Private Guided Tour of Colosseum Underground OR Arena and Forum

Recommended by 95% of travelers

Rome, Italy

2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Offered in: English

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Overview

Immerse yourself in the history of the Colosseum on this private introductory tour. Learn about its cultural significance, and either walk on the arena floor or explore the underground areas that few travelers get to see. The tour also includes entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. See the sights with your guide and, once the tour ends, choose to explore further if you wish.

Audio headsets ensure you hear your guide’s every word
Check off multiple historic sites in just one seamless tour
Combine a guided tour with the flexibility to explore at your leisure
Learn more than you would on your own with insight throughout

What's Included

Thorough guided tour of the Underground section and Arena floor
Guided tour of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Live expert guide
Sterilized earphones to hear clearly your guide
Full on-site assistance
Colosseum entrance ticket (valued at €18 per person, or €24 per person if arena access is included)
Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2 per person)
Please note: Colosseum fees as above. The remaining cost of the experience covers other services.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

P.za del Colosseo, 21, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Meet at the green kiosk on the right as you exit the Colosseo metro station. Look for a member of staff carrying a yellow label with TOURIKS on it. Please arrive 30 minutes before the starting time. Note that there is also an upper floor exit of the metro station; please meet us downstairs.

End point

Roman Forum
00186 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy

Itinerary

Colosseum

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Colosseum

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Arch of Constantine

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Roman Forum

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Palatine Hill

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
Please be at the meeting point 30 minutes before the tour starts in order to complete the signup. We cannot accommodate, refund or reschedule late arrivals
Please provide the full names of all travelers when booking. Failure to present a voucher with all travelers' full names at the ticket office prior to entry may result in denied entry to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.

This tour is subject to favorable weather conditions. If canceled due to poor weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund
You will pass through strict security checks both at the Colosseum and at the Roman Forum entrance. Please be aware that security check lines are not skippable
Flying drones and knives of any kind are strictly forbidden. Neither trolleys and big backpacks nor animals are allowed into the Colosseum. Glass/metal containers and sprays of any kind are also not allowed
Each traveler must present a valid passport or ID document that matches the name provided at the time of booking for successful entry to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
The order in which the sites are visited during the tour can vary; either the Colosseum or Forum and Palatine Hill will come first
A moderate amount of walking and steps are involved; wear comfortable walking shoes
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 7 days 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

4.8

based on 111 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Top rated experience

Martin_M, Jul 2025

Well communicated reservation and meeting point. Our guide was first rate. She took a lot of time with us and was very well versed on her archeological history and cultural understanding of Ancient Rome

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thank you so much! We are grateful to hear that you had a good experience with us during your Colosseum tour :)

Can’t go wrong with a Private Tour with Bogdan

Emily_F, Jun 2025

We had an excellent experience with Bogdan at the Colosseum and Roman Forum. He was warm, engaging, knowledgeable and highly informative that we came away learning more from him than any other tour we had in the past at both these monuments. I highly recommend him to anyone who wants to not just learn but enjoy stories, pictures and facts that make history exciting for our teenage nephew who after 8 hours maybe wasn’t so excited about another tour. Bogdan is one of the best!

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Thank you for taking the time to share your positive thoughts regarding the Colosseum and Roman Forum tour with us and the tour guide Bogdan. We are truly grateful to hear that the experience has lived up to your expectations fully and look forward to welcoming you again in one of our other tours in Rome!

Excellent Tour

Michael_B, Apr 2025

Our experience was very good. However we paid $800 for a private tour of the Colosseum and the underground. Our guide told us numerous times that she was not able to come down to the underground tour, and so we negotiated that part of the tour on our own. However this was the very reason we booked an expensive private tour; to have a tour guide the entire time.

Just WOW. If you get the...

Don_B, Dec 2024

Just WOW. If you get the opportunity to do this tour, jump at it. Walking where the gladiators once stood is once in a lifetime experience, and our guide Rosi was simply amazing. Highly recommended!!!

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts! We are very happy to hear you enjoyed your tour of the Colosseum with Rosy! :)

Fun, informative tour of Colosseum

Laurel_L, Nov 2024

Bogdan was so fun, friendly and informative. He is a great story teller, bringing history to life for our group. He was caring and showed concern for one of our party whose leg began to bother her, and he altered our tour a bit to accommodate her. I would highly recommend Bogdan for your next tour!

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts! We are delighted to hear you enjoyed your time with Bogdan and we hope to see you again very soon on one of our tours here in Rome!

An afternoon with Mario

patrick_c, Oct 2024

Our guide Mario was exceptional. He was very pleasant, knowledgeable, and funny too. I had taken this tour previously and he focused on aspects of the Colloseo, Pallantine, and Forum that I had not heard before. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts! We are very happy to hear you enjoyed your time with Mario inside the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill! :)

Perfecto

Patrick_P, Sep 2024

Our guide was simply fantastic. She was extremely knowledgeable and best of all told the stories with great passion. She brought Ancient Rome to life. Totally worth the private tour as we had zero waiting. Thank you for a great experience.

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts! We are delighted to hear you enjoyed this experience with us!

Great experience

Matthew_F, Jun 2024

Excellent and knowledgeable guide. Beautiful walk through the forum. Plenty of time to take in the sights and learn some of the history. The colosseum portion was great. Didn't get to go underground but did get to the see it from the platform.

