The Colosseum has officially reopened, as of June 2020, but the rules have changed. Are you looking to visit the Colosseum in the post-CoVID 19 world? Here is everything you need to know about visiting the Colosseum after the CoVID-19 pandemic:
- The official capacity is MUCH lower. Seriously. For the month of June, only 960* visitors per day will be allowed to enter the Colosseum. Compared with the thousands of visitors that would enter on any given high-season day, the Colosseum is going to be much less crowded.
- The Colosseum will open later. For the month of June, the Colosseum will no longer open at 8:30am, but instead the first entrance will be at 10:30am. This has been announced by Colosseum officials, but they have yet to update the public as to the opening time for July and beyond.
- Booking tickets in advance is required. Visitors will no longer be allowed to purchase tickets directly from the Colosseum ticket office. All tickets must be purchased online. And, given that only 960 tickets are available per day, it is best to purchase your tickets well in advance.
- The Colosseum Underground and 3rd Level are closed until further notice. Unfortunately, visitors cannot access the underground and upper tier of the Colosseum. This measure is surely temporary, but Colosseum officials have given no indication of when these levels will reopen.
- Group size is limited to 20 people. If your group is less than 20 people then this doesn’t apply to you. But, if you are a large group you will need to book multiple tickets for smaller parties. This is good news for visitors interested in booking a guided tour – it guarantees a small group size. (Originally Colosseum officials announced group max of 14, but later added an additional 6 tickets to each time slot).
- You have to follow a specific route. In order to ensure public safety and social distancing, there is a one-way route that everyone must follow through the Colosseum. This applies to the standard Colosseum ticket (€16; 45 minute route) and the reduced-price afternoon ticket (€9.50; 40 minute route). Visitors are no longer allowed to stay inside and roam around on their own. Each 14 person group will be accompanied by a Colosseum staff member to ensure safety precautions are being followed.
- The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill also have specific routes**. There will be multiple exits but only one entrance for the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill area and four different possible routes to follow. These include: The Roman Forum’s Square (30 min.; exit via del Foro Romano); Walking on the via Sacra (1.5hrs; exit Arch of Titus); From the Roman Forum to the Imperial Palaces (2hrs; exit via di San Gregorio); and To the Origins of Rome (2.5hrs; exit via di San Gregorio).
- Masks and thermal scans are required. In order to enter the Colosseum, every visitor must wear a mask and have their temperature measured using a thermo scanner. Visitors must provide their own masks and anyone with a higher-than-average temperature may be prevented from entering.
- These new rules may not be permanent. For the time being, Colosseum officials have only released tickets for the month of June 2020 and future tickets will be released on a monthly basis. It is not known when, or if, the Colosseum will return to its former procedure of releasing tickets in 3 month installments. As the CoVID-19 situation evolves, it is possible that the new restrictions could be changed and more tickets, as well as the underground and upper levels, will be made available. (At the time of publication, no further information was available)