Anyone planning a trip to Rome and hoping to visit the Colosseum should definitely buy their entry tickets in advance. Tickets from the official website are only available a month in advance. Yes, the official suppliers to offer tickets to purchase on the day, but these are limited and you would need to queue early, along with the many other hopefuls. For those who have left it too late, I offer some suggestions and tips on buying tickets at the last minute for the Colosseum based on my own attempts and extensive research on what the official suppliers and other intermediaries are doing. Although I have been monitoring these websites for over a month to bring this article together, the illustrations I give are based on what is available on 6 June 2023. The principles apply to any day.
- Thomas Dowson
- Last Checked and/or Updated 6 June 2023
- No Comments
- Italy Travel Tips & Ideas, Rome, Travel Tips
Buying Colosseum entry tickets in advance is for many of our readers a frustrating experience. Since my first visit in 2014 the procedures have changed many times as the authorities try to manage the vast numbers of people wanting to see what is one of the world’s most popular ancient landmarks. Unlike some other extremely popular attractions around Europe, I believe that as of 2023 the authorities in Rome are finally getting it right.
Now for example, everyone wanting to enter the Colosseum has to have a timed entry ticket. Even if you are a holder of a Roma Pass, or any of the other city passes available for Rome. This has eliminated the need for ‘skip-the-line’ tickets, which it has to be said were not always offered in good faith and did lead to misunderstandings.
As is so often the case, however, the official website only gives the basic information. Hence the continued frustration so many have when trying to book their Colosseum tickets online. In preparation for one of our regular visits to the Colosseum to update this website, over the last month I have been closely monitoring the various websites that offer last minute tickets for the Colosseum. Here I set out what I have found. To be clear, this page is intended specifically for those trying to get tickets last minute. I am also preparing a more detailed guide to buying tickets for the Colosseum – that will be published in a few days from now (6 June 2023).
Buying Tickets for the Colosseum from the Official Website
The official supplier of Colosseum tickets is the Società Cooperativa Culture (CoopCulture). They are the body responsible for managing many of the main archaeological sites, museums and other cultural venues in Italy. And it is they who control the ticketing for the Colosseum and these other heritage sites. All other websites offering tickets for the Colosseum get their tickets from this organisation through various arrangements.
CoopCulture release the various tickets for the Colosseum on their website 30 days in advance. So today 6 June 2023, tickets for 6 July 2023 are being released for purchase on a first come, first served basis. It is not possible to know how many tickets are released, but I can say they are released over the course of the day, not all at once. Thus more people get more of a chance of getting ticket.
Let me show you the process for buying regular tickets for the Colosseum, that is no entry to the arena and underground areas. But you do get entry to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill. The price of the regular entrance is €16 with a €2 booking fee, per person.
You would start at the page for Colosseum tickets, choosing the ticket option of your choice. And you will end up on the page as seen in the three screenshots above. In the screenshot on the left, showing the calendar for 6 July 2023 you will see that the number 6 is in green. That is because there are tickets available for that day. The numbers in red indicate no availability, while the numbers in grey indicate days for which tickets have not yet been released (2 will remain grey as entry to the Colosseum is free on the first Sunday of each month).
Clicking on the green number will reveal the timeslots and number of tickets available, as you can see in the middle screenshot. Here you only see one green box, that is because there is only one timeslot available at that moment with tickets available. If you are happy with that timeslot and there are the required number of tickets available click on the green button and you will then be able to choose the ticket, either full price, reduced price, free entry or the Roma Pass options.
Once there is no more availability, the number will appear red – as in the screenshot on the right.
Tickets go very quickly. But as I said above, the tickets for anyone day are not released all at once first thing in the morning. Rather, they are made available over the course of the day (Rome time), corresponding to the time of the entry timeslot. So the first tickets start to appear at 9 am.
Please Note: if for example you are hoping to buy tickets for 6 of July 2023, and you come through to the booking calendar page and you see the calendar in the screenshot on the right showing 6 July in red, i.e. sold out, depending on the time of day don’t give up. If it is still the middle of the day (Rome time) and you can visit the Colosseum in the afternoon, refresh the page every five minutes or so until you see Day 6 in green. If however it is way beyond the end of the day in Rome, the tickets are all sold out. You will either have to try again for the next day, on the next day, or look at other options (see below).
Can You Buy Colosseum Tickets on the Day?
As of May 2023 the Colosseum ticket office has once again started selling tickets for the day. But be warned, there are always long queues at the ticket office. The ticket office is near the main entrance to the Colosseum, known as the Sperone Valadier entrance (after the architect responsible for reconstructing this side of the Colosseum).
