Colosseum
The Colosseum is the defining ruin of the Roman Empire, a 50,000-seat amphitheater built for gladiatorial combat and public spectacles. Entry is paid, with a combo ticket that includes the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.
Route in Rome
Ancient Rome Mile
The Ancient Rome Mile is a self-guided walking route from the Colosseum through the historic center to the Baroque heart of the city. Free (the walk itself costs nothing; the Colosseum and Forum are paid stops along the way). Start at the Colosseum, walk past the Forum along Via dei Fori Imperiali, climb the Capitoline Hill (free), descend to the Largo Argentina cat sanctuary (free, outdoor), continue through the Jewish Ghetto to Campo de’ Fiori, and finish at the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. Budget travelers walk the route in one long morning and cover 2,500 years of history on foot.
The route
Where it stops
Each stop is free to stand in front of, whatever the tour costs.
Roman Forum
The Roman Forum was the civic, religious, and commercial heart of ancient Rome. The ruins stretch across a valley between the Palatine and Capitoline hills.
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is Rome's most theatrical public square, built on the footprint of a 1st-century stadium. Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers anchors the center, flanked by two smaller fountains and ringed by Baroque facades.
Pantheon
The Pantheon is the best-preserved building from ancient Rome, nearly two thousand years old, and entry is free. The unreinforced concrete dome is still the largest of its kind, with the oculus at its center open to the sky.
Trevi Fountain
The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome, wedged into the side of a palazzo at the end of a narrow street. Free, always accessible, and always crowded.
Everything else Rome costs.
Rome