Small Group Tour: Colosseum & Roman Forum with Arena Floor Access
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Rome, Italy
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Step back in time and learn about life in ancient Rome with this small-group guided tour of the city’s top archaeological treasures. Visit the Colosseum, with access through the restricted area of the arena floor , and learn about this magnificent amphitheater from your guide. Then continue on to stroll through the ruins of temples and squares in the adjacent Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.
- Visit the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill on a guided tour
- Visit the arena floor through the Gladiator’s Gate with exclusive access
- Tour with a small group for time to ask your guide questions
- Choice or morning or afternoon tour times to suit your schedule
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
A small group size allows more personal attention and a more relaxed pace than larger tours.
What's Included
- Entry to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
- Expert Certified Guide
- Access to Arena floor
- Headsets for groups when appropriate
- Colosseum entrance ticket with arena access (valued at €24 per person)
- Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2 per person)
- Please note: Colosseum fees as above. The remaining cost of the experience covers other services.
- Transport to/from meeting point.
- Food and Drink
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Via dei SS. Quattro, 81, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Meet at the Roman Vacations office on Via dei Santi Quattro, 81 Roma RM 00184.. Look for the white Roman Vacations flag with the lion head on it.
End point
- Arch of ConstantineP.za del Colosseo, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Ticket Redemption Point
Roman Vacations, Via dei SS. Quattro, 81, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Itinerary
1
Roman Forum
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Palatine Hill
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Colosseum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Near public transportation
- Stroller accessible
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- 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.
- 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.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 7 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 914 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Robyn_N, Jul 2026
We had such a great time on this tour! Our guide, Michael, was a wealth of information and graciously answered our questions. He ensured we were comfortable, had enough water and shade, and added humour to make the whole experience memorable. Highly recommend this tour and company!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao Robyn! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed your tour with us.
We hope to see you guys back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
Kathy_M, Jul 2026
Our tour guide Mircea was wonderful. Private tour for our family of five well worth the extra money. Zipped around long lines and big groups. Tons of information and insight we wouldn’t have known visiting on our own. We were traveling with three sons ages 20, 18 & 16. Lots of history and facts but engaging and fun also. Our entire family enjoyed the tour. Highly recommend private tour with Mircea.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao Kathy! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us.
Mircea is amazing at what he does and he always delivers a excellent, and memorable, tour.
We hope to see you guys back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
Jeffrey_D, Jul 2026
A great way to see the Colosseum and Forum. Angela was a really good guide who knew lots of Roman history and explained it in an entertaining way. A really good tour!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao Jeffrey! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us.
Angela is a great guide who is always focused on making sure those on her tours are enjoying and are looked after.
We hope to see you back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
Andrew_K, Jul 2026
The tour guide was excellent and very friendly.
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable on the history
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao Andrew! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us.
We hope to see you back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
Shakira_A, Jul 2026
An amazing trip through history- factual and anecdotal- so interesting throughout! History was brought to life! Amanda was so incredibly knowledgeable and articulate and so entertaining. It was a very hot day but she ensured there were comfort breaks and opportunities to stand in the shade and drink water! Truly well worth it and it made our trip to Rome! Thank you Amanda!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you so much for your review. We are very happy that you had a good time on tour and look forward to seeing you again soon!
Caitlin_H, Jul 2026
Guide was great. Never even thought someone could know so much about the history of the tour. Highly recommend
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your kind review! We are so happy you had a great time on tour. Enjoy the rest of your travels in Rome.
Christopher_P, Jul 2026
Our guide took into account the heat we were facing and made sure to take advantage of shade the entire tour. Milche (Mitch) was great. He kept us entertained and laughing while filling us with history. Great tour, great guide.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao Christopher! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us. Mircea is a fantastic guide and always delivers amazing tours while doing all he can to make sure his guests are comfortable and looked after.
We hope to see you guys back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
McKenzie_A, Jul 2026
We had a wonderful and informative time with Tiberio. He was fantastic and interactive with the kids!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao McKenzie! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us. Tiberio is an amazing guide, and always gives a memorable tour.
We hope to see you guys back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
Tyler_C, Jul 2026
Our guide was absolutely incredible! Was extremely hot out and he was able to find all the shaded spots to stop and explain everything. He had jokes, was easy to speak to, and made the tour incredible.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao Tyler!
Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us.
We only use the best guides available and they do an amazing job of moving groups from place to place, within a timeframe, and into shade where it is available.
We hope to see you back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
Edward_D, Jul 2026
Very informative. Joseph was funny and entertaining and very knowledgeable. I hope you get him for your tour.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao,
Thank you so much for your kind review, we are glad that you enjoyed the tour with our tour guide! Safe travels!
