New! Colosseum Full Experience with Arena/Underground - find out how to visit everything!

Hi, I'm Elyssa from Romewise, your go-to guide to Rome. I'm here today on the Palatine Hill to talk to you about yet another rule regarding ticket sales at the Colosseum. So in 2019 we talked about some new rules around that. And in January 2020, which is right now, there will be a brand new ticket called the Full Experience. Let's explore that, really do it. And I'm going to take you with me. Very prepared? Here we go! Ok guys, this is my new ticket that I just bought. It is a Full Experience ticket with access to the Arena. It is noon on Wednesday, January 22.

I'm going to approach the stern entrance. I have to be there at 12:30 and we will go see the Arena and the Colosseum. After that I will have access to the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and all the great sites on the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. And we're just going to see how it works. Alright, now I'm heading to the aft entrance. It's very exciting because this new ticket allows you to see the Arena floor. This is really new, before to see the Arena floor you had to book a tour. So I'm very excited. Here we go!

Ok, I just arrived at the aft entrance and they check my ticket. She said, let me see what time it says, 12:30. She checked her phone, it's 12:20 and she said come back in 10 minutes. So they are very strict with this time. There is not even room for maneuver. I wonder if I'm late if I could come in. So don't be early or late, be punctual. With this Complete Experience you can book both the Arena and the Metro. With the Arena what happens is that you get someone to bring you. So there's a lady standing back there. And she's in charge of me.

And you have twenty minutes on the Arena floor, after which you are inside the Colosseum. If you want to take the metro, a guided tour is necessary. And you can book it, of course, with the Colosseum. With the Full Experience ticket you don't really have to reserve a time for the Colosseum unless you skip the Arena and/or the Metro. Which kind of defeats the purpose of getting this Full Experience ticket. I think seeing the Arena is cool partly because it's pretty exclusive, you can't just show up at the Colosseum and come here. So this is, like I said, part of the Full Experience ticket.

It is also a tour that you can book with Coopculture. You can also book this tour with a regular or tour company. And

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ing the Arena gives you at least a taste of what it was like to be at this level, when gladiators fought and the crowd roared over them. Can you imagine it? Have a look. OK. So Arena means sand and this entire floor was covered in sand. That's one of the reasons he's no longer here. Obviously, this floor is redone. Why was the ground covered in sand? You can probably imagine, to absorb all the blood.

Guys, a subway tour is amazing and worth it. And I've done it and it's fantastic. But I'm just here showing you from above and you're doing a lot of work here. So it's hard to see it in all its glory, but it's quite fascinating to watch. And what you can imagine happened down there. Ok, this is where they kept the gladiators who would fight, the prisoners who were going to be executed, and the poor animals who were tortured and starved. So when they went up to the Arena floor they would be angry, cruel and fighting back.

You can see that there is a replica of a trap door. Now that I am here in the Arena with this ticket, I have been told that I can only be on the right side of the Arena. That's so they can break up the group so everyone isn't talking to each other. So I can't get close to that, but I've been here before, so I can show you another photo, but this is what the hatch used to look like. And there is also an elevator that you can see. You can see it better from Underground. Well guys, I already left the Arena.

I'm walking alone through the Colosseum. There are two main levels that you can access with a regular Colosseum ticket. Now I'm at ground level. I could go up there too. Which I won't do today because today is just about investigating this fine for you. So if you do this on your own, it will take about an hour, even an hour and a half. Depending on how much time you want to spend at the Colosseum. You have 20 minutes on the Arena floor, if you are going to take the subway, it will take a little longer. This is a tour that lasts no more than an hour, so keep that in mind as well.

Visiting the Colosseum on your own and simply walking through it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to about an hour, if it's your first time here. So, it's a long time and you could probably go in the morning and take a little lunch break. And then

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the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum in the afternoon. Keep in mind the closing times, the entire park, the Colosseum, the Palatine, the Roman Forum, all close one hour before sunset. And the last entry is an hour before. So you took a look at the times at Coopculture. I'm here in January, last entry is at 3:30 p.m. m. and the entire park closes at 4:30 p.m. m.

So you really have a good budget of your time if you visit these sites, including the super sites, with the Full Experience, in winter. Well, long story short, if all you want to do is visit the Colosseum, the easiest ticket you can get is the 16 Euro, one-day ticket to the Colosseum/Roman Forum/Palatine Hill. You must reserve a date and time for the Colosseum and I recommend doing it in advance, on the Coopculture website. The next type of ticket you can get will be an upgrade to that ticket for four euros. You have to do it in person.

