Colosseum Skip the Line and Tours Confusion

Hi Steve -
I'll give this a shot...

I purchased a SUPER ticket. It allows me to visit the Domus Augusta and
Domus Livia. But the Domus Transitoria is closed on that day. Do I
have to purchase a separate SUPER ticket to visit the Domus
Transitoria?

According to the coopculture website, it looks like that attraction is not open until further notice:
https://www.coopculture.it/en/events.cfm?id=1137

"the Direction of the Archeological Park of the Colosseum suspended the access to the Domus Transitoria up to a new communication."

Does the SUPER ticket also include entry to the Colosseum? It seems
that it used to, but now it seems not.

'Fraid not. You could have purchased this ticket onsite for a reduced price IF you already had a timed-entry ticket for the Colosseum (which also includes the Forum/Palatine but no SUPER sites).

https://ecm.coopculture.it/index.php?option=com_snapp&view=event&id=4B8ED829-2420-248D-37CA-0162D3E7226F&catalogid=09B1FABE-1A26-DA5A-392D-01695DA9CD21&lang=en

"​Visitors who already have the ordinary ticket Colosseum-Roman Forum-Palatin Hill can buy on site a SUPER ticket that will allow access to the aforementioned 7 places."

I looked at the coopculture.it site and it had no openings to visit
the Colosseum on the days that I will be in Rome. All of the tours on
the site were filled or closed. But then I found an independent tour
site (actually several of them) and booked a night tour through The
Roman Guy. Is this common, that the tour companies will have reserved
openings when the coop site is sold out?

Yes, although I've read that even 3rd-party companies can find getting their hands on tickets to be difficult to even impossible sometimes.

I still wanted to see the main Colosseum by day, but coopculture.it
had nothing on the days I will be in Rome. But I then searched several
sites and booked entry on August 5 at noon via TicketBar. I was
skeptical,but the voucher from coopculture.it just arrived in my in
box.

Sorry, I've not heard of TicketBar but we'll hope your voucher will work. This voucher - which I'm guessing is for a timed-entry "ordinary" ticket - is also what you could also have used at the Forum/Palatine for the reduced price on a SUPER ticket. Also, I'm unsure what you paid but for just 21 € (€ 12,00 entrance ticket + € 5,00 tour +€ 2,00 reservation fee) you could have booked a timed-entry, 45-minute English tour of the main part of the Colosseum with the ability to stay longer after your tour was over. That ticket also includes entrance to the Forum + Palatine, and there are still slots open for Aug. 5th.

https://ecm.coopculture.it/index.php?option=com_snapp&view=event&id=E6A1B5B3-BFDA-AC94-6929-0161B2E3A0C0&catalogid=BDB46B8C-0C49-10F2-6036-0167A8502B26&lang=en

I received a receipt from coopculture.it for my purchase of the SUPER
ticket and a tour of the Domus Aurea. It says that my ticket should be
attached, but it was not. It says to email them if the ticket is not
attached, which I did. But one week later I have not heard from them.

These threads might be helpful:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/help-please-did-not-receive-confirmation-for-colosseum-tickets
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/bought-colesseum-tickets-online-but-no-pdf-attachment

Hi Steve, did you purchase tickets for other people who may be qualified for reduced tickets, such as a teenager or child? If so, you can not print your tickets at home and will have to bring your receipt to the colosseum so they can verify that the reduced priced tickets are for the ages specified.

We just did this the other day and it was a simple process.

What is a SUPER ticket? My visit will be in October and the coop site is so confusing that we are booking with a tour company and probably paying way to much.

michele, the SUPER ticket covers some sites in the Forum/Palatine that ordinary entrance tickets do not. It also does not allow you to access the Colosseum. If you want to visit the Colosseum, you need a different sort of ticket.

https://www.coopculture.it/en/events.cfm?id=854

Michele, I also found it confusing. The SUPER ticket is supposed to cover seven sites within the Palatine Hill. But depending on the day of the week, not all of these are open on the same day. And, it looks like the SUPER ticket only covers two locations, the Domus Augusti and Domus Livia, plus access to the Palatine Hill. That seems like a good deal to me.

