Colosseum Underground Guided Tour
Rome, Italy
- 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
See a side of the Colosseum that most visitors to Rome miss—and enjoy skip-the-line access to this world-renowned landmark—with this convenient tour option. Meet your guide at the Colosseum entrance, and head on in. You’ll visit underground areas normally off-limits to visitors and will learn all about the Colosseum’s history, before continuing to the Forum and Palatine Hill.
- Explore areas of the arena that are off-limits to most visitors
- Skip the line with ticket and reservation fees included
- Get up close and personal with a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Maximum group size of 24 people or fewer
What's Included
- Access to the Underground and Arena Floor areas of the Colosseum
- Maximum group size of 24 people or fewer
- All Fees and Taxes
- Colosseum entrance ticket with arena (valued at €24 per person)
- Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2 per person)
- Please note: Colosseum fees as above. The remaining cost of this experience covers other services.
- Shared Group Tour of Maximum 24 people, not private or semi private tour
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- P.za del Colosseo, 21, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Our meeting point will be on the upper level of the Colosseo metro station, right near the 'M' metro symbol and the 'SOS' sign, close to Caffe Roma. Just look for the 'Discover Rome Tours' staff, and you’ll easily spot us there!
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Ticket Redemption Point
L.go Gaetana Agnesi, 3, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Itinerary
1
Colosseum
Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 2 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
- Near public transportation
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- 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.
- 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 4 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.0
based on 68 reviews
Lisa_H, Jan 2026
Great tour, such a different perspective. Very cold brisk day in Rome when we toured, but perfect blue skies. Lots of new information and our small group definitely enjoyed the behind and under the scenes information!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Dear Lisa_H,
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're delighted to hear your Underground Guided Tour offered a great new perspective and that your small group enjoyed the behind-the-scenes insights. It sounds like the perfect blue skies provided a beautiful backdrop, even on a brisk day.
We appreciate you choosing us to explore this unique part of the Colosseum and are thrilled we could add depth to your Roman experience.
We hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon.
Warm regards,
The Discover Rome Tours Team
Karen_S, Nov 2025
Guide was very knowledgeable and nice. Plenty of time ro take pictures. It was an awesome experience!!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Hi Karen,
Thank you for the fantastic 5-star review on Viator! We're so happy to hear you enjoyed the Colosseum Underground Tour and that our guide made the experience so memorable with their knowledge and kindness.
We're glad you had plenty of time for photos and hope you have wonderful memories of your visit.
We hope to see you again!
The Discover Rome Tours Team
Jennifer_B, Nov 2025
This excursion is a MUST!!!! One of my 16 year old son’s favorite parts of Rome! And Maya our guide was the absolute BEST!!!! She was very entertaining and kind! And having a small group was worth every penny. Seriously cannot recommend this tour enough! A Rome must!!!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much! We’re thrilled you and your son loved the tour with Maya—she’ll be so happy to hear this! We truly appreciate your wonderful recommendation.
Bill_D, Oct 2025
You will get a great underground and arena floor tour. Julia was an awesome guide and she is very knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
So happy you loved the tour with Julia—she really knows how to bring the Colosseum to life!
Kimberly_V, Oct 2025
This tour was exceptional. Giovanna was fun & informative.
We really appreciated being able to get away from the crowds to experience
the underground in a timely manner.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you! We’re so glad you had an exceptional tour with Giovanna and enjoyed exploring the underground away from the crowds.
Heather_M, Oct 2025
Our underground tour was cancelled and I was told we would have a tour with max 3 people. There were nine in our party. We were also not told about a time change so we ended up going later than we had planned
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Dear Heather Mayne,
Thank you for your review and we are sorry to hear that the last-minute change to your itinerary ultimately diminished your experience in Rome. We understand how disappointing it is when plans, especially for a highlight like the Underground, have to be altered.
For clarity, our records show we proactively contacted you on October 4th regarding the Colosseum's cancellation of the Underground access. We offered an alternative Arena Tour on the same day at 14:30, along with a 30% refund for the change, which you accepted. We sincerely apologize that the subsequent details regarding the revised group size did not meet the expectations we set, and for any frustration the slight schedule adjustment caused.
We truly value your feedback, as it highlights areas where our customer service can be improved, particularly in ensuring all details of a revised tour are communicated with absolute precision. We are reviewing our processes to prevent this from happening in the future.
We hope the rest of your time in Rome was enjoyable.
Best regards,
The Discover Rome Tours Team
Abu_B, Dec 2024
The tour guide Giovanna is an incredible guide! The quality of the ticket is perfect- covered everything in Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill!
