ADVICE BEFORE LEAVING TO ROME

If you are thinking of heading to Rome, here's some advice before you go.

Firstly, Research should be done thoroughly. This is to prevent money being squandered.
Bare in mind that Rome is a place which is crowded with tourist along the year. The que at ticket counters for attractions such as Colosseum, Palatine Hill , Roman Forum and Vatican museum is always so long.

For those who doesn't like to que for more than 5 hours, I suggest you to join the tour. You can find and book a cheaper tour before you leave to Rome or you can find them on the spot. There are many people wandering around asking you to join their tour. 

There are 2 types of tour: skipped the line or walking tour. For the walking tour, the price range is about 35 euros to 40 euros for Colosseum Package (includes Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum) if you find on the spot. I believe you can find a cheaper price online for tours before you go. The normal admission ticket fees is 12 euros (for non EU)  including Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

Inside the Colosseum

Colosseum was built in the era of emperor Vespasian and completed by his successor Titus.

Colosseum was first built as a venue to entertain the royal family. As a result, the poor became mad and lead a battle against the royal family. In order to solve the problem, the king decided to build the Colosseum and gave out free tickets for the Romans.

The Colosseum generally was used in 3 sections. In the mornings, Colosseum as a site of general performance. In the afternoon, it was used for public execution. In the evenings were the battle between the gladiators. Colosseum is then partially ruined due to the damage cause by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers.

The overview of Roman Forum

The Roman Forum is the ancient city of Roman. Palatine Hill and Arch of Constatine are in Roman Forum.

Another thing I want to point out is Vatican city. There's two entrance in Vatican City. One is at the Vatican Museum and another is from the St. Peter Basilica. The admission ticket for the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel is 16 Euros. I would suggest people to buy the tickets online 60 days before your visit. The que to Vatican museum is  very long every day. Same as the Colosseum tour, you can find skipped the line tickets or walking tour around the Vatican city.  The entrance from the St. Peter Basilica is free. 

The entrance from Vatican Museum

Inside the St. Peter Basilica

I personally think that tour is a waste of money. Most of the tour guide in Italy do not speak fluent English or have a strong Italian accent. Many information that is explained can be browsed in the internet. For the Colosseum tour, the tour guide will just explain to you outside the Colosseum and will not bring you in showing you around inside the Colosseum. For Roman Forum and Palatine Hill as well, the guide will explain to you at a corner but not bringing you around to explain every single detail. Therefore, if you are not a history person, I suggest you not to follow tour as you might find it kinda bored.