How to Book Colosseum Tickets
Before They Sell Out
The Colosseum is usually a bucketlist experience for anyone visiting Rome, but I have seen many a disappointed tourist in front of the ancient monument who missed out on tickets. Here is exactly how you can ensure you get tickets, where to book and what tours to consider!
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Planning your trip?
How to get to Rome:
Rome actually has two airports, Fiumicino Airport (often called Leonardo da Vinci Airport and the largest in Italy) and Ciampino Airport which has mostly budget airlines.
Alternatively, you can reach Rome by train (Trenitalia) or bus (Flixbus or Itabus) from either within Italy or many surrounding countries.
Where to stay in Rome?
Rome is pretty big, and knowing where to book your hotel can be tricky. Check out my full guide on the best areas here.
Best hostels and hotels in Rome:
🛏️ The RomeHello (amazing hostel, right by the metro, great facilities)
🏬Hotel Santa Prassede(lovely hotel, close to Termini)
🏩Hotel Maalot (beautiful, luxurious, central)
Activities to check out:
How to get Colosseum tickets:
Where to book Colosseum tickets:
ONLY book on the official website! There are so many scam websites out there that will imitate the real one, so double check.
It should say Colloseo.it and the IT at the end is the crucial part. Most copies will have your countries extension or .com, but the official website is Italian and will say “.it”.
The Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are a one-in-all attraction, which is great as you only pay entry once and get to visit all 3. A simple Colosseum ticket on the official website without a tour but access to all three attractions should be 18€!
When to book your Colosseum tickets:
Booking opens up 30 days before, at 8:30am Rome time. Tickets can sell out in minutes, so if you are visiting during the peak months of June-August, I’d be ready.
The website is unfortunately not the best, so have several browsers open and be ready to refresh. If it immediately says “Sold out”, don’t panic. They release tickets in bunches every 15 minutes (like 9am for 9am, 9.15 am for 9.15am and so on), so wait for the next slot.
The hardest tickets to get are the ones including Underground Entry and Arena, which cost 24€. There are more standard tickets for 18€, which in my opinion is already enough to experience the Colosseum. You can save a few steps by going straight to the individual ticket part of the website here.
Check below for tips if none of this worked and everything is still sold out.
Things to look out for:
- Make sure you know which ticket you are buying. The standard one is called 24h – COLOSSEUM, ROMAN FORUM, PALATINE for 18€ and includes all three areas, you can even visit the Forum the day after. FULL EXPERIENCE TICKET WITH ENTRY TO THE ARENA – same as the standard but with access to the Arena floor for 24€, or for the same price with a tour of the underground passages, you have FULL EXPERIENCE – UNDERGROUND LEVELS AND ARENA. This one is the hardest to get..
- If you’re visiting in summer, the earlier the timeslot, the better! It gets HOT in Rome and from experience, there is nothing worse than dragging yourself through the Roman Forum at 40°C.
- Make sure you are on the real website when buying tickets (as discussed above), Colloseo.it. Or if you are getting a tour, make sure it’s from a reputable company.
- You don’t need to print your ticket, but make sure your phone is charged and you can show it there. If worried, most hotels will print it for you at no extra cost.
- As a tourist, you need to carry your passport at all times in Italy anyway, but you’ll also need it to enter the Colosseum.
- Don’t bring any large luggage (especially with rollers) into the Colosseum. Small backpacks and plastic water bottles are fine (you may need to empty the bottle but can refill inside).
- Aerosol sprays are not allowed, so leave them out of your bag that day.
What to do, if Colosseum tickets are sold out:
The first thing would be to keep checking for a few days, as random slots tend to open up. I have scored tickets a week before my visit this way before.
If one type of ticket like the one including the underground and arena is sold out, check for one e.g. only including arena or the standard one. Those don’t sell out quite as quick and you’ll still get to see inside the Colosseum.
If all of this fails, it may be time to look at tours. Most tour operators reserve a number of tickets for their tours, meaning they still have spaces when everything else is sold out. Yes, it’s more expensive but it can be really worth it in my experience:
- Rome: Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill 3-Hour Tour
- Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill – Max 7 People
- Rome: Colosseum and Ancient Rome Guided Walking Tour
You can actually also queue for tickets on the day, though I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s likely to sell out early and the queue will suck, for lack of a better word.
Is the Colosseum worth it?
Visiting the Colosseum can quickly get pricy, especially if non-tour tickets are sold out. Is it still worth visiting or better to just enjoy it from the outside?
Here is my opinion. When I was travelling at 18 and really broke, I decided to skip the Colosseum from inside and did other things instead. However, living in Europe, I knew I’d be back some day (and I have been countless of times with my tours now). If you’re in a similar situation, you could skip it.
Otherwise, I’d say do it (unless it’s like 45 degrees and you only have a midday slot, because it will be unbearable). The Colosseum is really a feat of human engineering and history, something you won’t experience anywhere else. Going inside and even taking a tour is worth it to learn more about this monument.
So in short, yes, the Colosseum is worth it.
Hi, I'm Bell
I’m a solo traveller, writer and designer. I created my blog to share the many different ways to travel the world. Learn more about me here!
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