Rome: Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill Guided Tour
Rome, Italy
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
The Colosseum tops must-see sites within Rome. But without a guide to fill you in on the arena’s history, the iconic arena can be hard to make sense of. On this guided tour, listen to stories of gladiators and emperors as you explore with a guide, before heading to the Forum and Palatine Hill. Prefer to move at your own rhythm? Then opt for only admission tickets and an audioguide.
- Admission to three sites is included, saving you the hassle of booking separate tours
- Headsets mean you won't strain to hear a word of the guide's stories or commentary
- Timed entry lets you plan your day with ease, whether you choose a guide or audioguide
- Enrich your visit with background on ancient Rome's imperial heyday and gladiatorial games
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
Enter the Colosseum through special arena access just like a gladiator, with numbers capped for an intimate experience.
What's Included
- Official Professional Guide (only if the Guided Tour option selected)
- Audio Equipment to Hear the Guide (only if the Guided Tour option selected)
- Colosseum entrance ticket (valued at € 18)
- Colosseum Entrance Fee (Valued at € 2,44)
- Please note: Colosseum fees as above. The remaining cost of the experience covers other services
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Entrance to the Arena
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
End point
- ColosseumP.za del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Itinerary
1
Colosseum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
2
Roman Forum
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Palatine Hill
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair 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.
- 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
4.0
based on 52 reviews
Ayelet_S, Mar 2026
The guide was pleasant but seemed like if he was ‘shooting’ the information without paying any attention if the group is even following (at few spots he was good 20 meters ahead of us, already talking about the next topic).
It felt as if we are running from one point to another and in addition his heavy accent made it difficult to follow.
sean_M, Nov 2025
Couldn’t understand our guide, even though it was English, it would have been better if someone had good English and not broken English, there was also a lot of crackling from ear pieces, I was very disappointed in this.
Jonathan_H, Nov 2025
This experience was through a supplier named:” Vivico tours / Real Barcelona tours”. It was absolutely terribly managed onsite and high confusing.
Having arrived at the time requested (15 minutes before) there was no tour guide in sight at all. When the tour guide showed up 2 minutes before the start he has arrogant, angry and treating guest poorly. After presenting our Voucher the tour guide waved us away and said he did not have our ticket with him. This happened to the entire tour at the time slot. We were 15 + guests directed to stand in line and wait. After 15 min., and once again asking, :”What now”, the guide took a picture of my voucher and called the service centre about the problem. We were later informed that a new ticket or new timeslot will be afforded to all. Some of the guest were pushed back 1,5 hours from the original timeslot. Ours was pushed back 15 min. from the original time, and thereby rendering this new ticket 25 min. delayed already , as we had waited 40 minutes at this point in time since the original tour was to start.
Upon receiving the ticket physically the guide was once again super rude to some of the guest treating them poorly when giving guidance to the Colosseum, while telling the to run.
All in all a really poor experience through the supplier to Tripadvisor/Viator. I really cannot recommend this to anyone .
Jonathan Hernoe
Jonathan_B, Oct 2025
The tour guide Filipo (not positive if this is how name is spelled) was great! He had a lot of information he shared with the group regarding the archaeological sites while we moved through into The Coliseum and the history of Rome. He was very friendly as well
neetesh_p, Oct 2025
Audio guide given works on Mobile Gps. Gps doesn't work with such accuracy. It's completely useless to take an audio guide . Best is to not take a guide or take a live guide.
Lynda_B, Oct 2025
Be ready for the total chaos and disorganisation
Representative WILL NOT be easy to identify as promised in the booking process
Any chance of getting a refund if dissatisfied is ZERO
Do not use this company
Rowland_C, Oct 2025
It was a great presentation by our guide, Georgia. She did absolutely the best she could given the two and a half hours available to cover The Forum, The Colosseum and Palatine Hill. The finish at The Colosseum allowed us to wander around that site for as long as we wanted but I really wanted to see more of the the other two sites whereas the time we had there was in no way long enough. However, a 150 minute guided tour can never accommodate sufficient time at all of the sites. It was a great tour by a very knowledgeable guide but if you want more depth to your visit I would suggest visiting via other methods, such as booking tickets directly with the site or the audio guide tour.
