Rome: Colosseum, Forum & Palatine with Arena Access + Audio Guide
Rome, Italy
+9
- 1 to 3 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Don’t miss the big Rome attraction—the mighty Colosseum—because of budget constraints. Book this visit with an audio guide in advance, and gain access to the three main sites of the Colosseum—including the arena floor—Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill on your Rome vacation. Just remember to bring your headphones for the audio guide, switch on your Wi-Fi, and arrive in plenty of time to give the sites your full attention.
- Receive an instant booking confirmation for quick peace of mind
- Meet a host for entry assistance at Rome’s most popular attractions
- Listen to an audio guide to hear tales of the emperors and gladiators
- Admire ruined temples and basilicas at the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
This self-guided Colosseum package includes arena access, an audio guide app—and a host to ensure entry.
What's Included
- Entry to the Colosseum with Arena access
- Entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
- Colosseum entrance ticket with Arena access (valued at €24 per person)
- Local assistance from a representative
- Audio guide app for Colosseum only (requires an internet connection)
- Children aged 0–17 can join free of charge.
- Transportation to/from the attraction
- Headphones (please bring your own)
- Live tour guide
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- VFQR+W7, Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy
Please proceed to the Arch of Constantine, located directly in front of the Colosseum.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Colosseum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Roman Forum (Pass By)
Palatine Hill (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- You must follow the queue for security check although you have bought the priority access.
- Please provide the full names of all travelers when booking. Failure to present a voucher with all travelers' full names at the box office prior to entry may result in denied entry to the colosseum and roman forum.
- A valid photo ID is required for all guests at the entrance gate.
- Arrive at the entrance of colosseum 15 minutes before time. The entry pass will be invalid after 15 minutes of travel 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.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 10 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
3.9
based on 658 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
ordered our tickets from viator. they wouldn't download kept saying errror please try again later. kept texting viator please help. never got help and never got tickets to load and didn't get to use them, Extremely disappointed to say the least. at the colosseum the employees said the confirmation code we had only applied to viator and we had to have the downloaded ticket. NO admission for us. the whole reason we booked the trip the colosseum was on our bucket list. When we couldn't get the tickets to download and couldn't get help from viator after numerous emails and texts we tried to purchase tickets from everywhere else everyone was sold out. We are giving viator a 1 star because there is nothing lower.
Brilliant communication, the gentleman was waiting were we were told he would be the tickets we had were great and a brilliant price, would definitely recommend going with Viator.
Great tour of Colosseum, but Viator gave bad directions for meeting point. Viator meeting point shows by Arco di Constantino. Call to agent Shakil cleared things by directing to entry gate. Do better Viator
DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS PROVIDER!!
Booked tickets for the colosseum a month in advance. Had a message off this provider 2 days before the tour saying they didn’t actually have the tickets and that I needed to cancel.
Not only is it unacceptable to take people’s money when they’re not in possession of the tickets, but to only let us know at such short notice was unforgivable. Given the popularity of the colosseum we couldn’t get a replacement tour. Also, they asked me to cancel it on my end to get my refund rather than just automatically issuing the refund. After a bit of research online, this was done so that they didn’t have to pay a cancellation fee to viator.
Absolute sham of a company, don’t book with them unless you’re willing to have your trip ruined at the last minute.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We would like to clarify that, as explained in our messages through the Viator inbox, the Parco had not released tickets for your selected date on its official ticketing system. As a ticket supplier, we can issue tickets only when they are made available by the official ticketing authority. We made every effort to secure your tickets, but unfortunately, we were unable to do so.
We understand how frustrating it is to have your plans disrupted shortly before your visit. We regret that we could not provide an alternative solution and apologize for the impact on your travel plans.
This was sold as a audio self guided tour. Its NOT A TOUR! Its you wandering around hoping to see things.
You receive your tickets by email late and then while you are already there on the property they send you a HUGE download to your phone. Which takes huge data to download. You listen as you walk. Bring your own earphones and hope the signal hits your phone. Ours pretty much never did so we just kind of opened each section and looked around
Thats the tour.
