Why should you visit the Colosseum at night and how do you choose the best one? Here are the best tours, tickets, and reasons to visit the incredible Roman Colosseum at night, including a comparison chart of the best 3 tours.
When you picture the Colosseum, perhaps the first image that comes to mind is of a fight between gladiators under an unforgiving Roman sun. Unfortunately, the reality is CROWDS!
But a Colosseum night tour has an entirely different vibe: lining up as the sun sets and seeing it illuminated under moonlight makes for an unforgettable experience.
- Why you should visit the Rome Colosseum at night
- Pros and cons of a day versus a night experience
- Tips to visit the Colosseum
- The best 3 Colosseum at Night tours
- Comparison Chart of Colosseum by night tours
- 1. Rome: Guided Colosseum Night Tour
- 2. Rome: Colosseum with Arena Floor Evening Tour
- 3. Rome: Colosseum by Night with Underground & Arena Floor Tour
- Final Thoughts
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The Best Colosseum at Night Tour
The best Colosseum by Night tour is the Rome: Colosseum by Night with Underground & Arena Floor Tour.
Why? It’s highly reviewed and conducted by the reputable Italy With Family Tour Company. It’s a full-access tour of the outside (which is beautiful at night) and all areas inside and underground (including the dungeons!), and it’s conducted by an archaeologist.
Why you should visit the Rome Colosseum at night
A wonderful aspect of a Colosseum night visit is the crowds – or lack of them.
A night visit – Luna sul Colosseo in Italian – is still something of an unusual option, which means there are far fewer people around you – so you almost feel like you have the Colosseum to yourself.
One other reason why it is the less favored option is that the Roma Pass will not get you access to the Colosseum at night.
This is because every night visit is a night tour with a tour guide, and the ticket has to be bought separately.
That price difference might put some visitors off – but the extra cost does buy you an incredible experience which often includes the underground part of the ancient amphitheatre.
Pros and cons of a day versus a night experience
If this is your first time visiting the Colosseum, you should weigh up the pros and cons of either a day or a night experience.
Visiting during the day
During the day, one added bonus for visitors looking to keep the price down is that you can explore the famous monument without booking a guided tour.
Whilst you won’t have an expert guide on hand to explain the fascinating history and significance of each area, if you are the independent sort, the financial saving might be worth it.
There is also a much wider range of entry times.
So you can decide whether to begin your tour of the Colosseum first thing in the morning, after your morning cappuccino, at lunchtime or later in the afternoon (assuming you can get tickets for your preferred time).
Similarly, running out of time is not really a factor, as you have the whole day to explore the Colosseum and won’t have to worry too much about closing time.
Finally, during the day you are able to go higher up in the Colosseum – currently up to the second tier (the third is closed both day and night).
For the night tour, you will only be able to ascend to the first level.
On the other hand, the Colosseum is much more crowded during the day, and during peak tourist season, lining up to take a photo from the main viewing points can become a real distraction.
If you are planning to visit in the summer, a warm evening in a near-empty Colosseum is a million times more pleasant than a baking afternoon in a packed Colosseum.
Visiting during the night: the Hypogean
Visiting at night means you get the thrill of seeing the Rome Colosseum under lamplight and moonlight, and you also get to go out on the arena – something not possible during the day.
What’s more, it’s not just that visitor numbers are lower (and controlled) in the evenings: tours are also staggered.
This means that even if a number of different groups are in the Colosseum at once, you are not likely to encounter any traffic jams. Not something you can say for the rest of Rome!
The only downside to visiting at night – apart from the fact you don’t get to scale the heights of the upper tiers – is that it’s a kind of standalone experience.
If you have your heart set on visiting the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill along with the Colosseum as part of the same trip, you’ll have to buy a separate ticket for the Colosseum night tour.
Depending on how short your time is, for example, if you’re trying to see Rome in a day, a night tour allows for the maximum number of other experiences to be crammed into your daylight hours.
Whatever you choose, if it’s your first visit to Rome, don’t miss seeing the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Vatican.
Tips to visit the Colosseum
Before we take a look at the best tours available, here are a few tips:
1) The adult ticket to see the Colosseum at night – purchasable at the Colosseum – costs €25 for adults – compared to €16 during the day.
However, waiting to see if you can get a ticket at the Colosseum is madness.
The queues are unbelievably long and as you’ll see when you buy tickets from the Colosseum’s official website, the tickets are almost NEVER available.
Beyond that basic ticket option, there is a raft of companies offering guided tours for a range of prices.
- The basic tour lasts 75 minutes and tickets usually go on sale a month in advance.
- Other tours generally last longer and go into more detail – with a higher price point.
2) Not all Colosseum night tours – or day tours for that matter – include a visit to the underground and arena floor, so keep an eye out for the details of each tour when considering which one is best for you.
However, all the tours I mention here do include access to all areas and it will be a highlight of your trip to Italy!
The Colosseum underground area has only been open to the public since 2021, so if you’ve visited before and during the day, this is an opportunity to have a very different Colosseum experience.
3) The tickets will have your name on them, which means you will be required to bring photo I.D. – either a passport, driver’s license, or something similar.
