Colosseum Rome, Italy

The Colosseum is a must to visit if you are visiting Italy.  It’s basically the biggest ancient amphitheater in the world!  A place where gladiators would fight for their lives against other gladiators or dangerous animals like lions and alligators.  Executions were also initiated there.

The king would watch from his dedicated area and about 80,000 visitors were in the stands.  There are underground passageways the king would use if necessary.  

There was an exorcism performed here for religious reasons and a cross that represents the location.  

An earthquake had damaged part of the Colosseum where the walls have broken and fallen.  

So if you are planning a visit to the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, there a few things you should know that I wished I would’ve known and otherwise done differently!

Note:  It is not much faster to do a skip the line tour. Save your money, unless you would like to have more information given to you. Going early morning or late afternoon will give you shorter lines too. Our tour was at 3:30 and there was only a short line.

Note:  Regular tickets are released about 30 days in advance and sell out quickly.  If you are unable to purchase a regular ticket, then there is the option of tours, which you will pay more for.  

Note:  There is an official audio guide application, Y&Co that you can use on your smartphone once inside. 

Note:  There’s a security check where bags are run through a scanner and you will do a metal detector walk through.  

Note:  You will have to show identification!  We had to show our PASSPORTS to enter.  

Note:  Arrive 15-30 minutes before your time slot. 

Note:  It can get very hot 🥵 in the sun. So bring sunscreen, hat, and water NOT in a glass water bottle.  It’s okay to wear whatever you want!  Shorts and tanks are great 😊.  Have good walking shoes.  There are stairs, uneven terrain, and it’s dusty dirty.  

Note:  Palatine hill and the Roman Forum are right next to the Colosseum.  You will have another security check/ticket entry to go through for those.  

Note:  We did a 3 hour tour which seemed very long in the heat.  Depending on how fast you walk, if not doing a tour, you could go through in 1.5-2 hours.  

It’s an interesting part of our history that’s worth seeing!