Get a gladiator’s view of the Colosseum, then explore the Roman Forum on a walking tour of ancient Rome. With a skip-the-line ticket, avoid the long entrance lines and access the arena via the Gladiator’s Gate. Stand where gladiators once fought, hear tales of ruthless crowds and emperors, then explore the Colosseum’s first level with your guide. Finish with a tour of Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum, with stories that bring the ruins to life.

Skip the line for fast-track entry to the Colosseum
Enter via the Gladiator’s Gate and stand in the arena
Learn about the gladiators and the battles they fought
Explore the Colosseum’s first level to see where the crowds cheered

What's Included

Local English-speaking guide
Expertly guided walking tour
Small group of 24 guests maximum
Headset (groups over 6 people)
Colosseum entrance ticket (Full Experience Ticket, €25)

Gratuities
Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Via delle Terme di Tito, 72
Via delle Terme di Tito, 72, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Meet your guide at the entrance of Colle Oppio Park on the corner of Via di Terme di Tito and Via Nicola Salvi. The entrance is opposite Oppio caffè. Colle Oppio Park is located on the corner of Via di Terme di Tito and Via Nicola Salvi. Your guide will be holding a Walks sign.

End point

Foro Romano
Foro Romano, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Colosseum/Roman Forum

What To Expect

Make your own way to a central meeting point in Rome to meet your guide and group.

Walk over to the Colosseum with your skip-the-line ticket in hand, then bypass the main entrance lines to head straight inside the arena via the Gladiator’s Gate. Transporting you back in millennia, your guide regales you with stories of the gladiators who fought here to their death.

From the arena, head up to the first floor to see where the bloodthirsty Roman crowds bayed, and gaze out over Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum—your next stop.

Leave the Colosseum, and walk over to the forum as you hear tales of imperial-era Rome. Wander around the main ruins and monuments of the ancient plaza, which was a center of political activity in the city’s heyday.

Finish your tour near the Roman Forum.

NOTE: There is a new rule at the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill that only small backpacks and regular-size handbags are allowed inside. Guests with larger bags are not allowed to enter (there are no storage facilities) and all guests must now pass through a security check before entering the Colosseum.

Colosseum

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Palatine Hill

1 hour 25 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
This tour is in English.
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travellers can participate
This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
The tour meeting time is 15 minutes prior to the start time. No refunds or re-bookings can be provided for late arrivals or no-shows.
If you cannot join your tour at the last minute (running late, etc), please contact us. We may be able to reschedule your tour with a small amendment fee depending on availability.

All guests (including children) must bring ID on the day of their tour.
All guests must pass through security. No weapons or large items will be permitted. Only small backpacks and handbags are allowed inside (no bag check).
The Colosseum is subject to occasional closures. If modifications are needed and time permits, we will reach out to you prior to your tour. For last-minute closures, modifications may be communicated at the tour start time.
Tips/gratuities (for your guide) are always appreciated.
Walks comply with all local government regulations. You may need to wear a mask or provide proof of vaccination to enter certain venues. Please refer to Italy government guidelines for the most up to date information
Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments, or for wheelchairs or strollers. Please contact the Guest Experience team at +39 068-596-0143 (Italy) or 888-683-8670 (USA) to make alternative arrangements.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 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

Worth going early and having lunch in the cafe in the used for the meeting place (Opius I think it was).

If you have small children or are elderly this tour can be challenging to withstand due to length of time on your feet and in the sun.

Reviews

4.5

2,812 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 2,812 reviews

Nice tour to see key sites.

Jeffrey_M, Sept 2023

Great tour - a significant amount of walking but beat the lines through the Colosseum. Tour guide was very informative and helpful.

First day first rate walking tour

James_K, Sept 2023

Extremely knowledgeable guide! Wonderful tour. Great way to enjoy our first day in Rome. The history lesson was a great starting point for the rest of our visit.

Great tour

Carol_G, Sept 2023

It was an absolutely enjoyable experience. The guide (unfortunately don’t know her name) was remarkable. Her knowledge was amazing, mixed with humour and consideration for the group. It was a very hot day and she went out of her way to seek out shaded areas to expand on aspects of the Colosseum. Would recommend this tour to everyone.

Awesome Experience

cheryl_k, Sept 2023

Awesome tour. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and very pleasant. The tour guide shared history throughout our tour.

