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 Travelers 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.
Travelers 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 travelers

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 travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Traveler 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

1,784 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 1,784 reviews

Excellent trip, made even better by the guide.

paul_w, May 2023

Great sites, amazing to see the places you read about in history. We went just out of high season and was still very busy. However our guide was excellent, I know quite a bit about the history but she knew alot more, so would highly recommend going with a experienced guide.

Surreal

Kevin_C, May 2023

It was a very memorable experience to actually see the Coliseum in real life! Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history!

Would not book again

Brianna_M, May 2023

If I could give this a 0 I would. The time of the tour was changed to earlier and due to train issues, we were unable to make our new designated tour time. They would not respond to my messages nor was I offered a new tour time or refund. I essentially paid $200 for a tour but did not get to see anything.

Rich historical experience

James_W, May 2023

Massimo was an excellent and knowledgeable guide who really put in the effort to keep us informed and made for a really interesting tour. Grazie mille!

Not Happy

Judi_T, May 2023

Tour guide said to stop and fill water bottles . Left us and then didn’t communicate properly , knowing we were missing , as to their whereabouts. Very unprofessional. We finally found the group and her response was that she had been doing this for a long time and she was not at fault .

Our tour guide was very...

Jennisse_S, May 2023

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and a great story teller. He was happy to ask questions and was mindful of finding shady spots. The total tour was 3 hours long with a short bathroom break in between. We started at the Roman Forum and ended at the Colosseum. Our guide had great pictures to help us visualize what the ruins looked liked. Overall a great experience.

Our tour host had so so...

Casey_T, May 2023

Our tour host had so so much detailed information about everything not just the bare minimum it was amazing

Colosseum gladiator entrance

delroyziadie, May 2023

Great tour guide Excellent walking tour of colosseum, Constantine arch, Roman Forum and Paletine Hill

Not vip access...

Artem_K, May 2023

Not vip access Find places where meet staf is difficult In place waiting without any seats place , no water, no wc, no condition

Dissatisfied

John_D, May 2023

We were 3 minutes late and the tour left without us. We called 3 times before the tour was to leave but no one answered. They said we were 6 minutes late but we were there but there was other people ahead of us. When we asked what they could do they said we can buy another tour. Asked for a refund which was rejected and will never use Viator again.

WOW!

David_F, May 2023

Seeing the Forum (Colosseum) and Palatine Hill in-person. No words can describe the experience and it’s a must-see for anyone going to Rome.

Best excursion

Laura_C, May 2023

Francesca was absolutely wonderful! I would give 6 stars (or more!!) if possible. She was kind, considerate, knowledgeable and fun! This was by far our favorite excursion on our trip. Cannot recommend more!!!

Worst part of our trip

Ashley_B, May 2023

This company moved our tour up hours and never called us. In the fine print it says if anything changes they will call you. That’s a complete lie. When we showed up they basically said sorry for you, we don’t have anything else. how can we move your tour up by hours when people have jampacked plans when they go to Rome?

Great tour of the Colosseum

Joe_G, May 2023

We enjoyed the tour very much, ot covered so many areas around and in the Colosseum. Our guide was very knowledgeable and spoke English well enough. Only thing that could have gone better was the guide needed to keep everyone together better.

Good guide but 29 people is a rip off for this money

Carmel_P, May 2023

The best part was the guide. Sadly I didn’t catch her name. Although we booked and paid for a small tour there were 29 people in our ‘small’ tour. The young woman was nice, knowledgeable and did her best but obviously struggled with the sheer number of people in her group. I felt this was a rip off and I wouldn’t hand over €176 euro for a tour with such a massive volume of people.

