Colosseum and Ancient Rome Express Tour
Rome, Italy
- 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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What's Included
- Earphones
- Entrance to the Colosseum
- Guided tour of the Colosseum
- Entrance Roman Forum and Palatine Hill with App audio guides
- Colosseum entrance ticket valued at €18 per person
- Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2 per person)
- Pick up
- Food and beverages
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- الكولوسيوم00184 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy
At the Colosseum metro exit, on the ground floor, you will find our staff with a blue sign with the writing C.I.S Tours
End point
- Piazza del ColosseoP.za del Colosseo, 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
- Please provide the full names of all travelers when booking. Failure to present a voucher with all travellers' 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
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
3.2
based on 79 reviews
Jonathan_L, Aug 2025
Andrea was a wonderful tour guide. She is very knowledgeable and kind. We had a truly great experience!
Julie_F, Apr 2025
This was our first day in Rome. When we met our guide, they were late, did not have a guide shirt on or flag, and get this, LOST OUR TICKETS AND THEN SAID THEYLL GIVE US 50%. THIS IS INSANE, I EXPECT A FULL REFUND PLJS COMPENSATION FOR MY TIME, AND TAXI. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL PLEASE REMOVE FROM YOUR SITE. I planned this trip from my mother and sisters, these guides and company gave us such a bad experience. We spent so much time and money to get to Rome to be told they lost our tickets and don't even want to refund us? Get off site, and report. I expect my refund today.
Kathleen_S, Jul 2024
We showed up for our scheduled tour and was told it was delayed an hour without any notification. The guide was challenging to hear, group was more than was suppose to be on tour. We’ve spent a lot of Viator tours so it was a bummer
Noah_L, Jun 2024
We scheduled a tour for 3PM. Arrived at 2:40. The CIS tour coordinator told us our tour was changed (no reason) and we should come back at 3:30. Came back at 3:30 and they said we would not be going till 4PM. Finally got with a guide. Walked 10 minutes just to get our tickets, then had to walk back.
Finally met the real tour guide (He was great). The tour company gave our guide 33 people (but the coliseum ONLY allows 25 people per guide!!!). So then we weren't allowed in and had to wait for a second guide to arrive. Once we finally got in the tour was rushed so we could go see the Palatine Hill before it closed (4:45PM).
For almost 100 euros each, it was horrible. Taking a tour is great. The guide was great. But the company (CIS) is horrible and I would not reccomend.
Bailee_S, May 2024
I do recommend the quick tour it was very informational our guide was amazing! however expect large crowds it’s going to be hard to move around the colosseum and get pictures. We had a fast pass and we still waited for about an hour before we even got in.
FrancisMervyn_S, May 2024
Had a fantastic time and the tour rep igor was fantastic he shown us all around the ruins and explained everything very well
Josh_F, May 2024
We showed up early to the meeting point only to have the tour operator guy tell me my tour was canceled. He provided no explanation and seemed completely unapologetic. He never notified me about the cancellation prior to showing up. He then told me that we could do a tour at a later time that afternoon. We again showed up early at the meeting point and the man was no where to be found. He then appeared 5 minutes after the tour time and told us “sorry but you were late, you can go on a tour in an hour”. Before we left, he told us that we could go on a tour with a different group. He claimed that he sent me a confirmation of a refund. I checked my email saw no message and argued with him for a good bit before a refund notification was emailed. The refund still hasn’t cleared and I’m not sure it’s legitimate. He pointed us to another tour from the same company who was a lady wearing a hijab and she told us that we had to pay €40 per person to join their tour. We agreed as it seemed like a fair price and the refund was seemingly in process. We were then walked over to the forum and dropped off in the “purchase ticket line”. Our tour guide was an African woman who told us to wait in the line. She never introduced herself to us or others in the group. She then pulled out her phone and began screaming on the phone profusely for 20-30 minutes. After waiting in the line in the hot sun for a bit longer (around an hour or so total) we decided to just get up and leave. So much for “Skip the Line Tickets”. It was very disappointing but we realized this group wasn’t even legitimate, they were con artists who were completely unprofessional. These people are TOTAL FRAUDS. I’ve gone on a lot of tours in my life but this was head and shoulders the absolute worst experience I’ve ever had with a tourism group. TOTAL SCAM AVOID AT ALL COSTS. I advise anyone that under absolutely no circumstances is it worth it to deal with these people. Go to the Colosseum on your own or hire a local ITALIAN guide. I cannot emphasize it enough, AVOID CIS TOURS.
Linda_C, May 2024
Guide did not show up. After talking to your billing representatuve ge said I am suppose to be refund me. I am waiting. Due to the experience I chose to cancel my tour for the next day. And I wanted to make sure I got my money back. Your representative said he understood and I would get my money back. He lied I received an email saying my tour was canceled because it was within 24 hours and I would not get any money back. I new of the terms but the representative said he understood why I wanted to cancel and I would get my money back. I am out almost $500. And on top of that my husband is freaking out at me because the lost money. If we had known we would not get our money back we would have gone to the tour and seen if a tour guide would show up. Thanks for totally ruining our two days in Rome!!!!!
