See the Colosseum on a guided tour that gives you special access to enter the amphitheater on the arena, the same entrance that gladiators once used for their battles. This also allows you to skip the line at the main public entrance. Once inside, explore the ancient landmark with a guide, and then head outside to tour the archaeological area of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Select your preferred tour time when booking.

Colosseum and ancient Rome tour with special access
Enter the Colosseum directly from the arena floor, a rare privilege
Skip the main entrance line with priority admission tickets
Explore the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, as well

Why Travellers Choose This Tour

Enter the Colosseum by the arena floor, and visit Palatine Hill and the Forum.

What's Included

Guided tour
group tour guide for 3 hours
admission tickets
arena floor access

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Transportation to/from attractions
Food and drinks

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Santi Cosma e Damiano
Via dei Fori Imperiali, 1, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
The meeting point is in the square in front, OUTSIDE, of the Basilica of Santi Cosma and Damiano, the church is located on Via dei Fori Imperiali (half way) & is close the entrance of the Roman Forum. You will see our staff in front of the Basilica wearing a uniform with the logos of the company.

End point

Via dei Fori Imperiali
Via dei Fori Imperiali, Roma RM, Italy

What To Expect

Your tour begins by meeting your guide at the local tour office near the Colosseum; then walk to the special entrance reserved for members of this tour.

Skip the regular lines and maximize your time at the Colosseum as you enter the amphitheater directly onto the arena floor, where gladiators and wild animals engaged in bloody fights. Visit the ring overlooking the underground sections of the Colosseum, and learn about its history from your guide, who has a degree in either art history or archaeology. Listen to anecdotes about the glory days of the arena and the lives of the emperors and senators of the time.

Next, leave the Colosseum and walk to Palatine Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome, where emperors and other wealthy residents lived. Take in the view of the Roman Forum and Circus Maximus, and then walk down the hill to explore the ruins of the forum, where your guide shares more stories and uses books and 3D pictures to show you how the site looked during the days of Ancient Rome. Your tour ends with return to your starting point.

Colosseum

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Roman Forum

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Palatine Hill

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Normal sized backpacks are permitted as huge backpacks will not be admitted.
Colosseums' Rules:Sharps objects, liquid glass bottles, drones, selfiesticks, perfumes & sprays are NOT allowed. Only plastic water bottle are accepted.
Small group tour will average 20 people (with a maximum of 26 people).
Please be aware that to enter the Colosseum it is necessary to pass a metal detector security check;
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Please be on time or you might lose the entrance for the Colosseum or a part of the tour
There might be a slight change in the departure timing. In this case we will call you in advance.

A current valid passport or ID document is required on the day of the tour for the entrance at the Colosseum
Please make sure you bring comfortable shoes and a refillable plastic water bottle especially during hot weather!
Near public transportation
There might be a slight change in order of the itinerary due to security and ticket availability.
Please note that due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not suitable for any persons with disabilities.
Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Please show up at least 10 minutes before the tour to do the check in
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 26 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

Of course worth the trek, but be sure to wear proper shoes as the walk to the Colosseum is dusty, rocky, and uphill.

Note, it is a lot of walking, bring water and wear comfy shoes!!

Skip the line is a must when visiting these sites.

Reviews

4.5

1,834 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 1,834 reviews

Great overview of Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

Stacie_S, June 2023

Marcius was a great guide. He has a great sense of humor and conveyed his knowledge in a very engaging way. Highly recommend!

We’ll worth it

Anne_C, June 2023

Dennis was a great guide!! Very pleasant and considerate of all people In the group. He made it exciting!

Perfect Tour

Susan_R, June 2023

Very well organised even down to an email before with a change of time. Our tour guide Francesca was brilliant. She was very approachable if we needed to ask any questions and her knowledge and presentation of the tour was spot on. A lovely lady that made the tour a great experience this being our first time to Rome

Great tour by Yuri

Darcy_D, June 2023

Yuri was a great guide. He was so knowledgeable and warm and open, and he made it really fun. Loved the Palatine hill and forum history and fun facts. Colosseum, too. There was along security line at the Colosseum and Yuri’s engaging tour made the time fly. His terrific tour clearly reflected a small portion of his knowledge.

An enjoyable consolation tour

Dhane_M, June 2023

Our tour guide Paulo was excellent. He added wonderful colour and context to the experience. Unfortunately, the tour adminstration was less impressive as the confirmed tour was cancelled last minute due to the operator's inability to secure entry tickets. An alternate tour of lessor scope was offered, which we did enjoy.

Not worth the money

Katrina_S, June 2023

Signed up for English tour but the tour guide didn’t speak English well. It also started thirty minutes later than it was supposed to be. The tour guide did not teach facts about the Colosseum well so we listened to other tour guides around us who were much better. Our ear bud devices did not always work and sounded fuzzy. Would not recommend tour.

A great tour with Mateo!

