How to visit the Colosseum in Rome? The Colosseum in Rome is one of the must-see places in Rome. Unfortunately, during the high season, the waiting times are extremely long. The same goes for visiting the Vatican. Discover our tips for visiting the Colosseum in Rome without losing too much time:
- Opening hours and crowds: Which days should you prefer or avoid? ?
- Buy tickets at the Colosseum in Rome on-site ?
- Avoid waiting: buy skip-the-line tickets ⭐️
- How long should you plan to visit the Colosseum? ?
1. Opening hours and tourist crowds at the Colosseum in Rome: Which days should you prefer or avoid?
How to visit the Colosseum in Rome? The Colosseum is easily accessible on foot from the central district of Rome, but you can also use public transport to get there. You can see Rome’s different central city areas here: Districts of Rome.
1.1 Colosseum of Rome opening hours
The Colosseum in Rome is open every day from 8:30 a.m. However, closing times vary depending on the season. From late March to late August, it stays open until 7:15 p.m. Outside of this period, it closes earlier.
The Colosseum in Rome is closed on January 1st and December 25th.
1.2 Which days to avoid? When to visit the Colosseum in Rome?
On the first Sunday of the month, the Colosseum in Rome is free to visit. But consequently, you can imagine the queue. So, this is a day to avoid if you have limited time to spare.
Saturdays and Sundays are the busiest.
In winter and during the middle of the week, there are far fewer people.
From April to October is when there are the most visitors. It is recommended that you get skip-the-line tickets to avoid wasting hours waiting.
2. Buy tickets on-site
Buying tickets on-site to visit the Colosseum in Rome is not the solution because there is a really long queue. We wanted to try, but as soon as we saw the queue, we understood that it was better to go through a skip-the-line (especially since it was scorching).
3. Buy skip-the-line tickets for the Colosseum in Rome: how does it work?
Skip-the-line tickets to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum are sold separately. However, this is not a problem because the Roman Forum is also a very interesting place to visit. The audio guide for the Colosseum is included in the price.
- Rates for skip-the-line tickets: tickets Colosseum of Rome + Roman Forum.
You need to select the date and the language. You must collect the tickets at the ticket counters (directions are pretty clear in the email review after the booking), which takes some time. It is thus better to arrive early (10-15 minutes before the indicated time) to collect the tickets.
Good to know! The number of people inside the Colosseum must not exceed 3,000 at a time. Sometimes, around noon, you can hear announcements urging visitors to end their visit because the Colosseum is complete and no more people can enter.
City Pass. Rome’s Go City Pass includes the Colosseum, which can be interesting if you are planning other visits. See the other possible visits with the pass here.
4. How much time to plan for a visit to the Colosseum in Rome?
We took 1 hour 30 minutes, and a total of 2 hours. From memory, the audio guide is designed for 1 hour 30 minutes, but you are not required to listen to everything; you can skip some parts.
Practical advice. There are few restaurants and cafes near the Colosseum and Roman Forum. The ones we saw were very touristy and could have been better, except for drinks. Plan to bring some sandwiches with you, so you can enjoy the visit more peacefully.
We preferred to start with the Colosseum and continue visiting the Roman Forum. We stayed there for a long time (the Roman Forum is vast, and we toured all the gardens), and it was only in the late afternoon that we saw people start to leave a little bit.
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