Response from Host, Jun 2024

Thank you so much for your feedback! We hope to see you again on one of our other tours in Rome :)

Disappointing no underground access

Angela_J, May 2024

I booked this tour specifically because of access to the underground section of the Colosseum. I was contacted almost 3 weeks prior to the tour and informed the underground would not be guaranteed. The company wanted me to make a decision at that point on whether I was going to keep the tour. Even though the tour was non-refundable, the company did offer to refund my cost because of this. We chose to proceed but honestly, I feel like another option would have been better. We arrived at the meeting point 35 minutes early because the instructions asked us to be there 30 minutes ahead of the tour time. We were instructed to look for a yellow umbrella at the green kiosk, right outside the metro. Turns out, the tour rep was on the other side of the green kiosk and could not be seen from right outside the metro, nor was he holding a yellow umbrella. Our guide was 20 minutes late and arrived with a cigarette with an inch of ash hanging out of his mouth. He was uninteresting and never told us his name, not friendly or personable. And he informed us he did not work for the tour company but was an independent contractor. For the cost of this private tour, it was not worth it. Or we just got a terrible guide. I'd look elsewhere and make sure the underground portion is guaranteed.

Response from Host, May 2024

Good afternoon, We apologize this experience did not meet your expectations. However, your detailed feedback on the guide's performance and conduct would be greatly appreciated. It will help provide better context, allowing us to improve our guide selection process and provide the best experiences for our future clients. Kindly contact us at info@touriks.com or call our team at +39 06 3105 4174 to investigate your issue further. We are looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you

Fabulous experience!

Laurie_F, Oct 2023

Donnatella was the most amazing, fun and knowledgeable guide. What a wonderful experience! A definite must- do in Rome.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you so much for your feedback! We hope to see you again on one of our other tours in Rome :)

Amazing!

Alisha_M, Sep 2023

This tour was amazing. Our tour guide Sonia pardo spoke perfect English and was so knowledgeable. She took us to the best places away from the crowds and the underground tour was worth it. Make sure you reach out before your tour though to confirm the meeting point.

Highly Recommend

Hannah_P, Sep 2023

Such a cool experience to visit the Colosseum Underground Arena and Forum. We learned so much and had a great day with our guide. Highly recommend the private tour option.

Amazing Private Tour

Julie_S, Sep 2023

This is the tour you are looking for! The private tour was really private, skipped all the lines at the coliseum and forum, and got into the underground where only a few could enter. Inga was spectacular. Worth every penny!

Fantastic guide

Martin_E, Aug 2023

Very thoughtful and answered all questions. She did a great job explaining the history and her English was very good.

Great tour of the Colosseum Underground, Arena and Forum

Jennifer_M, Aug 2023

Our guide was interesting and it was evident he loves what he does. He did a great job providing us with needed information and answering all our questions.

Excellent Tour

Keith_G, Aug 2023

Gabrielle was an amazing guide. With a clear passion for the content he masterfully walked us through the creation and lifespan of the Colosseum while seamlessly answering our questions and keeping our kids (10&11) engaged. His experience and expertise helped navigate the crowds and the Roman sun to make our excursion one for the ages.

Wonderful experience with Rosy

Abby_F, Jul 2023

Rosy was the best guide ever. She is super knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Highly recommend this tour with Rosy. She made the tour fantastic.

Bodan Is Awesome

Alexis_B, Jul 2023

Bodan our guide was amazing! We had a great day and learned a ton. Highly suggest this to anyone, and request Bogdan!

An excellent tour! Thank you, Rosy!!

Matthew_A, Jun 2023

This was a very thorough guided tour of the Colosseum, the Forum and Palatine hill. Our guide Rosy was a retired archeologist and she was very knowledgeable and kind. Of particular note was how she planned everything out: she’d explain that we would move ahead to one area to beat a crowd or to another area while it was in the shade. That was very thoughtful on her part as I’m used to tours where the guide just marches on. This tour was well worth the cost!

Private tour worth it!

Tami_A, May 2023

I highly recommend this tour. Our guide, Bogdan, was pleasant and very informative. The tour is a bit rushed, but there isn’t much to do about that as there is so much to see. Our focus with the underground part of the Colosseum and we definitely got enough time down there to feel satisfied. It was a private tour and we were also able to skip the incredibly long lines everywhere-even though it was mid-May and a weekday. That really helped.

A great guide!

Sheree_K, May 2023

We loved our guide for this tour of the underground of the Colosseum! She made the history come to life!

Great experience

John_B, Apr 2023

Really great private tour. Our guide Mario was excellent. He knew his history (and some botany) and showed us all the good stuff at the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. His explanations made what we were looking at really come to life. Recommend this tour, and Mario.

Colosseum Experience

Debra_S, Oct 2022

Our guide was amazing! She was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. We thoroughly enjoyed learning all about the Colusseum and Roman Forum. So much history here!!

Great tour guide

Ryan_H, Sep 2022

Patricio (Patrick) was very knowledgeable & interesting. He answered all our questions & was our personal photographer when asked.

Excellent!

xscyzpkw5k, Aug 2022

Our tour was excellent. Ting was amazing and so knowledgeable. She moved us through some areas quickly to get us to spots that we would find more interesting. She also took many great pictures for us.

Great tour!

Meagan_F, Apr 2022

Great tour! Giovanni was a great guide. It was nice being able to be guided through the underground of the Colosseum.

Our guide was excellent...

Jeanne_S, Mar 2022

Our guide was excellent and had a deep knowledge of the area and history. It was evident she was interested in us and has a deep passion for her chosen work.

Great tour!

Roy_S, Dec 2021

Elena was a marvelous tour guide. She had a great personality, spoke English very well, and was extremely knowledgeable. Highly recommend this tour and guide.

Great Way to see the Colosseum!

Samir_S, Aug 2021

Loretta was an incredible guide with so much passion. She gave fantastic details and made the experience truly remarkable, and answered many of our questions along the way. Highly recommend!