FeaturedPics, CC BY-SAColosseum: tickets, opening hours and what to see
Your Colosseum ticket decides how far you go: the first two levels, the arena floor, the underground or the attic. You enter at the booked time and stay 75 or 90 minutes.
In short
- The standard ticket stops at the first and second levels. The arena floor, the underground and the attic each need their own ticket.
- Entry is at the booked time, and the stay inside is counted: 75 minutes on the 24-hour ticket, 90 on the Full Experience tickets.
- Underground access on the Full Experience Underground and Arena ticket depends on availability.
- The same ticket opens the Roman Forum and the Palatine.
- Leave high heels and flip-flops behind: the steps are steep, and fancy dress, costumes and masks are not allowed.
- Free audio guides in Italian and English come with the official MyColosseum app.
- 189 mlength of the elliptical building
- 240mast corbels that once held the velarium
- 72construction begins under Vespasian
- 2010the underground opens to the public
Don't miss
The arena floor
From the arena floor you see the whole cavea at once, the ring of seating that held the spectators.
The hypogeum
Domitian’s tunnels under the arena, with the Fosso Labicano corridors and the hoists that lifted animals and scenery.
Entrance LII
One of the surviving numbered entrances, where the Roman numerals are still legible.
The tituli picti
In the intermediate gallery on the way to the attic, look for symbols and inscriptions traced in red on the travertine.
The velarium corbels
At the top of the outer wall, the 240 corbels that anchored the retractable awning over the crowd.
Colosseum tickets: how to get them
No separate ticket: the visit is made with a Colosseum Archaeological Park ticket.
Sold by ticketing.colosseo.it, at the official price.
| Ticket | Adult | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Colosseum, Roman Forum and PalatineTimed entry | €18Young person, EU nationals and residents €2 | Timed slot · Booking required · Name on ticket · ID checked at entry |
| Full Experience ArenaTimed entry | €24Young person, EU nationals and residents €2 | Timed slot · Booking required · On sale 7 days ahead · Name on ticket · ID checked at entry |
| Full Experience AtticTimed entry | €24Young person, EU nationals and residents €2 | Timed slot · Booking required · On sale 30 days ahead · Name on ticket · ID checked at entry |
| Full Experience Underground and ArenaTimed entry | €24Young person, EU nationals and residents €2 | Timed slot · Booking required · On sale 30 days ahead · Name on ticket · ID checked at entry |
| Membership CardAnnual pass | €50Family €80 · Young person €25 | Name on ticket · ID checked at entry |
| Only ArenaPartial access | €18Young person, EU nationals and residents €2 | Timed slot · Booking required · Name on ticket · ID checked at entry |
| A Night at the Colosseum 2026Evening entry | €50Child Free · Young person, EU nationals and residents €28 | Booking required · On sale 7 days ahead · Name on ticket · ID checked at entry |
| Full Experience Passage of CommodusGuided tour | Price on the official site | Timed slot · On sale 7 days ahead · Name on ticket · ID checked at entry |
Free entry (2026)
- Teachers
- Under 18s
- Visitors with disability and one companion
- First Sunday of the month (next: Sunday 1 November)
Which ticket is right for you?
You want the classic visit, plus the Forum and the Palatine
Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine
The standard route on the first and second levels, with 75 minutes counted inside.
You only want to stand on the arena floor
Only Arena
20 minutes on the arena floor, in and out on the Sperone Stern side.
You want the tunnels under the arena
Full Experience Underground and Arena
Underground and arena floor, but underground access depends on availability.
You want to climb above the standard route
Full Experience Attic
The intermediate gallery and the third level, then steep steps to the attic.
You want the vaulted passage under the officials’ gallery
Full Experience Passage of Commodus
A 25-minute guided visit, in groups of up to 8.
Your visit, step by step
Intermediate gallery (Full Experience Attic)
The gallery between the second and third levels
Walk it along its whole length, under lighting that picks out original plaster.
Intermediate gallery
The water management system
Panels in Italian and English, set beside drawings and prints by Luigi Canina.
