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Book ahead: timed-entry tickets and guided visits
Colosseum & Roman Forum + Audio Guide
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Colosseum opening hours
The Colosseum opens at 8:30 and the Forum and Palatine area at 9:00. The closing time follows five seasonal bands set in the Park's Visitor Regulations. The last entry is one hour before closing, and the ticket office closes 75 minutes before the Park, 15 minutes before the last entry.
Today
Opening hours for every month are on the Opening hours page.
Checked against the official website on 23 October 2026 · Official source
| Period | Last entry | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January - 28 February, opens 8:30 | 15:30 | 16:30 |
| 1 March - last Saturday of March, opens 8:30 | 16:30 | 17:30 |
| Last Sunday of March - 30 September, opens 8:30 | 18:15 | 19:15 |
| 1 October - last Saturday of October, opens 8:30 | 17:30 | 18:30 |
| Last Sunday of October - 31 December, opens 8:30 | 15:30 | 16:30 |
| 25 December and 1 January | Closed | - |
The Park is closed on 25 December and 1 January, unless it decides otherwise. Entry is free on the first Sunday of each month, on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November.
Checked against the official website on 23 October 2026 · Official source: Parco archeologico del Colosseo
The last Sunday of March and October moves every year
The change of timetable falls on the last Sunday of March and of October: 25 October 2026, 28 March 2027 and 31 October 2027. From 25 October 2026 to 28 February 2027 the Park closes at 16:30 (last entry 15:30).
The Park changes its hours three times a year, so check the official page when you plan.
A time slot for the Colosseum
The Colosseum entry needs a booked time slot with every ticket that includes it. You cannot enter at a time different from the one booked, according to the Park's FAQ. The Forum and Palatine area has no time slot.
The tolerances in the Regulations are: for the 24-hour ticket and the Full Experience Arena, up to 15 minutes before and up to 15 minutes after the time; for Underground & Arena, 30 minutes before and no lateness; for Only Arena and the Attic, 15 minutes before and no lateness. If you miss your slot, the ticket is no longer valid for the Colosseum, only for one entry to the Forum and Palatine if you have not used it, with no refund.
How long you can stay
The Park gives no duration for a self-guided visit. The maximum stay in the Colosseum is 75 minutes with the 24-hour ticket and 90 minutes with a Full Experience ticket. After that the staff may help you to leave. The Only Arena visit lasts 20 minutes.
The official pages of the Arena and Underground tickets give last-access times that are not dated by season, so read the page of the ticket you buy.
Free days
On free days, tickets cannot be booked: you collect them on the day, in order of arrival, at the ticket offices in Piazza del Colosseo, near the Temple of Venus and Roma, and in Largo della Salara Vecchia. They are valid only that day, for individuals, and give no access to the panoramic lift, the upper levels, the arena or the underground. The Forum Pass SUPER cannot be used on the free first Sunday.
The next free days after 23 October 2026 are Sunday 1 November, Wednesday 4 November, Sunday 6 December 2026 and Sunday 3 January 2027. The Park's page does not detail the rules for 25 April, 2 June and 4 November, so check them.
Exhibitions in the Park
On 23 October 2026 the Park's home page listed an exhibition in the Colosseum, Troia e Roma (Troy and Rome: myths, legends, stories of the ancient Mediterranean), until 8 November 2026, and Saffo (Sappho) in the Farnese Aviaries on the Palatine from 15 October 2026 to 31 January 2027. According to the Regulations they are included in every ticket.