As many people are noting, it is very confusing without a guidebook or audio tour - something it is hard to know until you get there.

Our family just wandered around in the VERY hot sun, feeling confused and annoyed - at the very least you should be given a map of the site with your entrance fees! We had some guidebook info, but it wasn't enough, and like many people we saw we were turning our map this way and that to try to figure out where we were!

And seeing as we had paid 44 euros for 2 adults and 2 teenage children (kids are only free if they are from the EU), we left feeling that what should have been a highlight of our trip to Europe was a let down. By contrast, our visit to the Colosseum later the same day was great - a fabulous exhibition about Roman Triumph added to the atmosphere of the building.

One of the amazing things-to-do at Rome, it's really a masterpiece of ruins. You will appreciate the art, architecture, and history in this place. You can access it using compo ticket for Colosseum , Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. The gate for entering this place is in 200 meter from the arch of Constantine, you go along the road until you see the gate to your right hand. a piece of advice is to go early to avoid long line or go afternoon at 3 pm. also, you need a sufficient time for going Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, I spend an hour and half only at Roman Forum. Also, it's easy to go Palatine Hill because there are in the same yard.

We spent hours in the Forum, steeping ourselves in history. The Forum entrance across the street from the Colosseum is now exit-only, so we went to the north entrance at Via dei Fori Imperiali. What a thrill to stand where so much that shaped our modern culture took place! And it was very picturesque this May, with the poppies and roses blooming.

A good guidemap of the Forum is in “Fodor’s See It Rome”, . We also studied Frommer's "Rome Past and Present" before the trip so that we understood the layout. What an incredibly significant site.

Please visit the Roman Forum. Prior to your trip, go to www.ricksteves.com and download his free map and audio tour of the Roman Forum. The self-guided audio walking tour lasts about 1 hour and helps to decipher what you are viewing. The audio tour is entertaining and informative. Ancient Rome is truly amazing and would not be complete without a stop at the Roman Forum!