Palatine Hill Tours: Where Rome Began
Quick summary: The Palatine Hill is where Rome began — according to Roman tradition, Romulus founded the city here in 753 BC. It remained Rome’s most prestigious residential address throughout the Imperial period, and the palace complexes built across it gave us the word “palace,” from the hill’s Latin name Palatinus. The archaeological remains include the House of Augustus and Livia, with some of the best-preserved Roman fresco painting in existence, and the Flavian Palace, the largest building in ancient Rome. The Palatine is covered by the same combined ticket as the Colosseum and Roman Forum, and is considerably less crowded than the Colosseum.
Palatine Hill at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Significance | Where Rome was founded, according to tradition |
| Traditional founding | By Romulus, in 753 BC |
| Status in antiquity | Rome’s most prestigious residential address |
| Word origin | “Palace,” from the Latin Palatinus |
| Key residents | Augustus and his wife Livia; subsequent emperors |
| Major remains | House of Augustus and Livia; the Flavian Palace |
| Flavian Palace | The largest building in ancient Rome |
| Frescoes | Among the best-preserved Roman wall painting in existence |
| Ticket | Same combined ticket as the Colosseum and Roman Forum |
| Views | North across the Forum to the Capitoline; south over the Circus Maximus |
| Crowds | Considerably less crowded than the Colosseum |
What Is the Palatine Hill?
The Palatine Hill is where Rome began. According to Roman tradition, Romulus founded the city here in 753 BC.
Whatever the historical reality behind that tradition, the Romans themselves believed it, and that belief shaped the hill’s status for the following thousand years. The Palatine remained Rome’s most prestigious residential address for the entirety of the Imperial period — the place where the emperors lived, in increasingly vast complexes, on the ground where the city was held to have been founded.
It rises directly above the Roman Forum on one side and the Circus Maximus on the other, at the centre of ancient Rome.
Why Is the Palatine Hill the Origin of the Word “Palace”?
The English word “palace” derives from the hill’s Latin name, Palatinus.
The etymology reflects what happened on the hill. Augustus, the first emperor, was born and lived on the Palatine. His successors built increasingly vast palace complexes that eventually covered the entire hilltop, until the hill and the imperial residence were effectively synonymous.
A word that now describes any grand residence anywhere in the world began as the name of this one hill in Rome. Few place names have had that reach.
What Can You See on the Palatine Hill?
The archaeological remains on the hill include two outstanding groups.
The House of Augustus and the House of Livia. These were the residences of the first emperor and his wife, and they contain some of the best-preserved Roman fresco painting in existence. The survival of wall painting at this quality is rare, and it gives an immediate sense of the decorative sophistication of elite Roman interiors — colour, architectural illusion and fine detail, preserved from the very beginning of the imperial period.
The Flavian Palace. The ruins of the largest building in ancient Rome, and the centrepiece of the imperial complex that spread across the hilltop. Its scale is what registers most: a private residence conceived on the dimensions of a public monument.
Between these, the hill carries a dense accumulation of imperial construction, terraces and substructures, layered across centuries of successive building.
What Is the View from the Palatine Hill?
The view from the Palatine is one of Rome’s finest, and it works in two directions.
Looking north, the view crosses the Roman Forum to the Capitoline Hill — the entire civic centre of the ancient city laid out below, seen from above rather than walked through.
Looking south, the view opens over the green expanse of the Circus Maximus, the largest entertainment venue ever built.
That southward view carries a particular resonance. Standing there, visitors are on the same ground where emperors watched chariot races from their private boxes. The imperial palaces overlooked the Circus directly, which meant the emperor could attend the games without leaving his own residence — and could be seen doing so by a crowd of up to a quarter of a million people.
Is the Palatine Hill Included in the Colosseum Ticket?
Yes. The Palatine Hill is covered by the same combined ticket as the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
This is one of the most useful facts for planning a visit to ancient Rome. A single admission covers all three of the principal sites, and they are physically adjacent — the Forum lies between the Colosseum and the Palatine, and the hill rises directly above the Forum.
Many visitors use the ticket for the Colosseum alone and never climb the Palatine, which is a considerable waste of what they have already paid for.
What Is the Best Order to Visit the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine?
Guided tours that cover all three sites typically run in sequence: Colosseum first, then the Forum, then the Palatine.
This order provides the best narrative arc, moving from public spectacle through civic administration to imperial private life:
The Colosseum is mass entertainment — the arena where the state staged spectacle for tens of thousands.
The Roman Forum is government — the political, legal and commercial centre where the city’s public business was conducted.
The Palatine is the private world of the ruling household — where the emperors actually lived, above and apart from both.
