The Colosseum is undoubtedly the most exciting of the monuments of ancient Rome.

In this imposing and majestic structure a huge crowd of bloodthirsty Romans admired the fights between gladiators and the condemned to death against, ferocious beasts.

Unlike the Forum, the Colosseum requires no special stretch of the imagination to immerse oneself in the exciting fight scenes of 2,000 years ago.

With more than seven million visitors each year, the Colosseum is Italy’s top tourist attraction.

colosseo panorama

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  • At any time during your visit, imagine the screams of 50,000 Roman spectators as gladiators fight;
  • Explore the spaces dedicated to gladiators and put yourself in the center of the arena like them;
  • Discover the labyrinth beneath the arena where the ferocious beasts awaited combat.

Colosseum: Info, tickets and fares

Address:

Colosseum Square, 00186 Rome RM

Metro:

Line B – Stop “Colosseum”

Tickets:

  • Priority admission
    – Basic priority ticket (includes Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill). Starting from €24.
  • Priority Admission (Last Minute)
    – Discounted ticket for visiting in the next 2 days (Limited availability). Starting from €24.
  • Priority Entrance + Arena Floor
    – Basic ticket + access to the Colosseum Arena. Starting at €29.
  • Priority Entrance + Video Guide
    – Basic Ticket + Video Guide for the Colosseum. Starting from 28€.
  • Rome Tourist Card (bestseller)
    – Discover the best of Rome with this popular cumulative ticket. Includes access to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica (official guided tour) and more!
  • Can’t find availability? Try to purchase your tickets on this site as well.

Opening hours:

  • Daily 10:30 a.m.-7:10 p.m. (last admission 6:15 p.m.).
  • Closed on January 1 and December 25.

Dress code:

Free

The Colosseum is one of the most famous and most popular tourist attractions in the world. For this reason you will easily find rather long queues at any time of the year.

To make your stay in Rome more intense, visiting more attractions and avoiding queues, a ticket with “priority admission” to be purchased online is highly recommended.

Some details to remember:

  • Admission to the nearby ancient sites of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are included in the price of all Colosseum tickets.
  • Tickets are sent via e-mail. You can print them out or show them on your phone at the door.
  • Electronic tickets are valid for 24 hours after activation.
  • You can choose a 30-minute time slot anytime from 09:00 to 15:00.
  • The assigned time slot could be 30 minutes different from the one chosen.
  • The maximum time you can enter after the allocated slot is 15 minutes.

Guided tour of the Colosseum

If you want to get the most out of your visit to the Colosseum, it is highly recommended that you book the official guided tour.
You will be accompanied by an experienced guide for a 3-hour tour, discovering this incredible monument, its curiosities and all its secrets.

Important information:

  • While booking, choose your time slot online, but try to arrive a little earlier;
  • Remember to bring photo ID, paper or smartphone ticket;
  • Rescheduling is possible up to 24 hours before the visit.
Book the guided tour

Roma Tourist Card: cultural tourism card of Rome

To get the most out of your visit to Rome, it is very advantageous to purchase the Roma Tourist Card.

In addition to access to the Colosseum, you can also visit other famous Roman attractions with the same pass: skip-the-line tickets to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel; a guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica; and entrance to the Pantheon with an audio guide.

Just select the dates of your stay in Rome and you will receive your tickets directly via Email.

Important ticket information:

  • Includes priority access.
  • The Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican and Sistine Chapel are the included attractions.
  • It is a digital pass.
  • The Rome Tourist Card has no time limit, can be used and remains valid for the entire stay.
  • Booking a time slot works the same way as the previous two tickets.
Buy Rome tourist card

Colosseum: what to see and what to do

Colosseo esterno

The largest amphitheater in Rome was built by Vespasian in 72 AD. This magnificent structure was the place where the imperial passion for bloody spectacles reached the height of excess

The exterior of the Colosseum

The experience of visiting the Colosseum begins immediately just before entering it.
 
The two centuries of history of this structure have left us The Colosseum imperious and magnificent from the north side, but rather dilapidated from the south side.
 
100,000 cubic meters of travertine from Tivoli were used to build the outer walls. The outer ring is divided into four superimposed planes. Three levels of arches framed by Tuscan, Ionic, Corinthian columns and a blind fourth floor.
 
In ancient times the arches of the second and third level were embellished with marble statues.
 
