers’ “skip-the-line” offers if you can book directly; the official ticket already has a timed entry. And do not plan the Colosseum after the Vatican Museums on the same day: both are long and on foot.
How long do you need?
About an hour and a half inside the Colosseum, which is also the limit on the Full Experience tickets, and two to three hours for the Forum and the Palatine. The Colosseum opens at 8:30 and the Forum and Palatine at 9:00; from 25 October the park closes at 16:30, with last entry at 15:30, so in winter start early. The Forum and Palatine guide has a route for the second half of the visit.
The Colosseum in brief
- Ticket
- €18 basic (Colosseum, Forum and Palatine); €24 Full Experience; €2 for EU citizens aged 18-24
- Booking
- Compulsory time slot for the Colosseum; sales open 30 days before; tickets in your name, ID required
- Hours
- Colosseum from 8:30, Forum and Palatine 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); closed 25 December and 1 January
- Free
- First Sunday of the month, 25 April, 2 June, 4 November
- Time
- 1.5 hours in the Colosseum; half a day with the Forum and Palatine
- Note
- Official site only: ticketing.colosseo.it
- Verified
- October 2026, on the official site. Prices and hours change: check before you go.
Questions
Is the Colosseum underground worth it?
Yes, if you want to see how the games worked: the underground shows where animals and sets waited before being lifted into the arena. On a first visit with little time, the basic ticket is enough.
Does the Colosseum ticket include the Roman Forum?
Yes. Every Colosseum ticket includes one entry to the Roman Forum and the Palatine.
How far in advance can you buy Colosseum tickets?
30 days before the date of your visit, on the official site.
Is the Colosseum free on the first Sunday?
Yes, and also on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November. Expect it to be busy.
Sources
- Parco archeologico del Colosseo, “Opening Times and Tickets” and the individual ticket pages (October 2026).
- Suetonius and Cassius Dio on the opening games; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Colosseum” (as checked for the History guide).