Moving through the three in that order tells a coherent story about how Roman power was organised: what it showed the public, how it administered the state, and where it lived. Reversing the order works less well, because the Palatine’s significance depends on understanding what lay below it.
How Crowded Is the Palatine Hill?
The Palatine is considerably less crowded than the Colosseum, and it rewards visitors who linger.
The reason is simple: most visitors treat the combined ticket as a Colosseum ticket, spend their time and energy in the amphitheatre, and either skip the hill entirely or pass through it quickly at the end of a long morning.
For those who do climb it, this is an advantage. The Palatine offers the imperial palaces, the frescoes of the House of Augustus and Livia, and two of the best views in Rome, with a fraction of the crowds found a few hundred metres away.
If you are visiting all three sites, it is worth reserving genuine energy for the Palatine rather than arriving there depleted.
How Long Do You Need on the Palatine Hill?
Allow at least an hour to an hour and a half for the Palatine alone, and longer if you want to see the House of Augustus and Livia unhurried and spend time at both viewpoints.
As part of a combined visit, the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine together comfortably fill half a day or more. The hill involves a climb from the Forum below, and the site spreads across the whole hilltop, so the walking is substantial.
Visitors who linger get the most from it, which is the opposite of how most people treat it.
Why Take a Guided Palatine Hill Tour?
The Palatine is the hardest of the three sites to read unaided. The Colosseum is self-explanatory in form, and the Forum has recognisable individual monuments — but the Palatine is a hilltop of overlapping imperial construction, where successive palaces were built over and into one another across centuries.
A guide supplies what the stones do not: which complex belonged to which emperor, what the substructures supported, how the House of Augustus relates to the vast Flavian Palace that came later, and how the whole hilltop functioned as a working seat of government as well as a residence.
The narrative sequence across all three sites is the other argument. A combined guided tour moving from Colosseum to Forum to Palatine builds an argument about Roman power that no single site delivers alone.
Practical Tips for Visiting the Palatine Hill
- Use your combined ticket. The Palatine is included with the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
- Save energy for it. Most visitors arrive exhausted after the Colosseum and Forum, and the Palatine deserves better.
- Allow an hour to ninety minutes for the hill alone.
- Visit the House of Augustus and Livia for the fresco painting, which is among the best preserved anywhere.
- Take in both views — north over the Forum to the Capitoline, and south over the Circus Maximus.
- Wear comfortable shoes. The hill involves a climb and uneven ancient surfaces throughout.
- Bring water and sun protection, as the hilltop is largely exposed.
Is the Palatine Hill Worth Visiting?
The Palatine is the most underused part of the most-visited ticket in Rome.
It is where the Romans believed their city began, where the first emperor lived, and where his successors built the largest building in the ancient world. It holds some of the finest surviving Roman fresco painting anywhere. It offers views north across the Forum to the Capitoline and south over the Circus Maximus, from the ground where emperors watched the races. And it is considerably quieter than the Colosseum a few hundred metres away.
None of it costs anything beyond the ticket most visitors have already bought. For anyone visiting ancient Rome, the Palatine is not an optional extra — it is the third act of a story that the Colosseum and Forum only begin.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Palatine Hill is where Rome began. According to Roman tradition, Romulus founded the city here in 753 BC, and it remained Rome’s most prestigious residential address for the entirety of the Imperial period, with the emperors building vast palace complexes across its summit.
The English word palace derives from the hill’s Latin name, Palatinus. Augustus, the first emperor, was born and lived on the Palatine, and his successors built increasingly vast palace complexes that eventually covered the entire hilltop.
Yes. The Palatine Hill is covered by the same combined ticket as the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, and the three sites are physically adjacent.
The main remains are the House of Augustus and the House of Livia, which contain some of the best-preserved Roman fresco painting in existence, and the ruins of the Flavian Palace, the largest building in ancient Rome.
The view looks north across the Roman Forum to the Capitoline Hill, and south over the green expanse of the Circus Maximus. Visitors stand on the same ground where emperors watched chariot races from their private boxes.
Guided tours typically run Colosseum first, then the Forum, then the Palatine. This provides the best narrative arc, moving from public spectacle through civic administration to imperial private life.
The Palatine is considerably less crowded than the Colosseum. Most visitors treat the combined ticket as a Colosseum ticket and either skip the hill or pass through it quickly, which leaves it comparatively quiet for those who do climb it.
Allow at least an hour to an hour and a half for the Palatine alone, and longer to see the House of Augustus and Livia unhurried and spend time at both viewpoints. Combined with the Colosseum and Forum, the three sites fill half a day or more.