Colosseum Archaeological Park: tickets, opening hours and what to see

The holder’s name can be changed only once, by midnight on the seventh day before the visit, and only for a clerical error in the name, a ticket type assigned to the wrong person in the same transaction, or a serious, documented reason that prevents the visit. The night tours are stricter: no name change after purchase, and if the name does not match the ID, you are refused entry without a refund.

Free and reduced entry

Entry to Italian state museums and archaeological sites is free for visitors under 18. Children under 12 must be accompanied. A reduced rate applies to EU citizens from 18 until their 25th birthday, and, on condition of reciprocity, to citizens of non-EU states. Visitors with a disability enter free with a family member or a companion from a care service, as do school teachers with a certificate from their school.

The ticket FAQ says free tickets cannot be booked and are collected at the ticket offices, while the park’s page on free tickets says under-18s and other eligible visitors can book theirs on the official site. Both say the Full Experience tickets must be booked even when free, and the FAQ adds the Only Arena ticket. For the Full Experience Underground and Arena and the Attic, the reason given is that entries are capped. On the night tours and the Horrea Piperataria, concessions cover the admission ticket only, and everyone pays for the guided part.

There is no booking. Tickets are handed out in order of arrival at the ticket office in Piazza del Colosseo, near the Temple of Venus and Rome, and at Largo della Salara Vecchia. The park’s notice says the arena, the underground, the upper levels and the panoramic elevator of the Colosseum stay closed that day, as do the Curia Iulia and the SUPER sites. The Domus Aurea is not part of the free Sunday.

The Forum Pass SUPER is the day ticket for the Forum and Palatine without the Colosseum. It needs no time slot. Bought online, it can be used within 30 days of purchase, and once validated it is valid only for that day. It cannot be used on the free first Sunday. Its route crosses part of the Forum of Trajan, passes under Via dei Fori Imperiali and runs the length of the Forum of Caesar before reaching the Curia and the Roman Forum. The whole route is barrier-free, and the old entrance by Trajan’s Column is no longer in use.

Children under 6 go free. A Night at the Roman Forum runs on Fridays, lasts about 75 minutes and includes the House of the Vestal Virgins.

The Horrea Piperataria tour runs on Mondays for at most 10 people. It lasts 75 minutes, 45 of explanation and 30 of multimedia, and meets at the Largo della Salara Vecchia entrance. The warehouses, built by Domitian for Egyptian and Arabian spices, are seen from a walkway that is almost entirely glazed, a few centimeters above the ancient floors.

The Domus Aurea, inside the Colle Oppio park, has its own ticket. Visits are scheduled every 15 minutes on open days, and it is closed on the first Sunday of each month. Two options are sold: the ticket with an educational tour and virtual reality, or the ticket alone, without tour or virtual reality, at two set times of day. Free and reduced rates apply only to the basic ticket price.