Colosseum by Night - An amazing way to see Rome's most iconic monument!

Want to visit the Colosseum by night?

This is one of my favorite ways to visit Rome's most iconic monument.

It's an exclusive visit and brings the structure's history to life like no other visit can.

Find out everything you need to know about seeing the Rome Colosseum at night, from what you will see to how to book.

Visiting the Colosseum By Night - Everything You Need to Know

If you want to visit the Colosseum at night, you need to know:

• What will you see?
  
• Is the night entry to the Colosseum included in the Roma Pass?
• Is it the same as the day ticket, including the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill? 
• Is it better to see the Colosseum at night or during the day?
  
• When is the Colosseum open at night? Can you visit it on the Free Sunday?
• Do you have to take a tour? How long does it last?
• How do you book a tour of the Colosseum by night?
  

Colosseum Night Visits in 2024

As of June 2024, Parco Colosseo has confirmed that night visits are back!

They will take place ONLY on Thursday evenings each week, with visits between 8PM and midnight. Last entrance will be at 10.30PM.

This is a guided tour experience so you won't be able to walk around freely, but the tour route takes you around the first tier of the Colosseum, onto the arena floor and into the Underground area.

The tour is around an hour long, but as an added bonus, you get access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill the day after your tour.

Full price tickets are 50€ and reduced are 28€ but for the access you get and the next day tickets as well, I think this is a great experience!

Find out more details and book your tickets on the Parco Colosseo website.

Colosseum by night - What will you see?

Visiting the Colosseum at night is really special, not only because of how beautiful it is from the outside (which you can of course see regardless.)

When you first go in, you will see and really appreciate the architecture of the corridors, because they are totally empty!

Then, as you go around on the main level of the Colosseum, your first impression will be of the silence.

It's dark all around you and hardly anyone else is there, so you get to appreciate what you are looking at even more, because there is no sound, other than the guide, to distract you.

On a night visit to the Colosseum, you will visit the main level of the Colosseum, which you can do also during the day.

But you will also get to go out onto the Colosseum arena floor . . .

 . . . and, you will visit the Hypogeum below.

Unfortunately, at the time of this update the Attic levels are not included in this visit.

Is the Colosseum night tour included in the Roma Pass?

No.

The Roma Pass allows you free (or discounted) entry to the Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill, but only during regular daytime hours.

The Colosseum night tour is considered a special event, and is not offered at any discount or with the Roma Pass or any other Combo pass.

Is it the same as the day ticket, including the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill? 

No, it's not the same.

A normal day-time visit to the Colosseum allows you to explore all regular levels, and depending on which ticket you buy, may or may not include the arena floor and Underground area.

The day tickets may also include a visit to the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill area.

Colosseum night tickets must be purchased 7 days in advance, and always include a tour with someone from the staff of Parco Colosseo.

You cannot wander in on your own, and you cannot just walk up and purchase a ticket.

For all these special events, there is a limited number of spaces available, and as they are popular, they tend to sell out fast so you really have to book in advance.

Is it better to see the Colosseum at night or during the day?

These are two really different visits, and different ways to see the Colosseum.

Visiting the Colosseum by day - pros and cons

Here are the pros of visiting the Colosseum by day:

• You can visit on your own, without a guide (although I personally think it's ideal to visit the Colosseum with a tour guide so you get the history and all the fun Colosseum facts!) 
• You have a large choice of times to go during the day's opening hours and can spend as much time as you like inside.
• Going by day means you can visit the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill on the same day as your Colosseum visit. That is a lot of flexibility, and a lot to see.

Here are the cons of visiting the Colosseum by day:

• The crowds and noise level are pretty distracting.
• In a normal daytime visit, you cannot visit the arena floor or the underground unless you book a Full Experience ticket or tour.
• Did I mention the crowds?

Visiting the Colosseum by night - pros and cons

Here are the pros of visiting the Colosseum by night:

• It's absolutely stunning to see this monument, inside and out, lit up this way.
• You will have the Colosseum almost entirely to yourselves (there may be just a couple of other tour groups in there and they stagger the visits, so you mostly feel like your group is the only one in there.)
• You get to go out onto the arena floor, and again, as you are nearly alone, this is a unique and special experience. I could not stop looking around me with my mouth gaping open.
• You get to visit the Hypogeum (underground), and as you are in the dark (but with lights of course), it's even more realistic, since that is how the gladiators saw it back then. Just dark.
• You will have a lot of time to just take in what you are looking at, PLUS take photos and videos. You will really get the full immersion without the distraction of hordes of people and lots of noise.

Here are the cons of visiting the Colosseum by night:

• It costs more than visiting during the day.
• You can ONLY see the Colosseum, but not the Roman Forum or Palatine Hill the same day.
  
• It sells out long in advance so can be hard to book.

So which one should you do?

If you have never been to Rome before, or have limited time you may want to do the daytime visit so you can also see the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill.

And take a tour of that so you get all the history and info.

And, if you've been to the Colosseum before, or if you have time on your trip to Rome, add a night visit.

You will never look at the Colosseum the same way again.

When is the Colosseum open at night?

When they originally started offering Colosseum night visits, it was only available during the warmer months.

For 2024, night visits are only currently being offered on Thursday evenings.

Also note it is NOT available on the Free Sunday or other free dates (on the first Sunday of each month, and some other dates during the year, like November 4 and April 21, many sites and museums are free for everyone, and there are no special visits that day.)

As for what time the tours run, they go every 20 minutes until 10:30PM.

Tours are available in English or Italian only, with the times slightly staggered so only one group will be going inside at a time.

Do you have to take a tour? How long does it last?

Yes, to visit the Colosseum by night, you must take a tour.

And the tour has to be with someone from Parco Colosseo, the organization that manages the Colosseum and its ticket sales.

How do you book a Colosseum night tour?

Currently there are no third parties who are able to provide night tours, so you have to book directly through Parco Colosseo's website.