realistically how long should we allow to see each of the colosseum and forum if we do like 2pm timed entry does that leave enough time ?also is it worth getting a guided tour of the colosseum? thanks
Posted by
San Franciso Bay Area, USA
951 posts
I have visited the Colosseum and Forum without tours and with tours. You can do the Colosseum on your own, but for us the Forum was very difficult to navigate on our own. If you take a tour, they are typically 3 hours. If you are on your own, you can do them both in 2 hours. I am glad that the second time we visited we did the tour, it helped to make the history come to life.
Posted by
Los Angeles
663 posts
Keep in mind that if you have a 14:00 timed entry to the Colosseum, your same ticket should grant entry into the Forum for the next 24 hours. So you aren't obligated to do both on the same day.
With crowds it can take a while to navigate through the Colosseum; you may want to spend some time viewing the exhibits charting the history on the upper floor. You can also rent an audio guide [may now be audio/video] or buy a ticket with it included, which will give decent explanations at various points throughout. The RS guidebooks also have a very good description, and there is a Colosseum tour in the RS Audio Europe app. So up to you whether you might need/want a guide.
The Forum/Palatine Hill covers a large area, and there isn't much in the way of signage. There are also small museum sites within - the SUPER sites - which require a specific class of ticket - or you can buy a supplement to your Colosseum ticket to grant access. You could easily spend 2 to 3 hours. It is here that a guide might be more useful, as in many cases only a few fragments remain of what was originally a very large structure. But again, very well covered in the guidebook and there is a RS audio tour as well.
Also keep in mind that the Colosseum and Forum are in a food desert - if you're planning to spend a while, best to have a drink and at least snacks in your daypack.