Rome: Colosseum with Roman Forum & Palatine Hill + Arena Optional
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Rome, Italy
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Enjoy an introduction to Rome’s most significant ancient landmarks on this tour. Enter the Colosseum through a back entrance and explore areas that are typically off-limits to visitors, including the arena floor. Then, follow your guide to the Roman Forum, where you see ruins ranging from the Temple of Julius Caesar to the Senate House, and continue to Palatine Hill.
- Visit three of Rome’s most important ancient landmarks, in one tour
- Continue to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill with your guide
- Learn the stories behind the sights from your guide’s commentary
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
Step inside Colosseum like a gladiator on this guided tour, including exclusive access to the arena floor unavailable to general visitors. Explore the first and second tiers, then continue through the iconic Roman Forum and Palatine Hill with expert commentary that brings ancient Rome to life on this immersive, hassle-free way to see the city’s most legendary landmarks.
What's Included
- Access and tour of the restricted Colosseum Arena Floor (if option selected)
- Guided tour of the Colosseum's 1st & 2nd tiers
- Guided tour of the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
- 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.
- Expert English-speaking guide
- Guide tips
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Fontana del Colosseo, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Please Arrive 10 Minutes Early. We meet between the 2 green souvenir kiosks in front of the “Colosseo” metro stop - located just outside the lower-level entrance/exit. A representative will be there holding a sign with ''The Tour Guy'' on it.
End point
- Via della Salara Vecchia, 1385, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
This tour ends in the Colosseum Area. Depending on the entrance time of the Colosseum tickets we might visit the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill before heading to the Colosseum.
Itinerary
1
Colosseum
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Roman Forum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
Palatine Hill
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- 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.
- We regret that we are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchairs or any walking impairments that require special assistance on our group tours. We are also unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 3 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 1,529 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Omg amazing! So fortunate to get Sonia who was an archaeologist working currently at the Colosseum. Could not have been better and that was totally because of our wonderful guide who was engaging and super knowledgeable. She made sure everyone could hear and walked at a pace for everyone. By far 10 days into our Italy trip our best guide. We saw everything the tour detailed and more at an excellent pace.
Rita was our guide and she was fabulous! Jokingly, no one loves the rocks (travertine, marble and all things colosseum) more than Rita. Easy to find the meeting location and relatively small group tour through the Colosseum including the arena floor, which was hands down, the coolest part of the day. Palantine Hill was also interesting but waiting in the line to enter took a minute.
We had great tour with Monika as our guide. She was very knowledgeable, kept us entertained and answered all our questions.
Be sure to bring water and a sun hat. Proper shoes are a must as some areas of the floor can be difficult.
A lot of walking and dress for the weather.
Marco was a phenomenal historian and guide for this tour.
The meeting point was on the lower level of the metro station - so beware if you use the address to lead you. It took us a bit to find the right spot
Colloseum and Palantine Hill.
We spent 2 hours in the colloseum including the arena floor (I don’t think this was worth it- you can see the entire floor from anywhere else and being closer didn’t give a better angle, just a different one). Good information given.
The tour let us be in a “group tour” line to go through security to the forum which was much shorter than the individual line (though this is not always the case)
Went to Roman forum and spent 1 hour there. The hill was a great option to see an overview of everything without having to stand in front of each object. The tour ended in the Roman forum with time to explore more on your own if you wanted.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Hi Kellie,
Thank you for sharing your detailed experience and perspective on the Arena Floor! We're glad to hear that you appreciated the historical commentary, the faster group access line for the Forum, and the panoramic views from Palatine Hill. Your feedback on the Arena perspective is super helpful for travelers deciding which tour options best suit their preferences!
Safe travels,
Amazing experience, arena tour well worth it
Marco was our guide, very knowledgeable, thoroughly enjoyed the guided tour
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Hi Mark,
Thank you for the review! Standing on the Arena Floor is such a unique perspective, and we are so glad Marco made the experience informative and memorable for you.
Warm regards,
Eleanor was great, especially after the closure of the colosseum. She gave us a great view of the Colesseum without being inside. She is very interesting to listen.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Hi Tammy,
Thank you for sharing your feedback! We are so sorry for the unexpected closure of the Colosseum interior during your visit, but we are thrilled to hear that Eleanor handled the situation so brilliantly. Making sure you still received fantastic views and captivating history is top-tier guiding.
Warm regards,
Had a great tour experience with Eleanora. Very knowledgeable, friendly, and funny! Highly recommended!
Our guide was wonderful. Very knowledgeable and even went a bit over to make sure we the ability to see everything.
Just amazing. The tour guide was great and prepared for the entry tickets. They even have an elevator inside. Get something from their gift shop because you won’t find those items anywhere else.
Our guide was really great, spoke a very crisp english, and gave very good explanations.
A little warning tho : The tour doesn't go to Palatin Hill if it's too hot outside!.
