Roman Forum is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Rome.
Since one ticket gets you access to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill, tourists almost always see them together.
These three attractions get more than four million tourists every year.
The Forum features important structures and monuments, including temples, basilicas, arches, and government buildings.
Some famous structures include the Temple of Saturn, the Temple of Vesta, the Curia (the Senate House), and the Arch of Septimius Severus.
Today, the attraction is an archaeological site and open-air museum, allowing visitors to explore the ruins of this once-mighty center of the Roman civilization.
This article covers everything you must know before booking Roman Forum tickets.
Top Roman Forum Tickets
# Priority entrance ticket
# Priority entrance with Arena Floor
# Priority entrance with video guide
Table of contents
Things to know before booking tickets
While buying tickets for Roman Forum, you have three options.
You can call Colosseum’s call center at +39 06 399 677 00 and book them over the phone.
You can also visit the Colosseum’s ticketing counter and stand in the queue.
You can also buy your tickets online, from your desktop or mobile.
Online ticket prices tend to be cheaper than tickets at the venue.
When you buy online, you can avoid the long queues at the attraction’s ticket counters. During peak times, the wait can be as high as 90 minutes.
Buying tickets via the call center is also cumbersome and takes a long time.
When you book early, you also get your preferred time slot.
Because some attractions sell a limited number of tickets, they may sell out during peak days. Booking early helps avoid last-minute disappointments.
Check out all available tickets
When you book Roman Forum tickets online, select your preferred visit date, time, type, and number of tickets.
Immediately after purchase, your tickets get emailed to you.
You don’t need to take any printouts.
You can show the e-ticket on your smartphone and immediately walk into the ruins.
Whichever Colosseum entrance ticket you purchase, be at the attraction’s gates at least 15 minutes before the time mentioned on your ticket. If you are late, you will be sent back.
Roman Forum tickets
With more than seven million visitors annually, the Colosseum gets sold out often. Thus, it makes sense to buy Roman Forum tickets in advance.
Visitors can buy the tickets along with the Colosseum and Palatine Hill – all three sites are seen together.
All these tickets get you free tourist assistance at the Touristation office at Piazza d’Aracoeli, 16, if you need help.
Priority entrance ticket
This ticket is the cheapest and fastest way to enter Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. You get:
- Priority entrance into the Colosseum
- Access to the Colosseum’s first and second floors
- Access to the permanent and temporary exhibitions of the Colosseum
- Access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
- A free downloadable map of the Colosseum
While booking the ticket, you must select a time slot, and on the day of your visit, reach the ‘Individual Entrance Gate’ half an hour before the time mentioned on your ticket.
Validity: 24 hours
Ticket Prices
Adult (18+ years): €31
EU Citizen (18 to 25 years): €17
Child (up to 17 years): €5 (onsite for city sightseeing)
Priority entrance with Arena Floor
This ticket is the most popular way to explore Colosseum and Roman Forum.
A visit with this ticket is an extraordinary experience because it also gives you access to the Arena and the Colosseum’s 1st and 2nd floors.
The arena is the base of the Colosseum, where all the gladiator action happened.
Validity: 48 hours
Ticket Prices
Adult (18+ years): €37
EU Citizen (18 to 25 years): €17
Child (up to 17 years): €5 (onsite for city sightseeing)
Priority entrance with video guide
Besides priority entrance into the Colosseum’s first and second floors, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill, this ticket also gets you a video guide.
The state-of-the-art video guide on the Colosseum is the best way to immerse yourself in the incredible history of ancient Rome.
With this ticket, you must go to the ‘Individual Entrance Gate’ at the Colosseum and get in through Line 3, which is reserved for ticket holders.
Once past the turnstile, you can collect the video guide for the Colosseum at Box 12 and 13 by showing your smartphone ticket.
Validity: 24 hours
Ticket Prices
Adult (18+ years): €49
EU Citizen (18 to 25 years): €35
Child (6 to 17 years): €5 (purchase onsite)
Guided tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum
This ticket gets you a skip-the-line entrance to both attractions.
A local expert helps you on an immersive guided tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum and takes you back to the gory glory days of the once-mighty empire.
This 3-hour tour is available in English, Italian, French, and Spanish, and you can select your language on the ticket booking page.
All visitors get a headset for the guided tour.
Ticket Prices
Adult (18+ years): €72
Child (up to 17 years): €45
Tip: If you want a behind-the-scenes tour of the massive Roman amphitheater, opt for the guided tour of the Colosseum Underground. To add a bit of an adrenalin rush to your trip, book a night tour of the Colosseum.
Opening hours
Roman Forum opens at 8.30 am daily, except on Christmas and New Year.
From March to the end of August, the attraction closes at 7.15 pm; in September, it closes at 7 pm; and in October at 6.30 pm.
During the lean season of November to February, the archeological site closes at 4.30 pm.
Interested in free entry to the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, St Peter’s Basilica, and Sistine Chapel? Buy the Omnia Card
Best time to visit
During the peak season, when it is open from 8.30 am to 7 pm, the best time to visit the Roman Forum is 5 pm because you can see the sunset over the ruins.
Most of the crowd had also left, and temperatures would have come down.
