One of the must-see’s for many travelers to Rome is a visit inside the Colosseo. Additionally, your ticket to the Colosseo is good for entry to the Forum and Palatine Hill, also remarkable sites. This 3-for-1 combo ticket currently costs €12 for non-EU visitors. Years ago you could pay for entry ONLY to the Colosseo, but that is not an option today. To see the Colosseo, you’ll have to purchase the 3-for-1 ticket.

The Colosseo is the most visited site in Italy… so the lines can get quite long. One alternative is to walk first to either the Palatine Hill or Forum Entrance. At either of these locations, the ticket lines are usually far shorter than the sometimes HUGE lines at the Colosseo. For many visitors, the most convenient “alternative option” is to walk down the Via Fori dei Fori Imperiali, stop at the Forum entrance, purchase their combo ticket and then continue down to the Colosseo.

In this map you can see the Colosseo entrance and ticket office, designated by the red #1. If you’ve never been, the ticket office is inside the Colosseo. The red #2 is the location of the Forum ticket office and entrance. It’s just off the Via Fori dei Fori Imperiali. The red #3, located on the bottom right of the map, is the Palatine Hill entrance and ticket counter. This entrance is on Via di San Gregorio. The orange circles represent public bus stops. Many people ride a bus to the stop just past the Forum, jump off, buy tickets and walk to the Colosseo.

Entrances and Ticket Offices

Palatine Hill

Of these three options, the Palatine Hill ticket office at Via di San Gregorio, (shown above) has the smallest line as it’s off the beaten path a little. To get to the Palatine entrance you can take the B Line Metro to the Colosseo stop. Walk past the Colosseo SOUTH and the Palatine entrance will be about 350 yards on your right. Or, to avoid the crowds, take the B Line Metro one more stop to Circo Massimo, get off there and walk NORTH towards the Colosseo. The Palatine Hill entrance will be on your left.

The following buses stop on same side of the road as the Palatine entrance: 175, 271, 75, 81, 87, and C3. These are primarily coming FROM the direction of the Colosseo first. Going the other way, TOWARDS the Colosseo from Circo Massimo, thus Palatine would be across the street on your left, the buses are currently 175, 271, 673, 75, 81, 85, 87, and C3. Your ticket will be good at all three entrances for two days, but only for one admission at each entrance. So if you enter through the Palatine Hill on Monday, you will not be able to come through this gate on Tuesday… but you can still go to the Colosseo or Forum on Tuesday! The great thing about buying your tickets at the remote locations is you can go directly to the turnstiles once you have a ticket. At ANY entrance, this will save you time.

The Forum

The Forum entrance is perhaps more convenient than Palatine Hill, and thus will probably have longer lines. In the photo above, the yellow circle marks the entrance to the Forum. The traffic signal is on Via Fori dei Fori Imperiali so you can see how convenient this location can be. I might buy my tickets here, but I usually head to the down to the Colosseo for my first entry.

I first visit the Colosseo, then head over and enter Palatine Hill. I walk down from the Hill into the Forum and then exit out the Forum at the far end, near the Arch of Septimius Severus. This allows me to climb the stairs up towards Piazza del Campodoglio and see Capitoline Hill. From up here, you can get another great view of the Forum, perhaps visit the wonderful church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, and then walk through and down the Vittorano Monument. Now you’re in Piazza Venezia and close to the centro area.

The Colosseo

If you already have your ticket, it’s easy to enter the Colosseo. Note the picture above which was taken about 25 meters inside the Colosseo. The guests lined up on the right are waiting in line to purchase tickets – which you may already have! The guests on the left are the “group” tours… also waiting in line. The center area – with no line – that’s where you go if you already have your tickets (or if you have a Roma Pass, which we will discuss momentarily). So you can see from this photo, you can save yourself thirty to forty-five – or more – minutes by NOT purchasing your tickets at the Colosseo.

So as you approach the Colosseo, you may see a line extending outside and wrapped around the building. If you’ve already purchased your tickets, DON’T get in this line. Nope – walk in the entrance, stay to the left and walk by all these folks… then head for the center aisle and on to the entry turnstiles. You will need to have your ticket (or Roma Pass) out for viewing because as you walk through the center aisle, there will be a Colosseo employee checking to make sure you have a ticket. Again, the center aisle is reserved for ticket holders – like you!

The Roma Pass

The ticket offices at the Colosseo, Palatine Hill, and the Forum open up about 08:30. If you get to the Colosseo early the lines are often much shorter. But let’s say you get up late, and you arrive in the Colosseo area about 11:00 AM on a Saturday, in season. By then, the lines at the Colosseo are huge, and even the lines at the Forum and Palatine Hill are fairly long. What can you do?

Well, to avoid the long lines you can get a Roma Pass! You might read our post Should I buy a Roma Pass? to see if this is a good deal for you. But if you want to avoid the long lines, and you plan on heading to another participating museum, than you can purchase one close to the Colosseo… and thus avoid all these long lines!

Your first option – once you see those long lines – is to head for the newsstand just outside the Colosseo metro station. The metro station is directly across the street from the Colosseo. In the above picture, the newsstand is marked by the yellow circle.

If the lines are too long – or if the newsstand is sold out of the Roma Pass – then head in the LEFT door of the metro station in the picture above. Inside the metro station you’ll find a Tabacchi shop, pictured below:

You can see from all the advertisements that the Roma Pass IS available here. In addition, Hop On Hop Off (HO-HO) bus tickets are also for sale at this shop. And if you need metro or bus tickets they have single-use, daily, 3-day, and weekly ATAC passes.

Once you have your Roma Pass, you can then head to the front of the lines at the Colosseo, Palatine Hill, or the Forum. If the Roma Pass is a good choice for you, these two locations are undoubtedly two of the most convenient spots in town.

Another Option

Join a Tour! Check out the Skip-the-Line-Ancient-Rome-and-Colosseum-Walking-Tour available through Viator. They feature a small-group walking tour of Ancient Rome’s major sights including skipping the queues for the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. If this is your first time to Rome, this smaller, group tour would be a good fit for you. You and your certified guide will cover several major sites in a three-hour tour. And again, no waiting in line at the Colosseo!

Whatever route you take, enjoy the Colosseo. I’ve been inside more than 250 times, and it never fails to fascinate. Enjoy your visit!