Budget · 3-hour walk · Rome
Ancient Rome in three hours
Michelangelo's square, the Forum and Palatine, the Colosseum, and a church built on three earlier ones.
Ancient Rome is 1.3 km end to end, which is why three hours works and why the ticket is the only thing that can break the day. One combined ticket covers the Forum, the Palatine and the Colosseum, it is timed for the Colosseum specifically, and it is valid for 24 hours — so book the Colosseum slot for the end and walk the Forum at your own pace beforehand. Start at the Campidoglio for the view down over the whole thing before you are in it.
The route, stop by stop
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Piazza del Campidoglio
Up Michelangelo's ramp, then round the right-hand side of the palace for the terrace over the Forum. Free, and the best orientation in Rome.
20 min here Walk here → -
Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
Enter from Via dei Fori Imperiali and climb the Palatine first while your legs are fresh — the hill is where the shade and the views are.
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Colosseum
Your timed slot. The second tier is included in the standard ticket; the arena floor and the underground are a separate, pricier one.
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Basilica di San Clemente
Seven minutes east and the quietest thing on this walk: a 12th-century church over a 4th-century one over a Mithraic temple, all three walkable.
25 min here Walk here →
More in Rome
Every walking route in Rome, or the full Rome guide for where to stay and what a day costs.