Lauren_B, Apr 2024
This is a SCALPING SCAM. The location was wrong, we were then lead to an hr long line down the road past the Colosseum to wait for tickets that needed to be re-purchased and then reimbursed by the CIS rep. People were very angry voicing complaints that were ignored. The ticket time then unexpectedly changed from 3 to 5pm without warning, and several people missed their other commitments. The assigned tour guide was additionally angry bc he was thrown into the mix unexpectedly. While he was a good tour guide, it was a nightmare. Do not book here, it was a scalping upcharge MESS!
Frank_S, Nov 2023
The tour guide was very informative, explaining clearly the details of what we were seeing. It is far better than doing it on your own.
Linda_W, Sep 2023
This was the worst tour I have ever been on. The tour conducter was boring and rude and nobody in the group had working VOX to hear her properly. It was kaos trying to get the group together.
Donna_T, Sep 2023
I would not recommend this is Tour . First time we had a group of 10 how can they divide us up and we were not in the same group so fun is taking out and doing an event together right away second I didn’t think I need to be 2 1/2 to 3 hours long it was wasting a lot of time on nonsense stuff. It should’ve been about food, not history and third I didn’t figure maybe George I could speak very good English. They were not very accommodating there was no information about the market around us at the time as well.
Kenneth_L, Jul 2023
C.I.S. Tours is a complete joke. I booked this tour for my parents as this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them. They are both in their 80's and I wanted to see the famous colosseum. I did not receive any emails prior to arriving. We waited at the meeting point at the right time but no one was there. I did receive a phone call on the day of the tour stating that the tour is cancelled and asked if we could do it the following day. We could not as we were leaving to Florence. What kind of ridiculous company cancels on the day of the tour? This is absolutely unacceptable and I do not recommend C.I.S. Tours. Now I'm afraid my parents will never see the Colosseum in their lifetime. Viator should not endorse these kind of crooks.
William_S, Jul 2023
Excellent tour! Informative and inspiring visit. Only concern was initial commo about tickets and meeting point. Some confusion as only received pdf voucher instead of tickets. A little more description of meeting point would have been helpful but it all worked out and was really a great tour.
Lisa_S, Jul 2023
The information given by our tour guide was excellent and the pictures/ sketches he showed us as he shared past facts were very helpful to understand how differently the Colosseum was used back in time. Our guide clearly had vast knowledge and it kept our interest during the tour. We had a hard time finding the meeting spot, but they kept contacting us and worked hard to get us there. Knowing they were not about to leave us behind was reassuring. Rome is a very busy place- especially at the Colosseum! I was thankful for their dedication to find us. The tour was well worth the price for tickets.
Craig_F, Jul 2023
Tour started at 3pm waited in line for 45mins then got a rushed tour who we couldn’t hear and kept coughing into the microphone. Wouldn’t wait while we used the toilet and wasn’t very pleasant. Our tour was about an hour inside the coliseum wasn’t worth the money we spent and wouldn’t recommend at all very disappointed and it ruined our experience
Lisa_W, Jul 2023
We enjoyed our tour. It was exactly what we wanted. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and shared a lot of great information. We were then able to walk around on our own and take pictures.
Jessica_M, Jul 2023
This tour is not what I thought it was going to be. We paid 220 US dollars for literally 20 minutes inside the colosseum. We were RUNNING to the Roman forum to get there before it closed and just left there, no more guided tour.
nicole_n, Jul 2023
Our tour guide never showed up. Never canceled. Never notified us and never answered the phone when we called. The Viator operator could not get through to them either and told us to just wait there. We waited an hour in the street and missed the Colosseum tour. We still have not received an email or phone call or a text to even acknowledge what happened. I am extremely disappointed.
glenn_p, Jul 2023
Overall our guide and experience was good. Problem was it is very chaotic around the outside and finding your group was not easy. My recommendation is try to connect before & agree to a spot. Also ask other tour guides for help not the hustlers outside. So many people trying to pull you to their tour. But our guide was fun but it was hot and crowded.
Jack_W, Jun 2023
This was the most disorganized tour service and your guide we’ve ever encountered. We were part of the supposedly English tour group on June 21, 2023.
Personally, the tour guide’s thick accent made it very difficult to follow the tour information. A lot of the facts the tour guide brought up was not informative or even relevant to the Colosseum. He seemed distracted in the beginning of the tour and was not very forthcoming in providing information. At the end of his so called tour, he asked the group to meet him at the exit in 15 mins if we wanted to go see something, which I’m assuming is the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Entrance since they were part of the ticket price. When asked where the exit was, he kept saying there’s only one exit and left many in the group wondering which way to go.
