Colosseum tickets: what’s really included (and what isn’t) in each option

Standard 24-hour Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill ticket

(24h – Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine)

This is the most basic Colosseum ticket and the one most independent visitors end up buying. It includes a timed entry to the Colosseum plus access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on the same calendar day. It’s ideal if you want to see the Colosseum from the inside and explore the surrounding ruins, but it does not include any special-access areas .

With this ticket, you can visit the standard public sections on levels 1 and 2 of the Colosseum, where you’ll see the main interior, museum displays and views over the arena. You then use the same barcode to enter the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill within the ticket’s validity period.

According to the Parco archeologico del Colosseo, this ticket allows one timed entrance to the Colosseum and one entrance to the combined Roman Forum/Palatine Hill area . The maximum stay inside the Colosseum itself is 75 minutes , as defined in the official visitor regulations. The Forum and Palatine Hill count as a single combined site, so you can enter through either access point once, and you should plan at least 2–3 hours to walk through both areas before closing.

What this ticket includes (2026)

• Timed entry to the Colosseum on your selected date and time, with access to the standard public areas (levels 1 and 2).
• One entrance to the combined Roman Forum and Palatine Hill archaeological area, valid within the same-day or 24-hour rules stated on your voucher.

What this ticket does NOT include

• No access to the arena floor, Underground (hypogeum) or any special upper-level or attic sections — these require Full Experience tickets or specific tours.
• No guided tour or live guide by default, and no audio guide unless explicitly added when booking through an agency or reseller that bundles one.

Full Experience tickets: Underground, Arena and Attic / Upper Levels

Full Experience tickets are official enhanced options that add restricted areas of the Colosseum — such as the Underground, arena floor or upper levels — on top of the standard visit, plus access to the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and related archaeological sites. They are sold in several variants by the Parco archeologico del Colosseo, and each version includes different levels , so they are not interchangeable.

All Full Experience tickets include one timed entrance to the Colosseum and one entrance to the Forum/Palatine/S.U.P.E.R. circuit , with the archaeological area valid for two consecutive days , under the official conditions stated on your voucher.

Full Experience Underground & Arena

What this ticket includes :

• One timed Colosseum entrance with access to:
  • the standard public levels (ground and first tiers),
  • the reconstructed arena floor,
  • an accompanied visit to the Underground (hypogeum) chambers.
• One entrance to the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and associated S.U.P.E.R. sites, valid within a 48-hour window from first use.

What this ticket does NOT include:

• No full narrative guided tour by default. The Underground visit is accompanied by staff for safety and access control, but historical commentary is only included if you book a guided Full Experience tour through a tour operator.
• No access to the highest attic or upper tiers; those are covered by a different Full Experience variant.

Full Experience Arena

What this ticket includes :

• One timed Colosseum entrance with access to:
  • the standard lower levels,
  • the large arena-floor platform, usually entered through a dedicated access such as the “Gladiator’s Gate”.
• One entrance to the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and S.U.P.E.R. sites, valid for two consecutive days.

What this ticket does NOT include:

• No Underground (hypogeum) access.
• No guided tour by default; unless booked as part of a guided product, the visit is self-guided.

Full Experience Attic (upper levels with panoramic lift)

What this ticket includes :

• One timed Colosseum entrance with access to:
  • the first level,
  • an intermediate gallery,
  • the third level,
  • the attic area reached via the panoramic lift.
• One entrance to the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Imperial Fora and related S.U.P.E.R. sites, valid over two consecutive days.

What this ticket does NOT include:

• No Underground access and no dedicated arena-floor time.
• No guided tour by default; narrative visits are only included with specific attic-level guided packages.

24h Only Arena (arena-only tickets)

The “24h Only Arena” ticket is a short, arena-floor experience — not a full Colosseum visit . It’s an official option that grants access only to the arena platform , usually via the Sperone Stern side entrance, for a brief, time-limited stay. According to the Parco archeologico del Colosseo, time on the arena floor typically lasts around 20 minutes , and the ticket is valid for 24 hours, with the last arena admission usually scheduled in mid-afternoon.

