The Colosseum in Rome is one of the biggest and most popular attractions in the city. You can visit the Colosseum for free and wander around it but to get inside you would have to buy one of the numerous Colosseum tickets. Which is fair enough but when we started getting out itinerary together we were very confused about which Colosseum tickets to buy.
First off, I must add here that we booked our tickets online three weeks in advance and had trouble getting some slots so if you are traveling to Rome and you want to visit the Colosseum, do not put this off.
Since the main attractions like the underground and the attic were unavailable, we were restricted in our choices which was good in a way and I’ll tell you why in a bit.
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24 Hours Colosseum, Roman Forum And Palatine Hill
⭐️ Rating: 4.3/5 (6,359 Reviews) Price: $25 per person Duration: 75 min (but this depends on your pace) 📍Meeting Point: Entrance of the Colosseum Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!
When it comes to which Colosseum tickets to buy, I think this one is perfect for people who are in a hurry. If you have just a day in Rome, want to buzz through the whole of Palatine hill, catch the Roman Forum and visit the Colosseum then pick this.
Pros
These Colosseum tickets are valid for 24 hours. Not a day so the 24 hours starts ticking when you check into your first site.
Let’s assume that you started off at 4 pm today, then the ticket is valid till 4 pm the next day. Makes it very handy if you want to split the activities up between two days.
Cons
If you try to do everything in one day you will be completely exhausted. There is a lot to see inside the Palatine hill and the more you walk about the more you see.
If its one of the hotter days, then it just makes it worse. That being said, if you manage to schedule the Colosseum and the Palatine hill properly, you won’t have to head to this section of town later.
Best Suited For: People who have limited time in the city. It also works great if you want to split the time between two days then you would do your first site in the evening and the second in the morning of the following day.
Booking In Advance: I definitely recommend booking in advance.
Tours That You Should Consider: While I have linked to the Getyourguide link for tickets because that’s my affiliate, know that the Colosseum site has its own booking platform. I found that a bit confusing at first but this post of my on which Colosseum tickets to pick should clear that up for you.
In addition to this there are plenty of tours that take you through the Colosseum which are also very nice and they have them in many different languages which makes it so much easier. Here are some of the top rated ones incase that’s the way you want to go.
- Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill Tour (Very highly rated!)
- Full-Day Tour of the Colosseum, Vatican Museums and City Center (Great if you want to cover lots in a short time)
The Colosseum Underground Ticket
⭐️ Rating: 4.8/5 (163 Reviews) Price: $81 per person Duration: 2.5 hours📍Meeting Point: Colosseum entrance Details: Read more on Get Your Guide Now!
Shawn was initially very disappointed that he did not get to book the underground tickets because he thought it would be cool to see how the gladiators moved and where the animals were kept. Honestly as you can see above, these tours and tickets are well rated but I would say that they don’t really add much to your experience.
We couldn’t book this one but we could see almost everything from above. I was curious whether I was missing out on much and then did a deep dive into other people’s reviews and found the same.
That being said, if you do book this experience, do let me know what you felt about it. I am curious about how it is organized and what added value the ticket brings.
Pros
You get to see a part of the Colosseum that everyone doesn’t. These tickets are limited so you are also likely to face smaller crowds.
Cons
The tours and tickets are more expensive and you could probably look down into the underground from above. This isn’t true if you have just arena access though.
Best Suited For: This is great for everyone.
Book In Advance: These tickets sell out like crazy and you should book them at least four weeks in advance.
Other Included Areas: Roman Forum and Palatine hill
The Full Experience Tickets
If you head to the main Colosseum page you will find something called Full experience tickets. Now these tickets are rather interesting because they offer the Colosseum, the Palatine hill and the Roman Forum along with the super sites. The tickets gives you some degree of flexibility compared to the others because aside from the Colosseum which you have to book a slot, you can enter the other sites a day before or a day after the Colosseum date.
Pros
Gives you more flexibility so you can leave somethings unplanned in your trip.
Cons
Slightly more expensive than the other tickets.
For those of you wondering whether these were the Colosseum tickets that we booked. Yes they were. Not just because they were what was available but because I suck at scheduling things through the day and hopping from spot to spot. This gave me the chance to just feel the day and choose what I wanted to do when I got there.
Other Colosseum Tickets And Tours
Honestly when it came to which Colosseum tickets to choose, I was very confused because there are so many options and there are so many tours. In addition to this, there are a lot of different experiences being sold in tandem with it. Even now when I look back at it, my brain freezes for a bit so writing this post took longer than most.
My advice is to keep it simple. Don’t try to combine too many things together because as I’ve learnt the hard way, in Rome you have to plan most the important things in advance. It is just that busy. Leave a little time for spontaneity.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Colosseum
What Happens If It Rains When I Visiting The Colosseum?
This actually happened to us. Since you schedule your Colosseum tickets way in advance, you can’t prep for the weather. We got stuck in a nasty shower which was bad because there is no shade around. Especially if it falls during your time slot where you have to queue to enter.
Our Joolz AER+ stroller had its shade so one of our kids was cover at the very least. The other had her rain jacket as did we. Did we get wet. Yes! Was it cold? Yes! I would recommend carrying an umbrella too if the weather is particularly nasty. Something that we didn’t do.
Once you are inside, you will find that the lower levels of the Colosseum have some shelter but not all parts of it. Umbrellas do make it hard to navigate because the crowds are pretty insane. So rain jackets are the best when you enter.
Is The Colosseum Wheelchair Accessible?
I honestly did not expect the Colosseum to be wheelchair accessible but it was. Mind you, we don’t use a wheelchair but ever since we’ve had kids and had to push a stroller everywhere, we’ve become a bit more conscious of this.
There’s an elevator that takes you up to the higher floors which was incredibly useful. Despite the fact that our Joolz AER+ was extremely portable, our elder daughter fell asleep in it because she was exhausted. This meant that we were grateful that we did not have to wake her up or juggle a sleeping child, carry the stroller and entertain the other simultaneously.
Couple of things to note.
- Not every part will be accessible because its an old structure. They’ve done their best.
- The ground is uneven in parts because its made of old stones which aren’t evenly placed so it does get a bit difficult to navigate in places but that’s to be expected.
- The most difficult part is the crowds. That can be pretty bad despite the time slots because some people are just plain inconsiderate.
Is The Colosseum Worth Visiting?
The Colosseum is definitely worth visiting. How much you pay and what you see is definitely on you but if you are in Rome do visit it. Even if its just from the outside. I found it very remarkable how it was built. That the arena is oval and not round! It must have looked even more impressive at one point of time.
I definitely did not regret buying the Colosseum tickets if you ask me. I’ve already talked about which Colosseum tickets to buy so I won’t repeat myself there.