Ah the Colosseum. An awe-inspiring visit to the world's largest amphitheater! This iconic Roman…read moresymbol vies with the likes of the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums and Saint Peter's Basilica for the most-visited tourist destination when visiting Rome.*
I'll spare everyone the history which is probably covered in one of many previous reviews and mention some points for visiting this national treasure.
Book tickets in advance, most preferably through the Colosseum's website. Don't expect to buy tickets in person at the entry, though I believe you may be able to pick up tickets at the office, and occasionally they may have end of day availability. Unsurprisingly these sell out very quickly so constant checking of their website for availability is needed, and you have to go with whatever time slots are available. Tickets seem to be released one month in advance and sell out almost immediately though when I was checking it was unclear what time of day they are released.
If you can't buy tickets via the official website, then third parties also sell tickets though 1) there may be surcharge, 2) may be part of a group or audio tour where reviews range from mixed to excellent.
For booking individual tickets on the website with access to the underground or attic, these need to be booked specifically so check what access each ticket provides. Also some access combinations don't include the Colosseum itself, and only the Forum/Palantine Hill, so make sure you choose the right one.
Arriving to the Colosseum, there are crowds incessantly lining up for entry on the southwest side, and no organized lines. Everyone basically crowds around the security tent while staff constantly explain to people asking what time slot they are currently permitting entry.
For how chaotic this appeared, given four functioning lanes for security, a fair number of people were allowed thru with about a twenty minute wait. It is very IMPORTANT (BOLD CAPS this) to bring an official ID--I saw people being turned away without ID.
Inside depending on what access you have you can visit the arena level, upper levels, lower and/or attic. My ticket included the first two areas and they scan the QR/barcode to allow access.
Inside this ancient amphitheater the views were grand--even in its current ruined state the vast underground corridors and soaring upper levels are super impressive. 80 arched entryways, a labyrinth of lower level holding cells, pulley systems and trapdoors, even retractable overhead shades, all colossal feats of engineering. You can just begin to imagine how glorious it looked in its heyday; it was mind blowing to me how much labor it must've taken to construct and maintain the series of tiered levels under and overground.
Aside from the arena ground level, which is about a fifth covered and open to walking around, the route of tour is in a single direction to help the flow of foot traffic. Technically individual tickets limit visits to 75 or 90 minutes though I didn't see anyone checking. That's a sufficient enough time for visitors to see everything. Since most individual Colosseum tickets include Forum access, most people seemed to head over across the street afterwards.
*Though I guess the latter two aren't actually in Italy.
