Rome: Colosseum with Arena, Roman Forum and Palatine Guided Tour
Rome, Italy
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
The Colosseum is one of Rome's top attractions, so make the most of your visit on a guided tour that gives you special access to enter the amphitheater's arena via the same entrance that gladiators once used for their battles. Once inside, explore the ancient landmark with a guide, and then head outside to tour the archaeological area of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.
- Cover Rome's to ancient ruins in a single tour to optimize your time
- Visit with a guide to gain a better understanding of ancient Roman life
- Provided audio equipment makes it easier to hear your guide
- Save time waiting in ticket lines with included Colosseum admission
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
This tour gets you exclusive access to the arena floor, restricted to most visitors.
What's Included
- Official Professional Guide
- Audio Equipment to Hear the Guide
- Entrance to Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
- 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
- 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 (halfway, near the Roman Forum entrance). Our staff will be wearing a light blue vest with our logos on. Please arrive 15 minutes early—late arrivals cannot join the tour.
End point
- ColosseumP.za del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Itinerary
Your tour begins by meeting your guide at the local tour office near the Colosseum; then walk to the special entrance reserved for members of this tour.
Maximize your time at the Colosseum as you enter the amphitheater directly onto the arena floor, where gladiators and wild animals engaged in bloody fights. Visit the ring overlooking the underground sections of the Colosseum, and learn about its history from your guide, who has a degree in either art history or archaeology. Listen to anecdotes about the glory days of the arena and the lives of the emperors and senators of the time.
Next, leave the Colosseum and walk to Palatine Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome, where emperors and other wealthy residents lived. Take in the view of the Roman Forum and Circus Maximus, and then walk down the hill to explore the ruins of the forum, where your guide shares more stories and uses books and 3D pictures to show you how the site looked during the days of Ancient Rome. Your tour ends with return to your starting point.
Maximize your time at the Colosseum as you enter the amphitheater directly onto the arena floor, where gladiators and wild animals engaged in bloody fights. Visit the ring overlooking the underground sections of the Colosseum, and learn about its history from your guide, who has a degree in either art history or archaeology. Listen to anecdotes about the glory days of the arena and the lives of the emperors and senators of the time.
Next, leave the Colosseum and walk to Palatine Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome, where emperors and other wealthy residents lived. Take in the view of the Roman Forum and Circus Maximus, and then walk down the hill to explore the ruins of the forum, where your guide shares more stories and uses books and 3D pictures to show you how the site looked during the days of Ancient Rome. Your tour ends with return to your starting point.
1
Roman Forum
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Palatine Hill
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Colosseum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Please note that THE NAMES YOU PROVIDE HAVE TO MATCH THE IDS OR PASSPORTS OF ALL PARTICIPANTS (including children), or the Colosseum will deny entry — and don’t forget to bring valid ID for everyone which is necessary to enter. No nick names nor missing or wrong name and/or last name are admitted by the Coloseum management. Don't hesitate to contact us if you need support with this matter.
- 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 or no shows 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 select the semi-private option, our tours generally include up to 7 guests per guide for a more personal experience. From time to time, we may adjust the group size to accommodate families or friends traveling together, and some tours may also run with fewer participants. This flexible approach allows us to offer the best experience possible.
- 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
4.3
based on 5,758 reviews
Cory_L, Mar 2026
Both companies are scammers. They changed our ticket time less than 24 hours before. To two hours early. They then told us there was nothing they could do. They also noted they tried to contact me but they did not. It’s a huge scam run from this company.
Terese_J, Mar 2026
Smooth and engaging tour. Hilary was both knowledgeable and funny. She navigated us well and gave us the insight we needed!!
Chad_T, Mar 2026
Tour guide was nice. But skipped 1 of 3 tour locations. Listing also said the Roman Colosseum tickets would include 3 levels but only included 1.
Contacted support for assistance but no help was provided. Recommend another provider.
Joanna_Y, Mar 2026
Our family have used Viator tour services for many occasions over the years and this got to be the worse experience we ever had. The tour changed time at last minute and without proper communication. We showed up 20 minutes before our meeting time and found out the group had left us. We called immediately and repeatedly but with no response. Very disappointed and would like to request a refund!
Declan_H, Mar 2026
The tour advises you get access to arena floor as well as first and second tiers but you do not!! We were told it ONLY included arena floor which was a disappointing end to the tour.
Silvina_L, Mar 2026
Margarita was amazing!! Italian guide. She was very knowledgeable and had a great personality. She really embraced the history and culture of Italy. She was very funny!!
chelsea_p, Mar 2026
Very informative and easy to find, would do again! Easy transition between roman forum and the colosseum as well!
Melanee_B, Mar 2026
This comprehensive tour was well worth the company handling arrival tickets into the Colosseum. We booked the first available, that was right when the Colosseum opened and the whole area was already so crowded. It was nice having entrance to Colosseum, Palantine Hill and The Roman Forum taken care of. Our tour guide Mircea was very friendly, engaging and you could tell he loves history! He was hard to hear/understand at times, but overall it was a fantastic experience!
Peter_C, Mar 2026
Poor arrangement prior to excursion (people walking around lost) then here is your paperwork ( in Italian) get on with it !
