Colosseum Underground VIP All Access Tour with Ancient Rome

Rome, Italy

3 hours (approx.)
Offered in: English

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Colosseum with Gladiator Arena Floor, Forum & Palatine Hill Tour

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Overview

See a side of the Colosseum few travelers experience on this private tour of the coveted Colosseum Underground, with access to eerie tunnels, dungeons, and cages below the arena. After seeing the arena floor and views from spectator levels, follow in the footsteps of emperors on Palatine Hill and visit the Roman Forum, the city’s political and economic center.

Explore beneath the Colosseum, where gladiators and animals waited
Get personal attention from your guide on this private tour
Go even deeper with guided visits to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Small group size ensures an engaging experience with expert insights;

What's Included

Exclusive Underground Access
Roman Forum and Ancient Rome
Palatine Hill & Imperial Ruins
Colosseum entrance ticket with arena access (valued at €24 per person)
Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2 per person)
Note: Colosseum fees are as above. The remaining cost of the experience covers other services

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Largo Gaetana Agnesi
L.go Gaetana Agnesi, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
The square located on the terrace ABOVE the Colosseum Metro Station. Our staff will be holding light blue Tickets and Tours flags at the centre of the square, in the raised area. (Please note: if you are in front of the Metro Station, please make your way UPSTAIRS.)

End point

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

Start time
.1:00 pm

Itinerary

Colosseum

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Palatine Hill

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Roman Forum

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible

Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Not recommended for travelers who can't walk for more than 2 hours.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Reviews

3.1

based on 16 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Scam?

ADRIANA_B, Aug 2026

This may be a scam. I booked this tour in May and arrived at the meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled start time, but no one showed up. I called and texted the Empires Tour agency several times, but they never responded. Finally, they answered, around one hour late, they claimed to not have our reservation on file. It was very disappointing. I contacted Viator and hope to receive a full refund.

A Major Letdown and the Biggest Disappointment of Our Rome Trip

Kylie_H, Jul 2026

Terribly disappointing experience. We booked this tour over three months in advance as it was meant to be the highlight of our trip to Rome. Instead, it turned into one of our biggest disappointments. When we arrived at the meeting point, we couldn’t initially find the tour operator. Once we eventually found someone, we were told there was no record of our booking, despite having received a confirmation email that very morning. They took a photo of our booking details and said they would process a refund, but also told us there was no way to book a similar tour during the remainder of our stay in Rome. Instead, we were offered a last-minute alternative: a standard general admission ticket (€18 each) plus €70 each for a guide. We felt pressured to accept this on the spot, as we had already planned our day around this experience and were told there were no other options. Another family arrived with exactly the same problem, having also been told their booking didn’t exist. Together, we were placed on a tour an hour later. Unfortunately, it bore no resemblance to the VIP, all-access experience we had paid for. The replacement tour did not include the underground areas or any of the additional access that had been the main reason we booked this tour in the first place. Instead, we were given a guide who simply carried a folder of pictures, made jokes that were difficult to understand, and delivered an experience that felt very basic. In reality, we could have simply purchased the €18 general admission tickets ourselves and explored at our own pace. Paying an additional €70 each for a guide added very little value and was certainly not what we had booked or expected. This was supposed to be the highlight of our time in Rome, and instead it left us feeling frustrated, disappointed, and let down. Thankfully, Viator has been working with us to arrange a refund, which we appreciate. However, that doesn’t make up for the lost opportunity. You only get one chance to experience a trip like this, and it’s incredibly disappointing when something you’ve planned and looked forward to for months falls so far short of expectations.

Major Disappointment - Avoid For Sure

Michael_P, Jul 2026

We orginally booked this tour at 930 AM over six months in advance to avoid the crowds and the heat of the day. Four days prior we were sent a message saying it had been switched to a 1230 pm start time, right during the hottest and busiest part of the day. I attempted to contact the tour operator three times in the four days prior to the tour to discuss or reschedule and we received no response. In addition, the time in the app showed our old start time so we never even received final confirmation for whether the change was permanent. When we arrived at noon to check in for our tour, we waited for 45 minutes before our guide showed up and rushed us into the Colosseum 15 minutes late. When we got inside, the guide walked so far in front of us, people in the group struggled to stay together. The tickets were disorganized and there was further delay when trying to enter. The guide was personable but his English was extremely poor and nearly impossible to understand. We could only make out about every 10th word which meant the education and experience we had hoped to get for our family and two young teenage children was completely lost. In addition, the tour, especially in the underground felt very rushed because of our late entry. At one point, people in our group were even separated due to the speed the guide was going. Also, the crowds and heat with the 3.5 hour start time delay were very frustrating, particularly when you factor in that we had planned an earlier start time six months ago specifically to avoid these. I attempted to contact the tour operator after to share my feedback and request a partial refund but they refused to do anything to compensate. For something that my family was very much looking forward to, planned accordingly for a specific time well in advance, and paid a premium for, it was definitely a major disappointment. I would avoid this tour and operator at all costs.

