The Arena and the underground (the hypogeum) are the most spectacular areas of the Colosseum and the ones that best explain how the amphitheatre worked. They are not included in the basic ticket: to stand on the Arena you must book a specific tour. We tell you exactly what they are and how to visit them.
The Arena is the central platform of the Colosseum: the wooden and sand floor (hence its name, arena in Latin means "sand") on which the gladiators fought and the spectacles took place. Today part of it is reconstructed and you can stand on it with a specific tour. From there you get the perspective the gladiators themselves had: standing in the centre, looking towards the rings of tiers that surrounded the amphitheatre. It is the image of the Colosseum "from the inside" that almost everyone has in their head.
The hypogeum is the network of tunnels, cells and galleries that extended beneath the Arena. There the gladiators were prepared before going out to fight, the wild beasts were kept and a complex machinery of pulleys and trapdoors was operated, making animals and scenery appear in the middle of the spectacle, like a theatrical stage. When the wooden floor of the Arena disappeared, this whole structure was exposed, and it is what you see from above when you look down at the centre of the amphitheatre.
Here is the key thing to be clear about before booking:
If your goal is to experience the Colosseum from the centre, the reliable and available option is the tour with access to the gladiators' Arena. To compare all the options, see which Colosseum ticket to buy.
The only reliable way to access the Arena platform is the specific guided tour, with an English-speaking guide through the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine. Places are limited and sell out early.
Book the gladiators' Arena tour →
⏳ The Colosseum sells out daily in high season. Book ahead · free cancellation.
Access to the Arena is one of the most in-demand parts of the Colosseum and places fly, especially in spring and summer. Book several weeks in advance. Remember too that on free-entry days the Arena and the underground stay closed.
The Arena is the central platform of the Colosseum, the wooden and sand floor on which the gladiators fought. Today part of it is reconstructed and you can stand on it with a specific tour. From the Arena you get the perspective the gladiators themselves had, looking towards the tiers.
The hypogeum is the network of tunnels, cells and galleries that lay beneath the Arena. There the gladiators were prepared, the wild beasts were kept and the machinery of pulleys and trapdoors was operated, making animals and scenery appear during the spectacle. It was exposed when the Arena floor disappeared and today is seen from above.
The Arena is not included in the basic ticket: to stand on it you must book a guided tour with access to the Arena, with very limited places that sell out in advance. The hypogeum has even more restricted access and is not always available for online booking.
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