Best for
Ancient Rome enthusiasts, anyone wanting to understand the Imperial Forums complex
Time needed
1.5–2 hours
Worth it?
Yes — an underrated companion to the Roman Forum and Colosseum
Skip if
You've already spent your ancient-ruins budget for the day
About Trajan's Market & Museum of the Imperial Forums
Trajan's Market was built between 100 and 110 AD, likely under the architect Apollodorus of Damascus, who also designed the adjoining Forum of Trajan and its famous column. Cut into the slope of the Quirinal Hill to support the Forum's construction, the complex originally held well over 150 individual rooms across several levels, combining what were likely shops, administrative offices and warehouse space — a genuinely mixed-use ancient commercial and civic building, which is why it's popularly (if a little loosely) called the world's first shopping mall.
What survives is remarkable for how legible it still is: brick-faced concrete barrel vaults, a two-story great hall (the Aula Traiana) with surviving window openings, and rows of small arched shop fronts that make it easy to picture actual commerce happening here two thousand years ago, unlike the more fragmentary and abstract ruins of the neighbouring Forums.
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Today the complex houses the Museo dei Fori Imperiali, using the ancient rooms themselves as exhibition space for architectural fragments, statues and reconstructive models recovered from the Imperial Forums — the linked complex of public squares built by successive emperors (Julius Caesar, Augustus, Trajan and others) that once formed the ceremonial and administrative heart of the empire, much of it now sitting below street level beside Via dei Fori Imperiali.
A rooftop terrace at the top of the complex, reached via the museum route, gives an unusually good elevated view down over the Forum of Trajan and Trajan's Column, and across to the Roman Forum and Capitoline Hill beyond — a viewpoint most visitors to the area don't realise is accessible with a ticket.
What to See: Highlights
- 1Ancient shop units and vaulted halls, often called the world's first shopping mall
- 2The two-story Aula Traiana great hall
- 3Museo dei Fori Imperiali's architectural fragments and reconstructive models
- 4An elevated rooftop terrace view over Trajan's Forum and Column
- 5One of the best-preserved multi-level ancient Roman commercial complexes anywhere
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Insider Tips
Take the rooftop terrace route for a view over the Imperial Forums most visitors miss
Easy to combine with a walk along Via dei Fori Imperiali toward the Colosseum
Reconstructive models here help make sense of the Roman Forum's ruins before or after visiting
Less crowded than the Colosseum or Forum despite being right next door
Wear good shoes — floors are uneven ancient brick and stone throughout
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Getting There
Via IV Novembre, 94, 00187 Roma RM
Open in Google Maps →- 1A 5-minute walk from Piazza Venezia along Via dei Fori Imperiali, or from Metro B Colosseo (10 minutes).
Where to stay
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before you visit.
Is Trajan's Market & Museum of the Imperial Forums worth visiting?+−
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Should You Visit?
Visit if...
- You want to understand the Imperial Forums beyond what's visible from street level
- You're curious about ancient Roman commercial architecture
- You want an elevated photo viewpoint over Trajan's Column and Forum
- You're walking the Via dei Fori Imperiali between Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum anyway
Skip if...
- You've already toured the Roman Forum and Palatine extensively and want a change of pace
- You're very short on time between the Colosseum and other central sights
- Ancient ruins in general don't interest you
Ready to Book Your Visit?
More to See in Rome
Colosseum
The largest amphitheatre ever built by the Romans and the single most recognisable structure on earth from antiquity — book an official timed ticket weeks ahead or risk not getting in at all.
Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
The political, religious and commercial heart of ancient Rome for over a thousand years, plus the hill above it where emperors actually lived — vast, fragmentary, and best appreciated with at least some context going in.
Vittoriano (Altare della Patria)
The gleaming white marble monument dominating Piazza Venezia, built to honour Italy's first king and unification — Romans call it 'the typewriter' or 'the wedding cake,' and rarely mean it kindly.