All visits to the Colosseum must be booked and paid online beforehand. Reservation is required online and by phone also for the same day of the visit.
It is understandable, as the Colosseum, together with the Palatine (the ticket is valid for both) was the most visited monument in Italy, until the Uffizi Museum in 2022 got more visitors.
Beware: around the monument there are many peddlers who offer guided visits, skipping the queue. Often they are not real professional guides, and their prices sometimes are exorbitant!
I suggest to use the official guided tours, by calling the number (+39) 06 39967700 (Mon-Sat 9-13.30 and 14.30-17) or to book online (2€ more).
The Colosseum is open every day all year round, except for January 1st and December 25th.

TICKETS FOR THE COLOSSEUM AND THEIR PRICE (THERE ARE MANY KINDS OF THEM !!)
All visits must be scheduled, i.e. you choose the day and the time of the visit, according to availability. Therefore I suggest that you book your visit timely.

SINGLE TICKETS
– The “Basic” ticket including Colosseum, Fora and Palatino – valid 1 day – costs 18 euros.
– The Integrated ticket (Colosseum + Arena, Forum-Palatine) – Valid for 2 consecutive days – 1 access to the Colosseum and 1 access to the Roman Forum-Palatine costs 18 Euros
– The reduced ticket of € 2.00 is available for European and non-EU citizens “on condition of reciprocity” aged between 18 and 25 years.

Guided tours – with an archeologist or with a radio guide cost 24€

GROUP TICKETS
GROUP TOURS ENTER FROM STERN ENTRANCE (NORTH SIDE) Book before at tour@coopculture.it
This entrance is accessible only for groups or individuals leaded by an accredited guide.
Then there are many other options for your visit: the underground of the Colosseum and/or the panoramic view, the Foro-Palatino S.U.P.E.R. that allows you to visit the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and “Super” sites: 7 special places on the Palatine: Criptoportico neroniano, Museo Palatino, Aula Isiaca – Loggia Mattei, Casa di Augusto, Casa di Livia, Tempio di Romolo and Santa Maria Antiqua.

FREE ENTRANCE FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER 18 from all the world. 

REDUCED TICKETS
See all the details here
– FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH: The free access during the Free First Sundays of the month will be now limited to the months from January to March and from October to December.

Please note: for security reasons it is strictly forbidden to enter with backpacks, camping, bulky bags and luggage/trolley. Medium and small size backpacks can be introduced and must be screened by metal detectors, as any other bag. They must be opened and visually inspected by the security.

Due to new security measures it is necessary to arrive at least 30 minutes before the reservation at the ticket desk.
For safety reasons the Colosseum can accommodate up to 3.000 people: there could be delays in accessing the site, even for pre-booked visitors.

OPENING HOURS 
The Colosseum an the Roman forum/Palatine/Imperial forum are open every day
from 1 January to 28 February 9.00 – 16.30
from 1 to 25 March 9.00 – 17.30
from 26 March to 31 August 9.00am – 7.15pm
from 1 September to 30 September 9.00 – 19.00
from 1 to 28 October 9.00 – 18.30
from 29 October to 31 December 9.00 – 16.30
CLOSED on Dec 25th

Last admission one hour before closing

FREE ADMISSION (from the website https://www.coopculture.it/en/products/ticket-colosseum-forum-and-palatine-_24h/)

Free tickets for ordinary Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine will be available online, without reservation fee, in open mode.

The free admission ticket will be linked to the date of visit while it will be open for the entrance time, from the opening time to the closing time of the site access gates.

Holders of the free admission tickets reserved in this way, will be received as usual in the manner provided for eligible persons, and possibly associated with booked full and reduced at a scheduled time.

Free school tickets will have to be reserved, as usual, in the availabilities dedicated to the schools.