Kind regards,
RomanVacations
Heather_F, Jul 2026
This was a fabulous small group tour. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about ancient Roman history!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao Heather! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us.
We only work with the best guides available and we are glad to hear they have delivered another top quality tour.
We hope to see you back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
Julie_C, Jul 2026
If you have the opportunity, take this tour! It was awesome! Miche was great! So informative and knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We are so happy you enjoyed your tour! Thank you for the your review and hope you enjoy the rest of your time here and hopefully we'll see you again soon.
Thanks
Monique_M, Jul 2026
This tour gave us such a great understanding of the history of Rome and what occurred in the forum and colosseum. Tiberio was our guide and he shared so many valuable historical insights along with his passion for history and Rome. I highly recommend this experience as part of your Rome visit. You will learn so much!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao,
Thank you so much for your kind review, we are glad that you enjoyed the tour with our tour guide! Safe travels!
Kind regards,
RomanVacations
Anonymous, Jul 2026
Your guide was PHENOMENAL!! Pleasant and beyond knowledge. She made sure everyone Omni the group was engaged and well hydrated in the summer heat.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao,
Thank you so much for your kind words, we are so happy that you enjoyed the tour with our tour guide! Safe travels and hope to see you again soon!
Kind regards,
RomanVacations
Michael_S, Jul 2026
It was a good tour, but when we did reach the lower level of our tour at the colosseum , it seemed to end a bit abruptly. Without having a chance to observe the area and ask any final questions, our guide ended the tour. We also trudged through some pretty tricky stone pathways and would have appreciated a slightly slower pace through these, being unfamiliar with them. It would have been really tricky if a person was was elderly.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao!
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're pleased to hear that you enjoyed the tour overall.
We're sorry to hear that the ending felt a bit abrupt. Our guides always make every effort to allow time for questions throughout the tour, as well as at the end whenever the schedule permits. However, as the Colosseum operates on timed entry and guided tours have a limited duration, there are occasions when we need to conclude the tour promptly to stay within the allotted time.
Regarding the walking pace, our tour is described as a walking tour, and the Colosseum's original stone pathways can be uneven in places. We do ask participants to be prepared for a moderate amount of walking over historic terrain. That said, we fully understand that some sections may be more challenging, particularly for elderly guests or those with reduced mobility. Whenever possible, our guides adjust the pace to accommodate the group's needs while balancing the overall group dynamics and timing constraints.
We truly appreciate your comments, as they help us continue to improve the experience for all our guests. Thank you again for choosing to tour with us, and we hope to welcome you again in the future.
Karen_D, Jul 2026
I took off a star because they couldn’t get the arena floor tickets, and they changed our tour time from 8:30 to 11:00 on a very hot day. They communicated timely and well, but I would definitely had preferred to go first thing in the morning as I had planned. But Mitch did a great job finding the shady spots and providing a ton of information.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao Karen! Many thanks for your kind words.
We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us. We hope the rest of your time in Rome was as enjoyable.
Safe travels!
Katherine_S, Jul 2026
It is focused and informative. The pace was sensible in the heat and allowed for an immersive experience. Highly recommnded.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao! Many thanks for your kind words.
We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us.
We hope the rest of your time in Rome was as enjoyable.
We hope to see you back here soon.
Safe travels!
S_M, Jul 2026
Oh my gosh—it was absolutely scorching hot on the day of our tour! The heat was so intense that, at one point, we were wondering if we'd made the right decision. Thankfully, we had Tiberius as our guide.
Since most of the tour takes place outdoors, it would have been easy to lose interest in that kind of weather. But despite standing in the same blazing sun as the rest of us, Tiberius kept the experience fascinating from start to finish. His passion for history, art, and culture was unmistakable, and his storytelling was engaging, entertaining, and full of life.
We enjoyed the tour so much that we've been binge-watching documentaries about Roman history and revolutions ever since. That's all thanks to Tiberius for sparking our curiosity.
One of Tiberius's insights that really stayed with us was that “The more you learn about history, the more you realize how meaningless racism is”
It's a simple statement, but a powerful one. This tour wasn't just informative, it gave us a new perspective and a genuine appreciation for history. Highly recommended!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us.
Tiberio is a truly amazing guide. His knowledge and storytelling is on a different level to a lot of other guides.
His tours are always memorable.
We hope to see you abck in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
L_B, Jul 2026
Wonderful tour! Benjamin was a great guide and we learned so much. Thank you for showing us the coliseum.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao!
Thank you for your words, Benji is an awesome guide indeed. We are happy that you had a great experience with RomanVacations, safe travels and hope to see you soon!
Tara_M, Jul 2026
Absolutely fantastic experience! We learned some really fascinating facts about the Roman forum along with photo demonstrations of what things were like back in Roman times, we saw all the main sights and got a really interesting perspective about the colosseum and what times were like back then.
