Colosseum Tickets in Rome - Which  ones to get and where to get them

By Elyssa Bernard

February 15, 2022

Wondering which Colosseum tickets to buy and where to buy them?

There have been some significant changes since the closures caused by Covid-19 - read on to find out more!

Find out how to book your tickets to the Colosseum and avoid queues!

On this page, I'll describe the different options available to visit the Colosseum tickets, and how best to get them.

Colosseum tickets - Everything you need to know

It doesn't seem like it should be that complicated to get tickets to the Rome Colosseum.

But there are different types of tickets, and frankly, the procedure on the official website is a little confusing.

I have visited the Colosseum every which way you can imagine.

I also visit every time there is a change or new ticket.

I actually book and pay for my tickets so I can tell you exactly what it's like!

I have done all the things on this page, so you can trust my experience and advice.

Different Types of Tickets to the Rome Colosseum

On this page, we'll cover:

• Standard entry ticket 
• Full Experience ticket 
• S.U.P.E.R. sites
• Which ticket should you go for?
  
• Free entry (The best kind! Or is it?)
• What about the Roma Pass?
• Colosseum arena
• Colosseum underground (Hypogeum)
  
• Colosseum's upper tiers (Belvedere) - TEMPORARILY CLOSED
• Night visits to the Colosseum
• Colosseum tickets with guided tour (CoopCulture)
• Colosseum tickets with audio or video guide

Standard Entry Colosseum tickets

The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater ever built. It is estimated that 50,000 spectators filled the stands and for some special events even up to 60,000

Ticket prices

The standard entry ticket to the Colosseum costs

• 18€ for standard entry (including booking fee)
  
• 4€ for Europeans between 18-25 (including booking fee)
  
• Free for everyone under 18

Even those eligible for reduced or free tickets have to reserve.

As of 2021, you must book online. Tickets are NO LONGER sold on site.

These are what used to be the Colosseum ticket counters. Now they are open solely for help and information - you have to book in advance.

The number of people allowed inside the Colosseum is strictly controlled, with limited numbers of tickets per day, and per time slot.

This is for security reasons, to protect the 2,000-year old monument and also to prevent over-crowding.

During busy months, you may find that tickets are sold out for the day or time you want to visit, and in high season, tickets will sell out each day so it's important to book in advance.

The visiting calendar isn't open that far in advance at the moment, so if the date you want isn't showing yet, keep checking until closer to the time.

Where to Stay near Colosseum

Where to Eat near Colosseum

Didn't book Colosseum tickets in Advance?

It used to be that you could go to the Colosseum ticket booths and buy tickets for a same-day visit. I also used to recommend to go the Palatine Hill or Roman Forum to avoid the ling lines at the Colosseum.

As of 2021, you cannot purchase tickets to the Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill on site.

If you arrive at any of these sites/parks without a ticket, you will be told to go online to book one, using your smartphone or tablet. You should be able to get tickets for the same day, especially if you are just booking standard entry, but you may not be able to go until a later time slot, so it's really best to book in advance if you can.

The Colosseum ticket booths have personnel there to assist you, but they cannot sell or print tickets.

Colosseum tickets confirmation

When you buy Colosseum tickets, you will see an option to print them at home - the option to pick up tickets at the office is greyed out.

Once you complete your booking, you will receive two emails from CoopCulture. One is a financial receipt showing proof of payment.

The other is an email with your order details. It will have a PDF attached with a QR code on it. That PDF is your ticket confirmation. 

You do NOT need to print this ticket.

They are trying to do away with printed tickets so all you need to do is show the QR code on your smartphone/tablet.

If you do not have access to a smartphone/tablet while traveling then you can print the PDF at home before leaving.

Your hotel may be able to print the PDF if you book after you arrive in Italy, but you cannot do this at the Colosseum ticket office anymore.

Vatican Museum Tickets

See the Vatican and Colosseum in one day

I often get asked "I booked Colosseum tickets and they didn't arrive in my email. What now?"

• First, make sure that the email with the PDF did not go into your spam/junk folder.
• Next, look at the email you received from CoopCulture about your payment. If it says "rifiutato" (refused) or "negato" (declined), you did not successfully pay for the tickets. You will need to try again, probably with a different card.

If your payment was successful, and you've checked your junk folder and your tickets are not there, then take your payment confirmation email with you to the Colosseum ticket office and explain what happened, and they should help you. 

You can also buy your tickets from an online ticket reseller like Tiqets or GetYourGuide where you will pay a bit more, but where the process is much smoother.

How to reserve Colosseum tickets for kids 

Even though under-18's get in free, you still need to book a ticket.

When you select your preferred date and time slot on the CoopCulture site, there are lots of different ticket options that come up.

You will need to scroll down and select the option for people under 18 years, in addition to the regular adult tickets you wish to purchase.

The price is 0 € so you will not be charged.

Each under-18 needs their own ticket, and they must enter with an adult.

NEW FOR 2023 - The Colosseum has opened a dedicated set of rooms for families, called the 'Baby Pit Stop' which you should take full advantage of if needed. This is for families with young children to take a break if the crowds and size of the arena get too much, as well as providing baby changing facilities and a quiet place to breastfeed. Find it on the second floor.