Don’t miss out on the Colosseum night tour due to a moment of forgetfulness!
4) Another piece of housekeeping: remember there are airport-style security checks before you go in.
The Colosseum might have had a pretty “anything goes” policy back in ancient Rome, but now you have to put all metal objects and electronic devices through the metal detector.
Any potentially dangerous objects, such as scissors and knives will mean you are not allowed in. No gladiator swords allowed, either!
5) The Colosseum at-night tours are not available all year round.
In 2022, the first night tour was available on May 20 and continued right through to New Year’s Eve.
This means if you want to visit the Colosseum between January and April, it may not be possible to see the Colosseum at night.
The best 3 Colosseum at Night tours
Below are the best tour groups and their 3 best-quality Colosseum night tours.
It’s very easy to imagine both gladiators and beasts anxiously awaiting their fate in what would then have been an oppressive, claustrophobic space, while the crowd above bayed for blood.
This area includes the expanse under the arena floor, including the entrance the gladiators used and the lifts which raised the animal cages up to arena level.
The next stop on the tour changes each year as the Colosseum draws special attention to one element of its cultural riches each year.
Finally, the Colosseum night tour leads you up to the arena floor.
It’s here that you’ll experience the somewhat incongruous sensation of hearing about some of the bloodiest spectacles imaginable under the beauty of a moonlit, starry Roman night.
Comparison Chart of Colosseum by night tours
| Name of Tour | Duration | Cancellation allowed | Access to Underground and Arena | Price | Trip Anthropologist Rating | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Rome: Guided Colosseum Night Tour | 75 min | Free up to 24 hrs in advance | Yes | $96.49 (€ 89) | 8.5/10 | LEARN MORE |
| 2. Rome: Colosseum with Arena Floor Evening Tour | 2 hrs | Free up to 24 hrs in advance | Yes | $84.40 (€ 79) | 8.5/10 | LEARN MORE |
| 3. Rome: Colosseum by Night with Underground & Arena Floor Tour | 2 hrs | Free up to 24 hrs in advance | Yes | $116.45 (€ 109) | 9/10 | LEARN MORE |
1. Rome: Guided Colosseum Night Tour
Need to know
Price: from €89
Duration: 75 minutes
Cancellation: free up to 24 hours before
Can reserve in advance? Yes
Access to underground and arena? Yes
Description
This Colosseum by night tour begins at the Colosseum metro station, where you meet your guide.
They will take you to the skip-the-line entrance, although in the evening the only queues will be people attempting to buy last-minute tickets.
Your Colosseum tour guide will begin the tour in the underground area, which is arguably the most atmospheric part of the Colosseum.
It takes you through the Colosseum’s tunnels, chambers, and pits. As you go up into the arena, you will be able to walk across the arena floor which was recently reconstructed.
2. Rome: Colosseum with Arena Floor Evening Tour
Need to know
Price: from €79
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: free up to 24 hours before
Can reserve in advance? Yes
Access to underground and arena? Yes
Description
This Colosseum night tour takes in several of the sights of ancient Rome, including the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, which is close to the Colosseum before going inside.
The meeting point is in front of the 30-meter-high Trajan’s Column in Via dei Fori Imperiali, next to Piazza Venezia.
If you keep the Victor Emmanuel II Monument (AKA “the wedding cake”) in front of you, you will find the group gathering on your left-hand side. Your guide will be wearing a blue polo shirt or jacket.
Things start with a leisurely stroll along the Roman Forum as the sun begins to set.
Your guide leads you through the center of the Eternal City, past some of the delights of Ancient Rome including temples, archways, and the home of the Vestal Virgins.
As you wander further down the Via dei Fori Imperiali, the Colosseum slowly comes into view.
After your Colosseum by night tour, the tour company recommends visiting the Monti district for dinner, or to soak up the atmosphere – and photo opportunities – outside the Colosseum.
3. Rome: Colosseum by Night with Underground & Arena Floor Tour
Need to know
Price: from €109
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: free up to 24 hours before
Can reserve in advance? Yes
Access to underground and arena? Yes
Description
This Colosseum at night guided tour begins outside the Colosseum itself and first takes you to the grandstands, from which the bloodthirsty public watched the gladiators fight to the death.
It then moves to the underground area, which includes the network of tunnels where wild beasts, snatched from the very extremes of the Roman Empire, were held before being unleashed onto the arena.
You access the arena floor through the charmingly-named archway: “The Gate of Death” as your guide talks you through the range of blood-soaked events that took place on this very spot.
Final Thoughts
An entrance-only ticket will let you wander around at your own pace but if you want to experience the magic of the ancient Rome monument on a night visit, you’ll need to join an evening tour.
A Colosseum night tour has a completely different atmosphere from visiting the Colosseum during the day.
It’s worth the little bit extra not just to avoid a crowded experience and a much shorter security check, but to be inside one of the most famous places in the world with only a small group on a beautiful Rome evening.
I hope now that you’ll now be able to confidently choose the best Colosseum night tour so that visiting the Colosseum is an unforgettable memory for you!
My recommendation of all the available Colosseum at night experiences is the Rome: Colosseum by Night with Underground & Arena Floor Tour.
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