Rome Colosseum Opening Times
The first thing you should do when planning your trip to Rome is to buy tickets for the Colosseum and the second thing you should do is to organise your visit. When? Here are the opening hours.
Detail of the Colosseum façade | Callum Parker
The Colosseum is one of the great attractions of the city of Rome: thousands of travellers cross the world to visit inside and out this marvel of history and architecture.
Whether you've already booked your tickets for the Colosseum or are considering when to do so, you should be aware of its opening hours. Take note:
Colosseum timetable
- The Colosseum is open every day of the week, Monday to Sunday
- Opening hours: 8:30 AM
- Last admission of visitors: 6:15 PM
- Closing time (March to August): 07:15 PM .
- Closing time (in winter), between 16:30 and 18:00, depending on sunlight.
Colosseum guided tours timetable
If you prefer to join one of the guided tours of the Colosseum instead of buying a ticket to walk around on your own, the schedule is quite flexible.
Depending on the language you choose or the length of the tour (there are express tours, but there are also more complete guided tours that also include the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill in the itinerary), you can choose to do it in the morning or in the afternoon.
There are also half-day passes. My recommendation is that whenever you can, you should choose early in the morning to avoid crowds and visit when the sun is not too strong.
Opening hours of the Roman Forum
- Like the Colosseum, the Roman Forum is open every day of the week, Monday to Sunday
- Opening hours: 8:30 AM
- Last admission: 6:15 PM
- Closing time (March to August): 07:15 PM .
- Closing time (in winter) between 16:30 and 18:00, depending on sunlight.
Visiting hours of the Palatine Hill
- Like the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill is open every day of the week, Monday to Sunday
- Opening hours: 8:30 AM
- Last admission: 6:15 PM
- Closing time (March to August): 07:15 PM .
- Closing time (in winter) between 16:30 and 18:00, depending on sunlight.
Palatine Museum opening hours
- Opening time: 10.00 AM
- Closing time: 18.15 PM
The Palatine Museum, despite all the works and exhibitions it houses, is not the main part of the visit to this area of Ancient Rome. My advice is to save this visit for the end, as if you have just enough time, you will probably prefer to spend it at the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
You can also take the opportunity to visit during the central hours of the day to escape from the heat of the day.
Timetable for visiting the Circus Massimo
The Circus Massimo is an open-air, open-air space that does not require an entrance ticket. You can visit it at any time you want, on any day you want.
Bear in mind that it can take quite a long time to walk around it (approximately one hour if you go all the way around) and that there are few shadows around it. It is best to do it early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the sun is not too strong and the heat will not (as much) affect your walk.
If you're looking for the ideal photo perspective, from the side of the Roman Forum you'll have a very good view of the entire surface of the Roman Forum. Spectacular!
Is the Colosseum closed one day a year?
Yes, on Christmas Day and New Year's Day the Colosseum is closed.
It is possible that if there is a special event, holiday or unexpected repair work, the Colosseum may change its regular opening hours (not very often, but it could happen). If you want to make sure it is open during your stay in Rome, check the availability calendar on Hellotickets or even visit the official website of the Colosseum to make sure the opening hours are as usual.
Right now you will see that around the amphitheatre they are finishing the works for a new metro station and they are renovating some sections of the access roads to the Colosseum, but that does not change at all the usual opening hours of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.