Buy from the park's official shop, ticketing.colosseo.it, as soon as your date opens 30 days ahead. A standard ticket costs €18 (about $20) and gives you one timed entry to the Colosseum's first two levels plus the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill within 24 hours. The Full Experience tickets, which add the arena floor, the underground or the attic, cost €24 (about $27) and run two days. Every ticket carries a name and is checked against your passport. Booking takes ten minutes; the hard part is being online when your date opens, because in busy months the good slots go within hours or less.
Which ticket to buy
Tickets are sold by the Parco archeologico del Colosseo (Colosseum Archaeological Park), the state body that runs the amphitheater, the Forum and the Palatine. Every ticket except the Forum Pass includes one entry to the Forum and Palatine; what you choose is how much of the Colosseum you see.
| Ticket | Inside the Colosseum | Valid | Full price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine (standard) | First and second levels, terraces and museum; 75 minutes | 24 hours | €18 (about $20) |
| Only Arena | A 20-minute visit on the arena floor at your booked time | 24 hours | About €18 (about $20); check the shop |
| Full Experience Arena | Arena floor plus the standard levels; 90 minutes | 2 consecutive days | €24 (about $27) |
| Full Experience Underground and Arena | The hypogeum (the tunnels and lift shafts under the floor) and the arena; 90 minutes | 2 consecutive days | €24 (about $27) |
| Full Experience Attic | The top tier, reached by steep steps; 90 minutes | 2 consecutive days | €24 (about $27) |
| Full Experience Passage of Commodus | A short guided walk, in groups of up to eight, through the emperor's private tunnel, opened in October 2025 | Check the shop | Check the shop |
| Forum Pass SUPER | No Colosseum: the Forum, Palatine, Imperial Fora and the smaller SUPER sites | Single entry | Check the shop |
The Full Experience tickets also open the SUPER sites, a rotating set of smaller monuments in the Forum and on the Palatine such as the House of Augustus (closed Mondays) and Santa Maria Antiqua. The House of Livia is closed for restoration.
Insider tip
If you buy one upgrade, make it the Underground and Arena ticket: the passages where animals and fighters waited, then the rebuilt floor, make the most memorable hour in ancient Rome. From November 9, 2026, attic visits run in groups of up to 25 every 30 minutes, and the panoramic lift is reserved for visitors with documented difficulty on stairs.
Who pays, and who gets in free
- Adults from the US: full price, at any age. Italy's state sites have no senior rate and no discount for US students.
- Under-18s of any nationality: free, but they still need their own free ticket for a time slot, booked with yours. Bring proof of age.
- EU citizens aged 18 to 24 (until their 25th birthday): €2 (about $2.25). This rule is for EU passports only; an American 22-year-old pays €18.
- Visitors with disabilities and one companion: free, with a free ticket booked online.
Different from home
A US student card gets you nothing here. Only the passport shown at the gate counts, and it must match the name on the ticket. If one of you travels on an EU passport, book that person's ticket in that passport's name.
How to book, step by step
- Count back 30 days. For Tuesday, December 1, 2026, sales open on Sunday, November 1. The park publishes no release hour, so check early on release day, Rome time, and again later. Rome is six hours ahead of New York from November 1.
- Type the address yourself: ticketing.colosseo.it, or use the free MyColosseum app. Do not click a search ad.
- Pick the ticket type, then the date and a Colosseum time slot. On the standard ticket you can visit the Forum and Palatine within 24 hours before or after that slot; on Full Experience tickets, the day before, the same day or the day after.
- Enter every visitor's name exactly as it appears on their passport, including children's free tickets.
- Pay by card, in euros. If a dollar option appears, decline it (see money). The receipt on your phone is enough to get in; you do not need to print.
- Check the names at once. For visits from May 9, 2026, a name can be changed only once, by midnight seven days before the visit, for a typing error, a wrong ticket category or a documented serious reason, through the online form.
Problems with a booking go to helpdesk@ticketcolosseo.com, which answers in 48 to 72 hours. For trouble at the entrance on the day, call +39 06 21115843.
How fast tickets sell out
Demand runs close to the site's daily capacity much of the year. In April 2026 the licensed guides' association said new dates were selling out minutes after release, even in low season, and the park reported cyberattacks that briefly took the shop offline earlier in the year.
- Underground and arena slots go first, then morning standard slots.
- November to February is easier, apart from the Christmas and New Year weeks. Expect a crush around Easter, which falls on March 28, 2027.
- The box office on Piazza del Colosseo sells same-day tickets, about 18 percent of the total by the park's count. In busy months what is left is usually late in the day, if anything.
Is there a booking fee?
The park's own ticket pages list €18 as the full price of the standard ticket and €24 for each Full Experience, with no separate booking charge. Some guides describe €2 of the €18 as a booking fee; either way, an adult entry costs €18 or €24 on the official shop. A plain entry priced at €25, €33 or more means you are on a reseller's site, however official it looks.
Resellers, guided tours and markups
On April 8, 2025, Italy's competition authority fined the former ticketing operator, CoopCulture, €7 million (about $7.8 million), and six online tour sellers about €13 million more, over practices that let bulk buyers and bots sweep up tickets for resale. The shop is now run by a different operator, MidaTicket, yet in April 2026 Il Post found the €18 ticket resold with an audio guide for €33 (about $37), and sometimes for €100 (about $112).