This is not available online, so you will get your €16 ticket reserved for your visit to the Colosseum. Then you take that ticket to the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and for four euros you can upgrade this ticket to include the super sites. If for some reason you don't need to see the Colosseum, you've seen it before. You don't want to deal with the crowds, you're happy to see it from the outside, you're more interested in all the incredible ruins on the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. You can get a single ticket to the Palatine Hill Roman Forum that includes the super sites.

And it does not include entry to the Colosseum. That ticket costs 16 euros. And the most complete ticket that you can buy right now starting in January 2020 is the Full Experience ticket. So this ticket gives you access to the Colosseum, access to the Arena or the Metro. If it is the Arena it is without a tour, if it is the Metro it is with a tour of the Colosseum. You have a book in advance online. If you do this during high season you probably won't

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space. You can't just walk up and do this. This ticket also includes access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill and all the fantastic sites of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

And this ticket is valid for two days, just remember that you can't re-enter. So you would probably do your Arena or Underground and the Colosseum either in the morning and then the Palatine and Roman Forum and the super sites in the afternoon. Or the Colosseum and the Arena, or the Metro one day and then the next day you would visit the Palatine, the Roman Forum and the super sites in one day. I think the Palatine and Roman Forum, if you want to see all the great sites, you need a

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day. Remember that these tickets are not valid for re-entry and must also be used on two consecutive days, you cannot divide them.

Well, I just left the Colosseum. Here I have the Arch of Constantine in front of me, and to the left is the entrance to the Palatine Hill. We're going to go here inside the Arch of Titus, under the Arch of Titus. That's where we'll head. And we will enter the Roman Forum. Well guys, one of the highlights of my entry is the impressive ancient Basilica of Santa Maria Antiqua. And we're going in because it's open. I love the place, it's amazing. Very well, I have been visiting Santa María Antigua, up the ramp and in the room of the Forty Martyrs.

These are things that can only be accessed with the super ticket. So either the Full Experience ticket or that ticket I told you about that is just the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and the super sites, not the Colosseum for 16 euros. Or buy the regular ticket to the Colosseum for 16 euros and then upgrade to the super ticket for an additional 4 euros. There are many options to see the super sites. The last thing I want to see is the forums of Julius Caesar and Trajan. These sites are actually run by the city. Now I'm inside the Roman Forum and walking along the Via Sacra, and this site is managed by the state of Italy.

Connecting this to city-run sites. I know it seems like it should be simple, but in Italy it's not always like that. It's really good that they opened all these things. And I love these accesses to these different parks and new places that have been opening, like the Domus Transitoria. Very exciting. But these new ticketing rules are a little confusing. They keep changing. It is now January 2020 and I am making this video for you. I actually come here, buy my own ticket and take the time to watch the video because I want to help. I want to help you understand these rules because they are not clear on the website.

I have spoken to several people today at the ticket offices and inside the Coliseum, and even they are not clear about all the rules. So I'm doing my best to make it clear. I hope you

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this useful. And we hope you find it smooth and easy when you come to Rome and book your own tickets. So I have to keep looking down because I'm walking down the Via Sacra and there are cobblestones from ancient Rome. Because we are nearing the end of our visit here, as I told you, with the Full Experience ticket, you could split this over two days.

Always remember that you will only have one entrance to the Palatine Hill/Roman Forum, which is considered a park, and only one entrance to the Colosseum. So now we head towards the edge that is approaching the Capitoline Hill. Up there is the Capitol, it's where the mayor's offices are located. And this giant building under a scaffold is the Curia of Julius Caesar, where the Senate was. Alright guys, I'm literally on this ramp here leaving the Roman Forum, heading to the Forum of Julius Caesar on this ramp here. One last word, if you come here to buy your ticket, you will buy it in the city of Rome.

And you won't be able to access the Colosseum's super sites. Well, that concludes this video on how to visit the Colosseum, the Arena, the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum, the super sites and the imperial forums, all with the Full Experience ticket. I hope you find these videos useful. I'm trying to update them every time there are new rules here. Hit the like button below and subscribe! See you in the next video! Bye for now!