Nicholas_R, June 2023

Mateo was a great tour guide. We were a family of 6 (4 adults 2 child). We were with about 20 others. He gave us individual headsets so we could hear him easily. He provided so much history of the colosseum the forum and Rome in general. It was great to learn from a local mayor from a nearby town who had a deep understanding of Roman history. He was great with my 10 y/o who had some interesting questions about the gladiators. He also made it a point to stop in shaded areas to talk to the group and he made an effort to talk to everyone face to face at some point. He knew where all the bathrooms and water fountains were along the way and he ensured the group stayed together. While it was 3 hours it certainly did not feel like it. Time past quickly. Thanks again Mateo!

Fantastic experience!!!!!

Brandon_P, June 2023

Walking into the Colosseum was the most memorable experience for my new wife and I. The entire experience was FANTASTIC!!! The tour guide was great and knowledgeable and so funny!!! The best time we have had here in Rome.

This is in no way a SMALL GROUP tour.

Andrea_P, June 2023

I'm not sure how a SMALL GROUP TOUR has 34 people plus the guide in it ! We wanted a SMALL group, but were added to one totalling 34 people, so it's not as described in the sales literature at all. The guide - Giorgio - was amazing, and absolutely no complaints there. But the group was huge, unweildy, and as it's all so busy in the Forum, Palantine Hill & Colosseum, it became very tiring being part of this group. The tour lasted 3.5 hours, in the heat ! We were happy to leave, I must admit.

Worst tour company

JAYA_H, June 2023

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY unless you plan to arrive 1 hour earlier than your start time and push your way to the front of the line to check in extra early. Do not listen to them when they tell you to wait in a different line to check in. They will leave without you and will not make any effort to find you but will lie and say they did.

It was a wonderful site...

Carol_T, June 2023

It was a wonderful site to see. It was very hard to hear the guide. The ear pieces provided do not work clearly. Also being older, it was a bit hard to keep up. Some of the terrain was unstable which slowed us down

Great tour

Brennen_G, June 2023

Great tour, it was very hot so be sure to bring water. Guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Would recommend.

Yuri was an excellent...

Nicola_H, June 2023

Yuri was an excellent guide. He was very informative and animated. The tour was well organised and everything ran smoothly in spite of it being so busy.

Mateo is the best!

Annette_W, June 2023

We had a great time! Mateo was the best guide and made 3 hours fly by. There was a lot to see and he was such a great communicator and made everyone feel involved and entertained. The sites were amazing and I would highly recommend this as this tour helps you get past all the looooong lines for people who didn’t have tickets.

Great Tour

Dylan_Z, June 2023

Our tour guide Francesca was so knowledgeable and it was a great tour to see the forum and to be able to set foot on the area a floor!

Giorgio was a great guide!

Lisa_F, June 2023

This tour was not as well organized as the other tour that we took. The check in process was a bit chaotic. Time changed last minute and if you were not monitoring your email you would not have known. The check in staff seemed overwhelmed and were a bit rude. Once we were on our way our tour guide, Giorgio was wonderful! He was very knowledgeable and fun! He made a concerted effort to include everyone in the group. He was a pleasure to spend the day with! I would recommend this tour.

So much history you need a guide

Amy_O, June 2023

This is a very informative tour that moves along at just the right pace. Our guide Tom(?) spoke excellent & clear English. There is so much history here and things you would not know if you didn’t take a tour to see and understand if.

Disappointing overall

Lynn_J, June 2023

There were, unfortunately, several major flaws with this tour. First, they contacted me the night before to let me know they were moving the tour up by 30 minutes. We already had our train tickets reserved so we were cutting it really close. I was given no other option: that’s just the way it was going to be, despite the fact I booked the tour at a certain time. We arrived to the meeting point right on time to find total chaos. People were just standing around trying to figure out where to go. Ironically, we didn’t actually depart for the tour until it was basically the original booking time.. The tour into the colosseum was pretty brief. I specifically booked a tour that went into the arena floor, but that didn’t occur. I went back to find the description and they had changed it. Another gentleman on the tour asked about the same thing (so I know I’m not making this up) and the guide was very dismissive of him and told him he’d have to take it up with the tour company. I would not describe the tour as VIP at all. It was more like herding cattle, honestly. It was a group of 30 trying to get through masses of people. We didn’t spend much time inside and only stopped a few times. At the forum, there were a few stops, but we kept taking breaks to stand around for whatever reason. Then the tour was over. We didn’t go to circus Maximus as stated in the tour description. The tour also ended before 12:30, so it was significantly shorter than described. Overall, while there were a few good points, this tour was pretty disappointing and I would not recommend it.

Great tour. Worth the money.

kabrooks, June 2023

Tour guide was great. Very informative and clear. Instructions were easy to follow as to where to meet them. Only complaint is at the very last minute they pushed the tour 45 minutes later. Had we been catching a plane or train we would’ve missed it.

Bing inside the Colosseum...

Maxine_B, May 2023

Bing inside the Colosseum was the highlight, being on the floor and being able to omagine the gladiators and the fighting. Seeing where the animals were pennded up for days before the fight all of this helped us visualise what things were like

...