How much does it cost to visit the Colosseum?

Honestly, just book on ticketing.colosseo.it if you want the real, official prices. The standard adult ticket is €18 + a mandatory €2 booking fee, and it already covers the Colosseum + Roman Forum + Palatine Hill, which is great value. It’s all timed entry, so you pick a slot when you book. We went recently and it was pretty painless. Just make sure you bring photo ID, because tickets are name-based and they do check.

The arena ticket costs the same as standard; it’s basically just a different “bucket” of tickets. You get to step onto the reconstructed arena floor, which honestly feels pretty cool… and yeah, the photos turn out amazing. The real challenge is availability, those arena slots disappear fast, especially on weekends.

We went with our two kids, and yep.. kids 0-17 are free, but you still pay the €2 online booking fee per child and still have to reserve a time slot for them. For us, it worked out to €18 + €2 per adult and €2 per kid, which is honestly a steal considering it includes three big sites.

If you really want to see the underground and the upper levels, go for the “Full Experience” ticket. It’s €24 + the €2 fee, and it’s valid for two days, which honestly helps because you’re not rushing through everything in one go. It covers the hypogeum, the arena floor, and the higher tiers. We tried booking about a week before our trip, and it was already gone. These sell out quickly, so the safest bet is to grab them as soon as your dates are released.

We added the official guided night tour, and it was easily one of the highlights, it was about €26 extra per person on top of the ticket. The Colosseum at night just hits different, and the guide made it feel way more “alive.” Third-party tours usually start at around €40–€50 and go up depending on group size and any extras they include. Worth it if you want someone to keep you moving and actually explain what you’re staring at.

Tiny but important note: the €2 online fee is mandatory on the official site, even for free kid tickets. We tried showing up in person to buy, and… yeah, same-day tickets were basically gone by late morning. Booking online is just the safer move unless you like gambling with your schedule.

There’s no official combo ticket that covers both the Colosseum and the Vatican. If you book them separately, it’s about €20 for the Colosseum (including the fee) and around €25 for the Vatican online ticket, so roughly €45 per adult. You’ll also see tour companies offering combined guided days starting around €80–€90, often with transport and skip-the-line access. That can be helpful if you’re trying to fit everything into one packed day.

We tried doing the Colosseum and the Vatican in one day once, and… never again. It turned into this massive, exhausting march. Splitting them over two days felt so much better. Price-wise, it didn’t really change, but our feet were VERY grateful.

Quick summary from our experience: Standard ticket is €18 + €2 fee; arena costs the same. The Full Experience is €24 + €2 and includes the underground, arena, and upper tiers. Kids are free, but you still pay the €2 reservation fee for each. Official night tours are about €26 extra, and third-party combo tours (like Colosseum + Vatican) usually run €80-€90. Biggest tip? Book early on the official site and skip the random sellers hanging around outside.

We booked about a month in advance on the official site and had zero stress. Payment was straightforward, and the e-ticket came instantly. Just remember: your Colosseum entry is timed and strict, but the Forum/Palatine entry is more flexible. For €20 total, it felt super organized and honestly well-managed considering how busy the place is.

Honestly, something I didn’t realize at first is that your Colosseum time slot is strict, but the Forum and Palatine are much more flexible. We went into the Colosseum at our booked time, then took a break and came back to wander through the Forum and Palatine later, when it wasn’t blazing hot. It made the day feel way less rushed.