Virtual tour of the Colosseum
This free 3D virtual tour covers the whole Colosseum in six stops, from the outer ring and the cavea to the arena, the underground and the upper levels. Each stop is explained below, in the order the video shows it.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · © OpenFreeMap. Schematic 3D model of the amphitheatre.
Explore the Colosseum virtual tour in detail
Valadier Spur entrance
Piazza del Colosseo
Entry to the Colosseum is near the Valadier Spur, at the west end, not far from the Arch of Constantine. The Flavian Amphitheatre, built in the 1st century CE, is the largest amphitheatre in the world.
1. The outer ring
Nearly 50 m high
The original perimeter survives in full only on the north side, facing Via dei Fori Imperiali. Spectators entered through 76 numbered arches; 29 of the numbers can still be seen on this side.
2. The cavea
More than 50,000 spectators
Seats followed a strict hierarchy: senators sat closest to the arena, knights in the section behind them. The worst seats were the wooden ones for the plebs, in the colonnaded portico at the very top.
3. The arena
6 m above the underground
Until the end of antiquity, the arena staged animal hunts and gladiatorial games. A rebuilt section of the floor covers the east side; the rest lies open to the corridors below.
4. The underground
Fourteen corridors
Fourteen corridors lie on either side of a large central passage, where each show was prepared. Freight elevators worked by winches and pulleys hoisted men and animals up to the arena.
Photo: "Vue sur l'hypogée du Colisée" by Hyun-seon (CC0).
5. Second level
Museum of the Colosseum
The second level has panoramic terraces over the interior of the amphitheatre. Its museum shows capitals, marbles and gladiator graffiti, and a wooden scale model of the building.
Photo: "Inside The Colosseum" by Paul VanDerWerf (CC BY 2.0).
6. Attic and Belvedere
Third to fifth levels
From the Belvedere terrace, on the third level, the entire cavea can be seen from above. The levels above it, the attic, are reached only by steep steps.
Photo: "Colosseum Interior 9" by daryl_mitchell (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Arch of Constantine
Dedicated in AD 315
Beside the Colosseum stands the largest honorary arch that has come down to us. The Senate dedicated it to Constantine after his victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge.