Colosseum Underground vs Arena Floor vs Standard Ticket
The Colosseum underground and the arena are different areas on different tickets. What €18, €24 and €32 tickets reach, compared, and which guided tours include which.
The Colosseum underground and the arena are two different places, sold on different tickets. The arena is the floor where the shows took place; the underground, or hypogeum, is the backstage beneath it. Only one official ticket lets you reach both: the Full Experience Underground and Arena, at €24, or €32 with the park’s educational tour.
The standard ticket, at €18, does not include the arena or the underground; it lets you reach Colosseum levels 1 and 2. Both arena tickets get you onto the floor, but neither includes the underground. Many guided tours work the same way, with an arena option and an underground option on one listing, so check which one you are booking.
Below are both areas explained, every official ticket compared in one table, the guided tours that include each and a quick guide to which suits whom.
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Are the Colosseum underground and the arena the same thing?
No. They sit one above the other, about 6 metres apart, and they did different jobs.
The arena was the stage. In Roman times it was a wooden floor covered in sand, harena in Latin, which is where the word comes from. Fighters and animals performed here in front of an estimated 50,000 or more spectators. The original floor has gone. The part you stand on today is a reconstructed section of the arena floor on the eastern side, according to the park’s visitor regulations, and from it you look across the open hypogeum to the tiers.
The underground was the machinery room. Corridors, ramps and lift shafts beneath the floor held animals, performers and scenery until their cue, and teams of workers raised them through trapdoors. Today you walk through it on a raised walkway in a group. Our guide to what you see underground follows the route stop by stop.
The hypogeum and the arena floor therefore give you two different views of the same show. On the arena you stand where the crowd was looking. Underground you stand where the show was prepared and launched.
What each official ticket lets you reach
The Colosseum Archaeological Park sells five tickets that matter here, all on ticketing.colosseo.it, the only official online ticket office. Prices are full adult fares; EU citizens aged 18 to 24 pay €2 on the Full Experience and standard tickets, and under-18s enter free but must still book.
| Official ticket | Price | Arena floor | Underground | Time in the Colosseum | On sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine (standard, 24h) | €18 | No | No | 75 minutes, levels 1 and 2 | check the official site |
| 24h Only Arena | €18 | Yes, 20 minutes | No | 20 minutes on the arena | check the official site |
| Full Experience Arena | €24 | Yes | No | 90 minutes | 7 days ahead |
| Full Experience Underground and Arena | €24, or €32 with educational tour | Yes | Yes | 90 minutes | 30 days ahead |
| Full Experience Attic | €24 | No | No | 90 minutes | 30 days ahead |
Every one of these also lets you reach the Roman Forum and Palatine. Here is what sets them apart:
- The standard ticket gives you the Colosseum’s first and second levels for up to 75 minutes. You see the arena and the underground from above but can’t go onto or below the floor (official page).
- 24h Only Arena gives you 20 minutes on the arena floor, entering from the Stern side, plus the Forum and Palatine (official page).
- Full Experience Arena adds levels 1 and 2 and the SUPER sites to the arena, valid over 2 consecutive days. It goes on sale only 7 days ahead, and ticket offices also sell it on the day (official page).
- Full Experience Underground and Arena gives you the underground, the arena, the Colosseum Museum, the Forum, the Palatine and the SUPER sites. Underground access is subject to availability, and the ticket goes on sale 30 days ahead (official page).
- Full Experience Attic takes you up by panoramic lift to the intermediate gallery and the attic, plus the Forum and Palatine. It does not include the underground, and the two can’t be combined on one ticket (official page).
The park does not publish a release hour for any of these. On the free first Sunday of the month and other free days, the underground, arena, upper levels and panoramic lift are all closed.
Does an Arena ticket include the underground?
No. Neither the 24h Only Arena ticket nor the Full Experience Arena ticket includes the underground. The two cost €18 and €24 and get you onto the reconstructed arena floor, but the underground has its own ticket: the Full Experience Underground and Arena, which includes the arena as well. If you have already bought an arena ticket and want the underground too, you need that second ticket.
