Roman Forum: visiting the heart of ancient Rome

Updated on October 1, 2026

The Roman Forum fills the valley between the Capitoline and the Palatine, 300 m from the Colosseum: it was the public square of ancient Rome, with its temples, its law-court basilicas and the Senate House. In October 2026 it is open daily from 9am to 6:30pm (last entry 5:30pm), then from 9am to 4:30pm from 25 October; you visit it with the €18 24h ticket, shared with the Colosseum and the Palatine, or with the €18 Forum Pass SUPER. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for the Forum alone, and half a day if you go on to the Palatine, which is part of the same site. The ground is uneven, with ancient paving stones and little shade.

Highlights

The Via Sacra and the Temple of Saturn

The Via Sacra crosses the Forum from the Arch of Titus to the foot of the Capitoline, the route of triumphal processions. At its western end, the eight columns of the Temple of Saturn guarded the public treasury; next to it, the Arch of Septimius Severus was built in 203.

The Arch of Titus

Built after Titus died in 81, it marks the eastern entrance to the Forum. Under the vault, a relief shows the spoils taken from the Temple of Jerusalem in 70, including the seven-branched candelabrum.

The House of the Vestals and the Basilica of Maxentius

The priestesses of Vesta, who tended the sacred fire of the round temple next door, lived around this garden lined with statues. Behind it rise the three huge vaults of the Basilica of Maxentius, completed by Constantine.

The Curia and the Temple of Caesar

The Curia Julia, rebuilt under Diocletian, hosted the sessions of the Senate; it is one of the SUPER sites. Opposite, the altar of the Temple of the Deified Julius marks the spot where Caesar's body was cremated in 44 BC.

Santa Maria Antiqua and the Forum Museum

At the foot of the Palatine, the church of Santa Maria Antiqua preserves frescoes from the 6th to the 9th century. The Roman Forum Museum, in the cloister of Santa Maria Nova, displays finds from Giacomo Boni's excavations in the early 20th century. Both are SUPER sites.

Opening hours and tickets

The 24h Colosseum-Roman Forum-Palatine ticket (€18, €2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 24, free for under-18s) gives one entry to the Forum and the Palatine, within 24 hours before or after your booked time at the [Colosseum](/fr/attractions/colisee-rome). The Forum Pass SUPER (€18, same reductions) does not include the Colosseum but opens the Forum, the Palatine, the Imperial Forums and the SUPER sites, which can be entered from 9:30am until one hour before closing; bought online, it can be used within 30 days, for a single day. Free entry on the first Sunday of the month, with no booking, but the SUPER sites are closed that day.

Infos pratiques

Tips

The Forum and the Palatine form a single site with a single entry per ticket: do not leave before seeing the [Palatine Hill](/fr/attractions/mont-palatin), whose Farnese Gardens overlook the Forum. For a free overall view, go up to the terraces of [Piazza del Campidoglio](/fr/attractions/place-du-capitole-rome), behind the Senators' Palace. With the €18 Forum Pass SUPER (prices checked in October 2026), keep an extra hour for Santa Maria Antiqua, the Curia and the Forum Museum.

How to get there

Largo della Salara Vecchia 5/6, 00186 Rome. Main entrances on the Via Sacra, near the Arch of Titus, 300 m from the Colosseum, and on Via di San Gregorio; the Largo della Salara Vecchia entrance, on Via dei Fori Imperiali, has been closed since February 2026 for city roadworks; the park says it will reopen once the works are finished, with no date given: check colosseo.it before you go. Metro Colosseo (lines B and C). Buses 51, 75, 85 and 87 (stops around Piazza del Colosseo).