Welcome to the Colosseum! One of, if not the, most iconic landmarks found anywhere on our planet, and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Situated in the center of Rome, tours of the Colosseum are both well suited to your itinerary needs and conveniently located to some of Rome’s other attractions!
Below we list a variety of different options you can choose from when looking at Colosseum tours and travel guides. From the standard Colosseum guided tour to a tour of the gladiator’s dungeons and a nighttime experience, there are options for families, couples and single tourists alike!
Know Before You Book
- With over 4 million tourists a year, expect queues by midday
- Peak season is hot and crowded, try for November through to March instead
- Early birds get a chance to visit the Imperial forum
Highlights
- Free tours are available!
- Go from an elevated view of Old Rome, to the dungeons in its basement
- Or in turn, see the Colosseum at night!
Rome. A city of culture and history. Where old meets new, and an amphitheater or Domus is never far away. You could spend a lifetime exploring the streets and ancient buildings, and still find something new and interesting.
Littered with famous landmarks and tourist destinations, there are none more iconic in Rome than the Colosseum itself! Standing at 48 meters (160 feet) in height, with a base area of 24,000 square meters (260,000 square feet), this “colossus” could host over 50,000 Roman spectators in its prime!
If all roads lead to Rome, then all roads lead to the Colosseum! So, it’s not a matter of if you go see it, but rather a matter of when and how. And we’re here to help answer both those questions.
Due to its popularity, the Colosseum is often filled to the brim with tourists, security guards, and guided tours alike! Receiving over 4 million visitors every year, the Colosseum can sometimes feel like it did when gladiators still frequented its arena, with crowds cheering for the circus.
However, don’t panic! There are options available for you to bypass most of the lines and get that Colosseum tour catered solely to your needs. All that’s left for you to do is choose!
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Colosseum Tickets Pricing 2020
Self-guided Colosseum tours in Rome cost $13 USD and you will get all the relevant sites. Guided tours, on the other hand, will cost between $30 USD and $40 USD.
In the end, price depends on length, sites visited and how in-depth you would like your tour to go!
Colosseum Opening Hours
Due to its high demand, the Colosseum needs to open as early as possible! Thus, you’ll find the gates opening at 8.30am sharp, every day of the week, 365 days a year!
“Sunset” determines closing times and these will change throughout the year at the Colosseum, Rome. Hours are shown below:
⦁ February 15: 8.30am – 4.30pm
⦁ February 16 to March 15: 8.30am – 5.00pm
⦁ March 16 to last Sunday of March: 8.30am – 5.30pm
⦁ Last Sunday of March to August 31: 8.30am – 7.15pm
⦁ September 1 to September 30: 8.30am – 7.00pm
⦁ October 1 to last Saturday of October: 8.30am – 6.30pm
Best Time to Go
There are not many places more popular attractions in the world than the Colosseum. Rome in peak season can be a torrid time for tourists already. With it being one of Rome’s main attractions, the Colosseum can be both hot and crowded, with queues up to the horizon, and no seating!
We can surmise travel times to the Colosseum to “time of year, time of the week, and time of day”:
⦁ Time of Year: Between March to October, you’ll find the Colosseum almost always crowded! Low season is more preferable, in the winter months between November and February.
⦁ Time of the Week: The week is almost always less busy than on the weekend, however again, in the peak season it is busy almost every day anyway.
⦁ Time of Day: The best time of day to visit the Colosseum is either when they open the gates (8.30am) or an hour or two before they close at sunset.
Colosseum Tour Options
Guided tours of the Colosseum and Roman Forum can vary depending on your needs. There are the standard walking tours that cover the basic corridors and ground floor view of the interior.
Then, there’s the night and underground Colosseum tour! A Rome Colosseum tour that adds a new spin on how you’ll get to enjoy this mighty behemoth and its ancient walls. You’ll find yourself captivated by every historic step.
Check below to find out more!
A Guided Roman Colosseum Tour
Colosseum tours done on your own can be tiresome due to queuing and they will only give you a ground-level basic experience of the amphitheater, with none of the added incentives!
