What are some of the places to visit near Colosseum?
Hey all, we just got our tickets for the Colosseum (phew, that was stressful!). We have the whole afternoon free after our tour. What else is right there? I know the Forum is nearby, but what are the other can’t-miss spots within easy walking distance? Don’t want to waste time on a bus.
Honestly, just do the Forum + Palatine right after. It’s basically right there, and it doesn’t feel like a separate “trip” at all, it’s one big connected area. The Forum surprised me the most… It’s way bigger than I expected and you kind of get that “oh wow, this was the center of everything” feeling. And Palatine is 100% worth the climb. We ended up sitting up there for a bit because the views are insane.
If you want something a little different, go to San Clemente. It’s like a 10-minute walk, and it’s SO COOL because you literally go underground through the layers of history. As you start in the normal church, then you’re walking down into older stuff, and suddenly you’re in ancient Roman rooms. It felt like a secret level in a game.
While you’re near the Forum, don’t forget to pay attention to the street you’re standing on! Just behind the Colosseum (look near Via di San Giovanni in Laterano), you can actually see the remains of the Ludus Magnus,the main gladiator training school. You can’t enter it, but peering down at the ruins you can imagine the gladiators walking through the tunnel to the arena. It really connects the visit.
We went up to Capitoline Hill and it was honestly a great move. The Capitoline Museums are amazing if you’re into that, but even if you don’t go inside, just go up there. There’s a spot behind the main square where you can get a ridiculous view of the Forum, totally free, and it ended up being one of our favorite photo stops.
If you want a calmer “wow” moment, go to San Pietro in Vincoli. It’s not far, just a bit uphill. The church is quiet, and then boom, Michelangelo’s Moses is sitting there and it’s massive and unreal. We went in for “a quick look” and stayed way longer than planned.
If your legs are still working, walk over to Piazza Venezia and that giant white monument (the “wedding cake” building). It’s touristy, yes, but the views are the reason. We paid for the elevator up to the terrace and it was actually worth it, especially late afternoon when the light gets nice.
Small timing tip: the Forum/Palatine closes earlier than you think (and earlier than the area around the Colosseum), so if your Colosseum slot is earlier in the day, don’t wait too long to head in there. We almost got blocked because we assumed it stayed open later.
And yeah, not “next door,” but we did Colosseum + Vatican in one day once. Totally doable if you’re motivated, but it’s a LONG day. You’ll need the метро (Line B → Termini → Line A). We finished the Colosseum tour late in the morning and did a mid-afternoon Vatican tour, but by the end we were completely wiped.
We finished up inside the Colosseum and stepped out toward the Arch of Constantine, and yeah… the kids were way more interested than I expected. They kept spotting little carvings and asking what the scenes meant, while my husband turned it into a mini history lesson.
After a couple of hours around the ruins, we drifted into Monti, and it honestly felt like hitting a reset button. Within minutes, the crowds thinned out, the streets got quieter, and there were cozy cafés everywhere. We grabbed pasta at a tiny place with no plan at all, and it turned into one of our best meals of the trip.
One of the most memorable nearby stops for us was the Domus Aurea. My wife and I went underground with helmets and a guide, and it honestly felt more like an adventure than a typical sightseeing stop. It’s a totally different vibe from the Colosseum, quieter, cooler, and surprisingly atmospheric, and it ended up being one of the most unique experiences we had in Rome.