Roman Forum Tickets Rome - Admission & Tours 2025
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Book Roman Forum tickets online and save time! The Roman Forum was initially built by Julius Caesar and served as a model for other forums throughout the empire.
The Forum was, above all, the venue for many public speeches, a popular trading center, and a place for religious ceremonies, temples, and the like. Our article provides all the relevant information on various Roman Forum tickets.
The Forum tickets we recommend include “priority entry”, which allows you to skip the line on site. There is a separate entrance for this (follow the signs).
General admission tickets allow you to explore the excavation site at the Roman Forum on your own, while a guided tour with a professional guide will provide you with in-depth information.
The entrance to the Forum is located in Via dei Fori Imperial. You can also find more Rome tickets on our website!
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I’m Allie and I travel to Rome a lot! ♥️
Allie
All Tickets include Admission to the Roman Forum, Colosseum & Palatine Hill
The tickets to the Roman Forum always consist of a combined ticket. In addition to admission to the Forum, you also receive a Colosseum ticket and admission to the excavations on Palatine Hill.
Included in the ticket:
- Roman Forum
- Colosseum
- Palatine Hill
This ticket is valid for 24 hours from the first time it is stamped on-site. Please note, however, that to visit the Colosseum, you must choose a time slot that includes the historic arena.
Benefit from:
- Skip-the-line admission
- Cancellation is free of charge
Roman Forum Tickets with guided Tour:
The demand for tickets for the Roman Forum is huge. In the event that the tickets you want are already sold out, we also present some good alternative tickets in this article.
If possible, book your ticket online a few days or weeks in advance. This will save you the stress of having to search for remaining stock at short notice and possibly not being able to get admission at all!
- Combined ticket: Roman Forum, Colosseum, Palatine Hill
- Priority admission without queuing ("skip-the-line")
- Expert guide
- Headphones
- Duration: 1-3 hours
- Tour guide: English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Russian
- Private or small groups are possible
- Book now, pay later
- Cancellation is free of charge
You will meet your tour guide directly in front of the Colosseum. Equipped with (freshly disinfected) headphones, you embark on an exciting discovery tour through the almost 2000-year-old highlight of the Eternal City. The huge amphitheater could hold as many as 65,000 Romans at its peak.
What visitors say...
Visitor information
Address:
Via della Salara Vecchia, 5/6, 00186 Roma
Recommended exploration time:
1-2 hours
Transportation:
Subway: Colosseo (Colosseum), line B (blue)
Bus: Main entrance: Lines 51, 75, 81, 85, 87, and 118 to the “San Gregorio” stop
Bus: side entrance: lines 85, 87, and 118 to the Fori Imperiali stop
Opening hours:
October 31 – February 28: 09:00 – 16:30
March 01 – March 26: 09.30 – 17.30
March 27. – August 31: 09.30 – 19.15
September 01 – September 30: 08:30 – 19:00
October 01 – October 30: 08:30 – 18:30
01.01 and 25.12 closed.
Nearby:
Palatine Hill (0.1 km)
Colosseum (0.1 km)
Circus Maximus (0.9 km)
Baths of Caracalla (1.2 km)
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The History of the Roman Forum in Rome
Today, visiting the Roman Forum is one of the best things to do in Rome. The word forum is derived from the Latin word “forum” and means “public space.”
In ancient times, it was the center of public life.
People gathered here to listen to speakers, politicians, and lawyers. Goods were traded in stores on the square’s north side or at stalls on its south side. The magnificent marble temples were also very popular!
The Roman Forum was built on a site inhabited since prehistoric times. However, it became an important public space only with the construction of the sewers and the first temples around 501 to 498 BC. It is approximately 350 meters long, 150 meters wide, and rectangular in shape.
Excavations have been carried out at the Roman Forum since 1878. The excavation process has uncovered many important Roman Forum buildings, including temples, basilicas, triumphal arches, statues, and fountains. Even today, it is still partly used as a venue for political demonstrations and meetings.
However, settlement was only made possible with the construction of a canalization system. The Forum was originally a marshy valley between three hills before it was rapidly expanded under Julius Caesar’s rule. Lecterns were built on which politics were debated.
The Roman Senate met in the Curia building, located on the northeast side of the Forum. Both government officials and merchants met here. The Senate served as a check on autocratic power, as only a few people could be elected, and it had to approve major public projects.
One of the most famous and magnificent temples was the Temple of Saturn, built in 497 BC. Today, you can recognize it by its six gigantic columns, and part of the front can still be seen.
