The Forum overlook
From the northern edge the whole Roman Forum lies below โ the best panoramic shot of the ruins in Rome.
Jebulon โ CC0 ยท Lil Herodotus โ CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท Sjaak Kempe from Groningen, The Netherlands โ CC BY 2.0 ยท Sjaak Kempe from Groningen, The Netherlands โ CC BY 2.0
After: start at the Colosseum, cross the Forum at ground level, then climb the Palatine to finish by looking down on what you just walked โ the order turns the visit into one continuous story.
An add-on opening normally closed sites: the Houses of Augustus and Livia, the Palatine museum and others in rotation. Worth it for archaeology lovers; the standard ticket suffices on a first visit.
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All of Rome began on this hill: here, by legend, Romulus founded the city in 753 BC โ and here archaeologists really did find Rome's oldest huts, from the eighth century BC. The hill then became the address of power: Augustus lived here, then Tiberius, then Domitian, in successive palaces โ so much so that the word for palace in every European language (palace, palazzo, palais) descends from "Palatine". What you see today is imperial palace ruins in overlapping layers: Domitian's vast audience halls, his long private stadium, the comparatively modest House of Augustus with its painted walls (limited opening hours, worth the supplementary ticket), plus fountains and gardens. But the practical reason to climb is the view: from the northern edge the entire Roman Forum spreads below you, and from the southern the Circus Maximus stretches out as a long green valley. It's the same ticket as the Colosseum โ don't leave without using it.
From the northern edge the whole Roman Forum lies below โ the best panoramic shot of the ruins in Rome.
Audience halls at barely imaginable scale and a private 160-metre stadium โ an emperor's residence, not a house.
Vividly painted walls preserved for two thousand years โ a supplementary ticket and limited slots, both worth it.
Colosseum Archaeological Park, Rome