Do you want to visit the Colosseum but don’t know what tickets to buy and what parts to see? In this article, I share my best advice for visiting this famous Rome attraction and I answer the question: what is the best way to visit the Colosseum?
The Colosseum is one of Rome’s most famous and visited attractions.
It sits in the center of the modern city, besides its ‘sister site’ the Roman Forum, and is one of the places most tourists flock to, pretty much at any time of day and season.
Because of this popularity, it takes a little more than just showing to visit the Colosseum.
Tickets must be booked in advance and it is paramount to show up at the correct time, lest you forfeit your slot.
Since the types of tickets on offer are many and often confusing, I have put together this guide that answers many of the most common questions about visiting the Colosseum in Rome.
In this article you will find: an easy table with the best Colosseum tickets, based on my experience and with links to to purchase tickets from reliable providers, and details on why I recommend each.
Please note: this post contains affiliate links and, should you make a purchase through them, we might make a small commission.
The best Colosseum tickets for 2023
| Ticket Info and Purchase link | Description | Best For | Drawbacks |
| 24h – Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill | Standard Entry Ticket by Parco Colosseo (Colosseum ticket office). | Budget | No arena access, Poor cancellation policy, currently only available for purchase 30 days before your visit |
| 24h Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill entry ticket | Entry ticket by Colosseum ticket office including access to the arena (no underground) | Budget | Poor cancellation policy |
| Full Experience Ticket with arena and underground of the Colosseum plus Roman Forum, Palatine Hill | Ticket by Parco Colosseo (Colosseum ticket office) including access to underground Colosseum area | Budget access to the underground | Poor cancellation policy, only available for purchase 1 month before your visit, no live guide |
| Colosseum Underground educational tour in English + Roman Forum and Palatine Hill | TOP PICK Ticket by Parco Colosseo/Coopculture for access to underground Colosseum area | Budget tour of the underground | Poor cancellation policy, only available for purchase 1 month before your visit, VERY hard to get as quickly sold out |
| Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill Priority Entry Ticket | TOP PICK Sold by GetYourGuide, this includes priority tickets to the main Colosseum area and access to the Roman Forum/ Palatine Hill | Standard access with good cancellation option | Access is to selected areas only (the arena is included). Only bookable 1 month before your visit. No live guide |
| Colosseum entry + surrounding area walking tour | Sold by Tickets, includes Colosseum entry (no tour) | Standard access tickets with the addition of a walking tour to the surrounding area | More expensive than access only tickets, it is a good alternative if the direct tickets are old out |
| Express Colosseum Tour by LivTours | TOP TOUR! Express but comprehensive small group or private tour | Includes access to the arena and live guide | High price point for high quality tour experience |
| Rome Colosseum for kids Tour | TOP TOUR FOR KIDS! Guided tour by MariaclaudiaTours | Specialized experience with live guide – budget friendly | Doesn’t include an underground area |
| Colosseum and Ancient Rome family tour for kids | Guided tour by Kids Raphael Tours and events, included Colosseum main arena area | Specialized experience tailored to kids’ needs | Price point, doesn’t include underground area |
| Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour for kids | Complete Guided Tour by LivTours including option to access the arena | Specialized experience tailored to kids’ needs | Price point, doesn’t include underground area |
| Rome Colosseum Gladiator Tour for Kids and Families | Guided tour by Pink Umbrellas, includes access to the Forum and Palatine Hill | Specialized experience tailored to kids’ needs | Doesn’t include an underground area |
Is a visit inside the Colosseum worth it?
I open my guide to visiting the Colosseum with a question that may seem redundant but I consider important: is all the hype around this monument worth it?
My answer to this as straightforward as it gets: 100% yes!
The Colosseum is wonderful and a visit inside is the best way to understand how much more than gorey gladiator stories there is to this monument.
The inside of the Colosseum is beautiful, interesting, varied, a dream for photographers and it is likely to stay as a highlight of your trip to Rome.
