Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill Tickets

There are many places in Rome that leave you speechless just by looking at them, but the Colosseum will win your heart and soul as a traveller. I'll tell you all the details so that your visit to the world's most famous amphitheatre is unbeatable.

The cheapest option

Colosseum Guided tour with arena access & Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

Explore the Colosseum with a guided tour and access to the arena area, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill.

Experience the Colosseum like a Roman gladiator. Walk around every corner and even enter the arena area where the greatest spectacles of Ancient Rome were performed.

From £69 at Hellotickets

This guided tour lasts about two and a half hours and takes you back in time. You will have the chance to tour this gladiatorial temple with an expert who will tell you details of the history and anecdotes.

You will be able to take countless unique photos and make the most of one of the most important attractions of the Roman capital.

Recommended if... you want to get the full experience of the Colosseum but don't have much time to dedicate to the experience.

The most complete option

Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Guided tour with Optional Arena

Discover the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill with an expert guide

Travel to Ancient Rome and live a complete experience with this guided tour to the places that marked the history of the empire and the destiny of today's civilisation.

From £35 at Hellotickets

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Visit the most iconic points of the Roman capital and what consolidated the empire in the past. This 3-hour tour will take you on a journey through the past and you will be able to feel like a gladiator or an emperor.

You will be accompanied at all times by a professional guide who will tell you the facts and events in the same place where they took place.

Recommended if... you have little time in Rome and you want to save time, saving you the trouble of running out of tickets.

When it comes to booking a visit to the Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine Hill, you will realise that choosing the best guided tour of the Colosseum is not easy. In fact, you will find a variety of options to suit all budgets.

In general, the most important thing to look out for is that the tickets are included (so you won't be surprised if you have to pay extra at the door). It is also important that it includes direct access to avoid having to queue at the entrance. And, in addition, you can choose between those with access to the arena.

In Hellotickets, all options include tickets with access without queues and depending on your budget you can choose between the different options. In addition, all of them have free cancellation if your trip suffers last minute changes.

In general, if you book a tour of the Colosseum you should expect it to last about two and a half to three hours. At first it seemed like a short time, but I realised that visiting the site with a specialised guide makes it twice as long as it would be if you were to see it on your own.

There is also an express tour of the Colosseum which is only an hour and a half long if you don't have that much time or just prefer a shorter tour.

Later I will compare my experience with other travellers who did longer tours and most of them agreed on the same thing: it was difficult to keep your attention for the whole time and the last explanations were too dense.

The best time of day to visit the Colosseum in Rome is early in the morning, just as it opens (usually around 8:30am), or late in the day, close to its closing time. This way, you will avoid the large crowds and enjoy a quieter experience as much as possible.

And I say as far as possible, because you have to bear in mind when booking your guided tour of the Colosseum that you are visiting one of the most visited monumental complexes in the world. In fact, if you have the opportunity, make the visit on a weekday, as there are fewer visitors than on weekends.

Visiting the Colosseum on a guided tour has many advantages: you will get to know its history, legends and architecture in depth. Moreover, with tours that also include entrance tickets and a guided visit to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, the experience is much more complete. But if you are looking for a more intimate and authentic visit, I recommend choosing a small group tour.

If the average general tour of the Colosseum and Forum is 25 people, there are other tours like this one that have the option of an average of 16 people. You can consider this option if you are travelling with a large group and this way the guide will be practically private for you.

After the tour, I can say that what I appreciated the most was the fact that we were able to visit the Colosseum without waiting or queuing, in a group of 25 people and with access to areas that are not normally seen on the individual tour on your own. This is something I loved doing on my visit to Rome.

Ana's Traveller Tip

If you want to get a stunning view of the Forum without paying admission, go from the Piazza del Campidoglio.

If you are booking a visit to the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill, here are the stops that all tours usually make, although if you choose the private guided tour, you can deviate from the standard itinerary and ask the guide to adapt it to suit your tastes.

Colosseum of Rome

This is the main point of the tour and the one that gets the most time. Almost all of us had seen Gladiator and knew about the gladiator and animal fights that took place in the Roman amphitheatre, what I, for example, didn't know and what we were told on the tour was that naval battles were also recreated here.

It was very curious to imagine the Colosseum in a different context and to see how all the shows that took place here were possible thanks to the maximum use of the amphitheatre's engineering.

Palatine Hill

Close to the Colosseum and next to the Forum, this is one of the oldest points in the city and the most central of the seven hills of Rome. I remember very fondly that they chose this spot to tell us the story of Romulus and Remus as it was here that Romulus founded the city.

