The greatest amphitheatre of the Roman world — arena, Forum and Palatine.
Two thousand years old and still the definitive image of Rome, the Colosseum held 50,000 spectators for gladiatorial games. One ticket pairs it with the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill next door — the broken heart of the empire.
Fifty thousand Romans watched gladiators here across a hundred days of inaugural games. The arena floor and the underground hypogeum, where cages and lifts were worked, open on the Full Experience ticket.
Admission runs for 24 hours and covers the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill next door — the political centre of the empire and the hill its emperors lived on.
Travertine arches, numbered entrance gates and a retractable awning fed 50,000 people in and out in minutes; the design is the ancestor of every stadium built since.
The main gate on the north-east side, facing the Colosseo metro exit. Standard and timed-entry tickets, Roma Pass holders and step-free access all come through here.
On the north-west side, opposite the main gate. Reserved for guided visits to the restricted areas — the arena floor, the underground and the attic.
On the north side, for booked parties of 14 to 50 people accompanied by a licensed guide. Individual tickets are not admitted here.
The Roman Forum gate on Via dei Fori Imperiali, and the flattest way into the Forum. Included in the Colosseum ticket, and wheelchair accessible.
The Palatine Hill gate, quieter than the Forum entrances and the easiest start if you want the hill before the crowds reach it.
Metro line B to Colosseo — the exit faces the arena. Trams 3 and 8 and several bus routes stop on Piazza del Colosseo.
