The central hill of Rome’s seven, rising above the Forum on one side and the Circus Maximus on the other.

This is where the city’s foundation myth places Romulus, where the earliest settlement has been excavated, and where Augustus lived. Later emperors built progressively more enormous palaces across the summit until the whole hill was effectively one imperial residence.

What survives is a plateau of brick and concrete substructures, vaulted halls, gardens laid out in the Renaissance over the ruins, and viewpoints in several directions.

It is on the same ticket as the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, and it connects directly to the Forum below.

The name is the origin of the word palace in most European languages.

Worth saying plainly: the Palatine is the least visited of the three sites on the ticket and it is the most pleasant to walk.

The crowd concentrates in the Colosseum and the Forum. Up here the paths are wide, there are trees and shade, benches exist, and you can be alone in places.

It is also where the views are. The terrace over the Forum gives the single best overview of that site, and the other side looks down the whole length of the Circus Maximus.

Because it is included in a ticket most people have already bought, skipping it is leaving something paid-for behind.

The reason people miss it is fatigue rather than choice. Plan for it rather than hoping to have energy left.

The Stadium of Domitian, a huge sunken garden or hippodrome in the middle of the palace complex, is the most immediately impressive thing on the hill.

The Domus Augustana and Domus Flavia — the private and public halves of the imperial palace — survive as vaults, walls and floor plans.

The Farnese Gardens, laid out in the sixteenth century over the ruins, give shade, terraces and a genuine garden at the top.

The House of Augustus and the House of Livia hold painted rooms of very high quality and are open on restricted or enhanced tickets, sometimes with timed access.

The Palatine Museum is small, included, air-conditioned and holds finds from the hill including the earliest evidence of settlement.

The main reason to make the climb.

The terrace on the Forum side looks down over the whole Forum valley, with the Colosseum at one end and the Capitoline at the other. This is the view that makes sense of the layout you have just walked through, and it is far better from above than from within.

The opposite side overlooks the Circus Maximus, and you can take in the entire length of the chariot track from up here.

There are further views toward the Aventine and across the rooftops.

Go late in the day if you can. The light on the Forum from the Palatine terrace in the last hour is one of the better free sights in Rome, and you are already inside on your ticket.

One ticket covers the Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine, valid for a set period, single entry to each area.

The Colosseum has a timed slot; the Forum and Palatine do not.

Two approaches work. The common one: Colosseum first, then Forum, then up onto the Palatine and out.

The better one, which several guides prefer: enter at the Palatine first, get the overview and the views while you are fresh, then descend into the Forum knowing what you are looking at, and take the Colosseum on a later slot.

Enhanced tickets add restricted houses and painted rooms on the hill, several of which are among the best-preserved interiors in ancient Rome.

There are separate entrances at the Colosseum end, on Via di San Gregorio and from the Forum itself.

There is one, and it is the reason people skip the hill.

From the Forum floor the path rises steadily on ramps and steps to the plateau. It takes ten to fifteen minutes at a steady pace and is not difficult, but it comes at the end of a long walk through the Forum in the sun.

The Via di San Gregorio entrance approaches the hill more gently and is the easier option if the climb is a concern.

Once you are on top, the plateau is broadly level with gravel paths.

Do the hill first rather than last if anyone in your party will struggle. The order is entirely yours to choose.

An hour and a half to two hours for the Palatine alone, including the museum and the viewpoints.

Three hours for the Palatine and the Forum together, which is the usual pairing.

A full day with the Colosseum added.

The hill is larger than it looks from below and the paths wander, so allow more than the map suggests.

The Palatine Museum is worth twenty minutes and is the coolest place on the hill in summer, which makes it a useful break rather than an afterthought.

Better than the Forum on both counts, which is another argument for coming up here.

There are trees, particularly in the Farnese Gardens, and benches in shade.

The paths are gravel and compacted earth rather than ancient paving, so the walking is easier underfoot than in the Forum below.

It is still an open site in a hot city. Carry water, wear a hat, and note that drinking fountains are fewer up here than below.

In rain the unpaved paths turn muddy and the ramps become slippery.

By day: early morning or the last two hours before closing. Late is particularly good here because of the light on the Forum from the terrace.

By month: October and September are the busiest, with November and February notably quieter than at the Colosseum — this site holds up well in the off season.

January and December are the quietest.

Winter suits the Palatine. The gardens are bare but the light is low, the walking is comfortable, and the views are clearer in cold air.

Spring brings wildflowers across the hill, which is when it looks its best.

Toilets are available at a small number of points and there is a café within the archaeological park.

Benches and shaded seating are more plentiful here than in the Forum.

The Palatine Museum has air conditioning and is the practical refuge on a hot day.

There is no food available up here beyond the café, so carry water and something to eat if you are making a long visit of the whole park.

Signal is patchy, so download any audio guide before you arrive.

Mixed. The plateau on top is broadly level with gravel paths that are manageable with assistance, but reaching it from the Forum involves a sustained climb on ramps and steps.

There is a designated accessible route within the archaeological park and lift access at certain points — research this through the official site in advance rather than assuming.

The Via di San Gregorio entrance is the gentler approach.

Reduced or free admission generally applies to visitors with disabilities and a companion.

For a free level alternative with a comparable view, the terrace behind the Capitoline Hill museums looks down over the Forum and requires no ticket and no climb.

Almost nobody who makes it up here regrets it, and the criticism in the reviews is about signage rather than the site.

The missed version: finish the Colosseum and the Forum, look up at the hill, decide you have walked enough, and go home having left a third of your ticket unused.

The good version: enter at the Palatine first while you are fresh, walk the imperial palaces and the stadium, take the museum for twenty minutes out of the sun, stand on the terrace and look down over the Forum you are about to walk through, then descend into it knowing exactly what you are seeing.

It is the quietest, shadiest and best-viewed part of the archaeological park, and it is already paid for.