Beware of ticket touts offering you tickets. These are no official resellers, and you could find you have bought a ticket that will not get you entry.
Last Minute Tickets for the Colosseum
When the tickets are released for sale (30 days in advance), they are always sold out by the end of the day. On the rare occasion that tickets have been returned, you will see there is availability within the thirty day period. For instance, while writing this article on 6 June, watching tickets being released for 6 July, I saw 4 tickets become available for one timeslot on 13 June. They were gone within seconds.
There are two reputable online ticket providers who have last minute tickets available. These suppliers have fewer tickets for sale, but they do not sell out so quickly. These two suppliers are Headout and Tiqets. Remember this, these suppliers like any others do not offer tickets before the official suppliers CoopCulture.
If you do not manage to get any of their tickets for the dates you need, you could try taking a guided tour that includes the entry ticket.
Last Minute Tickets from Headout
Headout has a number of ticket options for the Colosseum. These range from the regular entry ticket for €23 to an entry ticket that is coupled with entry to the Mamertine Prison.
► Regular entrance to the Colosseum, as well as the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, is available on the Headout website for €19. There are also tickets for €24 that include an audio-visual guide.
► There is no chance of a refund if you need to cancel your tickets.
► As official resellers go, Headout is much cheaper than Tiqets, but their tickets sell out much quicker than Tiqets.
► They usually add tickets to their website two days later than the official suppliers. After observing for a month, there does not appear to be a pattern. On 6 June Headout added all their tickets for 3 and 4 July.
More information and buy Colosseum Entrance Tickets from Headout.
Last Minute Tickets from Tiqets
Tiqets is another official reseller that is a good source for last minute tickets for the Colosseum. And, because of their price they do not sell out so quickly, and as a result these tickets are as last minute as you can possibly get. Besides this ticket they have a number of ticketing options, including a Rome City Card, various guided tours and experiences. See the full range of Colosseum Tickets, Guided Tours and Experiences Available from Tiqets.
► The regular entrance ticket to the Colosseum from Tiqets comes with a sightseeing bus tour of Rome. You are able to reschedule or cancel and get a refund.
► It does not include the arena and underground areas, but does include an audio guide that you do not get from the official website.
► This entry ticket also includes entry to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill.
► Having observed the site for a month, these tickets re added one or two days after the official site. On 6 June, tickets for 4 July were added.
► When a new day is added, the full range of timeslots is offered, with a maximum of 8 tickets per timeslot.
► As Tiqets is much more expensive than Headout, these tickets do not sell out so fast. And I consider this the best option for those last minute stuations. For example, today 6 June 2023, Tiqets has quite a bit of availability for 11 June.
► More information and buy Last Minute Entrance Tickets for the Colosseum from Tiqets.
Summary & Last Word
The research I did to write this article started with my attempts to get tickets for our own trip to the Colosseum as part of our work for this website. I became quite frustrated by the out of date and often conflicting information online.
I began by getting the latest details from the official suppliers of Colosseum tickets, and then identifying all the reputable resellers. Having established the latest procedure for getting entry tickets I then monitored the various websites, particularly those I would buy tickets from myself – those website I will buy from when I need to.
Of course my recommendation is to try and get tickets from the official website on the day they are released for the day you require for your visit (€18). If you want to buy tickets for 7 July, you need to watch the official website on 7 June. If the first time you visit the site it looks sold out, refresh the page until you see 7 July show up green, with availability.
If you miss your day on the official website, chances of finding refunded tickets being re-offered are slim, but not impossible. The more flexible our dates, the greater your chances. First, I would check the Headout website (less availability but cheaper tickets €23). If those are also sold out check Tiqets – more expensive but much more availability.
The following suppliers also have tickets, guided tours and experiences for the Colosseum: GetYourGuide, Viator and Civitatis.
Create an Itinerary & Travel Lists for Your Rome Trip
You can create your own travel lists (such as places you have been to, places you would like to visit) and itinerary for your Rome and Vatican visit. These can also be shared with your friends and on social media. You can see how this is done by watching our Using the Itinerary video on YouTube, or reading the Using the Itinerary page.
For more sites and museums in Rome and the Vatican, see Art, Archaeology & History Sites & Museums in Rome & the Vatican.
The Colosseum
The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is undoubtedly the iconic monument of Rome. At 48 m high, and 545 m in circumference, this was by far the largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire, seating between 50,000 and 80,000 people. While the basic layout was used in towns and cities throughout the Empire, the size and attention to detail we see in Rome was never matched anywhere else. Following substantial restoration, the underground tunnels of the arena became fully open to the public in 2021.
Archaeology Travel Writer