Btw it doesnt include the bottom levels or the top. You only find that out when you get your ticket.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We would like to clarify that this is a self-guided audio tour, not a live guided tour. Your tickets and audio guide app link were sent to you seven days before your tour date, and our customer support team called you three days before the tour to confirm whether you had received your tickets.
Our service was provided according to the booking details. We are sorry to hear that you experienced difficulties using the audio guide during your visit, and we appreciate your feedback.
It was really difficult to find the various points to start the audio tour in the Colosseum and Forum. I would also have liked to know that once you are starting the tour you can’t go back to relook at anything. You are funnelled round a route and it was difficult to see everything because it’s so busy. I’ve always had good experiences of audio tours by this wasn’t great.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations.
We would like to clarify that, as stated in our messages on Viator, the ticket allowed one-time entry only, and re-entry to the Colosseum Archaeological Park was not permitted after leaving. We understand that navigating the audio tour points can be challenging, especially on busy days. Unfortunately, visitor numbers and crowd levels at the archaeological sites are beyond our control.
We thoroughly enjoyed this self guided tour of the Colosseum and Forum. The tour operator contacted us two days before the tour and sent us our tickets not just the vouchers. That was especially helpful since we flew into Rome that morning. We were also told to download the Colosseum App which we did before we left home. I would make a recommendation though, while we had downloaded the app, you still needed to download the individual portions of the app pertaining to your particular tours. It was very difficult together them to download once inside the colosseum.
Great experience booking with this tour company. They made sure I had my ticket and knew where to go.
Horrible experience! No guided tour, an app in the Colleseum and nothing on the Forum or Palatine Hill. I will not be doing any more Viator tours after this experience.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We would like to clarify that your booking was for Rome: Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill with Audio Guide Access, which is a self-guided experience, not a live guided tour. The booking includes an audio guide rather than a tour led by a guide.
Whilst the Colosseum is an amazing experience, the crowds can be overwhelming, we didnt get into see the Roman Forum or Palatine Hill as the wait line was horrendous, waiting for several hours in the sun is not my idea of fun
Ou "guide" we were instructed we had to meet, from our view wasa waste of time, no reason for this to occur as all communication occurred in whatsap, further he did not provide any expertise guidance on the how what and where to get the best out of pur tickets
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We would like to clarify that your booking was for Rome: Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill with Audio Guide Access, which is a self-guided experience, not a live guided tour. The booking includes an audio guide rather than a tour led by a guide.
Two days before the day, our tour was cancelled with a BS explanation that they were not able to acquire our Colosseum tickets. This means they sold us tickets they did not have, and we couldn’t find an alternative solution. Viator was not helpful either, they just refunded our tickets. Very unsatisfied.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We would like to clarify that, as explained in our messages through the Viator inbox, the Parco had not released tickets for your selected date on its official ticketing system. As a ticket supplier, we can issue tickets only when they are made available by the official ticketing authority. We made every effort to secure your tickets, but unfortunately, we were unable to do so.
We understand how frustrating it is to have your plans disrupted shortly before your visit. We regret that we could not provide an alternative solution and apologize for the impact on your travel plans.
Our host was easy to get a hold of and sent us straight to the front of the line to get in. Had a great experience seeing the Colosseum!
No one at meeting point!
Audio tour not working properly would have been better to have guide
Queue for Roman Forum ridiculous so gave up.
Thought at this price it would have skipped the line for Forum & Palantine
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We would like to clarify that your booking included self-guided audio access, not a live guided tour. We sent your tickets and all necessary instructions seven days before your visit. Meeting our host was recommended for assistance with any questions or issues, but it was not mandatory.
Your ticket included skip-the-line access, which means you did not need to queue at the standard ticket-purchase line. However, all visitors must pass through the mandatory security check, and this queue cannot be skipped.