All about the Rome Colosseum

Visiting the Colosseum

Colosseum by night

Colosseum Facts

Colosseum tickets

Colosseum underground

Colosseum arena

Colosseum free entry

Roman forum

Palatine hill

How to Book Standard Colosseum Tickets

By now, you've seen me mention CoopCulture a lot.

They are the official entity that manages Colosseum tickets, as well as the tickets for other important sites in Rome and other parts of Italy.

Here are the steps to book your standard Colosseum tickets via the CoopCulture website:

• Visit the website for CoopCulture. If it comes up in Italian, you can set the language to English by clicking on the relevant flag in the top right corner.
• If you are not already on the page for the Colosseum, click the Rome icon which comes up with a list of all the Rome sites they sell tickets for. The Archeological Park of the Colosseum is the first entry on the list. Click on 'Details', and then click on the option for 'Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine'.
  
• You'll have details of the ticket prices and brief information about what's included. Scroll down until you see the list of different ticket options - the standard ticket entrance is first on the list.
  

• Click 'Details' to get more options. You will see various types of standard tickets, such as with tours, audioguides and so on. For the standard ticket, click the first option 'Regular Entrance'.
• You will then see a calendar, where you can select your preferred date. If there are tickets available, time slots will appear for you to choose from, showing how many tickets are available. If no slots appear, they are either sold out already, or haven't been released yet.
  
• Once you've chosen your time slot, a list of the different ticket types and prices will come up. Select however many of each you need (regular adults, under-18's etc) and then click 'Add to Cart' at the bottom of the list.
• You will then need to click on the Checkout button, and go through the payment process.
  

How to Book Standard Colosseum Tickets by Calling CoopCulture

You can also call CoopCulture to book your Colosseum tickets. There are options to speak in English or Italian.

Here is the number: +39 06 399 67 700

That "+" is what you dial from your cell phone.

If you are not using a cell phone, or don't know how to find the + sign, you can also use the dialing sequence, which varies from country to country.

When dialing from Europe, the + can be replaced by "00".

When dialing from the US or Canada, the + can be replaced with "011".

So depending on where you are calling from, here is the dialing sequence:

• 00 39 06 399 67 700 (from most European countries)
• 011 39 06 399 67 700 (from the US or Canada)

Pantheon tickets

Colosseum underground tickets

Buying your Colosseum tickets from a ticket agency

There are also online ticket agencies that make it easy to buy and reserve your Colosseum tickets in advance.

You will pay a small fee for this, but it's seamless, and the tickets arrive on your smartphone or tablet.

Colosseum Full Experience tickets

If you're interested in a more extensive experience, you can buy a Full Experience ticket, which allows you to access either the Arena floor or the Colosseum Underground area, as well as the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill park.

The ticket is valid for 2 days, although you only get one entrance per site.

Find out more about what's included and how to book Full Experience Colosseum tickets here.

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S.U.P.E.R. Sites

S.U.P.E.R. sites allow you to visit Seven Unique Places to Experience Rome, on the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum

The acronym S.U.P.E.R. stands for Seven Unique Places to Experience Rome - although there are now 8 sites as they added one!

The sites, located on the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum, are:

• The House of Augustus
• The House of Livia
• The Palatine Museum
• The Temple of Romulus
• The Neronian Cryptoporticus
• Santa Maria Antiqua
• The Aula Isiaca and the Mattei Loggia
• Nero's Domus Transitoria (added later)

The S.U.P.E.R. sites are not all consistently open, so check the CoopCulture website to see which ones will be open at the time of your visit and their opening times.

The House of Augustus is one of the highlights for me when seeing the S.U.P.E.R. sites on the Palatine Hill in Rome

When the S.U.P.E.R sites first opened, you had to buy a specific ticket to see them.

Now you have to purchase a Full Experience ticket to visit the S.U.P.E.R sites, but there is no additional cost, they are included with that automatically.

You can no longer pay extra to include the S.U.P.E.R sites with the standard Colosseum tickets, and you still only get 1 entrance to the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill area, so you will need to plan enough time to see everything you want in one go.

Fresco decoration of the ceiling of the Loggia Mattei, on the Palatine Hill: over the centuries, the Palatine Hill was a mecca where important Roman families established their homes.

Which Colosseum Tickets Should You Get?

This is the view of Capitoline Hill and the Roman Forum from a lookout point on the Palatine Hill.

So, which ticket should you buy? 

• The Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill standard ticket, for 16€?
• The Colosseum Full Experience Ticket, for 22€?

If you have limited time, want to see the basics (there is still tons to see!), or you're on a budget, then get the standard entry ticket.

If you have time to take two days exploring these sites, and have a strong interest in ancient Rome, I really recommend the 22€ Full Experience ticket.

It’s only 6 Euros more, and for that you get to visit the Colosseum underground or arena floor, you get an additional day to visit the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill, and you get access to the SUPER sites. Even seeing 1 or 2 of these additional sites makes it worthwhile in my opinion!

