How to Skip the Line at the Colosseum

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Colosseum tickets – need-to-knows

The first thing to know is that the ticket for the Colosseum also gets you into the Forum and the Palatine Hill, and vice versa.

Secondly, the Palatine and the Forum are in the same complex, and you can access them through the same entrance (more on that later), while the Colosseum has to be entered via a separate entrance: a huge door in the base of the massive stadium.

Thirdly finding tickets for the right time and date on the official Colosseum website can be very tricky.

How to skip the line at the Colosseum

Here are your options for skipping the line at the Colosseum.

Buy a Colosseum entrance ticket from a reseller
Try to find tickets on the official Colosseum website
Book a small-group guided tour
Book a private guided tour
Use a discount/tourist card

1. Buy a Colosseum entrance ticket from a reseller

Because of significant availability problems with official tickets, you can buy a Colosseum entrance ticket for €24 from a reseller (or for €30 with arena floor access). The ticket will also get you in to the Forum and Palatine Hill. This is because the official site is experiencing a ‘ticket drought’. If you’re still having problems, you could also try to get a last-minute ticket.

Colosseum key info

Colosseum opening hours 2019:
Feb 16 – Mar 15: 8.30am – 5.00pm
Mar 16 – Mar 30: 8.30am – 5.30pm
Mar 31 – Aug 31: 8.30am – 7.15pm
Sep 1 – Sep 30: 8.30am – 7.00pm
Oct 1 – Oct 26: 8.30am – 6.30pm
Oct 27 – Dec 31: 8.30am – 4.30pm
(last admission always 1 hour before close)
Only closed Christmas day and New Year’s Day

Nearest metro station:
Colosseo (Line B)

Click to enlarge or download

Important note: the authorities that run the Colosseum have recently changed the ticketing rules and it has become increasingly difficult to find a ticket for the date you want on the official website (below). However you may still find tickets for the date you want via a last-minute ticket reseller system.

2. Buy tickets from the official Colosseum website

The cheapest method should be to go direct to the official Colosseum website and buy a basic entrance ticket for the Colosseum and Forum/Palatine there. HOWEVER there is very restricted availability: as noted in the key info on this page, it’s often impossible to find tickets for the day/time you want, which is why we recommend paying slightly more to buy from a reseller, to guarantee getting the date that you need.

3. Book a small-group guided tour

Book a small-group guided tour of the Colosseum for €55 per adult. Having a guide is the best way to bring the monument alive, helping to recreate the sights, sounds, and stories of gladiatorial combat and wild animals as you gaze at the vast structure. Your ticket is also good for the Forum and Palatine.

4. Book a private guided tour

If you’d prefer, you can book a private guided tour starting at €115.80 (minimum 2 guests, reductions for higher numbers). Though slightly more expensive than a small-group guided tour, you benefit from one-on-one interaction with your guide to ask as many questions as you please.

5. Use a Discount / Tourist Card

Buy a discount card such as the Roma Pass, Omnia Card, or the new, downloadable Rome Tourist Pass. All of these solutions allow you to walk past the lines. Note however that the Roma Pass and Omnia Card now require you to book a Colosseum visit time-slot too for €2. This must be done on the “standard ticket” page of the official website. If you can find an available time-slot, go through the motions of buying a full-price ticket, and in the options you will find the page that allows you to pay €2 just for an entrance time.

How Colosseum tickets work

Whichever way you buy the ticket you’ll be emailed a PDF voucher, and then you will need to print it out. This voucher needs to be converted into a ticket at the first site you visit.

For the Colosseum this can be done at any of the ticket-holders-only booths just inside the Colosseum door. However during peak months of the year there are temporary booths on the other side of the street from the Metro station that will do this too. If you are entering the Forum/Palatine complex first, you do this at the main Forum ticket booth, indicated on the map. Note that the lines here are usually much shorter.

Note that the Colosseum operates a strict capacity control of 3,000 people at any one time, which during peak times can affect your waiting time even if you have a ticket.

Insider tip: if you haven’t been able to buy a Colosseum ticket in advance, we recommend making your way to the ticket office at the Forum entrance (marked on the map above: down the lane opposite the end of Via Cavour) where the lines are much less brutal, and you can buy a combined ticket there without so much waiting in line.

How to skip the line at the Colosseum

Colosseum tickets – need-to-knows

How to skip the line at the Colosseum