Intermediate gallery
The tituli picti
Symbols, drawings and inscriptions traced in red on the travertine blocks.
Upper cavea
The third level
You reach it with a dedicated hoist.
Top of the building
The levels above it, the attic
The last stretch is on foot, up steep steps.
Your ticket sets the floors you reach
Inside the Colosseum, the route depends on your ticket. The standard ticket covers the first and second levels.
The arena floor, the underground and the attic each need a specific ticket, and the guide to the Colosseum park tickets compares them. Your ticket also covers the Roman Forum and the Palatine.
With a booked ticket, you enter at the time printed on it, and your stay inside is counted:
- 75 minutes on the 24-hour ticket
- 90 minutes on the Full Experience tickets.
At the end, you must leave the monument. Where you go in depends on the ticket too:
- The standard entrance is not far from the Arch of Constantine, near the so-called Valadier Spur.
- The Only Arena ticket uses the Sperone Stern side, both in and out.
The first and second levels: the cavea and the view out
The standard route covers the first and second levels. The cavea is the raked area that once held the seating. The building is an ellipse 189 meters long and 156 meters wide, and estimates of its audience range from 50,000 to 80,000 spectators at different points in its history.
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The seating followed rank, from the arena upward:
- The senators sat on a broad podium and could bring their own chairs.
- Above them came the knights, then ordinary citizens.
- Domitian added a further level at the very top.
Each row was numbered, so a seat could be designated exactly. The numbers are still on the building. Every entrance and staircase was numbered, and entrances XXIII to LIIII survive. On entrance LII, the Roman numerals can still be seen.
On the second level, the Colosseum Museum has its exhibition areas, and the official description points to the views of the city from the external arches. For visitors with reduced mobility, an elevator connects the first and second tiers.
The arena floor, and what is under it
The arena was a wooden floor covered with sand. The Latin word for sand is harena, or arena. It is an ellipse 87 meters by 55 meters, surrounded by a wall 5 meters high above which the seating rose.
Little remains of the original floor. From the arena floor you get a complete view of the cavea where the spectators sat. The Only Arena ticket gives you 20 minutes there.
The spectacles were animal hunts and gladiatorial games until the end of the ancient period. In 438, Valentinian III abolished the gladiatorial games, and the building began a slow decline. Centuries later, Pope Benedict XIV forbade quarrying the Colosseum and erected Stations of the Cross around the arena, which stayed until February 1874.
The underground of Domitian
The underground, the hypogeum, was not part of the original building. Domitian had it built as a series of tunnels to house animals and slaves, and it put an end to the flooding of the arena for naval battles.
Good to know
On the Full Experience Underground and Arena ticket, access depends on availability.
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Elevators and pulleys raised scenery, props and caged animals to the surface. The network opened to the public in the summer of 2010.
The park’s night route through the underground lists what there is to see: the corridors of the Fosso Labicano, the eastern and western maneuvering chambers, the hoists and lifts, and a walkway through the perimeter corridors. Two more stops close it:
- On the way out, by the stairs under the Triumphal Gate, a mural painting with a view of Jerusalem shows how the building was used and reused over the centuries.
- A permanent exhibition on the protagonists of the games, with original exhibits and reconstructions of armor, is also part of the night route.
The Passage of Commodus is a vaulted underground passage that linked the pulvinar, the gallery for the highest officials at the southern end of the minor axis, with the outside. It was not in the original plans either: it was dug into the foundations at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. It is seen on a guided visit of 25 minutes, in groups of up to 8.
Up to the attic
The Full Experience Attic takes you above the standard route. You can walk the intermediate gallery, between the second and third levels, along its whole length.
The third level is reached with a dedicated hoist, but the attic itself only by climbing steep steps.
Along the way, five stages of panels in Italian and English explain the highest parts of the cavea, in the order of the route above.
The panels are accompanied by drawings and prints by Luigi Canina, and the gallery’s lighting picks out original patches of white and red plaster, with traces of ancient and more recent occupation.
Reduced mobility
The park reserves the panoramic lift for people with reduced mobility who have genuine and documented difficulty with stairs.
