Colosseum Gladiator's Arena and Roman Forum Guided Tour
Rome, Italy
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Delve into three of Rome's top ancient sites with this group tour that includes access to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. Enter the Colosseum through the restricted Gladiator's Gate to stand on the arena floor. Learn about the history and architecture of this Roman amphitheater before moving on to the temples and palaces of the Forum and Palatine Hill.
- Access areas of the Colosseum closed to the general public
- See the highlights of the Forum and Palatine Hill in just a few hours
- Visit with a guide for context and explanations about the complex ruins
- Hear your guide clearly with provided headsets
What's Included
- All Fees and Taxes
- Professional English speaking guide
- Headsets to hear the guide clearly
- 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
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Via dei Fori Imperiali, 25, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Meeting Point: Via dei Fori Imperiali, 25, 00186 Rome (RM) Please meet in front of the Tourist Information Point at Fori Imperiali. Our coordinators will be identifiable by their “Italy with family” t-shirts.
End point
- Roman Forum00186 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy
Ticket Redemption Point
Via dei Fori Imperiali, 25, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Itinerary
1
Colosseum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
2
Colosseum
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Roman Forum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Meeting Point: Via dei Fori Imperiali, 25, 00186 Rome (RM) Please meet in front of the Tourist Information Point at Fori Imperiali. Our coordinators will be identifiable by their “Italy with family” t-shirts.
- Please provide the full names of all travelers when booking. Failure to present all travelers' full names at the office prior to entry may result in denied entry to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
- There is moderate amount of walking involved.
- The exact timings and reservations can vary, dependant on the monument/attractions administration offices availabilities and decisions on the booking day and can be subject to last minute changes. Departure time can differ up to 30 minutes from your selected time.
- Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
- Please be aware that large bags/backpacks/suitcases are not permitted in the monument/ attraction. Only very small bags are allowed. Please do not bring these items with you on the day of your tour as there are no cloakrooms at the monument.
- Pets are not allowed inside the venue
- The tour reservations have strict timing. To join the tour you are required to be at the meeting point for check-in at least 30 minutes prior to your tour departure time.
- 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.
- Due to the Jubilee, some monuments may be under restoration. Please pay attention to any messages we may send regarding potential changes.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 7 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
3.8
based on 94 reviews
Amanda_I, Aug 2025
1. We arrived at 2:15 (a half hour before our time as requested), we could not find the “Italy with family” flag, it was hidden behind the “Ultimate Italy” flag. (They run tours for both companies)
2. Upon checking in they only saw us listed under the Roman Forum tour, when we had purchased the Colosseum and Roman Forum tour at 2:45. Eventually they found us listed in the 3:15 time slot for the Roman forum tour and the 4:40 time slot for the Colosseum.
3. The main point of contact avoided me when I approached with additional questions / clarifications.
3. 2 separate tours- we did tour 1, with one tour guide and then had to find our own way back to the meeting point (running because of the mismanaged timing) to meet tour guide number 2. (We in fact saw our first tour guide and group doing the same tour our second tour, at the same time).
4. Our tours ended 1.5 hours late because of the changed start time and not being 1 continuous tour.
I must say the tour guides themselves, were good. The poor customer service and disorganization were my issues.
Monique_B, Jun 2025
The meeting spot was very easy to find. Even though it was extremely busy, they seemed very organized. The tour was great, and our tour guide was very knowledgeable.
Abraham_S, Oct 2024
My tour was at 3pm. My ticket verified this information. I show up and no one ever shows up. I requested a refund and was denied. The tour company decided to change the time of this tour and I was unaware. Viator refuses to refund my money because the tour company decided to change the time. This was not my mistake nor should I be penalized for it. Very disappointed as I booked this about a month in advance for the only day I would be able to visit the Colosseum. Who knows when I’d be able to go back to Rome. A text with the time change would have gone a long way. DO NOT BOOK!!!
maria_b, Aug 2024
Colosseum was one of our favorite spots in Rome! Thanks to Viator we were able to get first hand of the history behind the stadium!
