Roman Forum winter hours 2026-27

What time does the Roman Forum close in winter 2026-27?

At 4.30 pm, with last admission at 3.30 pm, every day from 25 October 2026 to 28 February 2027.

That is the Park's own wording on its opening times page: last admission at 3.30 pm, the Park closes at 4.30 pm. Until 24 October the Forum stays open to 6.30 pm, last entry 5.30. The change lines up with the end of summer time, so your phone and the gate agree.

The spring times for 2027 are not published yet. In past years closing moved to 5 pm in mid February, 5.30 pm in mid March and 7.15 pm from the last Sunday of March. This winter already runs the 4.30 pm close two weeks longer than that old pattern, to 28 February, so check the official page again before a March trip.

What time does the Roman Forum open, and how is that different from the Colosseum?

The Forum and Palatine open at 9 am, half an hour after the Colosseum's 8.30 am. The SUPER sites open at 9.30 am and stop admitting an hour before closing, which means 3.30 pm in winter.

Those half hours matter on a short day. With the ordinary €18 ticket you get one Colosseum slot and one Forum entry within 24 hours before or after it. Take an 8.30 Colosseum slot and you can be in the Forum by about 10, with five hours of daylight left. Take a 2 pm slot and you will meet the 3.30 pm Forum cutoff on your way out of the amphitheatre.

The fix is the 24-hour rule. Visit the Colosseum in the afternoon and the Forum the next morning, or the other way round. Both count.

The SUPER sites keep shorter hours: 9.30 am to an hour before closing. In winter that is the same 3.30 pm as last entry, so the House of Augustus (closed on Mondays), Santa Maria Antiqua and the Aula Isiaca need a late morning or early afternoon. The House of Livia is closed for restoration. More in our guide to the SUPER sites.

Is the Roman Forum open on Christmas and New Year's Day, and when is it free?

It is closed on 25 December 2026 and 1 January 2027. Entry is free on Sunday 1 November, Wednesday 4 November, Sunday 6 December, Sunday 3 January and Sunday 7 February.

Those are the only two closed days on the official page, so 24, 26 and 31 December run on the normal winter timetable. Free admission applies on the first Sunday of every month and on 4 November.

Free does not mean everything. On free Sundays the Park lists what stays shut: the SUPER sites (House of Augustus, Santa Maria Antiqua, Temple of Romulus, Aula Isiaca, Palatine Museum), the Curia Iulia, the Farnese Aviaries, and the Colosseum's arena, underground and upper levels. The Domus Tiberiana is open but its exhibition rooms are closed, and the Domus Aurea is not part of the scheme (official free Sunday rules).

Tickets are handed out in order of arrival at the Piazza del Colosseo office near the Temple of Venus and Rome, one per person. The Forum Pass SUPER is not valid that day. Skip the free Sunday. €18 buys a calmer visit with the best rooms open, and on a winter day you cannot afford an hour in a queue.

What exhibitions are on at the Roman Forum this winter?

Bill Viola's video work “The Greeting” in Santa Maria Antiqua until 6 February 2027, and “Sappho. The Spirit of Poetry” in the Farnese Aviaries on the Palatine until 31 January 2027.

“The Greeting” opened on 11 October. Viola built the piece as a tribute to Pontormo's painting of the Visitation, and the Park has set it inside Santa Maria Antiqua, the early medieval church at the foot of the Palatine. Read the ticket line: it opens with the Forum Pass SUPER, any Full Experience ticket or Only Arena, not with the ordinary 24h ticket. Santa Maria Antiqua follows SUPER site hours, 9.30 am to 3.30 pm in winter.

“Sappho. The Spirit of Poetry” runs from 15 October in the Farnese Aviaries, the twin garden pavilions on top of the Palatine. This one is included in the €18 Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine ticket. The aviaries are on the free Sunday closed list, so do not plan the Sappho show for 1 November or 6 December.

“Troia e Roma” closes on 8 November 2026.

The cheapest guided way into all three: an hour in the Colosseum, then about 45 minutes each in the Forum and on the Palatine.

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Explore the Crown Tours combo → Tour details

When is the Domus Aurea open in winter 2026-27?

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with visits every 15 minutes from 9 am and last admission at 3.30 pm. Two themed Highlights visits remain this year: 19 November and 17 December at 4 pm.

Nero's Golden House is on the Oppian Hill, across Via Labicana from the Colosseum, and it is not part of the Forum ticket. The official Domus Aurea page sells the guided visit with virtual reality at €26, plus a cheaper €18 ticket without the tour or the headset at two fixed times.

The page lists closing dates of 2 November, 4 November and 7 December. All three are weekdays, when regular visits do not run anyway. The closures that bite are the Park's own: 25 December and 1 January both fall on a Friday this winter.

The Domus Aurea Highlights are themed visits on the third Thursday of the month at 4 pm, for up to 23 people, on sale 30 days ahead. 19 November is about light in Nero's palace, 17 December about the ancient games. Inside it is about 10°C all year, so winter changes nothing underground. Prices and the Viator versions are compared in our Domus Aurea guide.

How do you plan a Roman Forum visit around short winter days?

Start at 9 am, do the Palatine while the sun is still high, and aim for the exit by 4 pm. Book guided tours in the morning; an afternoon tour runs straight into the closing.

Sunset in Rome comes at about 4.40 pm in December, and the Forum sits in a valley under the Palatine, so the floor goes into shade well before that. The winter light is lovely on the Temple of Saturn around midday and early afternoon. Take your photos then.

Do the maths on afternoon tours. A 2.5-hour combo that starts at 1 pm with an hour in the Colosseum reaches the Forum after 2 pm with a 4.30 close. Before you book a later slot, check on the listing what it covers on your date. Morning departures avoid the problem.

Rain is the other winter factor. The basalt paving of the Via Sacra is slippery when wet, and there is little cover in the valley; wear shoes with grip. The Park has 8 public toilets, mainly by the entrances and exits, and about 10 drinking fountains, so you need not carry much.

Frequently asked questions