This ticket is designed for visitors who want the “gladiator’s-eye view” of the Colosseum rather than a complete walk through its interior levels. In many cases, it does not allow you to freely explore the standard visitor areas (levels 1 and 2) in the same way as the ordinary 24-hour Colosseum ticket. Because of its limited scope, it’s often chosen when standard tickets are sold out or by travelers who are only interested in stepping onto the arena floor.

What “24h Only Arena” typically includes

• One timed entrance to the Colosseum arena floor only, accessed via the Sperone Stern side, for approximately 20 minutes on the platform.
• In many versions, combined access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill within the 24-hour validity period — but this must always be verified in the specific offer you are booking, as inclusions can vary.

What this ticket does NOT include

• No full access to the standard Colosseum visitor levels (first and second tiers), unless this is explicitly stated in the ticket description.
• No Underground (hypogeum) access, no upper-level or attic sections, and no guided tour by default. For those experiences, you need a Full Experience ticket or a guided product that clearly lists Underground, arena and tier access.

Guided tours (daytime)

Daytime guided tours are not a single official ticket type , but a broad family of products that bundle Colosseum entry with a live guide and a structured itinerary . Their main value is explanation and logistics, not automatic access to every restricted area. Most reputable tours use official timed-entry tickets as their base and then add a guide, headsets for larger groups and pre-arranged meeting points to simplify the visit.

What daytime guided tours typically include

• Timed entry to the Colosseum with a live guide, usually in a specific language, with a defined group size and duration (commonly 2.5–3 hours for Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill combined).
• Access to the standard public levels of the Colosseum and at least one entrance to the combined Roman Forum/Palatine Hill area, following a fixed route set by the tour operator.

What they do NOT automatically include

• No guaranteed access to the Underground, arena floor or upper levels unless those restricted areas are explicitly listed in the tour description; many popular daytime tours cover only the standard tiers.
• No flexibility to wander freely or change timing: guided tours follow a strict schedule and route, and late arrivals usually lose their place with no refund under the operator’s terms.

Colosseum night tours

Night tours are about atmosphere and exclusivity, not a full daytime-style visit of all sites. They are special after-hours experiences that let you enter the Colosseum when it’s closed to the general public, usually in small guided groups. These tours focus on the monument’s mood at night, with dramatic lighting, far fewer visitors and access to selected areas such as the arena floor and, in some cases, the Underground tunnels.

What Colosseum night tours typically include

• After-hours entrance to the Colosseum with an official guide, often including access to the arena floor and at least the first level, and sometimes the Underground, depending on the specific product.
• A small-group or limited-capacity experience, usually lasting 1.5–2 hours, with an emphasis on storytelling, atmosphere and photography in a much quieter setting than daytime visits.

What they do NOT usually include

• No daytime access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. These sites are normally visited separately with a different ticket or tour, even if some night-tour packages add an exterior walk along Via dei Fori Imperiali.
• No flexibility on timing or route. Night tours run on fixed late-evening schedules, with very limited slots, and rescheduling or refunds are often restricted if you arrive late or your plans change.

City passes and combo tickets (Roma Pass and similar)

City passes are designed to save money across Rome, not to provide enhanced access inside the Colosseum. Cards like the Roma Pass and similar multi-attraction passes usually include one standard Colosseum entry as part of a broader package covering several museums or sites in the city. In most cases, you must still reserve a timed Colosseum slot through a specific booking channel, then show both the pass and the reservation at the entrance on the chosen day.

What city passes typically include for the Colosseum

• One standard timed-entry visit to the Colosseum, often combined with access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill under the same rules as a basic combined ticket.
• Benefits outside the Colosseum itself, such as free or discounted entry to other museums, public transport validity within Rome and reduced prices on selected attractions, depending on the specific pass.

What city passes do NOT usually include

• No automatic access to restricted areas such as the Underground, arena floor or upper levels. These experiences generally require a Full Experience ticket or a separate guided tour.
• No guarantee of last-minute availability. Even with a Roma Pass or similar card, you still need to secure an open reservation slot for the Colosseum, and popular time slots can sell out quickly during busy months.