If you don't know the story or have forgotten it, I recommend that you don't look up anything before the visit and listen to the guide's explanations as if you were being told the story for the first time. Even if you choose the standard group guided tour of the Colosseum, you will visit this part of the Forum as well, as it is included.

Roman Forum

After seeing the Palatine Hill we moved on to the Roman Forum; it was one of the parts I was looking forward to the most because during the individual tour there is no information available to better understand what we are seeing. Probably on the guided tour of the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum you will have more time to ask your questions to the guide, but they are all very professional and will try to answer your questions during the visit.

After pointing out the different parts of the Forum (the temples of Saturn, Venus, Vesta, etc.) he explained to us what kind of activities and ceremonies took place here. We all knew that this enclave was the centre of Roman social life, but I think after the explanations we really understood why.

Have you already booked your visit to the Colosseum? Well, here are some recommendations you should know so that, once you're there, there are no mishaps to spoil your visit to one of the main monuments of the Roman city.

What should you take with you?

When you pack your backpack, don't forget the voucher you receive by e-mail when you book the tour (the tickets will be given to you by the guide); if you can't print it out, don't worry because you can show the e-mail. It is very hot in the Colosseum and especially in the Forum, so bring water, a hat, sunscreen and cool clothes if it is summer. Although the guided tours are not usually long, bring something to eat as food is not normally included in the tours in this area.

How to get to the meeting point?

The meeting point will be near the Colosseum and the guide will tell you how to find it. To get to the Colosseum from the centre of Rome you can take the metro line B to the Colosseo stop (the easiest option), buses C3, 60, 81, 85, 87, 175, 628 or tram number 3. If you are staying in the centre of Rome you can also walk there; the Colosseum, although not in the centre, is accessible on foot.

Eating in the area

If you finish your tour of the Colosseum and Forum at lunch or dinner time, it's best to stay away to avoid crowds and overheated food, but if you take the guided tour you have the option of asking the guide to recommend a nearby place that isn't too touristy for a more authentic meal.

Colosseum tours with children

If you are going to visit the Colosseum with children, the private guided tour of the Colosseum and the Forum can be a good option because, if there are children in the group, they often introduce anecdotes that may interest them and adapt part of the speech for them. However, you will also find tours that are fully adapted for children and can be a good option to awaken their interest in the history of the place.

Special options

If you are travelling with someone with reduced mobility, make sure that the guided tour you choose is adapted for this group. The Colosseum has several wheelchairs available for visitors.

If you are going to Rome, bear in mind that you can book a night tour of the Colosseum, an option you should consider, as having the opportunity to explore this monumental complex at nightfall, under the light of the stars, could be described as an almost magical and more intimate experience, as there are fewer tourists than at other times of the day.

However, you should bear in mind that the availability of these tours depends on the season and demand. It is essential to book in advance, as this experience is very popular and the number of places is more limited.

Finally, here are some practical tips for your guided tour of the Colosseum.

Photographs

The main tip I am going to give you is for any guided tour in Rome. If you love photography, there are hundreds of places in Rome that will delight you, but don't try to take too many pictures during the guided tour.

You will have plenty of time to take pictures of the Colosseum from the outside. During the visit, enjoy the explanations and let yourself be seduced by the surroundings. In exchange, here are a couple of places from which you can take impressive photos of these two monuments:

Beware of the heat

I also have to repeat to you to be careful with the high temperatures. Bear in mind that the Forum is an esplanade where there is no shade and that during the visit the heat can be very intense. Take plenty of water to hydrate yourself and protect yourself from the sun.

What to do with backpacks and luggage

Finally, please note that you will not be able to enter the Colosseum with large backpacks or luggage, so avoid taking this guided tour the day before you leave for the airport or just upon arrival without stopping by your hotel.

Along with the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums are the most emblematic site in Rome and have so much to offer that it is worth visiting them with someone who can tell you all about their history in an entertaining way. You can check out this article I wrote about Vatican Guided Tours.

I wouldn't forget the Galleria Borghese, one of the most spectacular places in the city and one that often goes unnoticed by tourists. I leave you here the guide of Borghese Gallery in Rome Tickets and Tours for you to consult.

If you prefer more complete tours of the city, I recommend you to read Top 11 tours of Rome. I'm sure you'll find the one that best suits your tastes, as the range of tours and guided visits of the city is endless!