Visiting the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

A visit to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill is a great way to step back in time and take a glimpse of ancient Rome.  The Forum is a rectangular plaza in the valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills. The only remaining structures, which were constructed between 500 BC and AD 400, are all in ruins, but enough remains to really spark our imagination of what the governmental, cultural and civic center of Rome looked like thousands of years ago.  The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill have separate entrances, but the two sights are interconnected.  So, it’s possible to start at one and end in the other.  For our family of five (including kids ages 3, 8 and 10), our visit to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill was a complete history lesson, and we are glad we didn’t overlook these amazing sights during our visit to Rome.

 

Visiting Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum

 

Directions to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

The Colosseum is conveniently located near the Colosseum Metro station.  We were staying near the Barberini station on the red A line and had to travel to Termini, the train station, and transfer to the blue B line and then travel two stops to reach the Colosseum.  The entire journey was probably about 15 minutes, and we had a short walk to the Colosseum area once we left the station.

 

Palatine Hill and Roman Forum Tickets

We pre-booked a combination ticket to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill through Coop Culture.  The combined ticket cost €17 for each adult, and children under 18 are free.  Like the Louvre, which also cost our family €34 to visit, I found it pretty astounding how inexpensive admission was for these iconic sights.  In contrast, most museums in the US cost at least $75 for admission for our family.

Our tickets permitted a single entry into each attraction on the same day or on two consecutive days.  Our priority was the Colosseum, and we weren’t sure how long our visit would take, so we headed there first.  We were inundated with tour guides offering us skip the line entry as soon as we arrived and were happy to have already sorted out tickets and not need to risk giving money to a con artist.  We needed to stand in line to exchange our pre-booked vouchers for actual tickets from a small booth outside the Colosseum.

We loathe lines in general, but this one luckily took only about 15-20 minutes.  Even though it was mid-morning, the sun was already pretty hot.  So, we purchased water bottles for our entire family during the wait.  I discovered in the line that the fine print on our voucher allowed entry to the Colosseum only after 2 p.m. during the summer months.  But, we also found that we could book a 45 minute guided tour in English that cost €5 for adults (again, children were free).  We went ahead and planned a 2:30 p.m. entry and a 3:00 p.m. tour and then headed to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

 

Entering the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

A funny thing really did happen on the way to the Forum….  After we collected our Colosseum tickets, we asked the ticket agent for directions to the Roman Forum entrance.  She took one look at our stroller and suggested that we pass the Forum entrance and use the Palatine Hill entrance instead.  We had read that the Forum entrance often has a long line, so we thought we were getting valuable intel.  It turned out to be the worst stroller advice we have ever received.

We got through the Palatine Hill entrance quickly but found the uphill pebble pathway nearly impossible with a stroller.  Palatine Hill is the center of the Seven Hills of Rome and sits about 130 feet above the Forum but really seemed like a trek. Our daughter reluctantly climbed out when it became obvious that we wouldn’t be able to push the stroller with her weight on the uneven surface, but it was hot, and the hard to find ruins were not exciting enough to captivate her attention and make her want to walk.

The boys had watched Ben-Hur before our trip, and we were excited to see Circus Maximus, the site of the chariot races.   From Palatine Hill, we were able to see a panoramic view of the field where the stadium was located.  We actually had a better view of the site a few days later when we were walking to the Mouth of Truth.

The Palace of Domitian dominates Palatine Hill (which is also the origin of the word “palace”).  But, it is largely in ruins and not as exciting as the Palace of Versailles or Doge’s Palace, both of which we had visited earlier in our trip.

As usual, we used Rick Steves as a guide, and I narrated our visit by reading the short blurbs in Rick Steves Italy. Although Steves’ nuggets of information were interesting, I have to admit that we were underwhelmed with Palatine Hill.  Walking up the Hill was particularly brutal and really not overly exciting.

 

A Visit to the Roman Forum

We may not have been wowed by Palatine Hill, but the Roman Forum was pretty spectacular.  It is an impressive archeological site.  The population of ancient Rome reached a whopping 1 million, most of whom lived in tiny apartments or tents but spent their time in the Forum.  While none of the ancient buildings are intact, there is enough remaining to provide an image of what it looked like.  My son bought the book, Rome Reconstructed, at one of the gift shops that included amazing side by side comparisons of buildings then and now, and really helped the kids understand what ancient Rome was like.

Although there were stairs here and there, the stroller was actually generally easier to maneuver in the Forum due to some paved walkways.  We weren’t fighting gravity on our descent, but there were some areas where cobble stones made it absolutely necessary for our daughter to jump out and walk a bit.

 

Roman Forum Buildings

My favorite building in the Roman Forum is the Arch of Titus.  The Arch, which was constructed about 82 AD, appears to be largely intact over 2035 years later; however, parts have been reconstructed.  For example, the fluted columns are original, but smooth portions are reconstructions.  The Arch was originally much more colorful, but the colored marble was unfortunately scavenged over the years.

It didn’t surprise me that this 50 foot arch was the inspiration for the much larger Arc de Triomphe in Paris because I immediately saw the resemblance.

I was also wowed by the three columns standing from the Temple of Castor and Pollux, which date back to 484 BC.  The columns were constructed in the first century AD.

The Temple of Saturn dates back to about 490 BC and is the oldest sacred monument in Rome.  Its enormous eight columns framed the Forum’s oldest temple and continue to stand out in the Forum landscape.

 

Alternate Views of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

On our last day in Rome, we followed the periphery of Palatine Hill and the Forum when walking from the Mouth of Truth to the Colosseum Metro stop, and I enjoyed the panoramic views of the Hill almost as much as our walkabout inside earlier in our trip.  We did not see the Forum illuminated at night, but I’ve heard that is a pretty spectacular sight.  If admission to the Forum is combined with Colosseum tickets, it is definitely worthwhile to make a quick visit.  However, for families pressed for time, the Colosseum is definitely the more impressive site.  Just make sure to take a walk around the periphery to appreciate the glory of ancient Rome.

 

Best Way to Visit the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

If we were to do it again, I would definitely plan for no more than an hour visit to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, enter at the Forum (even if the line was longer), focus on the Roman Forum and possibly just poke around the top of Palatine Hill before heading out.

To find out more about family travel to Italy, check out our other blog posts about Rome, Florence and Venice and our listing of all destinations in Italy.