All you need to know to visit the Roman Colosseum at night: how to get tickets, what to expect, practical tips for visitors [2025 update].
There is only one thing more exciting than visiting the Colosseum: visiting the Colosseum at night!
During a selected number of months each year, the Roman Colosseum opens its doors in the evening and welcomes visitors to explore its ancient spaces after dark.
The experience is magical: under the spell of Rome’s summer sky, when you visit the Colosseum at night, you feel transported into a different time and the interplay of light and shadow makes the monument even more fascinating and mysterious than it usually is.
On top of this, the number of people allowed in at night is significantly lower than during the day, so you feel more intimately connected with the monuments and its infinite stories.
Night entrance to the Colosseum is by guided tour only and it is offered from the official site only (more about it later in this post).
This tour includes a visit to the gory underbelly of the amphitheater and access to the area, so that you fully experience the open air marvel of the theatre’s seating area where the Emperor and lesser Roman cities came together to watch the famous hunts and shows.
While the tour doesn’t cover the entirety of the monument, the journey along the underground corridors and the area make the place come to life and offers fantastic photo opportunities and learning moments.
I have visited the Colosseum many times (I am from Rome and go to the Colosseum every time a new opening, tour or exhibition comes up!) and I highly recommend this night experience.
Whether you have already been to the Colosseum or are planning a first visit, I dearly recommend you try and secure a ticket for a night visit: it is an experience you will keep with you forever!
Colosseum at night – dates and prices for ‘A night at the Colosseum’
The evening tours of the Colosseum are called ‘Una Notte al Colosseo’ aka ‘A night at the Colosseum’ (this replaced the previous program, called Luna Sul Colosseo’ which was managed by a different company).
Night entrance to the Colosseum is by guided tour ONLY and at present is only offered by the Colosseum Official website https://ticketing.colosseo.it
The night tours reopened in mid May 2025 and will run for the summer season. At present that are only available on selected dates but these are likely to increase as the season progresses.
How to get tickets to visit the colosseum at night – step by step with photos
Night tickets to the Colosseum get released 7 days ahead of the desired day of tour visit.
From observation, they seem to come out at the time of the tour, so if you are hoping to enter at 10.30pm, tickets will go online for sale at 10.30pm one week ahead (All times are Rome time)
To get nigh tickets to the Colosseum, head to the Colosseum Ticketing Office Website Https://ticketing.colosseo.it Verify you are human and select ‘Educational Tours’ (which is their wording for ‘guided tour’
Once on the educational tour page, scroll to ‘Night at the Colosseum’ and click on it
Scroll to choose date of visit (the ones in black are available; grey are not running; ticket symbol with red line means sold out)
Scroll more for type of tour and time
Scroll again to select type of ticket.
Depending on your party, you may need Full Price (this applies to most adults); Reduced (EU students age 18 to 25 with student ID); Free according to regulation Under 18 (kids, all nationalities).
🎟️ Please note: at present you can only buy 4 tickets per transaction.
Once done, follow payment instructions and complete purchase.
Need to know: you need to receive a confirmation per ticket. If you do not, contact them to let them know of the issue and make sure they send you the missing tickets – I have seen this happen a few times with kids tickets but always solved swiftly by their customer support.
Keep your tickets on your phone and bring them on the night along with your ID, for admission.
Night Tour of the Colosseum: what to expect
Arrival, tickets and security check
You only need to arrive to the Colosseum about 10 minutes before the start of the tour. Since there is a limited number of visitors, security checks are even faster than usual so there is not need to be there early.
If you can, however, I do recommend you head there a few minutes before, so you can see and take photos of the arch of Constantine all lit up (if you are curious, you can read here >>> all about Rome’s Triumphal Arches) and, five minutes before the start of our tour, showed up again at the entrance.
Stop 1: the arena
This new iteration of the night tour of the Colosseum starts from the arena (in the past, the tour started underground)
The arena is the stage where the battles used to take place and it is very impressive.
Standing on it, you find yourself find yourself on a stage overlooked by over 50,000 seats that would have hosted the same number of Roman citizens eager to see some action and it is hard not to get overwhelmed by the idea of what it must have been to be there to fight.
It must have been so incredibly daunting and, if you were a professional gladiator, so unbelievably thrilling too!
The area used to host animal hunts, gladiator fights and the carrying out of capital sentences.
The arena is one of the most visually impressive parts of the Colosseum and it is a great place to visit with a guide: gladiator fights have sparked the imagination of many and it is interesting to learn how only some of what we think we know is actually correct!
You can have a quick sense of what we learned by reading here >>> our quick summary of gladiator facts.
Stop 2. the Colosseum underground area
After the arena, you step downstairs into the underground area of the colosseum, which is basically the backstage, where all the planning and keeping of the props happened.
I spoke before, about why we recommend visiting the Colosseum underground tunnels, and I maintain that if you have the chance to visit this part, it adds a lot to the experience and understanding of what the Colosseum would have been like when active.
The area develops under the arena floor, aka under the stage, and it is where all the behind-the-scenes action happened.
Here, you see the gate the gladiators used to access the arena, the area with animal cages, the lifts to carry them up to the stage.
You also get acquainted with some elements of the structure of the Colosseum and you hear the story of why archaeologists believe the Colosseum was occasionally used for naval battles.
The tunnels used to be under the stage area and must have been awful and oppressive.
