Rome Colosseum with Arena, Roman Forum & Palatine Guided Tour
Rome, Italy
- 1 hour (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Make the most of your time in Rome and visit the city's most famous ancient landmark in just an hour with this express Colosseum tour. Enjoy exclusive access to the arena floor via the restricted Gladiators’ Gate and stand where battles were once fought. Learn about the history and lore of this massive amphitheater from your guide, then climb up into the tiers of seats to experience the mighty venue from all angles. For a more budget-friendly option, select the audio guide tour.
- Optimize your day with a 1-hour express Colosseum tour
- Access the restricted arena floor that most visitors miss
- Guide insights into the fascinating history of Rome’s Colosseum
- Upgrade to a small-group tour for a more personalized experience
What's Included
- Professional Guide (only if the Guided Tour option selected)
- 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
- Audio Equipment to Hear the Guide (only if the Guided Tour option selected)
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transportation to/from attractions
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Santi Cosma e DamianoVia dei Fori Imperiali, 1, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
The meeting point is in the square in front of the Santi Cosma and Damiano Basilica in Via dei Fori Imperiali 1 (half way, close the entrance of the Roman Forum). You will see our staff in front of the Basilica wearing a uniform with the logos of the company Real Barcelona Tours.
End point
- ColosseumP.za del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Itinerary
1
Colosseum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Kindly ensure that THE FULL NAMES YOU SUBMIT MATCH EXACTLY with the names on each participant’s official ID or passport, including for children. The Colosseum strictly enforces this policy and will refuse entry for any discrepancies. Each guest must bring a valid ID. Please avoid using nicknames, shortened names, or incorrect/missing first or last names. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help with this.
- For minors, the age must be 17 or younger on the day of the activity
- The entrance tickets to the Colosseum cannot be changed or refunded
- Each traveler must show a valid ID matching the booking name for entry. Without ID, entry is not guaranteed
- Please show up at least 15 minutes before to do the check in
- Meeting time is subject to change; if this occurs, you will receive a call or message from the activity provider. Please provide your correct phone number and country code
- Late arrivals will not be refunded
- In July and August due to the heat the duration of the visit is 2 hours
- All visitors must pass through a metal detector to enter the Colosseum. No exceptions
- Not Allowed: Big backpacks, pets, weapons, sharp items, large bags, alcohol, drugs, sprays, glass.
- By purchasing this tour, you agree to our Terms and Conditions
- If you selected the audio guide option, please make sure to download it in advance using a Wi-Fi connection. It will work offline once downloaded. We do not provide headphones – bring your own that are compatible with your phone. Please note: the app may not function properly on older devices. If your ticket is booked after 4:00 PM, there might not be enough time to visit the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill – you can either start earlier or return the next day to visit the Forum.
- By choosing the semi-private option, you’ll enjoy a small-group experience with up to 7 guests per guide. Occasionally, group sizes may vary slightly to keep families or friends together, or may be smaller depending on availability. This flexibility helps us ensure a smooth and enjoyable tour for everyone.
- The Ancient Rome tour involves Steps and a lot of walking on un-even path especially in the Roman Forum . We highly suggest flat confortable shoes. This tour is not suitable for any person with recent surgeries, with disabilities and for people in wheelchairs due to the street level , up street level and steps.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 3 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.1
based on 194 reviews
Jennifer_M, Jun 2026
Catarina was so kind and knowledgeable. She was a wonderful tour guide and this made the experience that much better. Great tour! And her English was very good!
Cindy_G, Jun 2026
We went to the meeting place at 20 minutes before the appointed time of 9 am. There was nobody there. A group of people were also waiting and couldn’t understand why nobody was there. Finally at 9:10 the person handling the self-guided tour showed up and handed out tickets with 9:30 printed on the paper. We clearly had the 9:00 time and not 9:30. It was an extremely hot day and we wanted as much of the cool time and less crowds that 9:00 would have given us. To arrive late and then not apologize and try to gaslight us by printing 9:30 on the voucher is unacceptable. Plus we were to get on the floor of the colosseum and a partial refund was promised. Not sure how that is going to work.
Catherine_G, May 2026
Flavia was our guide and was such an exceptional guides. So informative and made the tour so interesting while being very accommodating to all
Christine_M, May 2026
Nice small tour group, Hilaria was very knowledgeable and skip the line into the Colosseum was worth it. However with a group of 7 and no ear pieces, we couldn’t hear a lot of it. She would walk in front, there was construction and lots of people, and we missed a lot of it. Also we still had to wait in line to get into the Forum, although it wasn’t as bad as the regular line.
Brenda_H, May 2026
Rainy morning. My audio channel got changed. Guide was not helpful my husband figured out how to fix it. Not his job.
Kristen_D, Apr 2026
This was a great informative tour of the history behind the Roman Forum and the colosseum. We enjoyed being able to walk through the forum and colosseum!
Doneal_W, Oct 2025
Trying to find Gabriel, person we were supposed to meet, was confusing. We actually never found him. After asking around we talked to someone who could help us. Also the download for the guide was challenging.
jdzerbo26, Sep 2025
Was not impressed at all for an Audio Tour!!
Picked up our tickets with a guy sitting under a tree. Very unorganized.
Inside the download Did Not work on my daughter’s phones.
A audio guide should have a number or automatically pick up when going past a statue or building so we know what it is .
Conrad_J, Aug 2025
The meeting point was not close to the Colosseum, thus in return we missed the opportunity to visit the Colosseum after traveling so far for this unique experience. It was not a great experience to have gone through for my birthday trip.
