We will be in Rome end of July and reading through the forums I see most people recommend booking a tour of the Colosseum versus doing on our own :
Thanks !!!
This seems to be the official site...http://www.coopculture.it/en/the-colosseum.cfm#
I visited last October...it is always crowded..end of July will be very crowded with long lines and HOT HOT weather as you know.
I did not take a tour, actually I just read up on it before visiting then I looked at some guides and books on the Colosseum in the on site bookshop. ( there are audio guides to purchase on site or you can download one)
Then I walked around. I waited 1 hour to get in and spent 1 hour there. I did not go to the Forum or Palintine Hill....but I did go to the top exit of the train station and had sweeping views over the whole area, great photos from up there. I would definitely see Colosseum first, unless you are planning to see Forum very early in the morning before it gets crazy hot.
You have to wait in line no matter what because the biggest hold up in the line is the security line and many people do not dump out their liquids so that stalls the line too!
You may be able to utilize your hotel's concierge for the ticket services. I am sure if you search above in the SEARCH BAR someone on this lively forum has answered this question recently.
Have fun!
You can book entry tickets online through the official website, there is no need to have anyone else buy these for you. These tickets are not time nor date specific so can be used at any time. They allow you to bypass the very long ticket lines and go to the security check point. Security can get backed up but there is no way to bypass it.
http://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm
There is no plan at this point for the underground tour to continue past the end of this month. If they decide to release tour tickets it will be next Monday at 9am. Rome time. You'll need to be on the official site and ready to book at that time.
There is no time when the colosseum isn't crowded. It's one of the two most visited sites in Rome and will always be crowded.
If you visit the forum in the morning you will be able to avoid the heat of the afternoon.
donna
Donna has covered the bases so I'll just echo her advice:
Yes, coopculture is the official ticketing site.
Yes, it you purchase an underground tour through the coopculture site, you must also purchase a general-entry ticket.
No, there's no indication yet if they'll be offering undergournd tour bookings beyond June so you need to watch the site for updates. If they follow the pattern of the last 6 months, tickets will become available on the third Monday of each month, at 9:00 AM ROME TIME, for the following month, and they sell out very quickly.
No, there's no time when the Colosseum is not crowded. As she said, the Colosseum and Vatican Museums are the two most-visited attractions in Rome so unless it's dead of winter, maybe, they're going to be very, very busy.
It doesn't really matter in what order you do the Forum and Colosseum in BUT your ticket also includes the Palatine - accessed from the Forum, and the two considered a single attraction - and I highly recommend seeing that as well as it's very interesting! As she recommended, tour those first to avoid the worst of summer sun/heat.