Never again

gunther_j, May 2023

Very bad meeting point because the works Called the telephone number 5 times, no reaction NEVER AGAIN this agency, there are much better agencies then viator, we did in total 4 others in rome. They could make a new booking, but then we have to pay again. Lost almost 300 euro. And no sympathy from viator

Your time subject to change

Angela_B, May 2023

Overall, the tour itself was a fine experience. The guide was knowledgeable and personable. However, if you are looking to stick to a schedule or have rigid time constraints, I do not recommend booking with this company as the tour times are subject to change. I had scheduled a tour for 11:30 am, and the day prior, at 11:00 am, I was informed that the time was changed to 12:45 pm. After inquiring about why this happened, I was told by the representative “It was due to the availability of tickets” and that “The tickets are not standard and the meeting time may change.” It was unfortunate to learn this just over 24 hrs in advance because you are required to cancel in that time frame. Overall, the tour experience was fine but it was annoying that it was pushed an hour and 15 minutes later with such short notice. Buyer beware.

Need to do this tour

Simon_M, May 2023

Great tour with Paulo. Full of history and facts I never knew about. I would definitely recommend this tour if you want to learn the history of Rome.

Very Informative Tour

Lloyd_R, May 2023

Our guide Sibina was very knowledgable and friendly. Our admission to everything ran very smoothly even though there 28 people in our group. The only disappointment was that we thought we were purchased tickets for a small group tour.

Interesting and fun.

Sierra_R, May 2023

Our guide Gina was awesome. Very knowledgeable, a lot of positive energy, kept the group engaged for 3 hours in the hot sun, which isn’t easy. Very good pace and allowed breaks to rest. Was able to deal with some technical equipment glitches that some tourists had, and kept us on track. Highly recommend.

We would recommend the...

Jill_S, May 2023

We would recommend the tour itself but our guide was not as well prepared or informative as guides we have had on previous tours.

Guide was extremely...

Barbara_S, May 2023

Guide was extremely knowledgeable. Pleasant and efficient. Personable. Time well distributed over various plsced

Amazing history and insights of Roman history

Jillian_H, May 2023

Marcius was an excellent guide, he was funny and knowledgeable about history and places. The tour covered more places than I expected, it was good value for money.

Amazing experience for history buffs!

Marlene_C, May 2023

Our tour guide Flavia was excellent. She spoke clear English and was mindful to keep the group together and make sure everyone understood her. She gave us lots of information and was very personable.

Excellent Value and information

Jasdeep_D, May 2023

Extremely knowledgeable guide! Got to see all of the famous landmarks and got in-depth information. Would recommend for anyone who hasn’t visited rome before!

Excellent history provided by our guide

Karen_K, May 2023

Loved the forum and the palace! This is a long tour so wear comfortable shoes. Bring an umbrella is is in the afternoon to protect yourself from the sun

Once in a lifetime!

Chris_W, May 2023

First off a huge shout out to our tour guide Gina! She moved here a year ago from Spain and was fun and knowledgeable! The entire tour is something to behold! To think about how they built these structures thousands of years ago with their technology defies logic!

Our guide, Ily was very...

CarloM_G, May 2023

Our guide, Ily was very knowledgeable, organized and has a great sense of humor. She made history come alive.

Terrible experience. We...

HSI_C, May 2023

Terrible experience. We booked 9:30AM tour but they told us the tour had been changed to 9:00AM while we arrived there at 9:15. They claimed they sent us a message for the change, however we did not get any messages from them at all. They even tried to rip us off by asking an additional cost $45 Euro per person because they said it's over 9:00AM and therefore our booking had been expired. It's really unbelievable how they can survive until now doing business like this. After struggling, they ended up giving us a 10:45AM tour, at that time we'd wasted one hour and 15 mins very previous time. We came to Civitavecchia port by Viking Cruise and then spent over $300 euro taking taxi come to Rome and then go back. We had only totally 7 hours free time. You can imagine how precious our time costs. This travel agent wasted lots of our time. We don't really care about the money but we do care a lot about the time as our time is very previous. Terrible experience. Do NOT recommend!!! Try someone else.

Messy logistics. great tour.

Jose_A, May 2023

Very hard to find the start of the tour. The direction link was wrong. The description was correct but it cause stress. It was total chaos at the sign in. I thought the small group would be smaller. It was over 20. Maybe I misunderstood. The tour itself and the tour guide were excellent. He started with a lot of frustrated people and did a great job making them happy.

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