Visiting the Colosseum and the Forum

Practical write-ups about the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine: which ticket buys what, measured walking times, what the ground is like underfoot, and what to download first.

• How long do the Colosseum and the Forum actually take?

  Walking times measured on the real path network, and what they leave out.

  Updated 2026-10-08
• Which Colosseum ticket do you actually need?

  What each ticket opens, what it does not, and why the slot matters more than the tier.

  Updated 2026-09-11
• What to see in the Roman Forum: fourteen stops that make sense of the ruins

  A walk down the Via Sacra, from the Arch of Titus to the Senate house.

  Updated 2026-10-27
• How to get to the Colosseum, and which entrance to use

  Metro, bus or on foot — and which gate is yours.

  Updated 2026-10-08
• Do you need a guide at the Colosseum?

  Guided tour, rented videoguide, an app or nothing — what each actually gives you.

  Updated 2026-09-11
• What is under the Colosseum

  Two levels of corridors, some thirty lifts, and the machinery that ran the show.

  Updated 2026-09-11
• The Colosseum: the facts, and the myths that are not

  Where the name comes from, why the walls have holes, and which famous stories are wrong.

  Updated 2026-10-27
• The history of the Colosseum in brief

  Who built it and why, 400 years of games, and how it became a ruin.

  Updated 2026-10-27
• What to see near the Colosseum

  Nine places within a short walk, most of them free and uncrowded.

  Updated 2026-10-27
• The Palatine Hill: what to see and why it is worth the climb

  Where Rome began and where the emperors lived — on the ticket you already have.

  Updated 2026-10-27
• Gladiators of the Colosseum: who they were and how they really fought

  Who they were, how a day of games ran, and what the films get wrong.

  Updated 2026-10-27
• The Colosseum and the Forum with limited mobility

  Lifts in the amphitheatre, ancient paving in the Forum, and a hill you cannot avoid.

  Updated 2026-09-11
• The Colosseum and the Forum in summer

  Which slot to book, what order to go in, and what to carry.

  Updated 2026-10-08