Roman Forum

The Roman Forum (Foro Romano) contains the surviving ruins of ancient Rome and you’ll find them across from the Colosseum. There are so many bits of buildings here that it’s difficult to take it all in. You’ll find the ruins of temples, basilicas, palaces, houses, gardens and even a brothel! When walking around the forum area, the sheer size of the cobbled road surface is one of the first things you notice. Imagine trying to get a horse a cart along that. We found the whole area fascinating, but it was difficult to try and bring it to life in your mind and imagaine how it used to look when this was the beating heart of ancient Rome.

None of the buildings have survived intact as stone and marble was removed from the forum to create other buildings in Rome. Even so, some buildings have had columns and footings rebuilt to give you an idea of how it might have looked. When we visited, there were some labels and signs, but nowhere near enough. We also were not given any kind of leaflet to explain what we were looking at. As such, the ruins are impressive but we really don’t feel we got that much out of our visit. There is now a free app for the whole area which includes audio guides available from Apple App Store or Google App Store called MyColloseum.

Check your ticket if you’ve been to the Colosseum as admission is usually included to the Forum and Palatine area too. Many people don’t realise and then buy an extra ticket they don’t need. You probably need the audio tour to get the most out of it.. To get the best view of the Forum area, head up to the greener Palatine Hill where you can look down onto the main Forum. We’d certainly recommend taking a guided tour to get the most out of your visit to Palatine Hill and the Forum. The Ancient Rome and Colosseum Walking Tour is a good one to choose as it consistently gets 5 star reviews from those who’ve been on it.

The Roman Forum and Palatine ruins are open daily from 8.30am to 7.15pm (April to August), 8.30am to 7pm (September), 8.30am to 6.30pm (October), 8.30am to 4.30pm (November to March). Last entry is one hour before closing time. Standard admission covering Foro Romano, Palatine & the Colloseum is 18 Euros per person (2024 prices). There are a range of further tickets you can buy which include guided tours at additional cost.

LOCATION & CONTACT

Address: Foro Romano, Piazza di Santa Maria Nova 53 (off Via dei Fori Imperiali), Rome, Italy
Tel: +39 063 996 7700
Metro: Nearest metro stop is Collosseo.

The Roman Forum is across the road from the Colosseum and is a short walk from the huge white monument which marks the first king of a united Italy (Monumento A Vittorio Emanuele II). This landmark can be seen around most of central Rome.