Rome is simply awe inspiring, pictures do not do it justice, breathtaking for sure, we really could spend multiple days just trying to take it all in
Although we arrived at the designated meeting point in front of the Colosseum well ahead of schedule it was difficult to find our contact as he was not identified by any sign or logo. We had to walk to each guide and ask who they were. We finally located our guy, but he couldn’t find our reservation on his tablet. We showed our paper work and he finally managed to produce an entry ticket by copying it onto my phone. Our tour was a self-guided one and after we entered the Colosseum we were instructed to download a QR code from the wall next to the ticket office. The audio guide did load on my phone, but only played information for the first stop. We spent the rest of our visit without an audio guide. A possible problem could be that my phone was unable to get a signal and I was not connected to the internet inside the Colosseum. We then were on our own to walk to the Colosseum area, following the crowd, but missed out on the details we had paid for in the audio self-guided tour. A couple of important points to note, the public washrooms are adjacent to the main entry area, but once you start your tour you can’t get back to them. The visit is kind of a one-way street. You don’t really have full free access everywhere. My wife had to ask special permission from security staff to open up a barrier to allow her to the washrooms again. Despite the problems with the audio tour, we still enjoyed seeing this historic site. The other part of our ticket gave us entry into the Palatine Hill area. We did that the next day and spent a wonderful day visiting the ruins. The two star rating is for our tour guide only and the faulty audio guide. Once you go through the ticket gate, you can’t go back out to see if your guide can help sort out any problems. Seeing the Colosseum itself and the surrounding area is 5 stars.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for sharing your detailed feedback. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed visiting the Colosseum and had a wonderful day exploring Palatine Hill.
We would like to clarify that we sent your tickets and all necessary instructions seven days before your visit. We also contacted you three days before the tour to explain the entry procedure and provide guidance for your visit. Our instructions clearly stated that a stable internet connection is required to use the self-guided audio guide app.
We also advised that you could proceed directly to the entrance using your ticket without meeting our host first. However, we’re sorry to hear that you experienced difficulties locating our representative and using the audio guide during your visit.
Thank you again for your feedback. We’re pleased that you were still able to enjoy the historical site and its surroundings.
Ioo high price for the experience. I think it is ridiculous that they buy up all the tickets & then sell you them for a higher price at this website!! Was not worth the extra payment. This should be illegal ! Otherwise, the Roman Forum, Palantine Hill and Colosseum was a worth visit, but these ridiculous sales practices feel like full-on a scam.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We’re pleased to hear that you enjoyed visiting the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.
We would like to clarify that the price of your booking was not solely for the entrance ticket. It also included additional services, such as the audio guide, booking assistance, and support to help make your visit smoother and more convenient.
They send the electronic tickets, where it said to print them so we did. There is no one to meet at the meeting point, with the printed tickets you can go in the colosseum 15 minutes before the reserved hour. They also send the link for the audio guide.
You guys cancelled our reservations and we did not get to go. Cancellation was done the day before which I thought was rude.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We would like to clarify that we informed you two days before your visit that we were unable to issue your tickets due to an issue with the Parco’s ticketing website and the unavailability of tickets. As a ticket supplier, we depend on the tickets released by the Parco, and unfortunately, we cannot issue tickets that have not been made available.
This was a waste of time - our guide meet us away from the entry just pointed where to go which was the same as ever ticket holder and there was no line up anyway. Also the audio was through my colosseum app which didn’t track us as it was supposed to and very dull.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We would like to clarify that your booking was for a self-guided audio tour, not a guided tour with a live guide. We sent your ticket and all necessary instructions seven days before your visit, explaining the type of experience included in your booking.
Our host’s role was to assist you with the entry process and direct you to the correct entrance. We’re glad that you were able to proceed to the Colosseum, although we regret that you experienced difficulties with the audio guide.
We appreciate your feedback and will continue working to make our instructions and audio guide experience clearer for future travelers.
If I could give 0 stars I would, what a scam. First time in Rome and seeing the Colosseum. I booked the self tour with audio option so we could go at our own pace and savor every moment. The app they provide you did not work at all, I reached out to Viator support with no help as well as the host who was unreachable. I had full service on my phone and even refreshed the app and my phone several times to no avail. We never got the audio tour to work and are both highly disappointed. We asked for some type of refund since there was no tour that I paid for and they refused, so basically we got scammed. All we got was entrance to the Colosseum and that was it (which was great to be in there) but I could have booked that ticket for cheaper somewhere else, we *wanted* the guide. Extremely sad and disappointed and won’t use this site again, I highly recommend others to use GetYourGuide instead, cheaper and way more helpful
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We would like to clarify that we sent your tickets and all necessary instructions seven days before your visit. We also contacted you three days before the tour to explain the entry procedure and provide guidance for your visit. Our instructions clearly stated that a stable internet connection is required to use the self-guided audio guide app.
