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Colosseum Arena Only Ticket question

I will be planning to visit the Colosseum on June 29th and like many other was hoping to get underground tickets. I ended up staying up all night to be online right when they went on sale (I'm in Boston so EST). Well, the tickets never even showed anything available for 2 hours and I have up. Next best choice for my family would have been the Full Experience with Arena access. But given those tickets only go on sale 7 days in advance I was stuck because I was worried our time wouldn't be available and I didn't want to be stressing while I was already enjoying my time in Italy (I will be in Venice at that time). I see now I probably could have waited so those tickets at the time I was interested in are still available for the 7 days in advance now. In any event I got the 24H Arena ticket for 9:40am. I know my husband wouldn't want to miss getting on the Arena floor. I've been contemplating now also getting the 24H standard colosseum ticket for a 10:30am entry so we can see the rest of the colosseum. Is the Arena floor only sufficient (20 minutes in and out) or would it be worthwhile to double up and get both tickets given this is our first time there?

Sorry for the lengthy post...I'm very tired and need some advise making this decision for our family.

Posted by
137 posts

We did the Colosseum with 24-hour Arena Floor tickets on May 19. We also booked tickets for Tiers 1 & 2 immediately after our Arena Floor time frame. No one was paying any attention to how long we were on the arena floor. Once we were in, we could have stayed for an hour (though 20 minutes is sufficient to see what you want to see there). When we exited, we ended up getting funneled up to to Tier 1 and through there to the exit. (you enter and exit in completely different spots). So while we did go back in with our Tier 1 & 2 ticket, and my husband very much enjoyed the views from Tier 2, I felt the arena floor was sufficient. I will say that it's VERY confusing how to exit and were to go, signage is poor and they have roped off areas on the way to the exit with people monitoring to keep folks from backtracking, apparently. Also, once you're up to Tier 1, they don't want to let you backtrack down to the basement to use the bathroom, although we talked our way down there. They want you to exit and use the restrooms outside because the ones inside get very, very crowded (this was our experience). Lastly, the arena floor entrance area is separate from either the individual or group entrances, and it's completely around the other side of the Colosseum. As you're facing the Colosseum at either the individual or group entrances, walk left allllll the way around the Colosseum. Right before the fencing begins you'll see a white tent-top; that's your entrance. There's a restroom right over on that side, too, that not many people know about; quite convenient.