The Best Way to Tour the Colosseum on a Budget

The Colosseum is an icon of Rome, and visiting it is a must on everyone’s list! With 2,000 years of history, it is one of the world’s most well-known structures. I took the hop-on, hop-off bus tour from the Omnia Card to get there, which leads me to the best way to tour the Colosseum.

hypogeum, best way to tour the colosseum

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Get a Discount with the Omnia Card

With the Omnia pass, you can explore the top-tier walkways, exhibitions, and artifacts. However, you do need to check availability first. Omnia cardholders also get access to a special discount on guided tours and audio-video guides.

The Omnia Card does not cover tours of the underground structure. Many friends told me to do this tour before I went to Rome. However, had I known it would sell out so quickly, I would have booked it in advance. So I’m warning you now if you wish to see the underground book in advance!

If you’re looking for a great tour, my friend recommends the Dark Rome to the Colosseum. You can bypass lines and access parts of the Colosseum not open to the public, such as the rarely-seen Colosseum underground with its 2000-year-old original floor.

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The Best Way to Tour the Colosseum

When I went, an audioguide was part of the Colosseum tour, which was very easy to follow and provided tons of information on the Colosseum itself and several artifacts. According to the Omnia Card site, they now provide a discount for the audioguide. Either way, getting the Omnia Card is the best way to tour the Colosseum on a budget, as it can save you up to 55% during your trip to Rome.

Roman Colosseum History

You’ll learn a lot about the history of the Roman Colosseum during your visit. The Colosseum’s original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium. The name Colosseum is believed to be derived from a colossal statue of Nero nearby. The statue did eventually fall, possibly to reuse its bronze. By the year 1000, the name “Colosseum” had been coined to refer to the amphitheater.

Nero had built an enormous palace for himself after a great fire ripped through Rome in A.D. 64. Around 70-72, Vespasian returned that land to the Romans to build a new amphitheater. It was a gift to the Roman people. Nice gift, right? The Colosseum was built so the public could enjoy gladiatorial combats and other forms of entertainment. It was completed under Titus’ brother and successor, Domitian. In 80 A.D., Titus opened the Colosseum with 100 days of games, including gladiator combats and wild animal fights.

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Building an Amphitheater

The Colosseum was the largest amphitheater in the Roman world. Early amphitheaters had been dug into hillsides to provide adequate support. However, the Colosseum is a freestanding structure made of stone and concrete. Three stories of arched entrances supported by semi-circular columns.

Each story contained columns of a different style (order). The bottom was columns of a simple Doric order, a design which was originated by the Etruscans. Followed by Ionic and topped by the ornate Corinthian order. The outer wall is estimated to have required over 100,000 cubic meters (3,531,467 cubic feet) of travertine stone. Set without mortar, they were held together by 300 tons of iron clamps.

Spectators were given tickets in the form of numbered pottery shards, which directed them to the appropriate section and row. They accessed their seats via vomitoria, passageways that opened into a tier of seats from below or behind—allowing spectators to quickly get into their seats and exit within only a few minutes. Sounds familiar, ya? The name vomitoria is derived from the Latin word for a rapid discharge, from which English derives the word vomit. Yuck…

Are You Not Entertained?

The Colosseum has a wooden floor covered by sand (the Latin word for sand is harena or arena), covering an underground structure called the hypogeum. Little remains of the original arena floor, but the hypogeum is still clearly visible above. Containing a two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages beneath the arena. Gladiators and animals were held before battles in this area.

As I mentioned before, I could not visit this area on the Omnia card, so the best way to tour the Colosseum’s subterranean section would be to book a tour in advance. If you zoom in on the photo above, you can actually see the people on that tour.

Eighty vertical shafts provided instant access to the arena for caged animals and scenery pieces concealed underneath. Larger hinged platforms, called hegmata, provided access for elephants and the like. If you’ve seen Gladiator, you’ll get an idea of what this looked like years ago.

Quick Facts on the Colosseum

Built in 10 years
Measuring 620 by 513 feet (190 by 155 meters)
Seated more than 50,000 spectators
Top story awnings which were unfurled to protect the audience from the hot sun
Gladiatorial combats, hunts, wild animal fights and mock naval engagements
For naval entertainment, the arena was flooded with water
Gladiators were mostly men, though there were some female gladiators
Gladiators were mostly slaves, condemned criminals or prisoners of war

The End of an Era

The Colosseum remained active for over 500 years. The last recorded games were celebrated in the 6th century. The Colosseum’s use ended with the Western Roman Empire and the change in public tastes. Even before then, the arena had suffered damage from lightning and earthquakes.

After the games, the vaulted spaces in the arcades were converted into housing and workshops. Around 1200, the Frangipani family took over the Colosseum and fortified it, apparently using it as a castle. The Colosseum has also been abandoned completely at times.

Sometimes, it was used as a quarry for building projects, including the cathedrals of St. Peter and St. John Lateran, the Palazzo Venezia, and defense fortifications along the Tiber River. The bronze clamps that held the stonework together were pried or hacked out of the walls, leaving numerous pockmarks. Sad, but true. Many buildings are made from reused materials.

A Rebirth of the Colosseum

Beginning in the 18th century, various popes made efforts to conserve the arena as a sacred Christian site. By the 20th century, a combination of weather, natural disasters, neglect, and vandalism had destroyed nearly two-thirds of the original Colosseum, including all of its marble seats and decorative elements. Restoration began in the 1990s and has progressed over the years.

The Best Way to Tour the Colosseum

Visiting the Colosseum was one of the highlights of my trip to Rome. As you’ve probably already surmised, I am a history lover, so writing this post was a joy for me. It is a marvel that the Colosseum still survives today after it has gone through.

I spent the better part of a day at the Colosseum. It is HUGE, so get ready for a LOT of walking! Because the Omnia Card allows you free or discounted tickets at so many Rome attractions, it’s the best way to tour the Colosseum on a budget. The Omnia Pass also gives you the hop-on hop-off bus, which can provide savings on transportation and drops you off right by the Colosseum, saving you time as well. The only con is that it does not cover the lower level of the Colosseum, should you wish to see that.

If you’d like to see the Colosseum without the work, I suggest Get Your Guide Tours, which offers many marvelous options. I love booking with them because if any issues arise, it’s easy to get a refund. Their tour operators are also affordable and reliable.