• citizens under 18 years old from european union and no-eu countries
• italian permanent teachers or with fix-term contract upon presentation of the suitable certification issued by the schools
• the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum has determined some days during the year with free admission and without pre-sale. For more information, please refer to the page of the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
• european union’s tour guides in the exercise of their professional activity
• european union’s touristic interpreters in the exercise of their professional activity
• employees of the ministry for cultural heritage and activities
• members of icom (international council of museum)
• members of iccrom (international organization for conservation of cultural heritage)
• european union’s groups and students from public and private eu schools led by one teacher every 10 students, upon reservation
• teachers and students of architecture, conservation of cultural assets, learning sciences and degree courses in literature with archeology or art-history subject areas in the universities and art academies and enrolled in the respective improving schools, specialist studies and phd’s of the above-mentioned courses of every member state of the european union. the ticket is released to the students by showing a certificate of registration in the current academic year
• socrates and erasmus students of the above-mentioned degree courses
• art-history teachers in high-schools
• students of the following schools: central institute of restoration, opificio delle pietre dure, school for mosaic restoration
• journalists enrolled in the national register and journalists coming from any other country, in the performance of their duties and upon presentation of a suitable document proving the professional activity carried out
• people with disabilities and one family member or a helper belonging to the health and social assistance service
• volunteers who carry out promotion and dissemination activities of the cultural heritage, on the basis of the agreements concluded with the ministry, according to art. 112, paragraph 8 of the civil code
• AIRE Italians residing abroad

THREE DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET THE TICKETS

1. By telephone
CALL CENTRE FOR INFO AND BOOKINGS: +39 (0)6 399 677 00
To reserve entrance by telephone contact the Call Centre every day from 9 to 5 pm

2. Online
Official website to buy tickets online. You can choose the kind of visit you like and print your own ticket

3. RomaPass
There are 2 Roma Pass cards: the €52 one is valid for 72 hours; the €32 one is valid for 48 hours. With the card you have access to the Roma Pass circuit, i.e. 2 museums for the €52 one, 1 museum for the cheaper one, discounted rate on all the city museums listed and (very convenient!!) free travel on the whole ATAC city transport network.
Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are included in the Roma Pass network.
Roma Pass does not allow:
– access to the Palatine Museum and to the other sites included in the SUPER ticket​
– access to the Colosseum Arena, Underground and Belvedere.
Roma Pass holders access from a dedicated entrance always accompanied by an authorized tour guide. They cannot be more than 13 PAX.
For Roma Pass holders, the reservation for entry to the Colosseum is mandatory. Reservation fee € 2.00.
If the visitor arrives at the entrance without the Roma Pass ticket, it will not be possible to access the monument, even if the visitor has the reservation. 

Reservation is mandatory. See here how to book.

PLEASE NOTE: this is not the official site of the Colosseum; the official address and telephone no. of the Colosseum (information from the site of Rome’s Museums) is: Piazza del Colosseo – 00184 Roma – Tel. 067004261.

Call +39 (0)6 399 67700 also to book a guided tour with professional guides. In any case personal electronic guides (with earphones) are available for rent at the entrance, so one can wander around the ruins, together with the many cats that live there, while listening to the machine. A part of the arena floor has been recently reconstructed, and I can tell you that the sight of the amphitheatre from the middle of the arena is amazing. In the past one was restricted to the edges of the arena, and it was a poorer perspective.

People with disabilities (from https://www.sagetraveling.com/Rome-Handicapped-Accessible-Travel-Keys-to-Success )
Rome Colosseum disabled access is provided by a step-free main entrance, a flat smooth interior, and an elevator to the upper level. Some parts of the interior have steps, and there are cobblestones with 3 star smoothness outside the entrance. Disabled access at Rome’s Colosseum is better than at the nearby Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.
There is a lift to the first floor on the northern side. Toilets are on the other side, and there is also a bookshop, with souvenirs and other merchandise.

HOW TO GET THERE
the monument is extremely central in the city of Rome: a few hundred yards from Piazza Venezia, and close to the Forums. On Sundays the motor traffic is forbidden and Via dei Fori Imperiali and the square of the Colosseum  are available to bicycles and strollers. Just outside the Metro station there is a taxi parking, a Bike rental and a bar with tables outside: you can sip your cappuccino in the shade of the biggest thing in Rome.

Public transport:

• “B” line Metro station Colosseo
• “A” line Metro station Manzoni, then two stops of tram no. 3 going southwards
• Bus lines 75 – 81 – 673 – 175 – 204.
• Tramway line no 3.
• Taxi: There is a taxi parking near the tramway stop, on the N side of the square.