Colosseum and Roman Forum, Rome: free self-guided audio walk
Quick answer. A free self-guided audio walk from the Colosseum to the Velabrum in Rome: 6 stops, about 1.9 km, about 25 minutes of walking plus about 43 minutes of listening. Begin at the Colosseum, climb the Palatine, the hill where Rome began, and walk down into the Roman Forum, once the city’s marketplace, political stage and religious centre. Leave the Forum for Santi Cosma e Damiano, the first church in the old monumental centre, then end in the Velabrum at San Giorgio in Velabro and the four-sided Arch of Janus.
- Stops:
- 6
- Distance:
- about 1.9 km
- Walking:
- about 25 min
- Listening:
- about 43 min
Colosseum and Roman Forum, Rome: how long does the walk take?
About 68 minutes in all: about 25 minutes on foot over about 1.9 km, plus about 43 minutes of audio at the 6 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Colosseum and Roman Forum, Rome: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum, Santi Cosma e Damiano, San Giorgio in Velabro, and Arch of Janus. The longest stretch between two stops is about 0.6 km, about 8 min on foot.
Route and map
Opens Google Maps with walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
The Romans called it the Flavian Amphitheater; before it, this spot was the artificial lake of Nero’s Golden House.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Palatine Hill · about 0.5 km, about 7 min on foot
Stop 2
The centremost of Rome’s seven hills, where shepherds’ huts gave way to the marble palaces of the Caesars.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Roman Forum · about 0.5 km, about 7 min on foot
Stop 3
A marshy valley between the Palatine and Capitoline hills that became Rome’s marketplace, political stage and religious centre.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Santi Cosma e Damiano · about 0.2 km, about 3 min on foot
Stop 4
A church woven from ancient buildings on the edge of the Forum, including the round structure known as the Temple of Romulus.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: San Giorgio in Velabro · about 0.6 km, about 8 min on foot
Stop 5
A small church with a long memory in the Velabrum, steps from the Arch of Janus; its earliest history is still debated.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Arch of Janus · about 0.1 km, about 1 min on foot
Stop 6
A great four-sided arch with an opening on every side and a second passage crossing the first, unlike anything else in Rome.
about 9 min of audio
How does this self-guided walk work?
The audio guides on this page stay free: open any stop to listen in your browser.
Live Walk Mode uses your location to narrate places as you walk. It opens in the Mappu app at the first stop, Colosseum.
Live Walk Mode: 2 hours for 50 credits (€4.99 Starter pack)
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: straight-line distance between stops plus 30%, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
Plan more days in Rome
These day-by-day Mappu itineraries include Rome. The day links open the days that visit stops on this walk.
Route checked by Mappu on October 11, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.