Coliseum question

In Rome only for the day - I would highly suggest you just see the main sights from the outside. It takes 32 minutes on the Leonardo Express train from FCO airport to Rome Termini station. From there you can hop on the metro to the Colosseo Metro Stop which will spit you out across the street from the Colosseum (not Coliseum).

From what i am reading, many tours start in the a.m. Is it possible to
get a tour of the lower level in the afternoons?

The inexpensive tours offered on the Coopculture site - which went on sale last Monday for the month of June - very probably sold out within hours but you might look into openings for the night tour.

http://www.coopculture.it/en/events.cfm?id=177

Private companies offer tours as well, although they cost considerably more. As we don't have your exact date, you'd need to explore the options yourself. These two companies pop up a lot on the forums as good resources:

Walks of Italy:
https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours

The Roman Guy:
https://theromanguy.com/tours/Rome

That said, booking any sort of tour for arrival day is not usually recommended as there's always a risk of air-travel delays. If you wish to see the Colosseum, I'd just pre-purchase general-entry tickets which have no specific date or time for use: do that on the Coopculture website. It would mean skipping the underground but better than eating the cost of a pricey tour (should you book one) should there be a snag in your transport plan. Most of the private tours also cover more than just the Colosseum underground so you're looking at committing a fair amount of time.

As you'll need to go through immigration in Rome (if that's your first entry point to the Schengen) how long it'll take to get into central Rome will depend on how many arrivals they're dealing with at one time, and if you need to collect checked luggage.

If you are visiting in May or June your only chance to tour the colosseum underground area is with a third party vendor. All official tours are sold out. They haven't mentioned any tours beyond the end of June.

I would not book any type of tour or reservation for the day of arrival as you never know if your flight will be delayed or cancelled.

Donna

The lines of tourists at the Colosseum are horrendous, and if you choose to wait in line to gain access you could waste most of your precious 1 day to see Rome.

I agree with Tim, just enjoy it from the outside since your time is so limited. When you exit the Colosseo Metro Stop, it is such a wow! moment to see the Colosseum from just across the street. You can walk all around it, or just sit on the nearby wall and soak it in. Just say no to all the folks offering to sell you stuff.

But they can skip all but the security line if they pre-order general-entry tickets. These are not time or date specific so it wouldn't matter if their plane was somewhat late.

We loved Hotel Lancelot when we were there a few years ago, so much so that we are going back in October. It is in a quiet neighborhood within sight of the Colosseum (our room had a balcony with a view of it!) You might be able to book a skip-the-lines tour in the afternoon or first thing the next morning if your departure time isn't too early. The Colosseum is also spectacular when lighted up at night. Enjoy!

We bought Roma Passes for 38 euro each. It gets you in for free (first two sites). And free public transportation. It gets you in the tour group line and we waited 10 minutes to get in when the regular line was a mile long. We did not go to the underground part, but it was amazing none the less!

Roma passes can be a worthwhile buy but Karen and Co. only have a partial day in Rome, and the passes only come in 48-hour (28 euro) and 72-hour (38.50 euro) amounts. If the Colosseum is all they want to see - and have time to see - then I wouldn't personally recommend the pass

Colosseum general-entry tickets through Coopculture website will be 14 euro per adult and allow the same line-skipping privileges as the pass: no reservations needed. The ticket also covers the Forum and Palatine should there be the energy, time and interest to do them.

Single metro (or city bus) tickets are only € 1,50 and I doubt there would be need for more than a couple - if at all - during a visit this short. Just how I'm doing the math? :O)

https://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm

Our trip is scheduled in 2 weeks and if I'm reading correctly, you're saying that our only chance of seeing the Coliseum is by purchasing a Roma pass? Is that correct? I was about to start purchasing tickets online and making reservations. Any help would be appreciated. Should be in Rome for 3 days. Thanks.

Our trip is scheduled in 2 weeks and if I'm reading correctly, you're
saying that our only chance of seeing the Coliseum is by purchasing a
Roma pass? Is that correct?

No. You may purchase general-entry tickets from the Coopculture website. The OP's question was about tours of the underground and third-ring sections of the arena. Those sections may only be accessed with a tour, and those offered by Coopculture become available on the third Monday of each month for the following month and sell out within hours so that won't be an option for you. It's all spelled out in the posts above, along with alternative tour options offered by private companies.

General-entry tickets allow you to see the main part of the interior and are good for the Forum and Palatine as well. They are not day or time specific so once you have them, you can choose to use them on any day, at any time it's open, until the end of 2017. The Forum and Palatine must be visited together as they adjoin one another, and you pass from one into the other inside the security barriers.

The tickets are good for two consecutive days: you can visit the Colosseum on one day and the Forum/Palatine on the day after, or vice versa, if you wish to. It makes sense to do them all on the same day, though, as they're clustered together in the same area.

Pre-purchased tickets allow you to skip the very long ticket line at the Colosseum but not the line for security checks: no one gets priority entry through that one.

This is the page you want:
https://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm

G.E. adult tickets are € 12.00 +€ 2,00 reservation fee: € 14.00 total.

If you don't have a ticket, you have to stand in a long line-up to just to buy a ticket. To avoid this line-up you can go to the official website and buy your ticket online. If you did not buy online, try asking your hotel. Our hotel sold us colosseum tickets so we did not have to line-up at the site to buy. There was a small 1 or 2 euro surcharge, but it was worth the last minute purchase and avoiding the ticket line-up at the site.

Once you have a ticket in hand, you still have a line up for security and possibly a timed entry for admission. You show your ticket, they do a security inspection and then you walk in and follow the line up to another window where they give you a timed admission ticket. We were six. The first four got in right away. My wife and i were right at the cut-off and had to wait 30 minutes for the next timed entry.

Your time is short and it appears there are no official tours available. I still think a short visit is still worth the price. The view inside is impressive. Afterwards, you can use the same ticket to be admitted and to walk through the Roman Forum, and end up near the Vittorio Emanuele Monument which is another major site.

Depending where your hotel is located, i suggest you grab a cab to save time and to save your legs.

Check to see how many sites you wish to cover are covered by the romapass. It may be a worthwhile purchase for you if you plan to visit 4 or more sites covered by the 72 hour pass. You don't "need" to have the romapass to enter the colosseum or to skip the lines, a general entry ticket will do that. These are not time nor date specific and can be bought at any time during the year. You can print them at home if you are purchasing only full priced adult tickets. If you book a tour, reduced or free tickets you'll need to pick them up on site.

Donna

You may want to forgo a tour and see it on your own, which can be done in 2 -2.5 hours....1+ hour wait, 1 hour self guided tour inside.

Long security lines, no water/liquids allowed inside, long bathroom lines inside ground floor, be sure everyone hits it before you walk up into the arena otherwise you have to climb all the way down just to use restroom. Bummer. Lesson learned :)

I know it sounds crazy, but on a short trip...seeing it from outside is pretty amazing.. and although I have been inside, I would not have missed it if I did not enter...but that's me...think seeing the Eiffel Tower but not going up...

I also recommend going to the TOP/UPSTAIRS exit of the metro station to see the Colosseum from up high...great views over the Palintine hill etc...nice big cafe with good bathroom there too. Not many people do this, and seeing it from up high is wonderful and you will get great photos. This takes 3 minutes to do, spend a few minutes enjoying the view.

Thanks to everyone for responding. I'll be ordering tickets today. - Nancy