Three perspectives: how, where and who watched
Each area answers a different question about the games, and it helps to think of them as three perspectives on one building:
- The underground shows how. Lift shafts, corridors and the 2015 replica lift explain the machinery that made animals appear from the floor.
- The arena floor shows where. You stand on the stage, at the level of the performers, with the tiers rising around you.
- The upper levels show the audience’s view. From levels 1 and 2, or higher still from the attic, you see the whole bowl as the spectators did, and you look down into the open hypogeum.
The Full Experience Underground and Arena ticket gives you the first two. The standard ticket gives you only the third, and the Attic ticket the third from higher up.
Which guided tours include which
Guided tours bundle the official ticket with a guide, so their prices are higher than the park’s: the price includes admission plus the guide’s time. Many listings sell an arena option and an underground option side by side, and a few include the underground in every option. The park limits each licensed guide to 6 clients in the underground, so any guided underground group is small.
| Tour | What it includes | Group size | Underground option, per person | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arena Floor or Underground Tour | Arena option or underground option; Forum and Palatine tickets | Underground option max 7 | $150 | 4.8/5 (490+) |
| Colosseum, Underground, Forum and Palatine Tour | Underground and arena in every option; Forum and Palatine with the guide | Max 7 | $211 | 5.0/5 (95) |
| Colosseum Arena and Roman Forum Small-Group Tour | Arena by default; underground as an option; Forum with the guide | Max 10 | $193 | 4.8/5 (740+) |
The $150 RomanGuides tour is the cheapest of the three for the underground and suits you if you want both areas with a guide and are happy to explore the Forum and Palatine on your own. Choose the underground option when you book: the arena option on the same listing costs less but stays above ground. Our breakdown of the $150 tour covers the details.
The $211 small-group tour costs more but makes it impossible to book the arena-only version by mistake, and the guide stays with you through the Forum and Palatine (tour breakdown). The CityEyes tour’s listing title now names only the arena, so you have to pick the underground option to get below the floor (tour breakdown).
Which visit suits whom
- On a short first visit with a tight budget, the €18 standard ticket shows you the whole bowl from levels 1 and 2. It does not get you onto the arena or into the underground.
- If you want to stand where the gladiators stood, an arena ticket is enough. Full Experience Arena books only 7 days out, so it suits a trip you plan late.
- If you want to understand how the games ran, take the Full Experience Underground and Arena ticket or a guided underground tour. Book as soon as your dates open 30 days ahead, because places are limited.
- If you come for views and photos, the Attic ticket takes you highest, but it rules out the underground on the same ticket.
- If Roman palaces interest you more than the games, the Domus Aurea, Nero’s Golden House, is a different underground experience on its own ticket, open Fridays to Sundays.
- If you are travelling with children, see our guide to the underground with kids.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see the underground with the standard Colosseum ticket?
You can look down into it from levels 1 and 2, but the standard €18 ticket does not take you onto the arena or into the underground.
Is the arena floor I stand on original?
No. You stand on a reconstructed section of the arena floor on the eastern side. The Roman floor was wood covered with sand.
Does the Underground and Arena ticket include the Roman Forum?
Yes. It includes one entry to the Roman Forum, Palatine and SUPER sites, on the day before, the same day or the day after your Colosseum visit.
What does the €32 version add?
The €32 price adds the park’s own educational tour to the €24 Full Experience Underground and Arena ticket.
For the history of what lies beneath the arena, read what the Colosseum dungeons really were. To compare every guided underground tour side by side, go back to the homepage, and check your exact dates early, because underground places go fast.
See How the Colosseum Worked, Not Just What It Looked Like
Underground places go fast, and guided groups below the arena are capped at six guests per guide. Check dates on our top pick, a small-group tour of the underground, arena, Forum and Palatine.
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