Rome Coliseum- to enter? Or not?

go inside it is one of the most amazing places ever.Every sports stadium you have ever been to has it's origins from the Colleseum, totally awesome, been a few years since I was there but went around lunch-time and there were no lines.

Ideas? Suggestions? Opinions?

The Colosseum is certainly on most tourists' top 10 lists but I don't know as it would impress as much unless you had a handle on the history and how it operated. I'd do some reading before you go and if you're really not all that into Roman ruins, you could just look at the outside.

There will most certainly be lines during the summer, and they will be long. The way around it is to pre-purchase entry tickets that allow you to skip the longest of those (everyone has to go through a security check). You may do that here (the full entrance ticket at the top):

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

Audio guides are also available for rent; scroll further down the page.

Also shown on that same page are guided tours for individuals but the first in English isn't until 10:15.

Your entry tickets also covers entry to the Palatine and Roman Forum, if you were interested in those.
Doing all 3 sites will eat up a good share of the 1 day you have, though.

The Coliseum is Rome at least that is how I feel. It's amazing and I am going to see it again when I go back hopefully this Oct. There are some things you just have to see and feel , the history , what actually happened there and a book cannot do it for me at least. Nothing else like it , we're blessed it's still standing !

I found the nearby Forum even more fascinating and it may be slightly less crowded. Definitely go to one of them! An audioguide for either is a real bonus. I used Rick's for both.

Kathy gives good advice. Another option is to book a private tour that gets you past the line. If your tour guide plans for you to see a lot of the city is a short time than it may not be worth going inside if you only have one day. Going inside the Colosseum compared to seeing Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Spanish steps in the same amount of time, I'd have to go with the latter.

It depends upon how much time you have to wait. I was in Rome in late October 2016 and it was still a very busy time, think this might have been because of the proximity of All Saints Day with lots of tourists from within Italy. I have been to Rome four times and the last three have been inside the Coliseum. Yeah, it's pretty great. But I think in summer it would be a nightmare of crowds. Think Disneyland squared. The forum was really crazy on my recent trip too. (Which is sort of weird because when it was free and not ticketed, it was pretty empty and you could explore at your leisure--at least in shoulder season when I have visted). Palatine Hill, much less crowded. I would not sink my entire time in Rome into getting into the Coliseum, but it's definitely worth seeing. For me, if I am only in the city for a brief time I would not want to spend much of that at all standing in line. Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Centro Storico, lots of great stuff to see in Rome. Don't fixate on the Coliseum, as much as it is a great sight to see. As Rick says, assume you will return.

I used to go inside the Colosseum but I don't anymore. I think seeing the interior once is a great idea. Get advance tickets or book a tour.

Yes, go inside, it's such an awesome sight from the inside! Book a tour to skip most of the line.

I would recommend you go inside at least once. Many people's favorite experience is standing in the stands looking out over the arena. Other prefer taking the tour of the spaces beneath the arena floor. I myself, found climbing the stairs and walking in the galleries beneath the stands to be an interesting experience. The very crowds of tourists that other complain about help to give an impression of what it must have been like when 50,000 spectators funneled in and out of the facility.

We prebooked our tickets to go to the colleseum. It was the most amazing place to see from outside and inside.

I believe we purchased a Roma pass. Not sure if this is still available. We could could go to three sites with this pass and skipped the lines.

If you love Roman history then you will be amazed.

If the lines are long and they probably will be, I would rather spend my time walking thru the Roman Forum. If you do the Roman Forum and not the Coliseum, you will have more time to do something else. I highly recommend going to the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument. From there, you have a great view of Rome.

Only you can decide if it would be worth it. If you're in a time crunch and think you might not enjoy it, then take a pass on it. Google Maps got their 360 degree Streetview cameras inside, so you can take a peek for yourself: https://goo.gl/maps/LfrgUkPNUvk

And some people have uploaded their own photospheres, also to Google Maps https://goo.gl/maps/5sLAJxtZSJq

I went to Rome on a cruise ship tour in Sept. of 2015. We pre-purchased our Coliseum tickets so our wait to get in was minimal (5 min or so). For me, the Coliseum was a highlight of our tour. We did the Pantheon, Coliseum, Palatine hill, Spanish steps, Vatican and had a stop for lunch. Personally, I would have forgone the Spanish steps and spent some time in the Roman Forum but we didn't have time for that. I guess what it boils down to is what are you giving up in order to go inside?

When I was in Italy, I think I was most blown away by the fact that I walked out a Metro exit and saw the Colosseum standing in front of me. That was crazy. I loved the Colosseum, but found the Forum pretty underwhelming. My two cents worth: if you can get a timed entry ticket into the Colosseum, it is well worth entering. If not and the lines are long, don't miss other things in Rome because you are standing in line to get into the Colosseum.