On the upper part of the structure rested 240 poles which supported a huge fabric marquee, the Velarium, which covered the stands protecting the spectators from the elements.
 
The colosseum had eighty side entrances called “vomitoria” through which people could enter and exit in a matter of minutes.

The stands

The interior of the Colosseum was able to accommodate from 50,000 to nearly 90,000 spectators.

The stands, that is, the area reserved for the audience, was called the “Cavea” and was divided into three rings.

Spectators were assigned to each ring according to the rank they possessed: the closer the seats were to the arena, the more important citizens were.

In the lowest ring sat the magistrates and high officials, in the middle ring sat the wealthy citizens, and in the top ring sat the rest of the people.

The Podium, a large terrace in front of the stands was reserved for the emperor, senators, and important figures.

The Arena

Colosseo arena
Entering the arena is an incredible experience, especially if you have a wild imagination. Indeed, it is impressive to imagine being right where so much blood has been shed, surrounded by a crowd of 50,000 Roman citizens who are screaming and cheering.
 
The arena had a wooden floor covered with sand, which served to prevent the gladiators from slipping and absorbing the spilled blood. The word “arena” in fact derives from the Latin word of the same name which means sand.
 
Trapdoors led to the hypogeum, the complex of rooms under the floor.

The Hypogeum

ipogeo colosseo
The hypogeum was the area below the arena where the equipment was prepared and the gladiators and wild beasts gathered before the start of the Games.
 
It is perhaps the most mysterious and fascinating area of the entire building.
 
This area was directly connected to the “Ludus Magnus” what today we would commonly call gymnasium.
 
You can also see another tunnel called the “passage of Commodus” which was the path that allowed the Emperor to enter the interior of the Colosseum while avoiding the crowds.
 
Inside the hypogeum there was also a complicated system of counterweight elevators which were used to lift the animal cages up to the level of the reindeer.
 
This underground area can only be visited from 2021 and is not included in the basic ticket.

Curiosities about the Colosseum

  • Emperor Trajan, to celebrate his victory over the Dacians, organized games for 117 days inside the Colosseum, during which 9,000 gladiators and 10,000 beasts fought;
  • The Colosseum was known as the Flavian Amphitheater in honor of the Flavian dynasty to which Emperor Vespasian belonged.
  • The name Colosseum dates back to the Middle Ages and refers to the “colossus of Nero,” a giant statue that stood nearby.
  • Performances included fierce beard fights or gladiator fights. It was rare for rodent fights to end with the death of one of your fighters, because the organizers would have to compensate the owner of the gladiator who was killed;
  • The Colosseum was so well designed that it seems it could be completely emptied in ten minutes;
  • From the mid-14th century to the 18th century, the Colosseum became a travertine quarry for the building sites of other structures in the city, including St. Peter’s Basilica;
  • Where the Colosseum stands today there was a lake with a small stream. After the great burning of 64 AD. Nero decided to build the Domus Aurea. The Lake was included in the palace gardens to stage naval battles;
  • There were already tickets inside the Colosseum, which were actually wooden tablets on which the entrance, row, sector, and assigned seat were engraved.

History of the Colosseum

  • 72 AD. Emperor Vespasian begins construction of the Colosseum.
  • 80 AD. Titus, son of Vespasian, inaugurated the amphitheater with 100 days of games.
  • 81-96 AD. The amphitheater is completed under Emperor Domitian.
  • 404 AD. Dueling between gladiators is banned.
  • 442 AD. The Colosseum is damaged by an earthquake.
  • 523 AD. Fighting with wild animals is prohibited.
  • 1200 AD. The Frangipane family turns the Colosseum into a fortress.
  • 1312 AD. Emperor Henry VII donates the Colosseum to the Senate and the Roman people.
  • 1349 AD. A strong earthquake greatly damages the Colosseum and collapses the outer shell of the south side.
  • 15th-16th Century-The ruins are used as a travertine quarry for other construction sites in the city.
  • 1750 AD. Pope Benedict XIV declares the Colosseum sacred and begins minor restoration work.
  • 19th century – More major restoration work begins and the amphitheater is cleared of vegetation.
  • 1893 AD The structure under the arena is discovered.
  • Today – The Colosseum is one of the most recognized and visited tourist attractions in the world with over 7 million visitors each year.


How to get to the Colosseum

The Colosseum is located in the center of Rome, in
Colosseum Square
.

Using the subway is recommended: take the subway line B and get off at the “Colosseum” stop.




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