Colosseum - ROME - Avoid Free Sunday?

Should I avoid the FREE Sunday?

Free entrance day at a major tourist site tend to attract long lines an hour or two before the doors open and to have a steady stream of a long line all day. If I went on a free day I would show up either an hour before it opens or closes.

Is it too much to visit Pantheon at 9am? and visit the Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill in the afternoon?

It depends on a person's level of interest; some may be bored by this others may love it; some may find this too physically demanding and run into limited places to rest, others may not.

The Pantheon is no more than a half hour visit for most, if that.

Yes, personally I would avoid the free Sundays. Agreed with Gendersen, easy to get into Pantheon at 9:00AM (book tickets ahead) and walk over to the Colosseum / Roman Forum by 10:30. OR book tickets to see the Pantheon on Sunday? (All this is of course assuming you're athletic and don't have foot problems, I wouldn't personally pack this much in, but your trip is short!) I'm thinking this is a September 6th arrival ? so it will still be very warm, peak tourist season, so plan accordingly and bring water and a hat. I would have a look at nearby pizza places / casual dining so you can leave the area and know where to eat. This American lives in Rome and I've used her recommendations successfully but haven't eaten near the Colosseum - https://www.romewise.com/restaurants-near-colosseum.html. Hope you have a great trip!

Definitely avoid the Colosseum on free Sunday. There will be many thousands of people lined up first thing in the morning. I always recommend the Capitoline Museum as there is rarely a line and it's chockful of interesting ancient artifacts. It's also free the first Sunday of the month. Have fun!

Thank you all for the feedback!!

I'll avoid the free Sunday entrance.
I may do the Pantheon at the end of the day since our hotel is a few blocks away.
I'll buy tickets for Colosseum for Monday morning.
Can anyone tell me IF the line is long for the timed tickets? I want to avoid 2-hr lines if possible.

Free days at major sites are the most expensive way to visit them.

I don't understand why they even. make them available to tourists; if I were the major I'd limit those days to locals.

Can anyone tell me IF the line is long for the timed tickets?

The line is not long. There will be people arriving before their allotted time and they will be instructed to wait until close to their time. But do plan to arrive a bit early to locate the entrance.

Good to know, Mark.
Thank you!