The Latin inscription on the temple indicates that it was once rebuilt jointly by the Senate and the people. With the fall of Rome, the Forum also became increasingly uninteresting.
The site was later only used as a cow pasture and quarry. Many of the stones had to make way for other building projects, such as St. Peter’s Basilica. The Forum was almost completely forgotten until the 19th century when archaeologists slowly began to excavate the Roman ruins.
Highlights of the Roman Forum
The Roman Forum is home to some of the most exciting ancient highlights, buried under centuries of dirt and rubble from Rome’s many earthquakes and fires. Today, we can be thankful that the city center of that time has been so forgotten.
While some of the magnificent buildings have succumbed to the forces of nature, some ruins have survived the passage of time. According to the Italian Ministry of Culture, more than 7.5 million people visit the Roman Forum Archaeological Park every year.
The most famous excavations in the Forum include the Triumphal Arch of Emperor Septimius Severus, the Temple of Saturn, the Arch of Titus, and the Basilica of Maxentius.
The latter is the only one of the four large basilicas from the Roman Republic that is still visible. Surprisingly, some of the building facades, some of which are 1500 years old, are still in excellent condition.
Triumphal Arch of the Emperor Septimius Severus
The Arch of Septimius Severus is a Roman triumphal arch in the Roman Forum. It was erected in 203 AD by the Roman Senate in honor of Emperor Septimius Severus, who died in 211 AD, and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta.
It is 20.88 meters high, 23.27 meters wide, and 11.20 meters deep. The monument has three arches, each with a different span: the central arch spans 17 meters, while each side arch spans 7 meters. The Arch of Triumph is located near the Temple of Concordia and close to the Arch of Titus.
Basilica of St. Maxentius
The Basilica of Maxentius is hard to miss and a major highlight of the ruins in the Forum. According to records, it was built between 307 and 313 by Emperor Maxentius, the last basilica built.
With an area of 70 x 100 meters and a 35-meter-high central nave, the Basilica of Maxentius was a huge construction project of its time. By comparison, the interior height of the Pantheon, which is just under 200 years older, is not worlds taller at 43.45 meters.
The basilica’s vaulted construction is typical of the Romans and a masterpiece. The floor plan of St. Peter’s Basilica was even later used as a prime example for the new construction of the nave, which has a vault 45 meters high.
However, Emperor Maxentius was never to enjoy the completion of his basilica. One year before its completion, he died in battle against Constantine the Great.
Temple of Saturn
The Temple of Saturn was erected on the Forum Romanum near the House of the Vestal Virgins. It was dedicated to the god Saturn, who, according to legend, had been ousted from his position as supreme ruler by Jupiter.
The temple was built between the years 501 and 498 BC and is considered the second oldest temple in Rome. With all its splendor, the Temple of Saturn was considered one of the most magnificent models of antiquity. A Latin inscription on the front can still be seen today.
However, literary sources from early antiquity are not always 100% reliable, so some researchers doubt the temple’s stated year of construction. The remains of the marble columns can be found right next to the Temple of Vespasian.
Temple of Vesta
The temple was built in honor of Vesta, the goddess of home and hearth. It was the central sanctuary in the Forum, which was usually guarded by six vestal virgins. The sacred fire or eternal flame burned in the temple itself, which had an important place in Roman society.
The original form of the temple was completely destroyed during the great fire under Emperor Nero. The current form, therefore, dates back to 1930, when the marble circular building was reconstructed from the existing stones.
At that time, food offerings were brought here every day. Simple food was repacked into clay jars and transported here.
Titus Arch
The Arch of Titus is Rome’s oldest surviving triumphal arch. It dates back to 70 AD. You pass it at the entrance to the south side when you walk from the Colosseum towards the Roman Forum. The triumphal arch was built in honor of Emperor Titus and his conquest of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
The Arch of Titus is located a short distance from the Forum’s archaeological excavations so that you can take a picture of the monument without a ticket.
The construction is impressive, with a height of 14.50 meters and a width of 13.50 meters. The building material used here was Pentelic marble.
Best View of the Forum
If you ever buy a ticket to the Roman Forum and follow in the footsteps of the Roman Empire, you should also feel like a Roman of antiquity. There is no better place to do this than on the Palatine Hill. This offers a view over the Roman Forum and beyond.
From up here, you can see a multitude of magnificent ancient ruins, impressive columns, and ant-sized crowds of people further down. You can even see the white monument Monumento, a Vittorio Emanuele II, in the distance.
Editor: Allie Hartmann
Hey and welcome to Rome-Tourist!
My name is Allie and I travel regularly to Rome, Italy.
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