Colosseum Free Entry

FREE SUNDAY 2022

The process for getting Colosseum tickets on the Free Sunday is different to what is set out above - you cannot book online in advance.

You will need to collect your ticket from the ticket offices right by the Colosseum, which will be given out on a first come, first serve basis, so come early to be sure you get a ticket!

Everyone will have to pick up their tickets, so even if you have the Roma Pass, a membership card or would be entitled to free entry anyway, you will need to queue and go to the ticket office.

The Colosseum underground and arena areas will not be accessible, and the free ticket is only valid for that day.

If you also want to visit the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill area you may do so, but the S.U.P.E.R sites will not be open.

Who is Eligible for Free Entry to the Colosseum?

Some visitors are eligible for free entry year-round.

These include:

• Anyone under 18 years of age (from any country)
• European tour guides
• Anyone disabled and their companion if the companion is assisting that person. You must show proof of disability.

Be prepared to show ID. Even those entitled to free entry need to book a date and time in advance.

For more details, visit my page about Free Colosseum Entry.

Rome Highlights in 1 Day

3 Days in Rome

1 Week in Rome

Colosseum Tickets with the Roma Pass

how to get Colosseum tickets with the Roma Pass

• If you're purchasing the Roma Pass or other Rome City Pass, and choose the Colosseum as one of the sites you want to visit for free, you'll have to reserve a date and time while you are booking the pass. You're ready to go!
• If you're purchasing the Roma Pass or other Rome City Pass, and don't select the Colosseum as a free site, but later change your mind, you'll need to reserve a date and time. You can do this by going onto the CoopCulture website and reserving there (see my steps for booking tickets above).
• When you visit CoopCulture to book your Colosseum tickets, you have the option of booking the Colosseum visit + the Roma Pass all at once. This will give you the "free" entrance to the Colosseum AND the Roma Pass (to be picked up when you visit the Colosseum). You're ready to go!

You can always get your Roma pass here

Colosseum Arena Floor

One very cool thing to do when you visit the Colosseum is to walk out onto the arena floor.

From this vantage point, you will have a sense of what it feels like to be on the stage of the Colosseum.

The Colosseum arena floor is an exciting new development for visitors

The arena can be included with a Full Experience ticket - visit my dedicated page all about the Colosseum Arena to find out how to visit it.

You can include your Arena visit in a guided tour of 3 famous Roman sites: the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.

Colosseum Underground

A visit to the Hypogeum (underground) of the Colosseum is really worth doing.

Do not miss the opportunity to visit the underground of the Colosseum.

It's not too claustrophobic (if I can do it, anyone can), and you will get a whole different view of the Colosseum and its history from this perspective.

Again, it can be visited using the Full Experience ticket.

Click here to read all about the Colosseum Underground and how to get tickets.

Colosseum Upper Tiers

Night Visits to the Colosseum

A night visit to the Colosseum is a fantastic thing to do.

I think one of my favorite ways to visit the Colosseum is at night. It's nearly empty, and you really immerse yourself in the place and the ambiance.

First of all, it's limited to very few visitors, so when you go at night, you'll feel like you have the place to yourselves.

Second of all, a night visit includes a visit to the Hypogeum and the arena.

A few things to note:

1. This tour is seasonal, and only goes from spring (usually announced sometime in March/April) to fall (usually late October).
2. You must visit the Colosseum at night with a guided tour. This can be directly through CoopCulture, or you can book with an outside agency.
   
3. Night visits to the Colosseum are not part of the Roma Pass or any other Rome city pass.
4. A ticket to visit the Colosseum at night is not a regular ticket so the Palatine Hill/Roman Forum are not included.

For more, visit my page all about visiting the Colosseum at night.

Colosseum Tickets with Guided Tour

On the CoopCulture website, one option is to book a guided tour of the Colosseum.

This is an excellent way to get a tour of the Colosseum and save money, as it's not nearly as much as paying for a tour with an outside agency.

Is it as good as a tour you will get with a tour agency?

This is subjective.

I've had several tours with Colosseum personnel, and I've taken lots of tours with private tour guides/tour companies.

Every time it's different.

I cannot say that the CoopCulture tours are not as good as those with a tour agency, but I will say that the tours I've had with agencies have mostly been fantastic.

Since they're private companies, and compete with each other, they work hard to make sure you have enthusiastic, fun, knowledgeable guides.

When you book a tour through CoopCulture, you'll get someone who is employed by the Colosseum.

It's hit or miss what kind of guide they will be and what you'll get out of your tour. I've had good guides, and less good guides at the Colosseum.

So it may come down to your budget and what you expect from a tour.

Colosseum Tickets with Audio-Video Guide

If you are not a tour person, or would rather go at your own pace, a good option is to get the audio-video guides with your Colosseum tickets.

You need to book these in advance on the CoopCulture website. There is an option for tickets including the audio-video guide for an additional 6€ per ticket.

This 6€ also applies for reduced/free tickets.

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This is the line at the Colosseum for people who don't have tickets. Don't let that be you! Find out how to skip the line and get the best Coliseum tickets.