TesseraJust the essentials
2 h 4 min5.7 km · 17 stops
The must-sees of the Forum, the Palatine and the Colosseum in about two hours: the Arch of Titus, the Temple of Vesta, the Colosseum arena, and more.
How to do the Colosseum and the Forum on your own
The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine are easy to visit without a guide and easy to visit badly. One ticket, three fenced areas with separate gates, one fixed appointment and a square kilometre of ruins with very little labelling. A good self-guided day comes down to four decisions: the slot, the order, the gate and the route.
The ticket and the slot
One ticket covers the Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine, but only the Colosseum has a fixed time slot. That slot is the hinge of the day: book it first, from the official ticket office, and plan everything else around it. The underground and the arena floor are sold as separate ticket types — decide before booking.
Which order
The usual plan works: the Colosseum at your slot, then a few minutes’ walk to the Arch of Titus and into the Forum and up the Palatine from there. In summer, reverse it — the Forum and the Palatine while the air is bearable, the Colosseum in the late afternoon, when the stands are in shade.
Which gate
- The Colosseum: its own entrance, through security at your slot. Arrive a little early.
- The Forum and Palatine by the Arch of Titus, on the Via Sacra: the natural next stop after the Colosseum.
- The Forum from Largo della Salara Vecchia, on Via dei Fori Imperiali: best if you walk from Piazza Venezia.
- The Palatine from Via di San Gregorio: quieter, near Circo Massimo station.
Pick a route
Choose by the time you really have. These routes are measured over the real path network and include ninety seconds of looking at each stop; they do not include queues, security or lunch.
In depth
3 h 26 min8.4 km · 36 stops
Almost everything worth stopping for, across the Forum, the Palatine and the Colosseum. About three and a half hours at an unhurried pace.
Every stop
5 h 28 min12.6 km · 63 stops
All 63 points across the Forum, the Palatine and the Colosseum, start to finish — a full day, unhurried.
Myths and omens
1 h 11 min3.2 km · 10 stops
Ten stops built around the stories told about this ground, old and new: Romulus's tomb, a soldier's leap into the abyss, the myth of Christian martyrs at the Colosseum, and the truth behind the gladiator's thumb.
Colosseum
1 h 27 min2.5 km · 22 stops
22 stops about the Colosseum — from the square and the Arch of Constantine to the stands, gladiators, and the panorama from the upper tier. About an hour and a half.
Hypogeum (bonus)
32 min1.4 km · 5 stops
Five stops about the hypogeum and its machinery — a bonus for those with a Full Experience ticket that includes underground access. About half an hour.
Before you set off
- Download your guide at the hotel and test it in airplane mode. There is no usable Wi-Fi on site.
- Water: there are drinking fountains, and almost no shade in the Forum.
- Shoes with grip for the Via Sacra paving and the climb up the Palatine.
- A small bag. Large bags slow you down at security, and some are refused.
- A power bank, and one earbud each if you are a group.
Updated 2026-10-28