Marina_S, Jul 2024
Very poor english tour guide, didn’t understood almost anything. Part of that, the organization was good and clear
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Dear Marina, thanks for sharing your feedback.
We are sorry that the guide's English was not clear to you.
We hope to see you again soon.
Jason_B, Jul 2024
Got tickets for this tour at the last minute after hearing the tour we were on didn't provide them. As others have said, make sure you get there early to find the guide and get your tickets. Our tour guide provided an exceptional experience with what he had to work with. Was able to impart lots of history and answer every question. It would have been nice to get the underground and main level in the same tour, but not the tour groups fault. The forum was very cool to see and hear about as well, so much history in one place! The only thing I would improve is the earpieces were not the greatest quality.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you Jason for sharing your feedback.
We are glade to hear positive reviews because customers satisfaction is our first aim.
Hope to see you again soon.
Carrie_T, Jul 2024
Wonderful experience! Our tour guide Vita was awesome! She was so knowledgeable and funny! This was the best tour of our trip, highly recommend!
susan_w, Jul 2024
Paola was a great guide, very knowledgeable and entertaining. She was very understanding of finding shade on a hot day!
Wendy_S, Jun 2024
We had a great guide who explained all the highlights and answered questions. I know some people in previous comments complained that the tour doesn't include guiding at the Roman forum, but I didn't mind. It meant we had time to wander around the coliseum. And the souvenir shop and see tue forum at our leisure...it can even be seen within the next 24 hours if you are tired after the coliseum tour.
I'm giving 4 stars because the wording of the tour title gives the impression of a guided forum tour as well. They should change that title to Forum access.
Nareg_B, Jun 2024
We arrived at the meetup location 20 minutes prior to the start time of the event and the tour guide had already left. The start time of the event was 9:30am, we arrived at the entrance of the colosseum at 9:15am. We called the tour operator (Italy With Family S.R.L) to ask for contact information so that we can meet our group in the colosseum but they refused to do so and told us that the colosseum operates on strict timelines. We ended up visiting the colosseum by ourselves.
To conclude, I wouldn’t recommend this tour operator.
Joe_s, Jun 2024
Learning the history and stories to the site made the trip so much better. Guide was over the top with so much interesting information
Jackie_B, Jun 2024
Our first time in Rome and really looking forward to the tour of the Colosseum with my son and husband. Our tour was scheduled for 9:30 AM with a 9 AM arrival for check-in. To our surprise, the tour begin at 8:45 which we were never notified or contacted. We ran around the area, trying to find anyone with this tour company that would help us out and no one was in sight. I tried contacting the company, but never got through to anyone. We were beyond disappointed to miss out on what could’ve been a great tour and it was a waste of our money because the tour never happened. We pretty much got gypped. Needless to say, we were really looking forward to today, but we will be going home disappointed and we lost money for this very expensive tour That never happened.
We feel this was a scam and would never book again!
Hallam_R, Mar 2024
The tour guide was good, but it was rushed. Also we only had the guide for the Coloseum, not for the Roman Forum (even though it is advertised as that)
Sarah_V, Oct 2023
1.) Our tour guide was really sweet, and I'm sure very knowledgable. Unfortunately, her accent made it a little difficult to understand 60% if what she was telling us. (Not her fault at all.) 2.) Read the instructions carefully, as the "Start time" is wrong, its actually 30 minutes before. 3.) Similar to the other comments here -- The guide left us after an hour (not after 2.5 as listed) , immediately after the Colosseum, and we were left own our own through the Roman Forum. That is, if you can find the person to let you in. They don't have a sign, so you just hope they recognize you hanging out outside the Colosseum to bring you to the Roman Forum.
Joyce_D, Oct 2023
Paulo was excellent describing the history of the Colsseum. His enthusiasm was great. The only thing I can say is WOW!
Kristin_R, Oct 2023
The Colosseum was a highlight of my visit in Rome.
