How to visit the Colosseum in Rome

The Roman Colosseum is a must-see attraction in Italy. However, it can be difficult as a tourist to figure out the logistics of purchasing Colosseum tickets and arranging your visit. Here is how to visit the Colosseum in Rome.

Should I buy Colosseum tickets in advance?

Not only should you buy Colosseum tickets in advance – you must buy Colosseum tickets in advance. While you used to be able to walk up to purchase Colosseum tickets, things shifted during the Covid-19 pandemic, and you must now buy your tickets online before you visit.

How do I buy Colosseum tickets?

There are a couple of options. The Colosseum official website is called Coop Culture. This is where we recommend you purchase your tickets because they come directly from the venue and are the lowest price possible. The website is available in English and Italian, and as long as you read the description of the tickets you purchase carefully, it is easy to navigate.

The other option is to purchase tickets from resellers such as Tiqets or Get Your Guide. These sites are very easy to use, and they offer tickets that are refundable up until 24 hours in advance. This is useful if you need some flexibility in your plans. The tickets are just a bit more expensive than tickets purchased directly from Coop Culture.

But there is a significant drawback to purchasing tickets from a third-party reseller. These tickets go on sale before official tickets are released by the Colosseum, and the reseller sells these tickets to tourists based on how many tickets they think they will be able to procure. Sometimes, they are wrong. When that happens, the reseller will contact customers shortly before the date of their activity to let them know they were unable to procure enough tickets. By then it may be too late for tourists to secure tickets through a different channel.

When should I buy Colosseum tickets?

Coop Culture releases Colosseum tickets in blocks. The first block goes on sale 30 days before admittance. Colosseum tickets are good for a specific entrance time, and the tickets are released throughout the day, at the same time of day CET (Central European Time – the Roman time zone) as they are marked for entrance.

The second, smaller block of tickets goes on sale 7 days prior to admittance, on the same rolling schedule.

Which Colosseum tickets should I buy?

There are several different types of tickets available. This is where you need to read the ticket descriptions carefully, to ensure that you know what you are buying.

Basic tickets

Basic tickets will grant you access to the main levels of the Colosseum. You can pay slightly more to access the arena floor, which is not included in the basic ticket. And you can pay more still to also access the underground areas of the Colosseum. These tickets are extremely difficult to get because they are sold in very limited numbers. If you want underground tickets, you should be online to purchase them as the clock rolls over to start your 30-day window.

If your tickets are not marked as didactic, then they will be tickets granting entrance only. You can purchase an accompanying audio guide if you wish, but there are also several free audio tours you can download from your favourite podcast app. We used and can recommend the Rick Steves audio tour.

Didactic tickets

Some tickets come with a guided tour. These tickets are called didactic tickets. If you purchase didactic tickets, make sure that you understand what language the tour will be conducted in.

There is a special nuance you will need to understand if you are interested in a Colosseum underground tour. Visitors are not allowed to visit the underground areas unaccompanied. Therefore, if you wish to visit the Colosseum underground, you must do one of the following:

• Purchase an underground ticket with a guided tour (i.e. an official Colosseum tour)
• Purchase an underground ticket without a guided tour, and bring your own professional guide to accompany you. The guide will need their own ticket to access the Colosseum, though their ticket will be free.
• Purchase a guided tour through a third-party tour agency

Make sure to read the description carefully if you buy a didactic ticket for the underground, so you know whether a tour will be provided or whether you must arrange your own.

Upper level tickets

There is yet another type of ticket that grants access to the higher levels of the Colosseum. However, those levels are currently closed for restoration, and the tickets are not available.

How much does it cost to visit the Colosseum?

• €18 for basic unguided tickets
• €21 for basic guided tours
• €22 for unguided arena floor access
• €22 for unguided underground access
• €32 for underground access with a guided tour

These prices are effective as of this writing in November 2022. There is a €2 per ticket reservation fee applied on top of these prices.

Are discounted Colosseum tickets available?

There are several types of discounted Colosseum tickets available. Children under the age of 18 can enter the Colosseum for free, but they must book the entrance in advance and pay the reservation fee. You may purchase these tickets from the same official Coop Culture website as their full-price counterparts.

Click on the “Check Availability” tab that takes you to the calendar showing dates and times with tickets available. At the bottom of that page, in red font, is a link that says BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET HERE. Follow that link to put one free ticket in your shopping cart for every member of your party under 18 years old. Free tickets are all marked with the same entrance time. This doesn’t matter – children bearing free tickets will be admitted to the Colosseum at the same time as their guardians who have time-stamped tickets, regardless of how different the times may be.

Free tickets are also available to tour guides and EU school groups, including teachers/chaperones. Discounted tickets are available to EU residents ages 18-25. Non-EU school groups must purchase regular tickets for party members who are ages 18+.

Anyone bearing free or discounted tickets must carry ID in case they are asked for proof of eligibility.

What about skip-the-line Colosseum tickets – should I buy those?

There is no such thing as skip-the-line tickets for the Colosseum. Everyone must purchase a ticket in advance, and everyone must go through the security line when they arrive at the venue.

What else should I know about buying Colosseum tickets?

• You should arrive at the Colosseum 15 minutes before your stated entry time. If you arrive late, you may not be granted access.
• You may purchase up to 6 Colosseum tickets at one time.
• Colosseum tickets will also grant you access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The tickets are good for 24 hours. Make sure you do not enter the Forum/Palatine Hill more than 24 hours before your timed Colosseum entrance, or that you enter the Forum/Palatine Hill no more than 24 hours after your timed Colosseum entrance.

There you have it… everything you need to know about how to visit the Colosseum! This was truly a highlight of our visit to Rome, and the number one Roman attraction we would recommend seeing.