The next best time to visit the Forum is at 8.30 am when they open – the crowd has just started trickling in, and temperatures aren’t high.
Peak months at the Roman Forum
The peak tourist season in Rome is from April to October.
If you plan to visit the site during these months, you can only avoid the crowd by booking your tickets in advance.
But even then, you won’t be able to avoid the lines at the security line.
The Rome Tourist Pass is a super saver. For just €97 per person, the pass includes entry tickets to Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and Pantheon and a guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. You also get a 10% discount code, which you can use (five times!) to get discounts on future purchases.
Free entry to the Roman Forum
On the first Sunday of every month, visitors can enter the the attraction for free.
However, since everybody can get in without buying a ticket, long lines result in long waiting times.
If you are below 18 years of age, entry is anyway free for you.
EU citizens between 18 and 25 years old get discounted tickets, too.
How long does the tour take
Most visitors cover the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum in around 3 hours.
Visitors typically spend 90 minutes at the Colosseum, an hour at the Roman Forum, and 30 minutes at Palatine Hill.
Since the Forum tickets are valid for 2 days, some tourists explore these three sites over two days.
Combo tours
There are so many attractions to see in Rome. As a result, there are many popular combo tours, including access to the Roman Forum.
Combo tours are popular because they help save up to 20% of the cost of tickets.
Colosseum + Roman Forum + The Vatican
If you are on a budget, we recommend you buy the Best of Rome Pass and finish your Roman holiday.
This ticket gets you skip-the-line entry to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica.
Once activated, this ticket is valid for three consecutive calendar days.
This combo ticket is free for kids under six, disabled visitors, and their one carer.
Ticket Prices
Adult (18+ years): €97
Child (6 to 17 years): €87
Colosseum + Roman Forum + Mamertine Prison
This tour starts with a self-guided tour of Mamertine Prison with a tablet, which takes about one hour.
This prison was once home to vanquished emperors, kings, and Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
You then walk 15 minutes to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum for your skip-the-line entry.
Ticket Prices
Adult (18+ years): €30
EU Citizen (18 to 25 years): €10
Child (6 to 17 years): €5
Two combo tickets are popular among tourists holidaying in Rome – Colosseum and Vatican combo tour and the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain tour.
Roman Forum with Roma Pass
Roma Pass is Rome’s best tourist pass and helps tourists benefit from free entry into limited sites, ticket discounts at many attractions, and free transportation within the city.
Roma Pass is available in two forms – the 48-hour Pass and the 72-hour Pass.
48-hour Pass: You can visit one Museum or archeological site for free. Within these 48 hours, you get a reduced ticket price at all other Roman attractions.
72-hour Pass: You can visit two Museums or archeological sites for free. And within 72 hours, you qualify for a reduced price at all tourist destinations in Rome.
Roma Pass allows free use of the city’s public transport network.
How to use Roma Pass for Roman Forum
As per Roma Pass, the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill count as one attraction.
If you buy Roma Pass, you can see all three for free.
You can see all three sites on the same day or split them over two days.
For instance, you can visit the Colosseum one day and the Roman Forum/Palatine Hills the next (or the other way around).
However, you can’t split your visit between the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill – you must visit both archeological sites on the same day.
Cost of 48 hours Pass: €32
Cost of 72 hours Pass: €55
Kids under six years old can use public transport and visit all museums and sites in the city for free, and adults with Roma Pass can accompany them.
What to expect
Roman Forum is the stratification of the remains of the buildings and monuments of ancient Rome.
In the olden days, this region must have been the nerve center of Roman civilization.
In ancient Rome, it must have been the city’s central plaza where citizens of every social strata met to exchange opinions, do business, buy in the markets, and spend time with their family and friends.
The most ancient monuments you will see at the Roman Forum date back to the sixth century BC.
The attraction is closely connected to Palatine Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome.
Palatine Hill offers panoramic views of the Forum and is known for its association with Roman mythology and the legendary founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus.
Information panels and signage throughout the site provide details about the history and significance of the various structures.
Wear comfortable walking shoes as you will be exploring uneven terrain.
The site is not wheelchair-accessible due to its historic nature.
What to see in the Roman forum
During your visit to the Roman Forum, 16 monuments are must-see. Check out our list –
Arch of Titus
The Arch of Titus is the oldest of the Roman arches, located on the Via Sacra.
After the death of Titus, it was erected by his successor, Domitian, to pay homage to the capture of Jerusalem.
Titus, who became the Emperor in 79 AD, is depicted in his chariot accompanied by the goddess of Victory.
Basilica of Constantine or Maxentius
The Basilica of Constantine or Maxentius was the last Basilica constructed in the Forum Romanum.
Emperor Maxentius started the construction in 308 CE, and the grand building housed a massive statue of Constantine.
History has it that Constantine altered the original plan of the Basilica to suit his tastes and needs better.
Temple of Romulus
This circular temple was built in A.D. 307 and dedicated to Romulus, son of Maxentius.
When Romulus died, his father commissioned the temple and had him deified.
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina is an ancient Roman temple adopted as a Roman Catholic church, namely, the “Chiesa di San Lorenzo” in Miranda.
