Rome’s Colosseum was built in the year 80 A.D. by Emperor Flavian and it remains standing and welcoming visitors today. Earlier this year, the underground area was opened up to visitors and offers a special look at the area where the gladiators prepared for battle. Our trip was many years in the making, but here’s everything you need to know to book your own trip to Rome’s Colosseum.
In 2020 we cancelled a trip to Italy just days before Ryan learned about the Colosseum in World History class. He showed me a picture in this textbook and said, “I want to go there one day.” So, when we felt we were ready to book our next international trip, I wanted to be sure he got his chance.
COVID protocols have changed a lot of things about visiting sites in Italy and the Colosseum was no different. I also discovered that attraction tickets are offered at varying prices from a significant number of ticket resellers. Since I wasn’t looking for a guided tour, it was important to me that I buy directly from the Colosseum rather than a ticket reseller and I found that it saved me a considerable amount of money. When I reviewed the ticket options, there were many choices. We wanted to see the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, as well as the underground area, so I decided the Full Experience – Underground and Arena Accompanied Tour was the one for us.
Tickets are extremely limited, so for weeks I watched the calendar online to see how many tickets they were releasing and when I could purchase for our visit date. As it got closer to the date of our trip, I could see that tickets were going more quickly – a sure sign that we weren’t the only people traveling to Rome at the end of November!
Then, on the day our tickets would be released, I woke up at 5:30 am and snagged the last four tickets for the underground area for the date we’d be there. I was nervous that the only choice was 9:30 am and you had to be there at least 15 minutes early, but it was the only choice, so I booked it.
Morning came early on the day of our visit. We took the metro from our AirBnB to the Colosseo stop on the Blue line. The metro was very easy to use and it was the perfect choice because it lets out right across the street from the entrance. There are ticket windows across from the entrance, but because of COVID all tickets are sold online now, so we never saw anyone inside.
It was 9:00 a.m. and no one was there. Literally no one. It was amazing. We walked the whole way around and except for a single security guard we didn’t see anyone.
When we got back around to the entrance, I approached a security guard who was standing at the gate and asked if we were at the Valadier entrance. He checked our tickets and then gave us stickers to indicated we had access to the underground area before waiving us in. A security guard reviewed our CDC cards (or Green Card for EU citizens) for proof of vaccination. Then we went through a security checkpoint. Then they scanned our tickets and directed us toward the meeting point. They said we needed to be there at 9:30.
The meeting point was the site where the emperor sat. At the north side mid-way down the length of the stadium where a cross now stands. We walked in and for a few minutes we were the only ones there. It was an amazing opportunity to view the Colosseum alone and we got an unbelievable view of this nearly 2000 year old stadium.
As other people began to arrive, we walked back under the upper levels of the stadium and listened to an audio tour I had downloaded from Rick Steves ahead of time. He talked in detail about how the Colosseum was built and it brought to life the events that occurred there. It was the perfect way to use our time.
At about 9:40 a.m. we were met by an Italian guide who led us a group of 20 of us into several underground areas that are not generally accessible. These were opened in July 2021 and gave an incredible view of these underground staging areas, where the animals and gladiators prepared for battle. We saw the original rooms and passageways they would’ve used as well as an aqueduct that brought water through this area. There were replica elevators that would’ve brought the fighters up to the arena floor on display as well.
We spent about 45 minutes exploring the underground area before climbing up an ancient set of stairs that led us to the arena floor. It was amazing to look up into the stands and imagine 50,000 people filling every seat. The boys found a replica trap door where animals would’ve been released from an elevator below.
When we were finished, we climbed up to the first level (the ground floor in Italy is always considered 0). There was a museum style display here showing artifacts from the building and replicas with information on tickets, seats, renovations over the years and more. The boys loved seeing the replica of the Colosseum, which they could walk around entirely to see it from all angles.
After we had a chance to see everything in the exhibit, we walked out into the stadium to see the view from the spectator seats. It was hard not to imagine the sights and sounds that would’ve occurred here. And it was crazy to think it had been built in the year 80 on the site of an ancient lake and we were standing inside that very same stadium.
If you’re in Rome, I highly recommend a visit to the Colosseum. The opportunity to visit the underground areas was well worth it and the chance to be in the stadium alone when it opened was unprecedented. If you have the chance, book the early tickets!
Is Rome’s Colosseum on your travel bucket list?
