For most first-time visitors, the best Colosseum ticket is the official 24h
Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine ticket: €18 for an adult (about $20). Book it on ticketing.colosseo.it the
day your date opens, 30 days ahead. Pay €24 (about $27) for a Full Experience ticket only if the arena floor
or the underground is the reason you're going.
Prices checked November 7, 2026, on colosseo.it, the official site of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo.
Dollar amounts use the European Central Bank rate of November 6, 2026 (1 euro = 1.1165 dollars), rounded to
the nearest dollar.
Current Ticket Prices (November 2026)
Official adult prices: 24h tickets €18 (about $20); Full Experience tickets €24 (about $27); Full Experience
with the park's educational tour €32 (about $36); A Night at the Colosseum €50 (about $56).
Adults from 18, non-EU: full price. US passport holders get no youth rate.
EU citizens aged 18 to 24, with ID: €2 (about $2) on every ticket
Under 18: free, with a named ticket for the same slot. Visitors with a disability
above 74 percent and one companion are also free.
Every ticket carries the visitor's name, and the gate checks the original ID. Free days (the first Sunday of
each month, April 25, June 2 and November 4) can't be booked; the ticket offices hand those out in order of
arrival. Roma Pass holders pay €11.50 plus a €2 booking fee.
Opening Hours
The Colosseum opens at 8:30 AM every day except December 25 and January 1, which is
2:30 AM Eastern. Through February 28, 2027 it closes at 4:30 PM, with last entry at 3:30 PM.
Closing time: 4:30 PM in winter, 7:15 PM from March 28 to August 31, 2027. Last
entry is one hour before.
Roman Forum and Palatine Hill: open at 9:00 AM and close with the Colosseum. Ticket
offices close an hour before the park.
Note: the park keeps winter hours through the holidays and closes only on December 25 and
January 1. December 26 to 30 open for booking on November 26 to 30, and that week fills first.
Holiday hours.
Choose Your Ticket
The park sells five Colosseum tickets, and they differ in how far
into the building you go. The 24h tickets cover the two tiers, or the arena floor alone. The Full Experience
tickets add the arena and underground, or the attic. Every ticket has a timed entry, so ignore "skip the
line" promises.
Our pick: the 24h ticket for most families, because it costs €6 less per adult (about $7) and
the view from the second tier is the same. Two adults with two kids under 18 pay €36 (about $40).
Skip it if: a reseller offers a "Full Experience" at two or three times the price while the
official calendar still shows your date. You'd be paying extra for the guide alone.
Our pick
1. 24h Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine
Adult: €18 (about $20) | EU 18 to 24: €2 | Under 18:
free, ticket required
Time needed: 75 minutes inside, the official limit, plus two hours for the Forum and
Palatine
Includes: one timed entry to both tiers and the Colosseum Museum, and one Forum and
Palatine entry within 24 hours
Best for: first visits and families
Dates open 30 days ahead on ticketing.colosseo.it. The button
goes to a reseller's version with an audio guide, for more than €18.
Time needed: 20 minutes on the arena floor, by the official rules
Includes: entry through the Sperone Stern side gate to the arena floor only, plus one
Forum and Palatine entry within 24 hours. You don't go up to the tiers.
Best for: a second visit, or a tight schedule
Skip it if: it's your first time. The same €18
buys 75 minutes and the view from above.
Time needed: 90 minutes inside, with entries between 8:30 AM and 2:30 PM in small
groups
Includes: both tiers, the third level and the attic, plus the Forum and Palatine over
two days
Best for: the highest view inside, if you can manage steep steps
Note: €24 (about $27), 30 days ahead, and late
arrivals aren't admitted. Resellers don't sell the attic, so the button goes to a guided underground tour
instead.
7. Small Group Guided Tour with Arena Access (reseller)
Time needed: about 3 hours, with a Forum walk
Includes: a guide, headsets and the arena entry. The official equivalent is the Full
Experience Arena ticket, €24 (about $27), which opens only 7 days ahead.
Best for: dates where the 7-day official window has sold out
The price on the button is the reseller's and is higher than
€24. Check the cancellation terms.
The official calendar runs out of underground and attic slots first, and in busy months the 24h ticket goes
too. You still have five ways in:
Be there 30 days to the minute. The official site doesn't
publish the hour, but regulars on the
Rick Steves forum report each slot opening 30 days ahead at its own
time: 8:30 AM Rome time is 2:30 AM Eastern.
Try the Full Experience Arena ticket. It opens 7 days ahead,
costs the same €24, and the ticket offices sell it on the day. You get the arena floor, not the
underground.
Take the 24h ticket. You can look down into the underground
from the tiers.
Go to the ticket offices early. They're at Piazza del
Colosseo and Largo della Salara Vecchia. On free Sundays that's the only way in.
Book a reseller tour, never a tout. Resellers such as
GetYourGuide hold their own slots for more than the official price. Nobody outside the gate sells a real
ticket. The park's notice says to use only official channels and check that the price matches the face
value printed on the ticket.
Over the holidays, December 25 and January 1 are closed, so December 26 to 30 carry the whole crowd, and
those dates open November 26 to 30. If yours are set, book today: the 8:30 AM slot goes first, and Easter,
summer and the Christmas week sell out fastest.
We may earn a commission if you book through the links on this page. It doesn't change the price you pay.
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Tips Before You Visit the Colosseum
Set an alarm for the release. Dates open 30 days ahead on Rome
time, six hours ahead of New York, and the underground goes in minutes.
Spell every name as it appears on the passport. The gate
checks original ID, the regulation allows one name change up to seven days before, and a mismatch means no
entry and no refund.
Arrive 15 minutes early, and not more than 15 minutes late.
Miss that window and you lose the Colosseum, though your Forum entry still works.
Travel light. Bags over 30 by 40 by 15 centimeters (about 12
by 16 by 6 inches) are refused, there's no cloakroom, and glass bottles and selfie sticks are banned.
Walk past anyone selling at the gate. Tripadvisor reviewers
report paying €50 for a "skip the line" tour and ending up in the regular line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to buy Colosseum tickets in advance?
Yes, if you want a set time on a set day. Dates open 30 days ahead on the official site, the Full
Experience Arena ticket opens 7 days ahead, and the underground and attic sell out first.
Is it cheaper to buy Colosseum tickets online?
The official price is the same online and at the ticket office. Online you choose your slot a month
ahead; at the office you take what's left that day.
Are reseller tickets official?
No. Only ticketing.colosseo.it and the park's ticket offices sell the official ticket. Pay a reseller
when it adds a guide or a slot the official site no longer has, and expect to pay more.
Do children need a ticket?
Yes, a free one. Under 18s enter free but need a named ticket for the same time slot, and staff check ID
at the gate. EU citizens aged 18 to 24 pay €2 with ID.
Can I visit the underground without a guide?
Yes. The Full Experience Underground and Arena ticket, €24, includes the underground when the park has
space. The guided version, the educational tour, is €32.
What happens if I miss my time slot?
You lose the Colosseum entry and get no refund. The official regulation allows arrival 15 minutes either
side of the slot and leaves you one entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine.
