Roman Gladiator School: Learn How to Become a Gladiator

Recommended by 93% of travelers

Rome, Italy

High interest

Booked 3 times today.

2 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.7

· Meghan_M ·

Jul 2026

Our Roman trainer was Evan/Ivan…he was great!! He had all engaged; adults and kids. His English was great and did a fantastic job sharing some Roman gladiator history and innovations. The training was fun for all and learning the techniques was fun! He had the moms be the queens during the “battle” and the kids loved performing for us. Do this with your kids and have a blast

· Andrea_P ·

Jul 2026

Lots of fun and lots of young boys with their families!! My son loved it .... and so did my husband. I liked that I could watch! I would bring bug spray - we got a lot of bites! Get ready to sweat and move .... being a gladiator isn't easy!!

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Overview

Discover what it takes to be an ancient Roman gladiator in Rome. During a hands-on lesson, learn how to fight with authentic weapons of the time while wearing a traditional gladiator tunic and belt (available for rent). Located on the Appian Way, not far from the Colosseum, this class is a unique and interactive way to learn about ancient Roman history and culture.

Train to become an ancient gladiator near the Colosseum in Rome
Includes entrance to the Gladiator School of Rome Museum
Choice of lesson times throughout the day to suit your schedule
Enjoy more personal attention with a small-group class

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Securing a spot at this popular kid-friendly activity in advance means no disappointed young gladiators.

What's Included

2 hour class to become a Roman Gladiator in a Day
Lessons are instructed by members of the Historic Group of Rome
Drink
Gladiator clothing and weapons hire for the duration of your lesson!

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop off
Food and beverages, unless specified

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Via Appia Antica, 18, 00179 Roma RM, Italy
Departure Point: Lessons commence at the Gladiator School of Rome, located approximately 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from The Colosseum Address: Via Appia Antica, 18, 00179, Rome, Italy Directions: Either take Metro (line B) and get off at OSTIENSE and take the bus number 118 OR take Metro (line A), get off at stop SAN GIOVANNI and then take bus number 218. However in the spirit of easy access - we suggest taking a taxi (approx. 10-15 euros) to access the school Dates: Daily Opening hours 9:30am - 1:30pm 2:00pm - 6:00pm Return point: Concludes at the Gladiator School of Rome

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Your gladiator lesson takes place at the Gladiator School of Rome, located near the Colosseum on the historic Appian Way in Rome. Specializing in the reenactment of ancient Roman life and gladiator fighting, your instructors are members of the Historic Group of Rome. Begin your class by donning your costume — a traditional belt, tunic, leather gloves, and a training sword known as a rudis.

Learn the basic skills of gladiator sword fighting before summoning your imagination and channeling your inner ancient Roman fighter as you fight off ferocious lions and battle other sword-wielding gladiators. If you wish, you can participate in an optional tournament, complete with a prize for the victor. Either way, all participants receive a certificate of accomplishment at the end of the lesson.

Friends and family are allowed to watch your class from the viewing platform. Admission to the Gladiator School of Rome Museum is also included so you can check out gladiator weapons and other artifacts.

Gladiator School of Rome

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Minimum age is 6 years
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.7

based on 1,577 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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6 Stars, but wear bug spray! For real.

Sean_C, Aug 2026

This place deserves 6 stars. It’s one of those few absolutely unique experiences and the antidote for kids bored with seeing yet another ruin. It was truly special and the guide was simply amazing. Here’s the answer to the question I tried to find in the reviews before booking: should you book for yourself and your kids or just your kids? Answer: It’s all about even numbers. If you have two kids, don’t sign up! It will be weird. If you have 1 or 3 kids, you basically have to sign up for it to be fun for them. And then there was the one kid without a family member and someone had to pity fight him… Also, believe the mosquito warnings. The other reviewers are actually underselling it. When I asked my kids their favorite activity in Rome, they said, if we didn’t count the mosquitos, this was their favorite. If you count them, it was near the bottom. They each got like 30-50 bites. I never get bitten and got 10-20 bites. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Just find some bug spray or wear long pants. It was so, so miserable without either. It’s unfortunate because, ignoring the mosquitos, it really one of the best memories from our entire trip and definitely the one they’ll be talking about when they see their friends in school.

Great experience for the entire family

Marisa_L, Aug 2026

This experience was one of our top excursions of our trip to Italy. The activity was different from anything else we did and linked really nicely with our visit to Rome's Colosseum. We had a family of four including two kids ages 13 & 10. While it seems our group lent itself to a slightly younger crowd, our kids still had a blast. The instructor was also amazing and made the entire experience a light-hearted, good time. My only advice is to book a return car from the location back to your hotel/ downtown Rome as it was tough to get an uber or tax to return.

Fun sandal making experience

Alex_L, Aug 2026

It was a wonderful experience. My daughter really enjoyed making her sandals. Highly recommend that you try this out

Great fun

Ashleigh_B, Aug 2026

So much fun for the whole family. They even involved the grandparents who had come to watch. It was hot but they offered lots of cold water and we laughed and learned the whole time.

Fun for All Ages

Kara_S, Aug 2026

Bring and use bug spray. We had a great time! I felt this gave some variety to learning about Roman history. We laughed a lot.

Good family fun activity amidst many historical tours...

Marina_K, Aug 2026

This starts with some gladiator history in a "museum" then moves to "training" where you weave side to side under a rope, jump side to side over a rope, avoid side to side swinging bags, then do push ups. You do the run through twice. Then you learn basic fighting moves and practice with a partner. Lastly you move to the Arena and battle to the death. At the end you get a certificate for your freedom. It is hot but fun. Water ia provided. Went with 13 year old and 15 year old. Boy and girl.