But I then found out that I needed a separate ticket to the Colosseum. When I realized that the main coop website had no entry times for the days I will be in Rome. I was afraid that I would go all that way and be unable to go into the main historical site. And my hotel is just a block away!

But I then found that the tour guide companies purchase blocks of tickets, so even when the main site does not have any individual tickets available, you can still get in. I first purchased a night tour that includes the underground and stadium floor. That was fairly expensive, around $90, but that also seems worthwhile.

Then I found a tour/ticket company that still had tickets for a self-guided audio/video tour. And the cost was only a couple of dollars higher than one that I might have gotten from the coop site. I was concerned that that ticket might not be what I thought. But it is a pdf voucher from the coopculture.it site.

I found a site that offered an audio/video tour of Pompeii for $15 or so, but then I noticed that the small print said that that ticket was just for the audio/video tour, and did not cover entry to the park.

So, you have to be careful.

Steve

My ticket for the Colosseum from Ticket Bar is a page from coopculture.it that has a scan bar on it. It says:

Biglietto/Ticket: Col-For-Pal Pren.Intero+audiovideo Colosseo
Data e ora/Date and time: 05/08/2019 12:30
Ingressi/Quantity: 1

PER IL RITIRO DELLE AUDIOGUIDE E/O DELLE VIDEOGUIDE, E' NECESSARIO RECARSI
DOPO I TONRELLI A DESTRA, PRESSO GLI SPORTELLI 12 E 13, ESIBENDO QUESTO
BIGLIETTO.
AUDIOGUIDES AND/OR VIDEOGUIDES CAN BE PICKED UP AFTER THE TURNSTILE ON THE
RIGHT, AT BOX 12 AND 13, SHOWING THIS TICKET.

VALE 2 GIORNI CONSECUTIVI DAL PRIMO UTILIZZO PER 1 ENTRATA AL COLOSSEO E 1 AL FORO-PALATINO
VALID 2 DAYS IN A ROW FOR 1 ENTRANCE TO THE COLOSSEUM AND 1 TO FORUM/PALATINE

This one was € 28.50.

So, I assume that this will get me in. Plus I will get a video guide. I also bought the SUPER, so that should mean that I get into the Forum and Palatine Hill a second time. And I got the night visit, so that means a second entrance to the Colosseum and the meeting place in the Forum. Do I have that right?

And what is a video guide anyway? How does that differ from an audio guide?

Steve

micheleroe, Coopculture offers a 45- minute guided tour of the Colosseum that is very economical. It does not include the Underground or Belvedere (the latter of which has been closed since April with no indication when it will reopen) but IMHO, you'll get a plenty good enough look at the place.

As I'd noted above, it costs 21 € (€ 12,00 entrance ticket + € 5,00 tour +€ 2,00 reservation fee) per adult, and includes your entry to the Palatine/Forum for self-touring either later that same day or the day after.

https://ecm.coopculture.it/index.php?option=com_snapp&view=event&id=E6A1B5B3-BFDA-AC94-6929-0161B2E3A0C0&catalogid=BDB46B8C-0C49-10F2-6036-0167A8502B26&lang=en

This is the most inexpensive tour you can purchase, and people often overlook them when purchasing tickets so there are often openings still available when desired time-slots have filled.

There is also an economical 3-hour tour that includes guided narration at the Forum and Palatine as well as the Colosseum so check that one out? It tends to sell out quickly, though. 29.00€ +€ 2,00 reservation = 31.00€ per adult.

https://ecm.coopculture.it/index.php?option=com_snapp&view=event&id=1990DED7-D72E-516C-08E7-0167AD400F20&catalogid=2F8EF726-70BF-DF02-7F29-0167AD4A65AB&lang=en

I was able to purchase our 2 , 45-minute English tours of the Colosseum for our preferred date and time -- October 30th, 9:30 -- yesterday morning EDT and it was only 38 euros for both tickets. It would be nice to see the upper tiers, but we didn't want the stress of not knowing whether that area will be open when we're there.

All in all, it was a very easy process, and I was able to download the ticket confirmation and save as a pdf, so we'll have it electronically as well as a printed form. After reading all of the potential problems and trying to understand when tickets would be released, etc., I was quite pleasantly surprised!