We have only been in Italy for a few days and I think I may have found what is highly likely to be my favourite building. Not just in Italy, but the entire world. It’s a bold statement to make but my god the Ancient Roman Colosseum is beautiful.
Tips for Visiting the Ancient Roman Colosseum
Yes I know that is the most cliche and overused word in the whole world to describe a scene, but it honestly just works. I could have easily used extraordinary, spectacular, stunning, gorgeous, dazzling or even statuesque. But beautiful it is!
Since it is so beautiful it is definitely one of the most visited attractions in Rome. So if you plan on visiting the Ancient Roman Colosseum then hopefully some of our tips will help you maximise your time there so you will fall in love with is as well.
When to visit the Ancient Roman Colosseum
Get there early. No I don’t mean have a leisurely breakfast and then stroll down at 9am! Because at 8.30am the doors will swing open and the crowd will surge forward. Any time around 8.15am will be fine if you follow our secret travel tip below.
We rocked up at 8.25am and I was starting to fume as Adela has slept in and we had missed breakfast to get here early. And now we were about 150th in the queue.
Luckily we brought tickets the day before when we visited the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill ruins which are adjacent to the Colosseum. So our secret travel tip for you is to make sure you head along to the road and get your tickets the day before.
Even though we had to queue to get in (it took about 3 minutes) everyone else was basically running to the queues for tickets. We strolled on past, up the stairs and were one of the first into the Colosseum!
Where to go in the Ancient Roman Colosseum
Since we were so quick to get in we had a prime opportunity to take a bunch of photos before the crowds piled in. The key here is figuring out where to go first.
As you walk in you will be guided up the first flight of steps. Once at the top then bypass all the information panels (you can come back to them after the photo taking) and head around to the right. Other people naturally turned left.
But I knew exactly where the sun was shining so with it at our backs we had the Colosseum lit up in all it’s glory rather than shooting into the sun and ruining our photos.
Provided you were here early with pre-purchased tickets then you will have enough time to take your photos on the top level before descending down to the bottom and getting some more uncrowded shots. About half an hour all up.
It is ridiculous how quickly the Colosseum fills up with tour groups and they are a pain in the ass to get around so don’t dilly dally.
Spend the next hour casually strolling around taking a few more photos and reading up on the history of the Colosseum Games, animal spectacles and construction.
Price to visit the Ancient Roman Colosseum
It’s only €12 for an adult ticket and like we said it will also get you access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. They are well worth the visit and we spent 3 hours there alone!
The beauty is that your ticket is valid for 2 consecutive days so you can visit the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on the first day. Then visit the Ancient Roman Colosseum on the second day bypassing the horrendous queues.
You will queue for no more than 10 minutes and then when you arrive the next morning at the Colosseum you will be straight in once the doors part. This will give you more than enough time to join the daily Rome hop on hop off tours.