Me and my boys

GARY_D, Aug 2026

Excellent, hot and good work. A fantastic 2 hrs learning alot about roman gladiators. Great replication of armour etc and time for photography

Ivan was an excellent...

jason_C, Aug 2026

Ivan was an excellent teacher and we couldn’t have been any happier with this activity. Kids had a good time and were very entertained

Fun kid activity!

leighann_w, Aug 2026

Great time with the kids! History and fun and lots of running around. It is not near the coloseum which was my bad for not noticing

This was incredible. The...

Jonathan_L, Aug 2026

This was incredible. The teacher is hilarious. He is incredibly knowledgeable about gladiators. He trains you very well. You get water too. NOW! Getting there was a bit tricky. You have to walk all the way up to the end and you will see it. Its hidden in the back.

Amazing time!

William_H, Aug 2026

Amazing experience for both adults and children. Great learning and even better action! Fun for the whole family.

A must-do for kids visiting Rome!

Kaley_S, Aug 2026

This was such an excellent activity and experience for our 6 and 7 year old boys! From the moment you arrive on site, you are totally immersed in the atmosphere of a gladiator academy, from start to finish. The tour included costumes, a brief interactive educational chat and a hands-on display of a range of gladiator armor. The kids loved learning about the various weapons and trying on the helmets. From there, we spent nearly an hour in formal gladiator training - doing physical warm ups, learning sward maneuvers and even battling the well-training gladiator instructor. My kids also loved archery training + competition. Lastly, we were all guideded into a mock battle arena for the final fight. It was perfectly dramatized, fast-faced and even concluded with a graduation ceremony of sorts. The whole experience left my boys feeling like true gladiators - so memorable and fun!

Great for the kids

gicantens, Aug 2026

Fantastic! Kids had a great time and were able to burn off some energy. Gladiator was phenomenal with the kids.

Great family fun

Noam_L, Jul 2026

This activity is a great break for families from all the museums and looking at history in Rome. It’s both active and educational. Highly recommend for families with kids visiting Rome.

Lots of fun

Meghan_M, Jul 2026

Great unique experience and very entertaining

Thomas_Z, Jul 2026

It was a lot of fun, very entertaining! The host was full of energy and spent the time to train everyone. Even my teen and tween eventually got into it and enjoyed themselves. It is open air and can get hot mid day.

One of our major...

Brittany_W, Jul 2026

One of our major highlights! Anyone with kids in Rome should take them to do this! It was a great experience!

So fun!

Ami_S, Jul 2026

Must do for kids that are tired of looking at art and ruins! The whole family enjoyed the experience. The coaches make it so much fun.

So much fun

Rebecca_R, Jul 2026

We picked the hottest time of the day for this adventure. Because of that choice we got to have a class all to ourselves and it was amazing. Our instructor was awesome; we had 4 teenage girls and dad participate. They had so much fun and we laughed so hard. The girls had fun the dad had fun. I had so much fun watching and cheering them on. They give it 100/10. The museum was awesome we learned so many new things. Definitely worth the time and money.

Experience was awesome. I...

Nathan_L, Jul 2026

Experience was awesome. I wish there was more training or an advanced class but understand they have to design for a range of ages. Still very fun time sparring and learning how to be a gladiator. Would do again.

Great for families!

Laura_C, Jul 2026

This was one of my kids favorite things to do in Rome. It was a great way to break up learning history and being able to immerse yourself in it. My kids ages were 8-16. My younger ones enjoyed every minute from the dressing up to the fighting. My older teens started to really enjoy it when they started the training and fighting. I would absolutely recommend to families.

Amazing event for kids

Claudia_R, Jul 2026

This was great for the kids! Fun experience but take bug spray. The kids had a blast and this was really tailored for them.

Escuela de Gladiadores

Alex_C, Jul 2026

Perfect for the family. The kids had a blast and we did too. The first part was very insightful, good information. The “training” and “battle” was the best part. To be able to “become” gladiators was a cool and a great learning experience.

Great experience!

Andrea_P, Jul 2026

Excellent experience!

Lin_T, Jul 2026

Excellent experience! Both of my boys enjoyed the gladiator experience. Despite the heat, the instructor made it fun. The location is a little further out than we expected, but I gave us a chance to see regions outside of central Rome. Highly recommend recommended if you have kids.

I highly recommend this...

David_M, Jul 2026

I highly recommend this experience. My wide and I were traveling with our 8 year old daughter. She was able to learn about the gladiators and circuses at her level and pace. At the end the children competed against the dads which was really fun.

Our teacher was very...

Richard_F, Jul 2026

Our teacher was very engaging and fun! The kids 9/11/13/15 all loved it! Great mix of education and activity.

So much fun!

Elizabeth_P, Jul 2026

This was fantastic! Our three kids (ages 6-11) participated and they loved this! It was exciting and the teacher was great. And it was a fun way to get them excited about seeing the Colosseum. Would definitely recommend for kids!

Such a fun experience

Kathryn_G, Jul 2026

My kids (12 and 10) loved this. Super interesting and fun too! They had a blast training, practicing and competing in the arena. They loved it and didn’t want to leave. Highly recommend.

Need more than one instructor for 30 kids

Darla_M, Jul 2026

Kids had a great time! One instructor : 30 kids. For what they charge there should be multiple “gladiators” facilitating the exercises and activities. It was chaotic but like I said the kids enjoyed.