Reading the outer wall
The surviving facade has three storeys of arches under a tall attic. The arcades are framed by engaged columns of the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders, and the attic carries Corinthian pilasters.
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Look at the top: 240 mast corbels there once supported the velarium, a retractable awning that kept sun and rain off the crowd.
The north side of the outer wall is still standing. The rest of its story shows in what is missing:
- 72 to 80: Construction began under Vespasian in 72 and was completed under Titus in 80.
- 1349: The great earthquake of 1349 brought down the outer south side, which lay on less stable alluvial ground.
- Middle Ages and Renaissance: In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the building served as a quarry, and part of its stone went into St. Peter’s Basilica.
- Early 19th century: The triangular brick wedges at each end of the surviving wall are early 19th-century additions, built to shore it up.
The name itself comes from outside the walls: the building became known as the Colosseum because of a colossal statue that stood nearby.
Opening hours
| Period | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All year | Tuesday and Thursday night visits | 8 pm to 11 pm last entry 9:50 pm |
| 1 October to 24 October | Every day | 8:30 am to 6:30 pm last entry 5:30 pm |
| 25 October to 31 December | Every day | 8:30 am to 4:30 pm last entry 3:30 pm |
| ||
Before you go
- The park warns that the amphitheater has some very steep steps and paths that are at times rough and uneven, and it advises against high heels and flip-flops.
- Fancy dress, costumes and masks are not allowed.
- Small dogs, admitted in the open areas of the Forum and Palatine, are excluded from the Colosseum.
- For the commentary, the official MyColosseum app offers free audio guides in Italian and English that follow you from the underground to the intermediate gallery and the attic.
Accessibility
- Lift
- Yes
Map and nearby sights
Frequently asked questions
How long can you stay inside the Colosseum?
Your time inside is counted from the booked entry: 75 minutes on the 24-hour ticket and 90 minutes on the Full Experience tickets. When it runs out, you leave the monument.
Does the standard Colosseum ticket include the underground?
No. It covers the first and second levels only. The underground, the arena floor and the attic each need a specific ticket, and on the Underground and Arena ticket access depends on availability.
Where is the Colosseum entrance?
The standard entrance is near the Arch of Constantine, by the Valadier Spur. Only Arena ticket holders go in and out on the Sperone Stern side.
Is there an elevator in the Colosseum?
Yes, between the first and second tiers. Toward the attic, a hoist reaches the third level, but the attic itself means steep steps. The panoramic lift is kept for people with documented difficulty with stairs.
Can I bring my dog to the Colosseum?
Small dogs are allowed in the open areas of the Forum and Palatine, but not inside the Colosseum.
Does the Colosseum ticket include the Roman Forum?
Yes, the ticket also covers the Roman Forum and the Palatine.
Nearby
Christoph Strässler, CC BY-SAArchaeological site0.5 km awayPalatine Hill
The House of Augustus. The emperor’s own residence, a group of several buildings. It is closed on Mondays and is not on the 24-hour ticket’s list.Rome, Italyfrom €18
Nhartmannphotos, CC BY-SAArchaeological site0.6 km awayRoman Forum
The Curia Iulia. The Senate House rebuilt by Julius Caesar, saved as the church of Sant’Adriano. It is not on the 24-hour ticket.Rome, Italyfrom €18
Wilfredor, CC0Landmark1.4 km awayTrevi Fountain
Oceanus and his chariot. In the central niche, Pietro Bracci’s Oceanus drives a shell-shaped chariot pulled by a restive horse and a calm one.Rome, Italyfrom €2
Julian Lupyan, CC0Landmark1.6 km awayPantheon
The oculus. The open eye at the top of the dome has never been covered: rain lands on the floor and runs off through drains in the paving.Rome, Italyfrom €7Sources
- colosseo.it official 21 pages
- Wikimedia Commons 3 pages
- Wikipedia
- wikidata.org 2 pages
Facts last checked on 15 October 2026. Prices and opening hours change, often in January: confirm on the official website before you go.