Now, they are all but: the arena floor doesn’t currently cover them.
Hence, you find yourself walking under the starry sky – a romantic, exceptional and totally out of context experience if you think this places was mostly a deadly machine but a wonderful one all the same.
Stop 3: the Jerusalem Fresco
The Colosseum is mostly associated, in popular culture, with the gladiators but there is a lot more to it than the fights.
A great glimpse of this is the painting of Jerusalem, which you can now as part of this tour. It all makes sense once you hear the full story of the monument during the tour.
The Colosseum was built in the I century and was partially built with riches coming from the taking of the Tempe of Jerusalem by Titus, an event that is, incidentally, commemorated in carvings inside of the Arch of Titus in the Roman Forum.
Very late sources (then proved wrong) mention it as a place of martyrdom for Christians and these two things together later went towards a desire to make the Colosseum make amends, so to speak.
In the XVII there was an idea to turn it into a church and indeed, it is now possible to see remains of three different Christian churches inside it and stations of the Way of The Cross.
The fresco is part of this too: it represents the town of Jerusalem as an ideal city and shows drawings of the temple, the locations of the Crucifixion and other elements such as Roman forts.
Visiting the Colosseum at night with kids: tips + need to know
I visited the Colosseum at night with my kids and we notices several other families.
The tour is not specifically for children; however, the contained duration (1h) and the friendly guide made it interesting and suitable for them.
Very small kids (toddlers) may find the tour too constricting: the tour follows a pre-organised path and you cannot go and wander so there is little respite should you have a little ones who gets restless.
It is also essential to know that while you can bring a stroller into the Colosseum, this particular tour didn’t allow them: the one family that came with one was able to leave it at the entrance and retrieve it at the end.
For older kids, the tour is a bit of a treat: the darkness and the lighting made it atmospheric and a little bit adventurous – perfect for primary school kids and teenagers.
Find here >>> all our tips for visiting the Colosseum with kids
The Colosseum at night vs day: what’s better?
A visit to the Colosseum at night feels very different to a visit during the day, so much so that I was delighted be able to do both (the advatges of being local! I can just come over and over again!).
The main differences to be aware of are:
- The Colosseum at night is by guided tour only, white during the day you can opt to visit without a guide
- The tour of the Colosseum at night includes the underground area and the arena but not the second tier
- You cannot wander freely after the end of the night tout
- The day visit to the Colosseum often includes access to the Forum. The one at night doesn’t.
Another way to look at differences is:
| What’s included | Day Access | Night access |
| Tours | Yes | Yes |
| Self guided | Yes | No |
| Underground area | Only some tickets | Yes |
| Arena access | Only some tickets | Yes |
| Upper tiers | Yes (second tier) | No |
| Forum access | Yes | No |
Overall, I feel both options are fantastic and you cannot go wrong with either. I do not believe you need to do both, to have a good experience however, I enjoyed doing both as the Colosseum is so visually different in the light and in the dark that I loved to experience both versions of it!
Why visit the Colosseum at night
Taking all of the above info account, I recommend you visit the Colosseum at night if:
- You are in Rome in summer and want to avoid the middle of the day heat
- You want to visit the Colosseum with a guide and don’t mind skipping the Forum
- You have already seen the Colosseum during the day and want to explore it from a different point of view
- You have kids and teenagers who may enjoy the adventurous feel of the evening tour
- You need a quieter experience than the busy daytime one
Why not to visit the Colosseum at night
I do not recommend you visit the Colosseum at night if you want:
- Wander at your own pace
- See the upper tiers and the exhibitions on tier 2
- Also explore the Forum (you’d need to source a separate ticket for it)
- On a very cold night
- Have very small kids
Practical tips to visit the Colosseum at night
A tour of the Colosseum required a good bit of walking, so we recommend:
- Wear comfortable shoes: the Colosseum floor is often uneven and good walking shoes or sandals are a must. You don’t need hiking shoes or anything technical but comfy sandals, sneakers or similar will take good care of your feet. Avoid heels.
- In summer, dress lightly! There is no dress code for the Colosseum and summer gets hot: make sure you dress for teh weather
- In winter, wrap up! The Colosseum can get very cold in winter: make sure you have suitable attire and dress for the weather
- Bring small bags: as much as possible, limit the size of your luggage. At night there are fewer people but bulky luggage is not allowed as it can pose security risks. A normal size crossbody bag or day backpack is ok
- When booking, choose the ‘print at home’ option so you can show your tickets on your phone with no need to print them out on paper and no need to stop at the ticket office.
How to skip the line when visiting the Colosseum at night
All tickets for the Colosseum at night are timed which means there is no line!
You only need to get to the entrance a few minutes before your turn and you’ll be let in no problem. Please do not pay extra for tickets promising you’ll skip the line: there is no need as there is not line to be skipped!
The line happened when they allowed people to get tickets on the day: if you have your ticket, there is no line and no reason to pay any extra.
I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of the tour of the Colosseum at night and it made you want to visit.
Safe travels!
The Colosseum is the most visited landmark in the city. Find here >>> all Rome top ten attractions
Additional resources to visit the Colosseum
- How to buy Colosseum tickets from the official website
- How to buy tickets to the Colosseum (4 best ways)
- How to visit the Colosseum – best tickets and tours
- How to visit the Colosseum with kids
This post was originally published in 2022 and has now been fully updated with the new experience now on offer and the new ticketing rules specific to this year