Colosseum Map: Plan with the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

The 20 highlights on the map

The numbers match the map. The order follows a circuit from the metro into the Colosseum, on to the Arch of Constantine, under the Arch of Titus and down the Via Sacra through the Roman Forum to the Temple of Saturn, and finally up the Palatine Hill with the exit on Via di San Gregorio.

1. 1

   Colosseo metro Line B, exit on Via dei Fori Imperiali

   The station is directly opposite the Colosseum; from the exit you see the arcades. From Termini it is two stops, and the Line C station Colosseo–Fori Imperiali adjoins it. Tram 3 and several bus routes stop at Piazza del Colosseo. All three routes start here.

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2. 2

   Colosseum: Sperone Valadier entrance West side, facing the metro

   The visitor entrance at the buttress of 1826. Timed ticket, security check, then up the ancient ramps to the first tier overlooking the arena. The circuit of the two lower tiers takes a good hour; the exit is on the south side.

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3. 3

   Arena 83 by 48 metres of fighting ground

   The arena was a wooden floor covered in sand above the hypogeum; part of it has been rebuilt, elsewhere you look down into the passages below. You can only step onto the arena floor with an “Arena” or “Full Experience” ticket, through the same gate the gladiators used. Our history of the Colosseum begins here.

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4. 4

   Hypogeum The passages beneath the arena

   Two storeys of corridors, cages and lift shafts where animals and scenery waited until winches hoisted them up through trapdoors. Fully accessible since the 2021 restoration, but only on a guided visit (“Full Experience Underground” ticket).

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5. 5

   Upper tier Third to fifth tiers, the Belvedere

   The upper tiers are open only on guided visits (“Belvedere” or “Attic” ticket). From up here you take in the whole ellipse, the Forum, the Palatine and the Arch of Constantine. The second tier with its panoramic view is included in the standard ticket and reached by lift.

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6. 6

   Arch of Constantine 315 AD, free to view

   Rome’s largest surviving triumphal arch, 21 metres high, dedicated by the Senate for Constantine’s victory at the Milvian Bridge in 312. Many of its reliefs were taken from older monuments of Trajan, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius. It stands outside the ticketed area, fenced, visible from all sides.

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7. 7

   Temple of Venus and Roma Hadrian’s largest temple

   The largest temple in the city, dedicated by Hadrian in 135 AD, 110 by 53 metres: two cellae back to back, one for Venus, one for the goddess Roma. The apse and parts of the coffered vaults still stand. Reached from the Forum area, on the way to the Arch of Titus.

8. 8

   Arch of Titus Gateway to the Forum, 81 AD

   Built under Domitian for his brother Titus to commemorate the capture of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Inside the passage a relief shows the triumphal procession with the menorah from the Temple. From here the Via Sacra runs down into the Forum and the Clivus Palatinus climbs the Palatine.

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9. 9

   Via Sacra The Sacred Way

   The processional route of the triumphs from the Arch of Titus to the Capitol, paved with basalt slabs from the imperial period. It is the main axis of the Forum; all the temples and basilicas of the next stops line it.

10. 10

    Basilica of Maxentius Three vaults, 35 metres high

    Begun by Maxentius in 308 AD and completed by Constantine after 312: the largest basilica in Rome, 100 by 65 metres. The three surviving barrel vaults of the north aisle are among the boldest structures of antiquity. The colossal statue of Constantine stood in the west apse; its head is now in the Capitoline Museums.

11. 11

    Temple of Antoninus and Faustina 141 AD, a church since the Middle Ages

    Dedicated by Antoninus Pius to his deified wife Faustina and later to himself. The ten columns of green cipollino marble, 17 metres high, survived because the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda was built into the cella; the baroque facade of 1602 rises out of the ruin.

12. 12

    Temple of Vesta and House of the Vestals The sacred fire of Rome

    In the round temple the six Vestal Virgins tended the fire that was never allowed to go out; three columns and a piece of entablature were re-erected in the 1930s. Next to it their residence around a long courtyard with pools and the statues of the chief priestesses.

13. 13

    Curia Julia The Senate house

    Begun by Caesar, dedicated under Augustus in 29 BC and rebuilt under Diocletian after the fire of 283. The brick building survived as the church of Sant’Adriano and can be visited inside: marble floor, the steps for the senators’ seats and the relief panels of Trajan.