It is situated in the Forum Romanum, on the Via Sacra, opposite the Regia.
It was converted into the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda in the 12th century.
When Emperor Charles V visited Rome in 1536, the columns were disengaged from medieval masonry.
Temple of Vesta
The Temple of Vesta is one of the holiest buildings in ancient Rome.
It contained the Sacred Fire, which is of great importance to Rome.
Rome’s sanctuary was dedicated to Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth, and over whose cult the Vestal Virgins presided.
The present remains indicate that the temple was circular, with 20 slender columns supporting the roof.
House of the Vestal Virgins
Adjoining the Temple of Vesta is the house of the Vestal Virgins.
There are statues of the head vestals with inscriptions of their virtues on the pedestals in the courtyard.
The sacred Palladium has drawings of Pallas Athene brought by Aeneas from Troy and various ancient statues kept in the House of the Vestals.
Temple of Castor and Pollux
Castor and Pollux were called the Gemini twins, the twin sons of Zeus and Leda.
Three Corinthian columns are the only things that survive from the Temple of Castor and Pollux.
They were originally built in 484 BC by the son of the dictator Aulus Postumius and then rebuilt in the reign of Tiberius in the first century AD.
Santa Maria Antiqua
It is one of the oldest Roman churches.
It was founded in the 6th century AD in parts of the Roman Forum built under Emperor Domitian.
The Church displays a collection of wall paintings as one of the few artistic exemplars in the world of the development of Roman art.
Temple of Julius Caesar
Augustus (Caesar’s nephew) built the temple of Julius Caesar to commemorate the spot where his body was cremated and to honor his memory as God.
People still visit this temple to pay respects to the great ruler.
Basilica Aemilia (Emilia)
The Basilica Aemilia was built in 179 BC and is situated at the entrance of the Forum.
Four Republic-era Basilicas were constructed in the Forum, out of which only Basilica Aemilia has substantial remains left today.
It was known to be a public meeting spot and was restored many times between 55 and 34 BCE.
The Curia or Senate House
The Curia was a meeting place of the Roman Senate that was turned into a church to prevent destruction.
It is one of the most protected buildings in the Roman Forum.
The first Curia was devised in the time of the kings because of fires and other damage.
Forum Main Square
It is a rectangular forum (Plaza) surrounded by the ruins of ancient government buildings, and it is at the center of Rome.
The Main Square is also known by its Latin name, Forum Romanum.
It is said that the Forum has been there since the earliest times and has remained in use even after the city’s decline.
Column of Phocas
Opposite the Curia is the newest remains from ancient times, the Column of Phocas.
Erected in 608 A.D. in honor of Emperor Phocas, this single column is one of the last monuments to be placed in the Roman Forum.
Arch of Septimius Severus
The Roman Senate and residents traditionally constructed arches honoring victorious emperors.
On the arch, four deep marble reliefs depict episodes from wars.
The arch is considered the spot of the Umbilicus Urbis, the symbolic center of Rome.
Rostrum or Rostra
The Rostra is a large platform built in Rome that has been there since the imperial periods.
Rostra gets its name from the six rostra, captured at Antium in 338 BC.
This elevated spot was used by the then magistrates, politicians, advocates, and other orators while speaking to the assembled people of Rome.
Temple of Saturn
Built around 497 BC, the Temple of Saturn was one of the Republic of Rome’s most important and respected parts.
This temple housed the treasury, which had the Roman Republic’s reserves of gold and silver.
The Temple of Saturn was often damaged by fire and was repeatedly rebuilt in the 4th Century AD.
Visitors can recognize the temple by its eight weathered Ionic columns.
How to reach
Roman Forum, Colosseum, and Palatine Hill are all located in the same archaeological area of Rome, next to one another.
The Roman Forum is located between Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum.
Address: Via della Salara Vecchia, 5/6, 00186 Roma RM, Italy. Get Directions.
If you buy the standard entry ticket for all three attractions, you can walk freely between these three attractions and explore them over two days.
You can reach the attraction by car or public transportation.
By Bus
Board the bus 30, 51, 81, 83, 85, 87, 118, 160, 170, 628, C3, or n716 to reach Ara Coeli/P.Za Venezia bus stop. Take a five-minute walk to reach the forum.
Teatro Marcello bus stop is only a 5-minute walk from the Roman Forum. Board bus 44 or 716 and get down at Teatro Marcello.
By Car
If you’re traveling by car, turn on your Google Maps and get started.
There are enough parking garages around the attraction.
FAQs about the Roman Forum
Here are a few frequently asked questions about the Roman Forum:
You can purchase tickets at the site’s entrance or online through the official website or authorized ticket vendors. Booking tickets in advance is recommended, especially during the peak tourist season.
A standard ticket usually includes access to the Roman Forum, Colosseum, and Palatine Hill. All these are nearby, and the ticket grants entry to these attractions.
Yes, there is a combined ticket for multiple ancient Roman sites. A combined ticket allows access to the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum. This ticket is a cost-effective way to explore all three historic sites.
Sources
# Wikipedia.org
# Britannica.com
# Khanacademy.org
# Lonelyplanet.com
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