Matthew_B, Aug 2025
Make sure to bring water and sunblock. Wear proper shoes for walking in the dirt and over stones. Charge your phone all the way up.
Maria_D, Aug 2025
I’m still waiting for the guide to show up. I was at the meeting point 20 minutes before it started and even called Viator to see if they were in a different spot
John_W, Aug 2025
Tony was an amazing guide. Full of knowledge and kept the entire group engaged. Explained details about the collesium, palatine hill and roman forum in a way that I will remeber the details for years to come.
Tonya_S, May 2025
The location to meet our tour guide was easy to find. Everyone in our group was friendly, and our tour guide was great!
Geralyn_C, May 2025
Tour guide was great, very knowledgeable and it was an enjoyable tour, great experience, highly recommend biking I advance, avoid long lines.
Jennifer_P, Apr 2025
this tour is advertised as “colosseum entry with arena entrance” but in reality you’re only allowed access to the arena space and not the rest of the colosseum.
Paula_T, Mar 2025
Barbara our tour guide had so much knowledge about the Colosseum and the Roman Forum! It was perfect! You go through the arena which remind yourself of so many movies and all the history. It would not be possible without Barbara! Thanks again for everything. We now have a lot of unforgettable memories!
Etta_L, Nov 2024
When our tour eventually began, it was good; however, we were instructed to be at the starting point at 12:00 for a 12:15 tour. We repeatedly asked why it was 12:30 and our tour had not begun. We were told they were waiting for radios. That went on until almost 1:00. I felt as though my time was unimportant. We were demanded to be 15 minutes before the tour, but there was not even an apology for us to wait another 45 minutes before our tour began.
We were booked for a similar tour the day before, and our phones were not working to receive a message on a time schedule, and we were told that we simply lost our money. Viator should respect my time as well as their own.
JoAnne_M, Oct 2024
We enjoyed our Colosseum tour! The one downside was the audio (not the tour guide) was a bit muffled/hard to hear on the ear piece (the only reason for 4 not 5 stars). Our tour guide Natasia was super knowledgable, kept everyone together and answered all the group's questions. We only had the arena floor tour. I didn't feel like I missed out on the underground but I would have liked to have seen it.
Gail_K, Oct 2024
The Colosseum tour was really great overall. The tour guide shared interesting info. Our complaints are that although we were asked to arrive 15 minutes early, our guide was at least 1/2 hour late. I needed to use a bathroom and this was a problem but I was able to enter ahead of the group and then wait for them. Also, we signed up for the arena floor and to enter where the gladiators entered, but that didn’t happen. We asked about it, but she said it wasn’t that kind of tour.
James_W, Oct 2024
My memories are nothing but terrible! My wife and I traveling on a cruise ship and in Rome for just the day, were planning to be at The Colosseum and participate in the viator 45min. walking tour, which we prepaid $179+ in advance. My wife however, came down with a confirmed case of Covid, feeling so poorly, that she could not attend the Colosseum. Upon our return from the cruise, I reached out to viator, explaining the above and asking for a refunded credit to my credit card and they REFUSED my request! I was shocked and this deplurable lack of good customer service! I will never use or recommend viator to another person!
mary_j, Oct 2024
got to meeting point 15-20 min early as requested.... waited until over 30 minutes when the tour was suppose to start.... i texted them in app w no response then a guide showed up, never mentioned being late or even a sorry and pawned us off to another tour group. The tour leader was blah and it was hard to hear in their one earbud they gave you. we left about 2/3 way through.... It was very disappointing and disrespectful of them to waist our valuable vacation time
Laura_M, Sep 2024
The Collesseum was was a sight in and of itself. Our guide was excellent. He ensures all were together, he conveyed the history with beautifully accented and flawless English. He could answer every question. Plus, very handsome.
Kelly_D, Sep 2024
Great experience.
However we were with our 6 years old and we had to leave early
I would not recommend for kids
Julia_P, Sep 2024
Guide never showed up at the designated site. As a result, we were unable to tour the colosseum. Buyer Beware!
Scott_B, Aug 2024
Couldn't take trip because of Italian train delay. Viator refused to give us credit for future trip.
kaitlin_o, Aug 2024
We booked the one hour colosseum express tour, however they sent us a message to say the time had changed. Once we arrived at the new time, we started the tour and realized they had put us on a three hour tour ending at the colosseum. With the heat and the crowds, it was too much for us. Guide was nice and knowledgeable. It was not the tour we were looking for and communication was poor regarding the change.
Bradley_P, Aug 2024
Our guide was very good. Passionate and informative and organized. She made the tour five star.
Similar to other posts, we got a message from tour company that our time had changed - 30 min then 15 min. I was skeptical based on some other reports if I was getting scammed but no, all was good. Meeting point was well described and easy to find. We booked the one hour tour but by the time you get thru the lineup/security and walk to coliseum etc you should plan for at least 2 to 2 and 1/2 hours so you aren’t rushed to get to something else.
Gwendolyn_P, Jul 2024
The guide was excellent- knowledgeable and passionate. They really brought the history to light with a nice mix of facts and anecdotes. A great introduction to this fascinating place!
Gabriella_K, Jul 2024
Seeing and hearing all the details- Marcos was great!! He gave details about history and lessons for modern times. Best tour guide.
Katherine_g, Jul 2024
Guide never showed up. No communication leading up to event. Operating under two names if you check google reviews for tour operator they are terrible.
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