Colosseum underground all access

Suzanne_S, Jun 2026

Our tour director never showed up after waiting 1 1/2 hours we decided to go on are own. This tour was paid in full in Jan 2026, trying to get a refund which has been very difficult through Viator.

Coliseum small group private tour

Robert_P, May 2026

Small group ( 4 individuals) with excellent private access to sites in the Forum and Colesrum. Excellent tour guide.

Tour booked cancelled at last minute

Scott_H, Nov 2025

We booked an underground tour and at last minute was cancelled. We were promised a refund for a reduced tour and are still waiting. Have sent several emails with no response

Twice Around

Linda_H, Oct 2025

This was are second time visiting the Coliseum. What was nice about going back is we learn new stuff that we didn't hear about last time around but then heard amazing stories of what took place with times. Missed not doing the underground but the arena was pretty cool too.

Worth the extra cost - just book it!

david_c, Oct 2025

BOOK IT!! Definitely worth the small difference in price to do small group & VIP access. Francesca was so knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. She knew how to bypass all the queues and had lots of information we wouldn't have known without her. Highly recommend 👌

No communication from tour operator with Viator.

Gary_T, Sep 2025

The tour guide changed the time. Never notified Viator or me. I contacted Viator several days before tour and Viator assure me my tour was at 2pm On morning of tour, the tour guide contacted me at 9:28 am and said the tour was about to begin at 9:30. So we missed most of the tour and rush through part of tour we were able to attend I requested full refund

Do not book this tour!!

Michelle_T, Sep 2025

The guide was a no-show and we waited 45 minutes before giving up, never answered any messages, phone number to call was disconnected. We had to go through customer service of Viator to get a refund (good service by the way!) but very bad experience having to rebook an excursion at the very last minute, fewer options were available to us at the last minute. At the very least, if they didn't plan on fulfilling this tour, they should have cancelled it.

Well Worth it!

Kirk_C, Aug 2025

This tour was great and our guide was amazing! I would recommend this to anyone who wants to not only just see it but experience it.

Guide was very...

Terri_O, May 2025

Guide was very knowledgeable and gave great information. Underground tinnel showing images of gladiators walking in was very good.

There is a lot of walking...

Elinor_M, May 2025

There is a lot of walking including climbing stairs. Also it is difficult to exit the Colosseum at the end of the tour. Most importantly it must be stressed that tourists must bring their passport to the tour.

5 star plus+

Laura_H, May 2025

What a wonderful tour and with such an excellent guide. Manwella (I hope I have spelt her name right) couldn’t have been more helpful and had a great sense of humour - not forced or cringey as some tours can be. She had a wealth of knowledge and her passion clearly shone through. I thought she expertly balanced this without overwhelming you with too much information. I looked at several tours and each seemed to miss something but this tour does it all - the underground of the colosseum was a real treat! Big shout out also to those in the back office as it cannot be easy to get the tickets. Information on where to meet was easy to follow. Our time had changed and this was communicated with ease. The audio ear piece so that we could hear Manwella was a game changer and really allowed you to enjoy the tour with others rather than scrambling to hear. I really can’t recommend this tour enough.

It was a wonderful tour....

Rebecca_T, May 2025

It was a wonderful tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable. It was a big group and yet he was attentive to everyone.. I would suggest for everyone to use the facilities before the tour starts as the lines can be long and it cuts down the time for the tour.

Disappointment , far from being a VIP visit ..

Stephane_D, Oct 2025

We had booked the underground VIP Tour of 14:00 and the day before we were informed by message that The underground was cancelled and replaced by an experience tour at 9:00 AM .. Huge disappointment because we had booked for months and this visit was really expected! Finally we adapted our schedule and arrived at 9:00 as requested .. the guide was late and the tour started at 9:50 ... the visit of the Coliseum lasted almost 2:15 out of the 3 hours planned .. far too much unnecessary information about the construction and very little information about the stories, the use of the Coliseum , examples etc .... There were so many people that you can't call it a VIP tour .. nothing VIP in this tour .... Moreover our guide spoke English with a very strong Spanish accent which makes us have bcp Problems understanding his monologue. The visit to the Roman forum was more Concise and interesting. We are not very happy with the turn of the lap.

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