This guided tour is the next level up of a standard self-guided tour! You’ll get over 3 hours of interesting information and access to usually unauthorized sights! Oh, and skip-the-line tickets are included at every venue you visit.
You’ll get tours of the Colosseum and Roman Forum, as well as surrounding sites such as the Palatine Hill, Julius Caesar’s tomb and a stop at the Via Sacra. A standard guided tour for the locals, but a must for first-time visitors!
- Skip-the-line entrance to all the visited sights
- Over 3hrs of sightseeing
- Professional guides and headsets offering over 4 languages
- Lifts to and from venues
- Wheelchair Accessibility
Beginning your exploration at the Arch of Constantine, this tour is certified to provide a lot of sight-seeing in a short space of time! With your professional guides giving you a thorough lay of the land, you’ll feel your craving for ancient knowledge being well sated!
Get Cheapest PricesColosseum Underground Tour at Night
Do something quite unique in Rome and break away from the norm. Leave the crowds of the previous day behind you for an exclusive private tour that traverses the Colosseum at night!
Get a third-tier view of the amphitheater lit up, and travel its basement, journeying the passages once trodden by gladiators and circus beasts! This unique experience is a must for those who can.
You’ll get all the benefits of viewing the day tour sites (Palatine Hill, the Forum, the Temple of the Vestal Virgins), along with an empty Colosseum, all at night! The stars overhead and the ambiance of a quiet Colosseum make for an experience to never forget.
- Special express entrance to all sites visited
- An empty Colosseum
- Tailored tour that feels personal
- Go until near midnight
- A unique view of Rome and its sights
- Gratuities
- Inter-hotel transfer
Specification: Rome Colosseum Tours & Prices (Skip-the-line, Express & Night)
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Anonymous –
After having booked our reservation two months in advance, Company called us the night before our reserved time and indicated that there was a booking error and they no longer had our available time slot. Company offered us either a refund or an alternative time that was two hours later. While the later time didn't really work for us given we had also booked a tour at the Vatican, we ultimately ended up taking the revised time as it was the only way at that point we had a chance to get inside the Colosseum. By the time we got through security and inside the Colosseum, we had 5 minutes to take pictures before we had to leave tour group and head over to the Vatican. Given how far in advance we had made the reservation, it is inexcusable for this Company to call us the night before and make changes to our reservation. A refund did us little good at that point, as we only had one day in Rome and had traveled thousands of miles to see the Colosseum. In the end we spent $350 for our group of 13 to spend 5 minutes inside the Colosseum.
Anonymous –
Although summer mornings at the Colosseum are insane, this company handled things very professionally and even started the tour while we waited for minors to be checked in and while in line. Our tour guide (I feel terrible I cannot remember her name but she was of Japanese decent I believe) was phenomenal! I have been on 4 colosseum tours in the last 10 years and this was by far the best. Her English was perfect, she was funny and sweet and very concerned that we stay in the shade as it was over 100 F that day. Even my 18 year old cousin was engaged by the tour for the full hour. Absolutely delightful tour and I would recommend it to others.
Anonymous –
We booked this tour after our original tour operator cancelled. We liked that it was only meant to be an hour, with free time after to explore. It was great because we bypassed the long lines as promised. The tour guide was ok, but got off topic often and didn't give a lot of useful information on the actual colosseum or history. When we arrived, they offered to include us in the following tour to the other ruins nearby for only 5 euro each – good deal overall, even though we didn't follow the guide once inside. The problem was that our coloseum tour guide wasted so much time, that our hour tour actually went for 1.5 hours, which meant we lost our free time to explore on our own between tours, which was really disappointing.
Anonymous –
We arrived for our tour early and checked in, we were told our names were not on the list but there were 4 empty places, all good at this stage. We then proceeded to the departure point only to be told we were now leaving at 3:40 instead of 3:00 and our tour was over booked. After much backwards and forwards we were then booked on a tour the following morning. Very disappointed to say the least. Once we finally did our tour it was great.