Rome COLOSSEUM STERN Entrance confusion

It looks like you selected the link where YOU need to provide an accredited guide or official tour guide. I don't know if you can arrange that or not. I have taken tours with The Roman Guy last year and Walks of Italy last month. I preferred the Walks of Italy tour. Both companies provided all entrance tickets that were needed.

I also toured the Domus Aurea (Nero's Golden Palace) which is a short walk from the Colosseum that I would highly recommend. It is open when excavations have stopped during the weekend . You can buy commercial tours of the place for 100 euros or more but I would just buy tickets directly from coopcuture for 16 euros. An archeologist will be provided as a guide and the tour is 75 minutes. They have a fantastic VR presentation that shows you how the "Golden Palace" may have appeared back in the day. It is by date/time so depending on when you will be in Rome you need to plan ahead.

I'd just tag on to one of the group guides once you're inside however I found that the pace was too quick for me and I preferred being on my own to take it all in.

I believe that the Stern Entrance option is for tour companies needing tickets for groups of various sizes so no, that isn't what you wanted. From the coopculture website:

"This entrance (Stern) is accessible only for groups/schools or individuals leaded by an accredited guide....It will be necessary to show at the ticket office a list of the participants with their names and date of birth on headed notepaper. Without this list, the group will not be able to enter from this entrance and will be directed to the ordinary groups’ entrance."

It does look to me like you might be able to use your tickets for general access via the entrances everyone else has to use but I would contact them either by phone ( +39 06 399 67 700) or email ([email protected]). If you're OK with an informative guided tour of just the arena, coopculture has one that only costs 5 euros plus your entrance ticket.

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

Look for this choice:
"Individual tickets with scheduled entrance time and guided tour" and choose the tour in English. If they've told you that it's OK to use what you purchased as your general-entry tickets, you would choose the free entrance + guided tour € 5,00 (a € 2,00 reservation fee will be added) option. Understand that this does not include the Underground or Belvedere but you'll largely get the same information.

You could also just rent an audioguide, or download Rick's audio tour for free, if bringing your own devices.

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/italy

I'd just tag on to one of the group guides once you're inside

Sorry but freeloading guided tours annoys both the people who paid for the privilege and the guides who were not paid for their service. Finding oneself within earshot of one for a few minutes sometimes can't be helped but I wouldn't intentionally tag along with one.

Sorry but freeloading guided tours annoys both the people who paid for the privilege and the guides who were not paid for their service.

If you're noticing me tagging along you aren't paying enough attention to the guide 😁

P.S. I was being flippant.

Oops. Sorry, JC! Add a wink next time. :O)

Someone awhile back advised a budget-conscious poster to do exactly that (freeload on guided tours) and wasn't kidding!

Yes, the stern entrance is for those who already have a guide or for guides bringing in their groups. You'll need to call the colosseum to see if you can get your tickets changed to regular entry tickets with a guided tour. I'm not sure they will do this but it's worth a try.

+39 06 399 67 700

Donna

Does anyone know if the Stern entrance is open to individuals (without a guide) on the first sunday of the month, when guided tours aren't available?

There are no tours on free Sunday. I doubt they'll have the stern entrance open on free Sunday.

Donna