We finally arrived at the gate to see him in a conversation with somebody. After waiting for about 10 mins with no communication from this tour guide, we decided to leave without seeing the forum or palatine hill entrance.
Personally, we received more information of the Colosseum on the Big Bus Rome Hop-on Hop-off than on this $239.64 $119.82 × 2 Adults overpriced and uninformative tour. Waste of money. Extremely disappointing and will never recommend this tour service to anyone.
Charlotte_D, Jun 2023
Viator Stinks!!!!!!!!!!!!! I overpaid big time both financially and emotionally! The tour guide did not give good detailed directions on where to meet. We were late and they tried to give directions but we ended up missing the tour. So another guide tried to help but in order to get it we ended up paying an additional 190 euros. I just paid because we came all this way to see the coliseum and my family were all disappointed. We were running all over the place to catch our first tour guide then our second tour guide seemed to make confusing statements during her tour. Sorry but will never book with Viator again!!!
Laura_M, Jun 2023
An hour prior to our tour I received a text message saying our tour was cancelled since it was Sunday and the Colosseum was free on Sundays to the public. It was stated that there was a ‘mistake in booking; and long lines were expected’. But 24 hours prior to the tour my credit card was charged ( mind you this tour was booked months in advance).
We decided to walk to the Colosseum regardless and saw there were many tours going on despite it being a Sunday. We had friends who booked the longer tour through this site, the same day, and they did not receive the same text. They waited at the meeting point for the tour a hour and the guide never showed up. They called the listed number only to find out their tour was cancelled for the same reason.
Advanced notice and some transparency would have been appreciated. Also, sending an automated email/text 2 days later asking to rate our experience for the tour adds insult to injury. If the excuse given to us were true, why allow the booking on the site and why wait a hour prior to the tour to inform someone? Very disappointed.
Ryan_W, Jun 2023
Quite possibly the worst tour I've every been on anywhere in the world. I've been to Rome previously and decided to meet my family here as a surprise. On late notice I was able to secure an express 1hr tour of the Colosseum. Tickets were super expensive $180 each adult so expectations were high for an awesome experience from our guide. Times were changed to an earlier tour which wasnt an issue as there was expected rain later in the day. Tour was meant to be a semi private tour of a group of no more than 10. Group was well over 25. Tour guide was about as informative as a primary school student giving their first class speech on Roman history. Pathetic!!! Ended up taking the headphones out and just read all the info I could see. Everyone else of the group was visibly upset as they were probably stitched up after paying big money compared to other tours. DO NOT RECOMMEND
Victoria_R, Jun 2023
No one in the group could hear commentary. The audio equipment was very poor so people started leaving as soon as we got in the Colleseum.
Carolyn_A, Jun 2023
I would not recommend this Colosseum Express tour. We were supposed to start at 11:30, but got a call shortly before - after running to make the time -- that our tour had been pushed to 12:45 and to meet at 12:30 to get tickets/connect with our guide. We met by the green kiosk by the metro and it was madness -- totally unorganized. Go-between ticket people we're bringing people up and they were paying cash and it seemed super sketchy. I think they oversold out earlier your and pushed us back. We finally headed out with Andrea to begin the tour. The technology with her microphone and our earbuds was not working. Heard very little of what she was saying and honestly did not seem like she cared. Everytime she moved her head or it was windy we could not hear. We mentioned it several times - no improvement. Andrea was very hard to find in the big crowds and had no identifying flag or anything that we could follow. We couldn't stop at any of the bookstores and were rushed in taking photos. I would not recommend this tour based on our experience.
Danielle_O, Jun 2023
Terrible guide. It was so boring we left and took a free audio tour with an app we had downloaded instead. We weren’t the only ones that ditched the group.
They also changed the time of our ticket the day before the tour and then started late.
michael_r, Jun 2023
Our group was very large which made it unwieldy considering the crowded coliseum. Our tour guide was difficult to understand so we missed a lot of details.
Dan_P, May 2023
The tour is way overpriced and not worth the money. You will be much better served and informed watching a YouTube video and walking through the Colosseum on your own. The tour guides are almost impossible to find. They were disorganized. They say the tour will include no more than 15 guests but ours had 21. There were technical difficulties with the cheap radio system they used, and it was very difficult to hear the tour guide. He also had a thick accent. We understood about 10 percent of what he was saying.
John_S, May 2023
Tour guide was extremely rushed. Spoke too fast even when we asked her to slow down. We got separated from her at the end so we missed the group access to the palatine hill. It’s probably a great tour with a better guide.
Response from Host, May 2023
Thank you for taking time for leaving us your feedback. Our guide sara she is from USA and she speak very good English and we apologize for the lake of communication. .we hope to see you again with us
Best regards
From $61.16
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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