I am terribly disappointed with this tour company. I got to my tour location at 3:00pm (start time) and they said the tour had already left. I asked if my husband and I could go catch up and they said no. I asked if we could join the next tour and they said no. I have asked for a refund and have not heard back. My husband and I took a 14 day cruise and used Viator at every port. This left a bad taste in our mouth.
Lisa_L, Oct 2023
Our guide was Sarah and she was extremely knowledgeable and easy to understand. We had headphones throughout the tour and the sound was perfect. Was very organized and started right on time. Would highly recommend this tour!
Generations_4, Oct 2023
Charges allot more than other tour companies; it is my firm believe they oversold then blamed the colosseum for cancelling tickets. Could not work with us because we did not purchase tickets directly from them but from a third party (viator), basically told us were out of luck. $212 loss, 4 other couples in the same boat that day. nice profit they made with no service rendered.
pina_r, Oct 2023
The booking was for a guided Colosseum and Roman Forum tour.
The guide left us immediately after the Colosseum and we were left own our own through the Roman Forum.
Further, Viator's prices are not competitive of what I can get by simply walking up on the day and joining any group - I refer specifically to the Vatican tour.
Charlene_P, Oct 2023
A guided tour not to be missed when in Rome. Without a guide, I would have found this confusing to navigate through and would have missed in depth knowledge about its history. Everywhere you walk is stunning and there are places on the grounds to get a break from the crowds depending on what your entry is for.
Kathy_R, Oct 2023
Loved being able to see the “gladiator” housing ruins….never knew they enter through a tunnel underground to reach the floor of the colosseum.
Tim_S, Sep 2023
The tour of the Colosseum was a “pinch me” moment. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and explained things throughly as we navigated the structure towards the arena floor. I would have liked a little more time on the arena floor or upper level terrace… even just 5-10 mins of “free time” to sit/stand and soak it all up. It did feel like those areas were rushed to get to other back areas for more storey telling.
Michael_R, Sep 2023
Our guide was very knowledgeable, helpful and took a lot of time explaining the background and history. We spent almost 2 hours in the Coluseum and was the highlight of this tour. We could not have had a better experience as this tour exceeded our expectations. Thanks!
Lauren_S, Sep 2023
Our tour guide, Adrian was great! Very informative, fun and did a great job keeping the group together. Loved this tour!
Jo_S, Sep 2023
Guide was excellent. Very knowledgeable, with interesting stories and surprising details.
Very kind and caring as well.
Mohammed_E, Sep 2023
The package we opted for was the fully guided tour of the colosseum, RF, & the hill- a 3 hour tour. The actual time of the guide was no more than 35 mins in the colosseum, and shockingly a drop off to the rest of the areas, no guide/they drop you off and leave.. our whole group was waiting for them to show up until the people working there told us they left… super disappointing when cheaper tours deliver much more quality. Stay away from these guys, just looking to extort you.
Daniel_T, Aug 2023
The guided part of the tour was only about half of the duration shown in the Viator description. The guided part of the tour also felt very rushed, although our guide did seem pretty knowledgable. It was chaos at the Colosseum which didn't help thing but my experience was fairly disorganized. We were supposed to receive tickets for the Roman Forum but our tour guide bailed on us after give us some vague description of where to meet someone with the tour company who was supposedly going to give us tickets for the Forum/other. As busy as it was, there was zero chance we would find that person, so I just blew it off and didn't see the forum. The Colosseum was pretty cool but I would recommend that you take a tour with a different provider.
Andy_C, Jul 2023
Our guide to the colosseum was excellent, knowledgeable and friendly full of interesting information. He was very personable and answered all questions asked. Would recommend this to anyone as it was a great tour and provided context for a lot of the other sites we saw later in Rome.
Amy_W, Jul 2023
Was a bit challenging finding the meeting place and almost missed the tour. The tour itself was really nice and informative. Quite a bit of walking which was problematic for the heat of summer in the forum but the guide was very aware and tried to accommodate.
Pamela_R, Jul 2023
Amazing!! It was surreal!! The tour was breath taking. It is very hot this time of year bring lots of water and a hat or umbrella
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