But I will still not recommend. Why? I had booked my trip almost 3 months ago and just two days before the trip they reached out saying “no tickets” available, please change the time to 3:00 and then again to 2:30 pm. I was almost missing my experience and of course note that this is an expensive ticket that I had bought for 4 pax.
Hence, really I have to say the tour is good but very unreliable.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you for your feedback! We're glad you enjoyed the tour and Giovanna’s guidance. We sincerely apologize for the last-minute changes to your booking and understand your frustration. We are working to improve our communication and reliability and appreciate your patience. We hope to provide you with a better experience in the future.
Yosvany_V, Jun 2024
Doing the underground tour,i never imagined the way everything was desinged,besides that it was not too busy,they give some time between one group and the other
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you for sharing your experience! We're glad to hear that the Underground tour exceeded your expectations and that the timing between groups helped make it a more enjoyable visit. We appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you again soon!
Katherine_M, Apr 2024
Amazing!! I would highly recommend this to anyone going to the Colosseum. The tour guide was very knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear that you had an amazing experience and that the guide's knowledge made the tour even better. We really appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you on another tour in the future!
Melissa_C, Nov 2023
Giovanna was so great! She made the Colosseum Underground experience something we will never forget! She took lots of time with us and catered the tour for our children. She got us to front of ever line and made sure we had the best view at every turn. She took some great photos for us that we will have so that we can remember this amazing experience. Grazie Giovanna for making us feel like royalty and creating a beautiful day for us!
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that Giovanna made your Colosseum Underground experience unforgettable. It’s great to know that she was able to tailor the tour for your children and ensure you had the best possible experience. We’re also happy to hear that you’ll have great memories captured in the photos. Your kind words mean a lot to us, and we’re so glad we could help create such a special day for you. We hope to welcome you back for more amazing adventures in the future!
Kim_T, Aug 2023
Lots of history and stories given, with clear communication. We were lucky to only have four in our group which meant we could ask loads of questions and luckily our tour guide had an interest and degree in Ancient Rome so was able to answer all our questions.
Jennifer_L, Jul 2023
Worst guided tour we've ever been on. Our guide was horrible and, when hearing what information guides were sharing with their clients, I wished we had someone else. I would never recommend our guide to anyone. I learned more about the Colosseum watching the first 20 minutes of the History Channel's special than in 90 minutes with our guide.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear Jennifer,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are truly sorry to hear that your tour did not meet your expectations. We strive to provide engaging and informative experiences, and it’s disappointing to hear that the guide did not deliver the level of service we aim for. We understand how important it is to feel informed and connected during the tour, and we sincerely apologize for not meeting your expectations in this regard.
Your feedback is invaluable, and we will be addressing this with our team to ensure that future tours are more informative and engaging. We appreciate you taking the time to bring this to our attention and will work hard to improve the quality of our guides’ presentations.
Thank you again for your honest review, and we hope to provide a much better experience in the future.
Best regards,
The Discover Rome Tours Team
Candace_A, Apr 2023
Hard to find the meeting point. The directions were not clear. One thing was stated on Viator, but the company didn't have us validate tickets before hand like what was stated on the directions. Communication when it came to where to go and which guide we would have was confusing. Once we finally had our official guide, he was fabulous and sweet. Informative and willing to take pictures!
The company should have clearer instructions on where to meet and not needed to get their tickets before meeting the tour guide.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear Candace,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We’re glad to hear that once you were able to meet the guide, you had a great time and found them informative and accommodating! However, we sincerely apologize for the confusion regarding the meeting point and ticket validation process. We understand how frustrating it can be to deal with unclear instructions, and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
We’ll be reviewing the meeting instructions to ensure they are clear and streamlined for future tours. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve.
Thank you for your patience, and we hope to welcome you back for a more seamless experience next time!
Best regards,
The Discover Rome Tours Team
Brenda_B, Mar 2023
Paul is an amazing guide. He knows such much history of Rome and the colosseum! Very organized tour. Definitely recommend going with a guide so you get the great stories like we did with Paul.
Alina_A, Jun 2022
Overall organization: ok, but not phenomenal - we only found the right guy in what seemed like a million people after calling the company…
Tour guide: interesting, but since the timeline is so tight, it was a total hassle. We literally ran trough the underground part of the colosseum, we maybe spend there 10 min.
Value for money: not so good. There is not really a reason why you would book the underground tour as you will not see more than what you can see from above. It’s not like there is something hidden or something that is so wowing that it’s worth the hassle and the money. Advice: see if you can get tickets from coopculture.it, the official site from the colosseum. We unfortunately were late and could not so we had to overpay with this company (like about 90€ Instead of 24). Tickets also valid for forum romanum the next day.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Dear Alina,
Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding your recent Colosseum Underground tour. We understand your concerns about the perceived value of the experience and the organization of the tour.