It was a very hot day, but our guide did amazing, stopping regularly at water fountains and showing us effective ways to cool off, even providing us with hydration boost sachets which was massively appreciated.
The tour was long enough, without feeling over run or too much. The information was packed to the max but moved swiftly and comfortably.
Our tour guide also had hilarious humour and made everything really fun. I really am kicking myself at forgetting his name, but he definitely made the tour even better!
Thank you so much for an amazing tour! Hugely recommended, especially if you’ve got a short time in Rome and want to see this side of the city with all the best bits wrapped into one😁
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao Tara! It was a pleasure to meet you on the tour and thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, we are happy that you enjoyed it! We wish you a great journey back home and hope to see you again in the future!
Elizabeth_J, Jul 2026
It is a must see. Tiberius, our guide was fantastic. I would have preferred more time in the coliseum and less on the Palantine Hill. We were able to go upstairs and enjoy the museum afterwards.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao Elizabeth!
Thank you so much for your kind words, we are truly glad that you enjoyed the tour with RomanVacations! Safe travels back home and hope to see you soon again on one of our tours!
Kevin_P, Jun 2026
The tour guide was great and the size of the group felt very manageable. Would absolutely book this exact tour again!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Ciao,
Thank you so much for your kind review, we are glad that you enjoyed the tour with our tour guide! Safe travels!
Kind regards,
RomanVacations
Jennifer_D, Jun 2026
This was an excellent tour and very informative. I was worried when I heard tour guides were being turned away, but communication was always excellent and it was very organized. My 2 teen boys loved hearing the stories of gladiators and there was ample time to ask questions. Very professional and we were very happy!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Ciao Jennifer! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us.
We use only the best guides, who know what they're talking about and how to make tours enjoyable and memorable.
We hope to see you back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
April_D, Jun 2026
Tibero have us the best tour. He was charasmatic and fun and knowledgeable! He made the whole thing an incredible experience.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Ciao April! Many thanks for your kind words.
We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with Tiberio! He is an awesome guide and one we are lucky to work with.
We hope to see you back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
Nancy_T, Jun 2026
Great tour. Very well organized and our tour guide was very knowledgeable. Would highly recommend!!.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Ciao nancy! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us.
We hope to see you back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
Natasha_P, Jun 2026
We had a great time with our tour guide and learned so much! It was during a heatwave and we didn't even notice! Definitely recommend!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Ciao! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us. Our guides do an amazing job of making sure everyone enjoys themselves on tour, regardless of the weather.
We hope to see you back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
Heather_G, Jun 2026
Great tour and tour guide. Saw all of the most important elements of each site. It was very hot and our guide did a great job of making sure we stayed hydrated and found shade wherever possible.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
CIao Heather! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us.
Our guides do an amazing job each day, and they know just how hot it can get being out there so they will always do their best to make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible the entire time.
We hope to see you back in Rome soon.
Safe travels!
Ashley_P, Jun 2026
If you’re looking for a tour that will give you a deep dive into Roman history, you’ve found it. This is more than a Colosseum tour… you traverse the surrounding areas, the palace remains, and get exposure to some of the nooks and crannies you might have walked right past without a guide. And if you’re lucky enough, you’ll get Mitch to lead the tour. You can tell he’s a guy who loves what he does. He’s eager to take questions and share his knowledge.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Ciao Ashley! Thank you so much for your recommendation, we are happy to hear that you loved the tour!
Nicole_M, Jun 2026
Angela was a highly knowledgeable guide - informative, historically accurate, visually creative with her stories, fun and professional. A thorough tour and surprisingly inexpensive for a tour with 6 people. We loved it
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Ciao,
Thank you so much for your kind review, we are glad that you enjoyed the tour with our tour guide! Safe travels!
Kind regards,
RomanVacations
Chris_C, Jun 2026
This tour is provided by Roman vacations. We were concerned about different tour companies after researching online about third-party organizations canceling their tours. But this company is legit. The information provided made it easy to find their office. The company did inform us well in advance that our morning tour needed to be changed to an afternoon tour. Fortunately it did not affect our schedule.They provided a wonderful tour guide, Luni, with audio headsets. Luni was very informative. She was very familiar with the facility and was helpful in avoiding crowds. She was very patient with young children. Our trip wouldn’t have been as enjoyable without all the information she provided. We would highly recommend this tour. It was an unforgettable experience.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Ciao! We are glad that you had a great experience with us. Thank you so much for your recommendation, we always do our best to make our precious customers happy! Safe travels back home and hope to see you again soon.
Kind regards,
RomanVacations
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Small Group Tour: Colosseum & Roman Forum with Arena Floor Access
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