Read here my favorite way to include the Colosseum in your Rome itinerary
What parts of the Colosseum are worth visiting?
The Colosseum is organised in different parts and different tickets give access to some, other or all.
The different sections of the Colosseum are:
The Underground area: this is the area under the arena floor.
It is a large area organised in tunnels and passages and it used to be where the animals and theater props were kept and where the gladiators would wait for their turn to fight.
This is a very interesting area and the part of the Colosseum that best explains its functioning.
This area also has a replica of the ancient lift used to get the animals on stage and it is the most interesting one if you are visiting the Colosseum with kids!
If you want to visit the underground area, the best ticket you can get is the Full Experience Ticket by Parco Colosseo. You can add to this ticket a specialized guide you can pay separately, something I recommend especially if visiting with kids >> Click here to learn more about this option
The arena floor is the main stage area of the Colosseum.
Accessing the arena, you are where there gladiators used to fight and you will be able to see the seating (from below) and peek into the underground area (from above).
All Colosseum tickets offer access to this area. My favorite ticket for this option is this one by GetYourGuide – the cancellation option gives great peace of mind, especially if booking well in advance.
The second tier of the Colosseum is the floor above the area, which also hosts the Colosseum exhibition. This is a beautiful area with scenic views on the Colosseum inside and outside.
The belvedere tier of the Colosseum is the uppermost tier and it is the best place to catch views over the theater inside and Rome outside. In 2021 this tier is temporarily closed to the public.
The cheapest tickets allow access to the main arena area (the stage, so to speak) while more expensive tickets that include guided tours allow you to also access the underground floor and the top tiers.
Personally, I have no doubts and recommend getting the tickets that include them all.
This is why.
A visit to the arena is pleasant and allows you to get a sense of the size of the Colosseum from the inside and how it must have felt to be there to see a game.
Alone, however, it will only leave you with the curiosity to understand better and see more.
The underground is less scenic in visual terms but by far the most interesting part of the monument if you want to understand its history and inner workings.
This is the area where animals, fighters and stage props were kept and can only be accessed with a guide.
I am a classics graduate with a degree in Roman history and found this area the most interesting.
Even with my background, I learned a lot and enjoyed the marvel of engineering that are the slave maneuvered lifts to bring the animals onto the stage and complex hydraulic system under the Colosseum.
The upper tier of the Colosseum and its belvedere terrace can only be accessed with guided tours and is the most scenic area of the whole monument.
From here, you get beautiful views of the amphitheater but also sweeping views over the Roman forum nearby.
This area doesn’t teach as much as the underground passage but is the most beautiful visually and the one that offers the best photo opportunities. You can read my full review of the Colosseum visit with underground access and top tier lever visit here.
How much in advance should I book Colosseum tickets?
The best value Colosseum tickets from the official Colosseum concessions only go on sale 3/4 weeks before your visit and can, depending on the time of the year, sell out fast.
If you want to make sure you don’t miss your chance to visit, I recommend you:
- Opt for a tour by a reliable tour operator. They are skilled at securing tickets and can do the heavy lifting job of securing tickets for you
- Get a GetYourGuide tour ticket with a good cancellation option, then keep an eye on the Coopculture website closer to the time of your visit, should it be more convenient to swap.
In terms of when to get a ticket, I recommend you book your slot as soon as your trip to Rome is confirmed and plan your Rome itinerary around the time available.
What is the best time of day for visiting the Colosseum?
If you have several time slots to choose from, I recommend visiting the Colosseum at the following times:
Early morning: a great option in all seasons, this is the time when the air is cleaner (the colosseum is surrounded by a busy junction), the light brighter and the crowds at a minimum
Lunchtime: I only recommend this slot if you are in Rome in the middle of winter (January, February) to make the most of the slightly warmer hours of the day
Evening: In the good season (all except the coldest winter months) the evenings are magical at the Colosseum. Often, in summer, the Roman Forum also has a light show: combine the two for an unforgettable evening.
Are skip the line Colosseum tickets worth it? What tickets are best?