Access to the Colosseum's Underground is limited and often requires booking through official channels, such as CoopCulture. However, recent reports have highlighted challenges with ticket availability and pricing through these channels. Italy's competition authority recently fined CoopCulture and several tour operators for practices that hindered public access to standard-priced tickets .
Reuters+2AP News+2The Guardian+2
Given these circumstances, many visitors have turned to third-party providers for tours that include Underground access. While these tours offer valuable insights, it's important to note that
Duration: Underground tours are typically brief, often around 15 minutes, due to preservation efforts and visitor safety.
Access: The areas accessible during Underground tours are limited and may not provide significantly more information than what can be observed from the main levels.
Regarding pricing, the standard fee for the Colosseum's Underground tour is €22 per person, with a €2 service fee . Third-party providers may charge higher rates, sometimes including additional services like guided tours or priority access. It's essential to verify what is included in the tour package to ensure it aligns with your expectations and budget.
We apologize for any inconvenience you experienced and appreciate your insights, which are invaluable in helping us improve our services. If you have any further questions or need assistance with future bookings, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Best regards,
The Discover Rome Tours Team
wallace_r, Jun 2022
Start of tour was delayed one and a half hour. Tour advertised as for six people. Initially started out that way but at tour beginning we were combined with at least 20 others.
Tour guide had heavy accent that we couldn’t understand.
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Hello,
We are sorry to hear that, our tour didn’t meet your expectations.
We have to point out though that, as we clearly mentioned in our online tour description, the group size is maximum 24 people so we are curious to find out where you got the information about the group of max 6 people? And just for the record there were 23 people in your group.
As for the time change, we contacted you 3 days ahead of the date you reserved, to let you know that there was no availability at 10 am. We gave you the option to join at 11.30 am or to cancel as cancellation would have been at no charge until 24 hours before the tour time. You accepted to join the11.30 tour. We are in high season and, after the pandemic, it’s even busier than usual so it’s extremely difficult to find Colosseum tickets. The tour started as planned at 11.30, with no delay.
Our tour guide is a native English speaker, and he has been working as a tour guide for over 20 years with an impressive record of good reviews. And since we understand that different English accents might sound unclear to some of our customers we are constantly reminding our guides to speak slowly and clearly.
Still we feel we should apologize for the time change but with the present reservations rules established by the Colosseum ticket office occasionally we have no control over this kind of schedule changes.
Thank you.
Regards
Paula_K, May 2022
Giovanna, our tour guide , packed so much information into our tour, there was not a particular high point. To think that this facility was built over 2000 years ago, is amazing. One can see how the techniques in design are carried through to the stadiums and arena of today.
This tour gives you better views than just the regular tour
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Hi Paula,
Thank you so much for your fantastic review! We’re thrilled to hear that Giovanna made your Colosseum Underground tour so informative and enriching. It’s incredible to think about the history and design of such an ancient structure, and we’re so glad you enjoyed the unique perspective this tour offers compared to the regular visit.
We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for more amazing tours in the future!
Best regards,
The Discover Rome Tours Team
Lorraine_T, Apr 2022
On tour you see underground, then get to walk all around at floor level...you r ticket is good for coliseum and the Roman forum and hill for 24 hrs. Guide very informative. Several steep staircases to go up and down.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you for your great review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the opportunity to explore the Colosseum underground and walk around at floor level. It’s fantastic to hear that the guide provided you with insightful information during the tour. We also appreciate you mentioning the access to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill for 24 hours – it’s a great way to make the most of your visit. We hope to welcome you again soon for another unforgettable experience.
Daniela_B, Feb 2022
Wir kannten das Kolosseum schon und waren interessiert den Untergrund zu entdecken.
Es war fantastisch und wir hatten mit Giovanna die beste Reiseleitung. Aufgrund der ruhigen Reisezeit waren wir mit ihr alleine.
Sie hat uns die Geschichte und das Leben rund um das Kolosseum nahe gebracht und sich richtig Zeit für uns genommen. Sie war nicht nur professionell mit ihrem Wissen sondern war auch sehr freundlich und wir hatten viel Spaß mit ihr.
Es war einfach großartig mit Giovanna und wir können diese Tour jedem empfehlen der sich für Geschichte interessiert!
Response from Host, Feb 2022
Lieber Herr,
Vielen Dank, dass Sie sich die Zeit genommen haben, diese Bewertung zu schreiben!
Wir freuen uns, dass Ihnen die Colosseum Underground and Arena Tour gefallen hat.
Falls du jemals wieder drin bist
Rom, dann zögern Sie nicht, uns anzurufen!
From $178.17
per person-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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