I have to say that Viator maintained great connection with me, perhaps too much at times.
Probably the only disappointment was the waste involved in throwing away the earphones. It would be good if we could have used our own.
Brian_G, Oct 2025
Our guide, Francesca, was amazing! She was so fun and knowledgeable. Really made the experience great and worth everybpenny
Martina_M, Oct 2025
Title is misleading. It says guided tour and this, in fact, was NOT a guided tour. My mistake for not reading the details but still misleading. Ok prove to skip the line but if you’re looking for guided tour this is not it.
Austin_B, Oct 2025
Diego did a fantastic job guiding us through the colosseum and Rome forum. The tour was engaging and insightful. I would recommend it to anyone who is visiting Rome
Irit_D, Sep 2025
We couldn’t find the guide, there were so many groups. We didn’t have even the tickets to get in without the guide. Viator refused to refund our money .
Robert_C, Sep 2025
DO NOT BOOK THIS TOUR. They do a terrible job alerting people where they are and when they are leaving. I was there 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time looking for my guide. The text they shared said they would be be a white flag, which they were not. When I finally found the people I was 6 minutes past scheduled departure and was told I was SOL. Nothing to be done. No refunds. Etc.
Stacy_D, Sep 2025
Great experience with a super knowledgeable guide that had all the great photo spots. Be prepared to walk.
Matthew_L, Sep 2025
Francesca was a delight.
She was so well spoken, knowledgeable and funny.
She kept the deluge of information easy to understand and well spaced out.
Strategic breaks in the shade were extremely welcome!
Rodrigo_C, Apr 2025
It is not a guided tour. They just send you a link for an app an a map to follow.
For that amount of money, you could save it and spend it on a nice dinner. Tourist catch
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Sr. the oprtions inside the products are very clear, we have all the description of the product, in this case you bought the option of tivkets with audioguide
Renee_W, Mar 2025
Very unhappy with our tour experience…since this tour company didn’t do a very good job notifying me that the tour time had changed. We missed our tour since they only sent a notice through WhatsApp and never bothered to try to contact me via email or even a call when I clearly didn’t get the notice. On top of that, they still charged me! Unbelievable, and what really pissed me off was I had to rearrange my original schedule because they canceled my first booking for some mystery reason… At least they sent me that notice through email/Viator and not WhatsApp so I got that notice. Very unsatisfied costumer
Louise_J, Feb 2025
Fair price for efficient admission to 3 sites with an excellent commentary by a knowledgeable guide who understood his audience.
Natalie_H, Aug 2024
The tour guide was really good and informative. We went as a family and we all enjoyed the tour. We choose the skip the line tour which was great as the queues were large. I would recommend this tour.
Timothy_P, Jul 2024
Giorgi (George) was a great guide who knows his material well. He knew all our names and guided us through the various check points. I wish we had more time in the forum but the day was getting on and it was very hot. I would have been happy to leave the palatine hill to the end and I would have skipped out on doing all those stairs. I would go on another tour with George as our guide any day!
JOANNE_P, Jun 2024
it's the Colosseum. can't miss it. but they changed the start time twice, and there is no tour, it's just tickets to get in. busy time of year, so I get it. but guest in front of me was asking a million questions and we were running late to the start time. not enough helpers to check people in.
Serena_A, Apr 2024
The perfect four to learn about the history of Rome. 1000% should be done. We loved learning about the forum, and how Rome is literally a lasagna (lol). You won’t e disappointed with the knowledge of the guides and things you will learn.
CEDRIC_F, Apr 2024
Our tour guide Max was excellent can't ask for more explain all the queries we have to best of his knowledge and I would highly recommend this tour to friends and family.( wish you could ask for your own tour guide)
Valorie_R, Mar 2024
The tour guide was very informative and funny. Started on time and went at at great pace as not to be rushed through.
Maria_W, Apr 2023
Viator was absolutely horrible.
The tour that was advertised AND the customer service. Particularly, the customer service was incredibly underwhelming. Having a bad experience with a mis-advertised tour is one thing, but then explaining your entire experience to several customer service reps and them telling you that your case is sufficient for a refund, but that the refund team will not hear any of your experience...is incredibly frustrating. I poured my heart out to the customer service rep that I was WhatsApp texting as the issues were occurring with the tour company in real time and they said that they wouldn't share any of the horrible details with the refund team because they would independently conduct an investigation and come to a "resolution" on their own.