Access to the Colosseum is by reserved entrance only, therefore you can say that all tickets are skip the line tickets.
Here is a breakdown of the best ones.
Please note: this post contains affiliate links and, should you make a purchase through them, we might make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
How to skip the line at the Colosseum with reserved entrance tickets
All Colosseum tickets operate with time slots and are, therefore, ‘skip the line’.
This is different from the past, when you were able to queue outside of the Colosseum and ‘skip the line’ tickets were sold at a premium.
The best way to gain fast entrance to the Colosseum and see all the areas of the monument is buying tickets from the official Colosseum site itself.
The site is a little convoluted but you soon find your way to the page lifting all the tickets available.
The one I recommend you to select is the one including all areas.
In 2022 these are called ‘Full Experience tickets’.
They include the underground area of the Colosseum, the arena floor, the second floor with exhibition and access to the Forum.
Please note: the tickets sold directly on the Parco Colosseum / Coopculture website are the cheapest however, they do not allow for flexible booking. Only get them once you are sure of your plans.
You can buy Full Experience Colosseum tickets here.
They come in two main types called ‘accompanied’ and ‘didactic’, in Italian and English.
The ‘accompanied tour’ doesn’t include a guide and requires you to use your smartphone to download the app that will act as an audioguide during your visit.
A member of staff greets you on arrival and shows you how to use the app however, this is not a guided tour as such and all info come from the app itself.
The ‘didactic’ tour is a standard guided tour and it has an in-person guide: this tour is slightly more expensive than the ‘accompanied’ one but, I believe, a better choice.
On the day, all you need to do is to show up a little earlier than the time of the tour (20 minutes is more than enough) and you will quickly be in: the exact access gate to the Colosseum will be printed on your ticket.
Make it easy for yourself and the security guards carrying only the essential: large backpacks are not allowed so leave those at home if you can (or find a nearby luggage storage place: at the time of writing I know there is one that charges 5 Euro for the day in Via dei Santi Quattro, 3-minute walk from the Colosseum).
This ticket includes also the entrance to the Roman Forum and you can visit either on the same say as the Colosseum or the day after.
Please be advised that with this ticket the visit to the Roman Forum is self-guided. You can find my tips for visiting the Forum on your own here.
Please be advised that it is compulsory to wear masks for the visit and visitors will go through a temperature check before being allowed in.
How to skip the line at the Colosseum with a tour
Should the tours above be full or should you need better cancellation options and last minute booking opportunities, you can skip the line at the Colosseum with a private or semi private tour by a recognized operator.
There are many offering tours, some better than others, and if you pick a good quality one you will have the advantage of getting a guide as well as the swift entrance option.
These usually cover the arena floor, sometimes the underground and, often, a tour of the Roman Forum.
Tours I recommend are:
Colosseum Tour with Underground, Arena & Gladiator Gate with Roman Forum TOP SELLER
Express Colosseum Gladiator Gate and Arena Tour by LivTours
Another good provider of tours of the Colosseum (with or without arena, underground area and forum) is TheTourGuy, often coming it at a lower price point than LivTours, as offering bigger groups.
How to get shorter lines at the Colosseum hack (NO LONGER NEEDED!)
2021 Update: in 2021, Colosseum tickets can only be purchased online so this tip does not currently apply!
The options highlighted above are the only two that will guarantee a short or close to non existent waiting time at the Colosseum.
However, there is a way to get a better chance of a short line should you not want or be able to avail of either options: getting tickets at the forum ticket booth.
The forum and the Colosseum share the same entrance ticket and several ticket offices are located near the two sites.
The ticket office of the Colosseum is always full of people, while the one at the forum sees lines but usually much shorter.
If you early in the morning and head straight to this booth along Via dei Fori Imperiali, you are in with a good chance of low affluence and low crowds.
However, be advised: with this ticket you still need to line up at the main Colosseum entrance for security so the two lines combined will still take some of your time.
I hope you fond this overview useful and it helped you answer the question: what is the best way to visit the Colosseum?