Colosseum
Rome, Italy
The Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre the Romans ever built, an oval of travertine about 189 metres long that held…
349 tickets & tours
Italy
Best ancient sites in Rome
Rome’s ancient sites cover a thousand years, and they differ more than a first visit suggests. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine are the core. Around them are the 30-metre brick walls of the Baths of Caracalla, the vaulted street of Trajan’s Market, Nero’s frescoed Domus Aurea and the temples of Largo di Torre Argentina, where Caesar was killed. Further out, the Appian Way runs past tombs and catacombs, and Ostia Antica, half an hour by train, shows ordinary Roman streets.
Show on the map
Roman Forum and Palatine
Rome, Italy
The Roman Forum is the valley between the Palatine and Capitoline hills where ancient Rome held its elections, trials,…
162 tickets & tours
Appian Way
Rome, Italy
The Appian Way is the Roman road begun in 312 BC from Rome towards southern Italy, and its first 16 km out of the city…
36 tickets & tours
Ostia Antica
Rome, Italy
Ostia Antica is the ancient port of Rome at the old mouth of the Tiber, 25 km from the centre of Rome, preserved by…
19 tickets & tours
Baths of Caracalla
Rome, Italy
The Baths of Caracalla are the ruins of the huge public baths opened in Rome in AD 216, covering about 15 hectares…
16 tickets & tours
Circus Maximus
Rome, Italy
The Circus Maximus is the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills in Rome where chariot races were held for more…
9 tickets & tours
Domus Aurea
Rome, Italy
The Domus Aurea is the Golden House that Nero built on the Oppian Hill after the fire of AD 64, now a maze of vaulted…
6 tickets & tours
Baths of Diocletian
Rome, Italy
The Baths of Diocletian in Rome, built between AD 298 and 306, were the largest public baths of the ancient city,…
1 ticket or tour
Aqua Claudia (Claudian Aqueduct)
Rome, Italy
The Aqua Claudia is the Roman aqueduct whose long line of brick and stone arches still strides across the countryside…
No online ticket
Largo di Torre Argentina
Rome, Italy
Largo di Torre Argentina is a sunken square in the centre of Rome holding four temples of the Republic, the oldest from…
No online ticket
Mausoleum of Augustus
Rome, Italy
The Mausoleum of Augustus is the round tomb that Rome's first emperor began in 28 BC on the Campus Martius, by the…
No online ticket
Pyramid of Cestius
Rome, Italy
The Pyramid of Cestius is a Roman tomb in the shape of a steep pyramid, built in about 18 to 12 BC for the magistrate…
No online ticket
Trajan’s Market
Rome, Italy
Trajan's Market is a multi-storey complex of brick halls, shops and streets built into the Quirinal Hill in Rome…
No online ticket
Put the Colosseum and the Forum first, then Ostia if you have a spare half day. The three core sites share one timed ticket and a long morning; Trajan’s Market, the Circus Maximus and Caracalla are all within a short walk of them. Colosseum tickets are released 30 days ahead and the underground sells out first. In summer go at opening, as the Forum has little shade.
Tours and activities in Rome
Which one to choose in Rome
Ancient sites in Rome: questions
How many ancient sites are there in Rome?
This catalogue lists 13 ruins and ancient sites in Rome, 8 of them with tickets or tours to book online. The most booked are Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine, Appian Way.
Which is the oldest ancient site in Rome?
Roman Forum and Palatine, founded in 750 BC, is the oldest in the catalogue for Rome.
Which ancient sites in Rome are free to enter?
1 of the 13 ancient sites in Rome charge no entry fee, among them Aqua Claudia (Claudian Aqueduct). The entry fee is shown on each page.
Which ancient sites in Rome are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
11 ancient sites in Rome in this catalogue are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine, Appian Way.