Trajan’s Market Museum
Visit Trajan’s Market Museum in Rome to discover the world’s first shopping mall, built in the 2nd century AD, now housing artifacts from the Imperial Fora.
Planning your visit
Trajan's Market was built around 110 AD by Apollodorus of Damascus as part of the emperor's forum complex — a multi-level structure of some 150 rooms cut into the Quirinal hillside, with vaulted halls, a covered street and shopfronts, long described as the world's first shopping centre though it was more likely administrative as much as commercial.
Concrete and brick construction is what makes it survive: the Great Hall's vaults stand largely intact, which is exceptionally rare for Roman civil architecture.
The museum inside is the Museum of the Imperial Fora, displaying sculpture, architectural fragments and reconstructions from the forums of Caesar, Augustus, Nerva, Vespasian and Trajan, with the fragments returned to something like their original context.
The upper terraces give the best overview of the forums available anywhere.
It sits on Via dei Fori Imperiali. Allow ninety minutes. Current availability is listed below.
Before you book
Where is Trajan’s Market Museum?
Trajan’s Market Museum is in Rome, Italy.
How long should I allow for Trajan’s Market Museum?
Allow ninety minutes. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Is Trajan’s Market Museum free to enter?
Yes, general admission to Trajan’s Market Museum is free. Guided tours and special exhibitions may still be charged separately.
Do I need to book Trajan’s Market Museum in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