How can a reputable company's customer service team not relay crucial information about a customer's horrible experience to the refund team? This company has no intention of refunding their customers, no matter what happens. They did not take my experience into account at all. I paid the money in full, even though the tour was mis-advertised on Viator's website, my family was treated poorly, we were charged extra upon arrival to the tour, half of my family was not even allowed on the tour, and the tour company would not refund us. This whole thing has turned me off from ever using Viator for anything ever again. The customer service SUCKS.
I even followed up separately on WhatsApp with a new customer service rep and explained my situation AND emailed the refund team that reached out to me to DECLINE my request for a refund (even a partial refund for the members of my family that were just unable to experience anything of the $800 I paid for this experience). Both reps told me that the refund team had conducted its own investigation and decided WITHOUT MY INPUT OF EXPERIENCE that I would not get a refund.
When I asked what the criteria of the investigation was, they stopped responding to my email chain. They could not tell me why they could not offer me a refund. This was a total scam.
Jason_C, Apr 2023
Stated 'Small group, average of 16 maximum 20' - there was 30 in our group and it was almost impossible to take in and see what the guide was telling us.
Stated 'skip the lines' - we had to queue 3 times, no saving time here!
Stated 'venture in through the gladiators gate' - we weren't even shown the gladiators gate, let alone venture through it. Although expensive, happy to pay for such a unique experience, so when it didn't happen, you can imagine the disappointment.
Stated 'Learn more about Rome's ancient past at the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum' - we were rushed through the Roman Forum as the guide was 'running late' and had 'forgotten his phone' so only saw half of it and did not get shown Palatine Hill at all.
5 to 6 hours (inc travel), much of which wasted in queues or trying to battle to see what the guide was attempting to explain.
Huge let down and disappointment - Viator not interested when I made contact to raise my concerns.
Dominic_C, Apr 2023
Small, manageable group with time allocation. Skipped the long queue during the process of entering Colosseum. Stunning view accessing from The Arena. Lady tour leader (can't recall her name) was passionate in delivering stories during the entire tour. In short, it was money well spent for this activity. Shout out to the lady that brought us on Mar 27th, 9:45am tour with "Pink sticker" group.
Jeanette_K, Oct 2019
Really a wonderful experience. The tour guide we had was awesome and really made this special. He was very knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Oct 2019
Thank you, Jaye, for taking the time to share you opinion and for booking with us.
Joseph_M, Mar 2019
Visited colosseum in small group tour. I don’t remember the young mans name but he was very knowledgeable, pleasant and well read. He answered all questions. Lots of rain that day and he altered the tour to make it more pleasant for us!
Response from Host, May 2019
Thank you for taking the time to share this information with us. We choose the best guides to ensure that the tours are an engaging experience!
billmac922, Jan 2019
This was a great tour of all the important sites of Ancient Rome. Palantine Hill was absolutely fascinating and the views are amazing. Our guide Francesca, who is also an archaeologist, was extremely knowledgeable as well as kind and entertaining. One of the highlights of my Italian holiday!
Response from Host, May 2019
Happy to be among your holiday highlights, Bill!
Valerie_S, Oct 2018
This tour was one of the highlights of our week in Rome! I booked this tour for myself and my elderly mother, and we were not disappointed! Our guide Dennis was a local and his English was perfect! Moreover, he gave such incredible detail in his descriptions on the tour - you could just imagine the ancient scenes he described in your "minds eye!" He showed us countless interesting features of the Colosseum, Palentine Hill, and Forum, and shared many facts about the daily lives of the Romans that we came away truly feeling that we learned from the experience. Dennis was a perfect gentleman, even providing my mother with a bottle of water he had brought for himself. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting a deeper and authentic experience about these monuments! Thank you Dennis! :)
Response from Host, Jun 2019
Very happy your assigned tour guide was able to help you successfully reconstruct Ancient Rome in your mind and stimulate your imagination. Thank you for this beautiful review!
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