Free entry to Colosseum and Roman Forum in Rome – When and for who

Among other Attractions, the Colosseum and the Forum Romanum rank in the Top of the most visited sights in Rome. While the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Villa Borghese Garden and many others are always free to visit, you have to pay an entrance fee for the Colosseum and the Roman Forum / Forum Romanum. This fee, however, is not to make money out of the thousands of tourists, it’s to mainly fund the preserving of the structures. But, there are exceptions. Lucky you, if you fall in one of the 3 following categories. I can recommend paying attention especially to the last one, as it can save you lots of money, that you can should rather spend in a nice Restaurant in Rome.

How to get free entrance to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum in Rome

Children under the age of 18

No matter where you are from, if you are under the age of 18 years you get free entrance to both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum in Rome. Make sure to bring your ID Card or Passport, to validate your age. The free entry for kids and teenagers is available on any day during the regular opening hours. That you don’t have to pay does not mean you can skip the waiting lines, you still have to get your Ticket, even if you don’t pay for it. To use fast lanes you can pre-book your Ticket for an online fee of just 2€ on this website.

EU Citizens aged 18-25

An exception are all EU Citizens until the age of 25. The Countries belonging to the EU are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Hungary, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. They do not receive completely free entrance, but a reduced fee. To validate your origin and age you have to bring an ID or Passport with you. Also, this reduced fee does not allow to skip any lines, you still have to queue to get your Tickets. As of February 2017, the reduced ticket price is 7,50€ per Person. As for any Ticket, it is a combination Ticket for both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. The Ticket Price is set and won’t get any cheaper if you only visit one of both. Luckily the Ticket is valid for 2 Days, with each 1 entrance to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.

First Sunday of each month – free entry for everyone

If you can, plan your Trip to Rome wisely! On every first Sunday of a month, public sights (State and Rome city museums) such as the Colosseum and the Roman Forum are free of charge for everyone. Check out this List (scroll a bit down to Rome) of to find out what else is free. As you might imagine, there are plenty of people interested in visiting the Sights for free, so make sure to either be early or be willing to wait a bit more than on usual days.
Usually, the Ticket Price for adults over 25 Years from an EU Country, or anyone else up from the age of 18, is 12,00€ per Person as of February 2017.

More budget tips for Rome: Free things to do Rome, Rome on a Budget, Roman Forum and Tickets Colosseum posts, plus the Lazio category. Read my full Colosseum visit guide with opening hours, treat yourself to the best tiramisu in Rome and book the NH Collection Cinquecento.

FAQ: Free entry to the Colosseum and Roman Forum