Colosseum tickets come in two families: the standard ticket for the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, and the timed Arena tickets for the special areas. A third product, the Forum Pass Super, leaves the Colosseum out altogether. This page helps you pick the right one for your situation, shows where to buy it, how booking works and what to watch out for. For live opening hours, weather and our advice on booking at the park or through a partner, start on the home page.
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Which Colosseum ticket do you need?
You are visiting for the first time
Take the standard ticket. It gives you one entry to the Colosseum and one entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, valid for 24 hours from the first entry. If you want to visit the arena floor, choose one of the Arena tickets instead, for example Arena + Colosseum.
You are short on time
The Arena only ticket is a short visit to the arena floor plus the Forum and Palatine. It does not include the regular Colosseum visit, so it suits people who mainly want the view from the arena and have little time.
You travel with children or a young adult
Children under 18 enter free of charge but need a free ticket reserved online. EU citizens aged 18 to 25 pay the reduced price of € 2.00 euros, and you must show proof of age and citizenship at the entrance.
You use a wheelchair
Visitors with a disability of 75 percent or more enter free of charge with one companion and reserve the free tickets online. Assistance dogs are allowed in the Colosseum. The Colosseum is accessible by wheelchair through both entrances, and a lift takes you to the floor with the exhibitions.
Rain or heat is in the forecast
Park tickets cannot be moved to another date, so build your day around the Colosseum time slot. The standard ticket stays valid for 24 hours, which lets you shift the Forum and Palatine to the cooler or drier part of the day. In hot weather, bring a plastic water bottle and sun protection. You can refill the bottle in the park. Inside the Colosseum it is shady and usually pleasant even on hot days.
You want to go for free
Pick a free day from the calendar below, but expect extremely long queues at the ticket office. The Arena and the Super Sites are closed on those days.
Colosseum ticket types and prices
Includes: Timed entry to the Colosseum and one visit to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The ticket is valid for 24 hours, so you can visit the Forum and Palatine before or after the Colosseum. Not available on days with free entry for everyone.
Where to buy: the official Colosseum website or the ticket office at the Colosseum
Includes: The standard ticket for the Colosseum plus extras such as an audio guide, a guided tour or other attractions.
Where to buy: online
Includes: Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Imperial Forums and the Super Sites. The Colosseum is not included.
Where to buy: the official Colosseum website, the ticket office at the Colosseum, or the ticket offices at Salara Vecchia and Via del Foro Romano
Includes: A short visit to the arena floor for visitors in a hurry, plus the Forum and Palatine. The regular Colosseum visit is not included. Not available on days with free entry.
Where to buy: online only, with a fixed time slot
Includes: The arena floor plus the regular Colosseum visit, the Forum and Palatine, and the Super Sites. Not available on days with free entry.
Where to buy: online only, with a fixed time slot
Includes: The arena floor, the regular Colosseum visit and the underground, plus the Forum, Palatine and Super Sites. A guided tour is compulsory in the underground, and the supplement is included in the price shown. Not available on days with free entry.
Where to buy: online only, with a fixed time slot
Includes: The arena floor, the regular Colosseum visit and the upper levels with the glass lift, plus the Forum, Palatine and Super Sites. Not available on days with free entry.
Where to buy: online only, with a fixed time slot
Who qualifies: EU citizens aged 18 to 25. The reduced price applies to all ticket types. If a guided tour is compulsory, it must be paid for separately. Not available on days with free entry for everyone.
Where to buy: the official Colosseum website or the ticket office at the Colosseum
Who qualifies: young people up to age 18, people with a disability rating of 75 percent or more (with one companion) and students in some fields of study. This applies to all ticket types. If a guided tour is compulsory, it must be paid for separately. Not available on days with free entry for everyone.
Where to buy: the official Colosseum website or the ticket office at the Colosseum
Not sure which Arena ticket fits you? Read our guide to the Colosseum Arena and underground tickets.
Ticket translator: park names and partner names
The same product has different names depending on who sells it. This is how they match up.
- Standard ticket: valid for 24 hours, with one visit to the Colosseum and one visit to the archaeological park, which consists of the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. Partners may sell this ticket only together with extras such as an audio guide, a guided tour, or combos with other attractions, hop-on-hop-off buses and similar.
- Full Experience: in addition, this ticket includes a visit to the Super Sites in the archaeological park, such as the Palatine Museum and some archaeological sites that are open only to a limited number of visitors at set times.
- Arena only: the arena floor plus Forum and Palatine, without the regular Colosseum visit.
- Forum Pass Super: Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, the Imperial Forums and the Super Sites, but not the Colosseum.
- Super Sites: exclusive sites in the Forum and on the Palatine that are open only at limited times. They are part of the Forum Pass Super and of the Arena tickets.
- Skip-the-line and Fast Track: a phrase meaning you do not queue at the ticket office. You still pass the security check at the gate, and your Colosseum entry time is fixed. In practice the timed ticket is the real fast track, because the park requires a time slot for the Colosseum anyway.
Where to buy tickets and where to enter
Colosseum tickets are sold at the ticket office at the Colosseum itself. The ticket offices at Salara Vecchia and on Via del Foro Romano sell only the Forum Pass Super, so there is no point queuing there for a Colosseum ticket.