Hope you get Francesa for your guide

Joy_D, Sept 2023

Francesa(curly hair) was a great tour guide. Very knowledgeable and able to translate into the modern world. She was also good keeping track of all of us before moving to different locations.

Fabulous Tour

Kendra_E, Sept 2023

Wonderful guide who shared stories, pictures, history... all with humour, kindness and exceptional knowledge. It is long tour, but extensive and interesting.

Overall good experience.

David_C, Sept 2023

I give it a 5 for the guide and his wealth of knowledge but us and another couple on the tour were disappointed that we did not get to go on the ground floor level where the gladiators and animals are brought up as this was billed as a special gladiator tour. Title was a little misleading.

Great tour!

Mary_K, Sept 2023

Guide was very knowledgeable, friendly. Made all the difference. Booking process was easy. Free cancellation was a plus. Would use Viator again.

Wonderful tour.

Diane_V, Sept 2023

Everything went very well. Our guide Paulo was a local and very knowledgeable. He moved us smoothly around the crowds at every area. Could not have imagined doing it without this tour. It is far too busy not to have someone who knows how to handle everything.

Well worth the time and effort.

Michael_B, Sept 2023

Wonderful guide who was able to answer any and all questions. She was extremely knowledgeable and treated her attendees with courtesy and respect for any physical difficulties the attendees might have had.

Good value but this is NOT for the underground gladiator access.

Marissa_P, Sept 2023

Francesca was very informative and a great personality. We learned a lot about Rome from her. The tour lasted 3 hours with time for pictures. The only negative was I thought this tour was the underground access, but it was not, so that was disappointing. The tour title was a little deceiving.

Amazing tour with a brilliant guide

Karen_B, Sept 2023

We had an amazing tour led by the magnificent Gigi, he kept us enthralled with his knowledge and his delivery was outstanding. He had us hanging on his every word and it was well worth the price.

Great afternoon at the Coliseum!

Mike_R, Sept 2023

The Coliseum and Palantine Hill are not to be missed! Incredible history and really good tour. Our guide, Davi, was outstanding! Very knowledgeable and engaging with a fairly large group. He waited for all to be in place, spoke loudly enough for all of us to hear in our headsets and his knowledge of the site and the history was great. He mixed in humor and really made the 2.5 hour excursion very entertaining! Highly recommended

BEST Tour of our Trip!

Colleen_K, Sept 2023

If we could give it more than 5 stars, we would. Our guide Gianni (sp?), an archeologist, was incredibly knowledgeable and funny. He kept us engaged the entire time. He connected with each guest and we learned a lot of fascinating tidbits while surveying the ancient sites. He created vivid imagery brought us back in time. We were lucky with the clouds. Bring a water bowl with you and hope you get our guide. We've done a number of tours and this was favorite!

Fantastic!!

Melissa_J, Sept 2023

This tour was absolutely fantastic thanks in major part to our guide, Luigi or Gigi for short. He was so knowledgeable, so engaging and very passionate. His humor and attitude made this tour. We saw other tours and people were just single file listening to their devices, almost bored looking. Gigi knew everyone’s name, kept us all engaged and laughing the whole time. This tour is not to be missed! Access to the arena floor was a great experience. I 1000% recommend this tour to all who want to see and learn about the Colosseum. Thank you Gigi!!!! -Will and Melissa from the US.

Excellent tout

Ward_M, Sept 2023

The tour was a great experience. Our guide, Vida, was excellent and very knowledgeable. This tour is a must while in Rome

Tour was great!!! Very...

Ronald_K, Sept 2023

Tour was great!!! Very knowledgeable guide. Tour was more than we expected because of him! Best tour so far.

Highly recommended

Jacqueline_W, Sept 2023

Julia was fantastic. Amazingly knowledgeable and giving interesting information throughout. She was conscious of the heat and sought shade wherever possible when she needed to explain something. We never felt rushed, and could ask questions whenever we wanted. Can’t recommend highly enough. Thank you so much Julia

Wonderful tour!

Deanna_M, Sept 2023

Marta was a great guide! Very informative and I learned so much more than I would have just visiting by myself! My husband and I enjoyed it very much!

Average......

Victoria_M, Sept 2023

For the most part we loved the colostrum tour. Check-in was a bit chaotic, the tour guides were not visibly idententified and it was a very long while standing in the hot sun on a sidewalk. We did not go to all the areas I was anticipating. So started off frustrating and ended the same.

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