Duration of the visits to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum

There is no time to waste during your visit to Rome. Its squares, little streets, colorful facades, terraces... will instantly steal your heart and you will want to enjoy the city as long as possible.

To organize your trip well and if you are wondering how much time you really need to enjoy the visit to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, I recommend you to read on.

Generally speaking, you will need at least half a day to get a good impression of the whole area, visit the Colosseum inside and tour the Roman Forum.

Of course, you can extend this time if you want to stop to contemplate in detail the archaeological remains of the Roman Forum, walk around the Circus Massimo, stop to take pictures of the whole area, walk around the Colosseum on the outside .... Oh, and the view from the stairs leading up to the Monti district (you will find them just above the Colosseo metro stop) will give you a breathtaking view of the Colosseum.

If you have not bought your tickets to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill in advance, add to all the time you need for the visit up to a couple of hours to queue at the ticket office.

Guided tours of the Colosseum vary in length depending on what is included in the tour, estimate between 1 and 3 hours in total. For example, there is an express guided tour of the Colosseum that lasts 1 hour and is ideal if you have little time in Rome, but usually the guided tours of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill last about three hours.

The good thing about these tours is that the tickets they include have priority access, so you will skip the long lines to access both the Colosseum and the Forum.

There is also an even more complete (and therefore longer) option that combines a visit to the Colosseum with a visit to the Vatican, always accompanied by an expert guide. Both visits take place on the same day and the total duration of the tour is about 6 hours, so you can expect to spend most of the day busy.

Another option to visit the area on your own is to buy the tickets to the Colosseum on your own (for this I recommend you to do it always online and in advance, so you can ensure availability and skip the queues on the day of the visit.

If you visit the Colosseum on your own, calculate that you will need at least one hour inside, 20 minutes outside and another hour touring the Roman Forum.

In total, you will spend at least 3 hours in the area if you want to leave having seen all the essentials. If you are walking from the center of Rome, it will probably take about 30 minutes longer, but the views are certainly worth it.

You can visit the Arena of the Colosseum with a guided tour that includes this part of the tour (be sure to check before booking, because not all guided tours include it). This stop is usually included in the 3-hour guided tour and will not add extra time to the duration of the itinerary.

It will allow you to have a different point of view of the stands, the subway labyrinths and will make you feel tiny in front of the immense size of the amphitheater. From here you will feel as the real gladiators of Ancient Rome felt when they went out to fight.

Although the price of the visit with the arena included is a little higher than the standard visit (taking into account that it is an exclusive space with reduced capacity, the difference is understandable), it is highly recommended!

It will take you at least an hour to tour the Roman Forum, depending on how thorough you want to be with your visit. The archaeological park of the Roman Forum is located next to the Colosseum (you can't miss it, you'll see it right away) and with the tickets to the Colosseum you can access the paid part of the Roman Forum.

Throughout the tour you will see the archaeological remains of its temples, basilicas and meeting places. What will catch your attention (especially because it is very well preserved) is the Arch of Triumph.

If you want to see the best panoramic views of the Forum, before or after your visit go to the top of the Piazza del Campidoglio (where the Capitoline Museums are) and look for the viewpoint to the Forum and the Colosseum. Simply spectacular.

With a capacity of 250,000 people you can imagine that the Circo Massimo is huge. It is about 600 meters long and 250 meters wide, so a full tour can easily take over an hour, but it is worth booking a guided tour of the Circus Maximus.

Unfortunately, today little remains of what was the most coveted track for horse racing in Ancient Rome, so today you will see only its surface and in my opinion, it is not worth too much to go all the way around.

If you want to go there, see its panoramic view, marvel at its dimensions and come back, you shouldn't need to spend more than 20-30 minutes in total.

The stretch of the Via dei Fori Imperiali that connects Piazza Venezia with the Colosseum in Rome is one kilometer long and will take you approximately 12 minutes to walk. The best thing is that on Sundays they close this great avenue to traffic and you can stroll it quietly as you approach the Colosseum.

The views from any point are spectacular, because you also have an elevated view over much of the Roman Forum, which will allow you to take the best pictures of the Forum.

At first you will see the Colosseum in the distance and little by little you will get closer and realize the real dimensions of this huge amphitheater. On the other hand, here you will find some shade under a tree, but most of the tour is under the sun, so protect yourself from the heat and the sun's rays with sunscreen and a soft drink if you need it.

The "tourist" center of the city is relatively small and although there are hundreds of streets and squares worth a visit, if you want to walk from the city center, it will take between 20 and 30 minutes depending on where you are.

If you want to organize well your displacements I leave you this brief guide on how to get to the Colosseum.