Are the Colosseum and the Roman Forum the same ticket?

Yes. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill are one archaeological park and are sold together. The arena floor and the underground levels of the Colosseum need a ticket that names them.

How old is the Colosseum?

It was begun in the year 72 under the emperor Vespasian and opened in 80 under his son Titus, so it is a little over 1,940 years old.

Is it worth going inside the Colosseum?

Yes. From outside you see a wall. From inside you see how the building worked: the tiers of seats, the eighty entrances, and the tunnels under the arena where the animals and gladiators were kept.

How much time do you need for the Colosseum and the Roman Forum?

Allow 3 to 4 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

Number 1 of 20 in Rome

Colosseum and Roman Forum: ancient Rome in one morning

The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill are three parts of one site in the middle of the city. Together they are the reason most people come to Rome.

The Colosseum seen across the ruins and pines of the Roman Forum. — Wilfredor, CC0

The columns and paving of the Roman Forum under a blue sky, seen from above. — Kirk F, CC0

What it is: Monument
Time to allow: 3 to 4 hours
Cost: Ticket
Best time: At opening, or in the last two hours of the day

Rome this week

Why the Colosseum and the Roman Forum is worth it

The Colosseum was begun under the emperor Vespasian in the year 72 and opened under his son Titus in 80. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built: an ellipse 189 metres long and 156 wide, with an outer wall 48 metres high, that held somewhere between fifty and eighty thousand people. They came for gladiators, animal hunts and executions, through eighty numbered entrances.

A few minutes' walk away is the Roman Forum, the valley between the Palatine and the Capitoline hills that was the centre of public life: the place of elections, trials, triumphal processions and the Senate. What you walk through today is a field of columns, arches and paving, and it takes a little imagination. It rewards it.

Above the Forum is the Palatine, the hill where Rome was said to have been founded and where the emperors, from Augustus onwards, built their houses. The word palace comes from its name. It is the quietest of the three and has the best view of the other two.

What to see

Inside the Colosseum
From the first and second tiers you look down into the hypogeum, the two floors of tunnels and cages under the arena where animals and fighters waited. It was added under Domitian, after the building opened.
The arena floor
Part of the wooden floor has been rebuilt. Standing on it, at the level of the gladiators, you see the building as they did: all of it, above you, at once.
The Via Sacra and the Arch of Titus
The main street of the Forum, walked by every triumphal procession, runs from the Arch of Titus down to the Senate House and the Arch of Septimius Severus.
The Palatine terraces
The ruins of the imperial palaces end in terraces over the Forum on one side and the Circus Maximus on the other. Bring water and go up last, when the light is low.

How to do it well

Book a ticket for a set time, days ahead in high season. Tickets carry the visitor's name, so bring an identity document.
The same ticket covers the Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine. The arena floor and the underground levels are extra, and sell out first.
Do the Colosseum first, at the time on your ticket, then the Forum, then the Palatine. There is almost no shade in the Forum: in summer, be done by noon.
Enter the Forum from the gate on Via dei Fori Imperiali or the one by the Arch of Titus. The queue at the Colosseum is for the Colosseum only.
For the best free view of the Forum, walk up to the Capitoline Hill and go round the back of the Senator's Palace.

Where it is

Address

Piazza del Colosseo, at the end of Via dei Fori Imperiali

Nearest station

Colosseo, on line B

Museums and sights nearby

Distances are in a straight line.

Tickets and tours: Colosseum and Roman Forum

Colosseum and Roman Forum: common questions

Are the Colosseum and the Roman Forum the same ticket?: Yes. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill are one archaeological park and are sold together. The arena floor and the underground levels of the Colosseum need a ticket that names them.
How old is the Colosseum?: It was begun in the year 72 under the emperor Vespasian and opened in 80 under his son Titus, so it is a little over 1,940 years old.
Is it worth going inside the Colosseum?: Yes. From outside you see a wall. From inside you see how the building worked: the tiers of seats, the eighty entrances, and the tunnels under the arena where the animals and gladiators were kept.
How much time do you need for the Colosseum and the Roman Forum?: Allow 3 to 4 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

What visitors say about the Colosseum and the Roman Forum

Rating from Google

4.8

507,568 ratings on Google

Google's figures as read on 6 October 2026.

Read every review on Google

Things to do near the Colosseum and the Roman Forum

The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.

All 20 things to do in Rome

Hotels near the Colosseum and the Roman Forum

The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in Rome. Distances are in a straight line.

All 20 hotels in Rome, ranked

All 20 things to do in Rome Museums and attractions in Rome