There are two entrances to the Colosseum. Standard tickets and the regular visit use the main entrance. Arena tickets use the Stern entrance, which lies opposite the main entrance on the other side of the Colosseum. The map shows the ticket offices and both entrances.
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More InformationBonus tip: skip the queues at the park entrances
The park entrances on Via di San Gregorio, at the Arch of Titus and on Via Salara Vecchia often have long queues. It is worth using the entrance on Via del Foro Romano instead. Arrive 2 to 3 hours before your Colosseum time, visit the Forum and Palatine first, and go to the Colosseum afterwards. For security checks, bags and what to bring, see our Colosseum visitor tips.
How booking works
- Release: park tickets go on sale 30 days before your visit date. Some special tickets go on sale 7 days before the visit date. If your date is not available, it may simply not be on sale yet.
- Time slot: the Colosseum requires a booked time slot. You can enter from 15 minutes before to 15 minutes after the time on your ticket.
- Names and ID: every ticket carries a name. Show the ticket together with the original ID card at the entrance. If the name does not match, entry is refused without a refund.
- Name changes: one change per booking, online, until midnight on the seventh day before the visit. It is allowed for a typing error, a wrongly assigned ticket type within the same booking, or a serious documented reason.
- Date changes: not possible. You are responsible for choosing the right date and time.
- Refunds: only if the park has to close for bad weather or by decision of the safety authorities. Lost tickets are not replaced.
- How many: private buyers can book up to 8 tickets per transaction.
If your date is sold out
Look at other time slots and neighbouring days first. For a date far ahead, check again later, because sales open 30 days before. If you only need the Forum and Palatine, the Forum Pass Super is a separate product with its own availability. A guided tour or a partner ticket with a fixed entry time is a second way in.
What things cost
The park ticket for the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine costs € 18.00 euros online. The Forum Pass Super costs € 18.00 euros, and the Arena tickets start at € 18.00 euros.
Partner tickets that include a guide or an audio guide start at around 39 euros. Private small-group tours usually start at around 90 euros per person, depending on tour duration and group size.
Tickets and tours
Here is our hand-picked selection of tickets, guided tours and combos:
Rome new_on_tiqets
Colosseum, Arena, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill: Guided Tour
Walk through ancient ruins and learn about historical tales
Rome new_on_tiqets
Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill: Entry + AI Video Guide App
Visit ancient ruins and learn historical facts
Rome
Forum Pass: Roman Forum & Palatine Hill Entry + Digital Audio Guide
Wander through ancient ruins and learn about the city's origins
Free entry calendar
Like all state museums in Italy, the Colosseum is free of charge on the first Sunday of every month. On top of that, entry is free on three fixed dates:
- 25 April, Liberation Day
- 2 June, Republic Day
- 4 November, National Unity and Armed Forces Day
The Colosseum is closed on 25 December and 1 January.
On free days the rules change:
- Free tickets are not sold online. You collect them in person at the ticket office at the Colosseum, in order of arrival, so queues can be long.
- The Arena, the underground and the upper levels are closed. Parts of the Forum and Palatine, including the Super Sites, are closed too.
- Children under 18 and visitors with a disability of 75 percent or more (with one companion) still reserve their free ticket online on regular days, as described above.
Traps to avoid
- Touts at the entrance: people who offer a skip-the-line tour on the spot are not authorised. The park rules forbid selling tickets without authorisation and recruiting guests for tours inside the park. Book ahead instead.
- Wrong name or wrong slot: a misspelled name or a missed slot is the most common reason for being turned away, and neither is refunded.
- Full Experience validity: the standard ticket is valid for 24 hours, while the Full Experience ticket is valid for 2 days. It still covers only one entry to the Colosseum and one entry to the archaeological park. Many visitors read the 2 days as two visits to the archaeological park, and the disappointment at the gate is big.
- ID card: the ID card must be shown in the original.
- The wrong pass: the Forum Pass Super does not include the Colosseum.
Ticket questions you may not have asked yet
Can I change the date of my ticket?
No. The park does not offer date changes or refunds, with the exception of a forced closure. You can correct a name once, online, until midnight on the seventh day before your visit.
What happens if I miss my time slot?
The Colosseum lets you in from 15 minutes before to 15 minutes after your time. After that you can still use the ticket for the Forum and Palatine if you have not used it yet, but there is no refund and no new slot for the Colosseum.
Do I need an ID?
Yes. Tickets carry a name, and you show the ticket together with the original ID card at the entrance. Everyone in a group needs an ID.
Can I book tickets for friends or family?
Yes. Enter each person’s name exactly as on their ID, and remember the limit of 8 tickets per online transaction.
Which ticket do I need for the Forum and Palatine only?
The Forum Pass Super covers the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill, the Imperial Forums and the Super Sites. It does not include the Colosseum.
Is a free Sunday worth it?
If you only want the regular visit and can live with a queue, yes. If you want the arena floor, the underground or the upper levels, no, because those areas are closed on free days.
Check opening hours, weather and entry tips on our Colosseum overview.