We are so happy we chose this tour! Gabriel was our tour guide, an extremely knowledgable archeologist, and he was AMAZING!! We wore ear pods to hear him as we walked, but he was frequently stopping to gather us and go into detailed explanations. Always open to questions, not feeling like he was rushing, we finished with a feeling of “that was awesome”! Highly recommend this tour and especially if you get Gabriel! Thank you so much! Enjoyed your great sense of humour too haha!
Ps. Meeting place is just across from the Coliseum on groundl level, NOT above on the hill where we thought it was.
Good immersive tour. Lots of walking and hot on summer days. Tour ends at Roman Forum for any free time you want.
Amazing experience. Davide is very knowledgeable and a very engaging story teller. He brought history to life and mixed in a pleasant amount of humor. The main entrance line was long but he took us around to a back entrance where there wasn’t a line. We had a semi private tour which also maximized the experience.
Guide was impressive. Tons of information and very knowledgeable. There was a downpour in the middle of our tour. The guide got us under cover and was unflappable. Continued the tour and stuck with us.
Marco did an excellent job leading this tour and giving an amazing amount of information. The pace of the tour was very good and allowed all to keep up.
Good tour, Serena our guide was very nice and thorough. Quite a fun experience. Would definitely recommend.
Bogdan was our tour guide and made the long hot day very enjoyable with the perfect touch of humor sprinkled in. He did a great job of trying to keep us in the shade as much as possible and he was able to deliver dozens of small interesting facts throughout the tour. We also appreciated the pictures he had saved on a tablet which were used to illustrate a lot of the facts and points he was making, a small but useful detail when trying to visualize things from 2000+ years ago.
Kate our guide was so knowledgeable and was always making sure everyone was ok. We’ve been before but not to the arena floor which was definitely worth it. This was a great tour.
Customer service people on the phone were really nice that’s why I gave 1 stars. They refused a refund after a huge rain storm. Our group got there on time and sent a photo for proof. It was extremely difficult to find the tour guide/meeting spot due to poor directions. They described between two green kiosks which was not obvious at all. Then they said the tour guide would hold a sign, which they did not. They also said the tour guide would wear red, but many people wore red. We only finally found the tour guide because she carried a bag that said the tour guy on it. Horrible experience. Then they would not let us on the next tour due to our names not being on it. Do not book this tour
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Gabriella, thank you for taking the time to share your review, and we are glad to hear our phone customer service team was polite and helpful during your call. We are truly sorry for the frustration you experienced while locating your group during the heavy rain storm. Navigating severe weather conditions at a high-traffic landmark like the Colosseum can make check-in particularly challenging, and we understand how stressful that situation was. While our staff stay at designated meeting points outfitted in our branded gear, weather disruptions can sometimes impact visibility and timing. Our Rome Operations Manager has reviewed your feedback with our local team to improve our directions and check-in clarity during bad weather. Please reach out to us at support@thetourguy.com so we can work together to get this resolved. We hope to have the chance to deliver a much smoother experience on your next trip.
Well organized amazing guide, Christine I think her name was . Very well informed, great knowledge. Highly recommended this tour company.
Eleanora was great and funny. She gave us a lot of breaks and she guided us everywhere. It was great tour.
Serena was a great tour guide! Even though it rained during our tour, she still managed to make the experience enjoyable and kept us all engaged. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and did a wonderful job making the most of the weather.
So much to see! Wow! It was a lot of walking but totally worth it. Dress appropriately and stay hydrated. Our guide was so knowledgable!
Absolutely incredible tour. Well organized and delivered exactly as advertised. Meeting point was well described. Come early because there will be a lot of traffic around the colosseum. Beautiful views of the colosseum and explanation of history from our guide. He was very well prepared, I believe his name was Alessandro. Ended with the Palatine hills to see some historic ruins. If you go in the day time, be prepared for the sun and bring sunscreen and proper attire. The guide did a great job of protecting us from the sun and taking us to shaded areas whenever possible and even gave everyone a chance to rest and use the restroom in the middle of the tour. Excellent experience and I highly recommend it to everyone visiting Rome.
We had a great time; would definitely recommend it if you want some guidance to understand the history and relevant info.
Our guide Frederico was fantastic (he's a long-time tour guide/teacher and it shows). Even though we did it at the hottest point of the day, he kept things moving smoothly (and in the shade as much as possible).
Amazing experience getting to see the best highlights of these sites. Felt like we got the whole picture while also getting the details of these historic places
This tour was nicely paced. We covered a fair distance. Our guide was Marco. He gave a good effort but was difficult to understand often with his Italian accent. I came away wishing I had learned more. It was very hot and Marco pointed out fountains where we could refill our water containers which was much appreciated.
Our guide was very experienced. She was struggling a little bit in the heat and wanted to make sure nobody overheated. It was a slow pace, and I had hoped to have learned more. There is just so much to see and learn. I would definitely go back!
Excellent experience making sure to make the most of your time and very informative guide I believe was called Eleanor I may have spelt that wrong. But worth the cost and the time, made for a great tour.
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