14. 14

    Arch of Septimius Severus 203 AD, at the foot of the Capitol

    The triple arch, 23 metres high, celebrates the victories of the emperor and his sons Caracalla and Geta over the Parthians. Geta’s name was erased from the inscription after his murder. In front of it lie the speakers’ platform (Rostra) and the Umbilicus Urbis, the symbolic centre of Rome.

15. 15

    Temple of Saturn Eight columns, the state treasury

    One of the oldest temples in the city, dedicated around 497 BC; the eight granite columns date from the rebuilding after the fire of 283 AD, as the inscription on the entablature says. The podium housed the Aerarium, Rome’s state treasury. The view from here across the whole Forum to the Colosseum is the closing image of the circuit.

16. 16

    Largo della Salara Vecchia entrance Main entrance to the Forum, with ticket office

    On Via dei Fori Imperiali, opposite the Forum of Nerva. The three-hour route ends here; if you start with the Forum, begin here. The Imperial Fora with Trajan’s Column lie a few minutes further north-west, visible from the street without a ticket.

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17. 17

    Farnese Gardens Orti Farnesiani, the best view of the Forum

    From 1550 Cardinal Alessandro Farnese laid out one of the first botanical gardens in Europe on the remains of the palace of Tiberius. From the terrace with its two aviaries you look out over the whole Forum and the Capitol. The Domus Tiberiana below has been open again since 2023.

18. 18

    Domus Augustana and Domus Flavia Domitian’s palace, 92 AD

    The imperial palace that gave us the word “palace”: the Domus Flavia with throne room, basilica and banqueting hall for affairs of state, the Domus Augustana with its sunken peristyle as the emperors’ residence. Between them the Palatine Museum with finds from the hill; from the exedra you look down on the Circus Maximus.

19. 19

    Stadium Domitian’s garden hippodrome, 160 by 48 metres

    Not a stadium for spectators but a sunken garden in the shape of a racetrack, surrounded by a two-storey portico, with an imperial box on the east side. The small oval at the southern end was added by the Gothic king Theoderic around 500. From here it is only a short descent to the exit.

20. 20

    Via di San Gregorio entrance Palatine entrance with ticket office

    The south-eastern entrance to the Palatine and Forum, 200 metres from the Arch of Constantine, usually with shorter queues. The path leads straight up to the Stadium. At the end of the day it is the nearest exit to tram 3 (Parco Celio stop) and Colosseo metro.

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Routes through the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine

Three suggestions, all from Colosseo metro. Choose a route and its stops are highlighted on the map. The combined ticket allows one entry to the Colosseum and one to the Forum and Palatine area; plan the Colosseum for your booked time slot.

The entrances and the metro

Colosseum: Sperone Valadier

The only visitor entrance to the Colosseum is at the Sperone Valadier, the buttress of 1826 on the west side facing Via dei Fori Imperiali, two minutes from the metro. Buy a timed ticket in advance, pass security, then take the ancient ramps up to the first tier. The exits are on the south side towards the Arch of Constantine.

Roman Forum: Largo della Salara Vecchia

The main entrance to the Forum and Palatine on Via dei Fori Imperiali, with a ticket office, opposite the Forum of Nerva. From here you reach the Basilica Aemilia and the Curia in two minutes. Ten minutes on foot from Colosseo metro, five from Cavour.

Palatine Hill: Via di San Gregorio 30

The south-eastern entrance with its own ticket office, 200 metres from the Arch of Constantine. A path leads straight up to the Stadium and the imperial palaces; ideal if you start with the Palatine or leave it until last. Usually shorter queues than at Largo della Salara Vecchia.

Arch of Titus

The third access to the Forum is at Piazza del Colosseo behind the Temple of Venus and Roma and leads along the Via Sacra under the Arch of Titus. At times it is used as an exit only; the signs on site apply.

Colosseo metro

The Line B station is directly opposite the Colosseum, with the exit on Via dei Fori Imperiali. From Termini it is two stops. The Line C station Colosseo–Fori Imperiali adjoins it. Tram 3 stops at Piazza del Colosseo, several buses on Via dei Fori Imperiali.

Prices, time slots, the tickets for the arena, hypogeum and upper tiers, and opening hours are in our guide Colosseum tickets and admission.

Where is the Colosseum?