We understand how frustrating it can be when a technical issue affects your experience. While the audio guide requires an internet connection to function properly, we appreciate your feedback and will continue working to make our instructions clearer for future travelers.
I had an issue with another trip where the voucher was not the ticket but your ticket looked like a voucher.i thought it was an escorted tour but couldn't find the tour. The ticket said access all areas but you could not go in the attic or the basement
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We would like to clarify that your booking was for the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill visit, not access to the Colosseum’s underground areas or attic.
The phrase “access all areas” refers to the areas included in your specific ticket, and it does not necessarily include restricted areas such as the underground or attic unless these are explicitly listed in the booking details.
Such an easy process from start to finish with no hidden surprises. Everything was simple to understand and follow and there was a helpful guide who messaged me before our time slot to make sure everything was ok. Highly recommend.
I want to give this a five star review for the service offered by the tour operator. They kept in constant touch and provided the tickets and the app..
However, the app that is provided is awful. It did not work as it’s supposed to inside the Colosseum. The English speaker has a heavy Italian accent, making it difficult to understand. There is way too much information provided in the dialogue.
I wish I would have taken a live guided tour even at the extra expense. I would’ve gotten more out of the tour and been less frustrated.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
We would like to clarify that your booking was specifically for an audio-guided tour, not a live guided tour. The experience details indicated that the tour included a self-guided audio guide rather than a live guide, so there was no error regarding the type of tour provided.
Well organized. Communication, before and during event was excellent. Your guide was personable and had plenty to share with us. I would recommend, as well as do this again
We used the audio app provided by the vendor and it worked really well. The vendor provided us with all of the information we needed to access the app and our tickets in a timely fashion.
Go early before the lines get long. Crowds are enormous even in the morning. Seems to be no limit on how many people admitted inside at any given time. That said, the Colosseum is amazing and can’t be missed if you are touring Rome. Just bring your patience!
Buying the tickets was straight forward but I thought it was expensive for what you got. The audio didn't work very well and the map didn't download properly. So it was pointless. The colosseum itself could be just as appreciated from the outside. They will also check the names on the ticket and ID for ages, several times.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re glad to hear that the ticket purchase process was straightforward.
We would like to clarify that when we sent your ticket and all the necessary information, we clearly advised you to bring a valid ID or passport, as these may be checked during the visit.
Regarding the audio guide, an active internet connection is required for smooth access and use of the audio guide app. We’re sorry to hear that you experienced difficulties with the audio guide and map, and we appreciate your feedback. We will continue working to make the instructions and experience as clear and convenient as possible.
Guide Klaus was very knowledgeable and passionate. Highly recommended. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water.
Overall we got to visit the Colosseum and in the end the tickets we brought through Voator were fine. However, the tickets were only sent the evening before our visit and the audio guide information only 1 hour before. So we were worried till the last moment whether we'll be able to actually do the visit as expected or not. I would expect to get the tickets as soon as a complete the payment, especially when I book weeks and months before the trip.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re pleased to hear that you were able to visit the Colosseum successfully and that the tickets were valid.
We would like to clarify that your tickets and all necessary information, including the audio guide instructions, were sent approximately 7 days before your tour date. We also contacted you 3 days before the tour to confirm that you had received your tickets.
We understand that you may have experienced some confusion on the day of the visit. We encourage travelers to check the messages and information provided through Viator in advance, as they contain the ticket and instructions needed for the experience.
We apologize for any concern this may have caused and appreciate your feedback.
This booking’s advertised audio tour is a FREE app offered to all visitors of the Colosseum (MyColosseum). In addition to lacking transparency with the audio tour, we had to contact Viator morning of the booking because we still had not received our tickets. To add to the frustration, our tickets listed the incorrect time of entry from what we had booked. Unfortunately, we did not think to check the ticket times were as requested so we were turned away at the gate and had to wait in the heat until the time on the ticket. Very frustrating and misleading booking.
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