A resold ticket gets you in, but you pay extra for an audio guide the MyColosseum app gives you free. Watch for open-dated "vouchers" you must still exchange for a timed ticket, and ignore promises of a faster line: everyone goes through the same security.
A licensed guided tour is the legitimate way in when the shop is sold out, and a good guide makes the Forum readable. Small-group tours of about three hours with the arena commonly run €50 to €65 (about $56 to $73) a person; underground tours often cost €100 (about $112) and up. Pick a company that names its guides and the ticket type included. See Rome sights for the Forum and Palatine.
Is the Roma Pass worth it here?
The Roma Pass costs €38 (about $43) for 48 hours or €62.90 (about $70) for 72 hours, with city transit plus free entry to your first site (48-hour) or first two (72-hour). You still reserve a timed Colosseum slot on the official shop. If the Colosseum is not a free entry, the park lists a Roma Pass reduced ticket at €11.50 (about $13). Check which ticket types the pass covers before counting on the underground.
Do the math. The Colosseum plus a 48-hour transit pass costs €33 (about $37), less than the 48-hour Roma Pass. The Colosseum, the Borghese at about €18 and a 72-hour transit pass come to €58 (about $65), still under €62.90. The pass pays off only with extra discounted sites and heavy transit use, and never for under-18s, who enter free. See Rome for transit fares.
Free first Sundays and other free days
Admission is free to everyone on the first Sunday of each month and on April 25, June 2 and November 4. The next dates are Sunday, November 1, Wednesday, November 4 and Sunday, December 6, 2026, then Sunday, January 3 and Sunday, February 7, 2027.
- No online booking. Free tickets are handed out in person at the ticket office on Piazza del Colosseo, first come, first served, and are valid only that day.
- Two choices: the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine ticket, or the Forum Pass.
- Less to see. Expect the arena, underground and attic to be closed. The Domus Aurea is closed on first Sundays.
- Long lines. Waits of two hours or more are reported; people queue before 8 am.
On a short trip, pay the €18. Free Sundays across Italy are covered on art and churches.
At the gate: ID and security
The entrance is by the Arch of Constantine, a minute from the Colosseo stop on Metro Line B. Arrive 15 minutes before your slot; you cannot enter at another time. Underground and attic visits leave on a fixed schedule with no latecomers, so read the meeting instructions in your confirmation.
- Passport. Staff check that the name on the ticket matches a photo ID. Bring the passport itself.
- Security. Screening is airport-style. Allow 15 to 30 minutes in summer, less in winter.
- Bags. Large backpacks and wheeled bags are refused and there is no bag storage. Glass bottles, knives and aerosol cans are confiscated. Bring an empty bottle; there are fountains inside.
- Time limits. Inside the Colosseum you have 75 minutes on the standard ticket and 90 on the Full Experience tickets.
Scams outside the Colosseum
Watch out
Costumed centurions pose for a photo, then demand €20 (about $22) or more; say no or agree a price first. Sellers with lanyards outside the metro and along Via dei Fori Imperiali claim tickets are "sold out today", then sell marked-up tours. Others hand you a rose or bracelet and ask for money. Pickpockets work the security line and Metro Line B. Keep your bag zipped and in front, and buy only from ticketing.colosseo.it or the official box office. See safety.
The best times to go
- First slot, 8:30 am. Coolest, quietest, and the low light comes through the arches. Do the Forum and Palatine after, or the next morning on the same ticket.
- Last slots in winter. Through February 28, 2027, last entry is 3:30 pm and the park closes at 4:30 pm. A 2:30 pm slot gives you late golden light with thinner crowds.
- Avoid 10 am to 2 pm from April to October, when tour groups peak. The Forum has almost no shade, and summer heat can top 95°F (35°C).
- Summer hours ran to 7:15 pm in 2026; check the season's times on the park's opening times page. The park closes on December 25 and January 1.
For how the Colosseum fits a Rome itinerary, see Rome and plan your trip; for the Vatican, which books on a different system, see the Vatican.
If your date is sold out
- Check the official shop again over the following days, and try the box office early on the day.
- Try another ticket type; the Only Arena and attic tickets sometimes have space.
- Book a licensed guided tour that includes entry.
- Buy the Forum Pass SUPER and see the Colosseum from outside, or spend the day at Ostia Antica, Rome's ancient port, with far smaller crowds.
Colosseum ticket questions
Can I buy Colosseum tickets at the door?
Yes, at the box office on Piazza del Colosseo, for whatever slots remain. In spring, summer and holiday weeks, that may be nothing before late afternoon. Book online if your trip has fixed dates.
Does the ticket include the Roman Forum?
Yes. Every ticket except the Forum Pass gives one entry to the Colosseum and one to the Forum and Palatine area, which share a single fenced site.
Do children need a ticket?
Yes. Under-18s enter free but need their own free ticket for your time slot, in their name.
Is the underground worth the extra €6?
For most people, yes, and it sells first, so book it the day your date opens.
Are tickets refundable?
Assume not. The only change the park allows is a single name correction, by midnight seven days before the visit.
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