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TRAVEL: How to visit the Colosseum in Rome

If you're visiting Rome for the first time, you won't want to leave without making a trip to the Colosseum. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 15 March 2023 15:19 CET

Here's what you need to know about visiting the Colosseum. Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP.

As many people plan to visit their favourite sites in Italy this year after a long absence, we’re putting together our own quick guides to some of the country’s most-loved attractions. If you or someone you know is planning a trip to the Colosseum, here’s what to know before you go.

Opening hours

The Colosseum opens to visitors at 9am and closes at different times depending on the time of year – till as late as 7.15pm in the spring and summer and till 4.30pm in the winter (see a full breakdown of seasonal opening hours here).

The complex is open almost every day of the year apart from December 25th and January 1st, and on June 2nd, Italy’s Republic Day, when it’s usually only open in the afternoon.

On certain days in the spring and summer, the Colosseum is open for night tours, running from around 6-10pm. More information here.

On the first Sunday of every month, entry is free; expect to fight your way through hordes of crowds if you choose to visit on one of these days.

In warmer months, the Colosseum is open for night tours. Photo by TIZIANA FABI / AFP.

Tickets

Tickets can be bought online via the official website here or on the ParcoColosseo app.

The standard ticket is the 24-hour one which is valid for one entry to the Colosseum within 24 hours of your ticket’s start time. Find full details on the official website here.

Full price €16
Reduced price €2 for 18-25-year-olds from an EU country (proof of age and nationality required via photo ID)
Free for under-18s (ID required).

A €2 per ticket reservation fee is charged to book online in advance.

With this option, you’ll have access to the first and second floors of the Colosseum, as well as entry to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, situated on either side of the amphitheatre.

The other option available is a two-day ‘Full Experience’ ticket, which costs:

Full price €22
Reduced price €2 for 18-25-year-olds from an EU country
Free for under-18s

As well as being valid for an additional 24 hours, this ticket allows you to access the arena level and underground (‘hypogeum’) area of the Colosseum, as well as a range of other lesser-known sites that you can find listed on the official website here.

Going on a tour will usually get you access to higher floors of the Colosseum, including all the way up to the fifth tier – but make sure to check with your operator that the area isn’t closed for maintenance before booking.

READ ALSO: TRAVEL: How to visit Rome’s Vatican Museums

The Colosseo metro stop is right next to the Colosseum. Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP.

How long to budget

It takes about an hour to visit the Colosseum itself on a standard ticket, factoring in time for photographs. Budget extra time if you buy a Full Experience ticket; the official website suggests at least an extra 15 minutes.

The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are very large complexes and if you’re planning to see all three in one go, you’ll want to budget the best part of a day.

How to get there

The Colosseo metro stop on Metro Line B conveniently opens up right in front of the Colosseum.

There are multiple overground transport routes, including the 3 tram and the 75 bus, that go right by the Colosseum; check an app to see which is the most convenient for you (Moovit offers the most accurate prediction times for Rome’s public transport).

If you’re on foot, the Colosseum is about a 20-25 minute walk from other major Roman sites like the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain or the Pantheon.

Member comments

Anonymous - 15 March 2023 at 18:20 CET

I was hoping this article would include info on buying tickets. I’ve been seeing people online saying they are very difficult to get.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam has long been trying to clean up a reputation for rowdy stag parties, drugs and sex that has been partly blamed on an influx of around 20 million visitors a year.

In 2023 it launched an online campaign aimed at discouraging young British men from travelling to Amsterdam to get high or very drunk, telling them in typically blunt Dutch fashion to “stay away” or risk arrest.

Amsterdam also announced last week a ban on new hotels and that it would halve the number of river cruise ships in the city within five years.

It also decided last year to ban smoking cannabis on the streets of the red-light district.

Hallstatt and Salzburg in Austria

The tiny village of Hallstatt, a hamlet just 750 people strong not far from Salzburg and bearing a striking resemblance to the fictional kingdom of Arendelle from Disney’s Frozen – last year caused furore when its residents erected a fence at its famous vista to deter selfie-seekers. After a social media backlash, the village – which is also a UNESCO heritage site – removed the fence, but signs remind visitors to enjoy the site quietly.

Residents were also protesting in favour of tourism curbs in the village, which gets as many as 10,000 visitors a day in high season. They want to limit the numbers and ban tour buses in the town after 5:00 p.m.

Not far from Hallstatt, the city made famous by classical music, Hollywood classics and Christmas songs, Salzburg, has also complained about massive tourism and the danger of being “overrun by mass tourists and day trippers”.

The city’s tourism boss Christine Schönhuber said: “We only want those who stay overnight”. The western Austrian city is yet to take any concrete measures, but it has floated ideas such as closing some streets to cars and putting restrictions on souvenir shops. The city is also considering closing the bus terminal at the city’s Mirabellplatz to day tripping companies – allowing only those transporting overnight guests.

Iseltwald, Switzerland

The quaint Swiss village of Iseltwald has been forced to limit the number of tourists after fans of a South Korean Netflix hit show flocked to the region in droves sparking a backlash from locals.

Iseltwald is often referred to as the pearl of Lake Brienz, and rightfully so. The fishing village is located on the left bank of the river and is one of the smallest communities in the canton of Bern – and locals would like to keep it that way.

A picture taken on June 2, 2023 shows the village of Iseltwald at the shore of Lake Brienz, in the Swiss Alps. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

Dubrovnik

Croatia’s medieval walled city of Dubrovnik is one of Europe’s most overcrowded cities, with the flow of tourists sometimes making it impossible to walk inside the historic Old Town.

The jewel of the Adriatic has seen a huge surge in visitor numbers since scenes from the series “Game of Thrones” were filmed on its ramparts in 2011.

In 2023, the town of 41,000 people received 1.2 million tourists, below 2019’s record of 1.4 million.

In 2019 local authorities limited the number of cruise ship arrivals to two per day, with no more than 4,000 passengers each at a time.

They also launched an app that uses machine learning and weather forecasts to predict when the Old Town, a UNESCO world heritage site, will be busiest.