How to Get Discounts or Cheap Rome Colosseum Tickets

The Colosseum is one of the most popular monuments in Rome (and the whole world) and every day it receives thousands of visitors eager to see its galleries, its intricacies and its spectacular stands.

Getting tickets for the Colosseum is easy. There is quite a varied offer on the Internet (I recommend avoiding 100% to go through the long queues at the ticket offices) and, unfortunately, it is difficult to find discounts and practically impossible to find free tickets.

Still, there are always exceptions. Read on to see if you are one of those who have access to cheaper tickets for the Colosseum.

The best option

Offer: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Tickets + Rome Hop-on Hop-Off Bus

Visit the Colosseum with direct access without waiting in line at the ticket office and at the best price.

With the skip-the-line tickets you can tour the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill at your own pace with a digital audio guide and at a very reasonable price.

From $68 at Hellotickets

This is one of the most famous and therefore most visited monuments in Rome, so the best idea is definitely to buy your tickets online in advance and avoid the long queues at the ticket offices. Thanks to these digital tickets for the Colosseum you will not have to print anything, just show them at the access point will be enough. In addition, they are economical tickets, as they include access to the three monuments: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill.

With the digital audio guide that you can download you can tour the three great monuments understanding the historical context and the value they represent for the Roman history and the world in general.

Recommended if... If you want to travel back in time and discover what it was like at the height of the Roman Empire's splendor.

Certain groups are entitled to free or reduced-price tickets. The following is a general list of people who are eligible for discounts:

• Italian teachers properly accredited
• Teachers specializing in Art History accompanying a group can also check if they are entitled to free or reduced price tickets.
• Disabled persons and their accompanying members of the health and social services.
• Official guides and tourist interpreters of the EU who are exercising their professional activity.
• Teachers of Art History and secondary school teachers who are properly accredited.
• Teachers and students of Architecture, Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Educational Sciences and Literature or literary subjects with archaeological or historical-artistic direction.

Children under 18 years of age do not have to pay full price when purchasing tickets to the Colosseum. However, they must always be accompanied by an adult.

Also on guided tours of the Colosseum they are entitled to a discounted tour. For example, a guided tour that costs about 58 € for an adult, children under 18 can get it at a lower price. However, they will have to bring an identity document at the entrance to the Colosseum with which they can verify their age.

Here, yes, you are in luck: virtually all Colosseum tickets and guided tours also include a visit to the Roman Forum, so you won't need to queue or pay extra to visit the archaeological area of the Forum.

Therefore, the aforementioned discounts and reduced rates will also apply to access the Roman Forum. And, in addition, the Palatine Hill is also included in the vast majority of tickets and visits to the Colosseum and the Forum. However, if you want to visit the Palatine Museum you should make sure that your ticket includes Full Access to all areas of the Colosseum and its surroundings.

On the first Sunday of every month, the Colosseum opens its doors for free to all visitors who want to tour inside. As you can imagine, the lines are enormous and the large crowds can dampen the visit. If you are determined to make the most of the occasion, I recommend that you get up very early and be there early in the morning: it will be the only way to secure your place in the most coveted amphitheater in the world.

Another way to reduce the cost of your visit to the Colosseum is to purchase the Roma Pass. If you plan to visit several museums and monuments in the city, you may want to buy this tourist card, which gives you access to them at a "flat rate" price.

If you want to read more details, you can check out my article on how it works and everything you need to know about the Roma Pass.

Save money with your combined ticket to the Colosseum and the Vatican

Italians are into everything, and being the Vatican and the Colosseum the two most visited monuments in the city, there is the possibility to buy a combined ticket for the Vatican and the Colosseum with which you will do both visits in one day and you will be accompanied by an expert guide at all times.

The best thing about this option is that you will save not only money but also time, as you can skip the lines at both the Colosseum and the Vatican. Highly recommended!

If you are on a really tight budget and want to keep your spending to a minimum when visiting the city, you can always go to the area to get the best images of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum in your mind. One option is to buy the single ticket to the Colosseum (about 17 €) and just see the rest outside. Take note of the following places that will be essential to visit the Colosseum and its surroundings for free:

The best views of the outside of the Colosseum

Going around the huge perimeter of the Colosseum will help you get an idea of its magnificent dimensions and the enormous capacity of its stands. It will also allow you to see it from different angles (some parts are better preserved than others and turning it around will surprise you).

You can also go to the stairs leading up to the Monti district (located at the top of the Piazza del Colosseo Metro stop) and stop there to enjoy the views. Being quite high, you will eliminate from view the traffic and the crowd that characterizes the place, allowing you to take the best pictures. The sunset from there is magical and the colors of the sky with the Roman Forum and the Colosseum will not leave you indifferent.

The best panoramic view of the Roman Forum

There is a large part of the Roman Forum that can be seen perfectly from Via dei Fori Imperiali as you walk between the Colosseum and Piazza Venezia. If you can make this tour on a Sunday, you will see that the great avenue is closed to traffic to become pedestrianized. A real treat for tourists and Romans, who take the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and these magnificent views.

Another key place that I personally recommend to visit 100% is the highest part of the square where the Capitoline Museums are located. If you go up here late in the afternoon, when the Colosseum and the Forum are already closed and empty of tourists, you will be practically alone in front of the immensity of Ancient Rome. It is true that from here you will not have the closeness and detail that a walking tour inside the Forum offers, but I assure you that the panoramic view has nothing to envy to the walk through the Roman Forum.

A relaxing stroll through the Circus Massimo

The Circus Massimo, where the popular horse races were held in Ancient Rome, is relatively close to the Colosseum and next to the Roman Forum. Unfortunately, little remains of the site that once housed 250,000 spectators, but it does not require an entrance fee and is free to move around. You can walk around it as and when you want, and the green area that surrounds it makes it a very pleasant walk and, of course, free of charge.