Susan_T, Mar 2026
This was the best tour we have been on for the Colosseum (this was our 3rd time). Tour guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and walked at a good pace. There is lots of walking and stairs to climb but well worth it
Chris_B, Mar 2026
Lots of walking but a thoroughly enjoyable tour and so much to see. Our guide Alexander was fantastic really knowledgeable and great- really made the experience fantastic
Vanessa_J, Mar 2026
The tour was awesome! Our tour guide was energetic, upbeat and a whole lot of fun. She was considerate of all guests mobility limits. Also she was very knowledgeable about all 3 venues
Megan_G, Mar 2026
Paulo was able to provide a very informative look at the Roman Forum and Colosseum. We learned a lot and had a great time doing it! One of the highlights of our trip!
Jonathan_B, Mar 2026
What a great experience. I have done this before and it wasn't a patch on this trip. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and open, without it sounding like a rehearsed talk. I always thought visiting the Forum (That you can see much from the roadside) was a bit pointless. I had never been up to Palatine Hill giving the overview of the entire city and forum, was not to be missed. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the small group trip (14). The guide made the trip and I am ashamed to say I forgot her name. I would 100% recommend and the cost wasn't that much either.
Michael_P, Mar 2026
Really good visit, Alessandro our guide was excellent, really friendly and knowledgeable. Good value for money. Recommended
Philip_H, Mar 2026
Get there early, it’s extremely popular. Do the Roman Forum and Arena sections as well. Wear comfortable shoes parts of the forum are on uneven ground.
Jackie_F, Mar 2026
No tour guide provided as part of the tour. Extremely disappointing considering the experience purchased was specifically for a professional guide with audio so you can hear the guide. Fobbed off with audio guide only. Which was not what was booked or paid for. All confirmations and tickets state guided tour, as does our request for feedback. Fuming!
Statira_R, Mar 2026
The guide was fantastic, very passionate about the information she was imparting. Real value for money and great tour with a very informative guide!
Brian_F, Mar 2026
So glad we took the guided tour instead of just general admission. Georgia gave us a deep insight into the history of the colosseum and surrounding areas.
Rita_S, Feb 2026
The tour check in support were not there 15min before tour like we were asked to be. Tour guide was nice and very informative. Tour was great. Wish we would have been given time to shop at gift shop in the coliseum.
Sanjeev_S, Feb 2026
Disappointed and rushed. Our tour was delayed by an hour from 10am till 11am which we did receive a notification of the day before however this meant that our tour was busy and rushed.
We struggled to understand our guide his knowledge wasn’t great he gave us no insight about who the gladiators were how many would have fought or been killed he didn’t explain the palace he didn’t allow time to pause so we can take photos or ask questions it was all very rushed and not what we expected.
By his own admission his speaks bad English
Extremely disappointed
Jacki_M, Feb 2026
The coliseum was awesome...what we got to see if it. We paid for the tour below and above but didnt get to go there. The tour meeting point was moved within 24 hours of start time and we didnt see the email because we were doing another tour the day before. So we missed the new point. Gave us our tickets to go on our own but even though we paid for it we didnt get to go where the gladiators were below and they wouldn't allow us to even go to the gift shop. Tried to work something out with Viator but they wouldnt help us. Was VERY DISAPPOINTED!
Betty_B, Feb 2026
Really good tour, informative and interesting around the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Forum. Allows you to skip the long lines for Palatine Hill also
Gillian_G, Feb 2026
Fantastic tour today and the highlight of the visit so far. 3 hours went like a flash and we could have stayed so much longer. Skipping the line is definitely worth every penny. Allows you to see and do so much more rather than queuing all day.
Harry_H, Feb 2026
Our guide was very knowledgeable, covered a lot of ground.
Great experience..
We are tired. Uneven pavments,be prepard.
Elie_O, Feb 2026
The road leading to the Colosseum was closed due to road works, so we had to go the long way around to collect the tickets. As a result we arrived 10-15 minutes late, we didn't know in advance this was going to be the case. The agent refused to give us the tickets and we missed being able to enter the Colosseum or the Forum. We accepted that we missed the tour, but when we called up the main office we were told that there is no flexibility to add us to a future tour, or to refund us. They were not willing to accommodate us and kept the £123.68 tickets we purchased online. They wouldn't even let us receive the tickets so that we can enter the Forum independantly which was right there. We felt cheated by this company and for this reason we do not recommend buying tickets from Viator. We ended up buying new tickets for £18 at the Forum which included the Colosseum but without the guided tour. We learned our lesson - it is better to avoid Viator and to purchase directly or through another online agent who are more honest and make more of an effort to accommodate the customer.
Shannon_M, Feb 2026
Bring your passports! I did not know we needed them and it could have ruined the whole day. Luckily my hotel sent images and that worked.
Yvonne_R, Feb 2026
Brilliant tour - really informative and interesting.
Fantastic sights to be seen and the colosseum was amazing
Jazmine_F, Feb 2026
What a terrible experience. They asked us to show up at 845am for a 9am entry. My husband and I show up at the time along with multiple people. Nobody was there, we attempted to call and text, no answer. Then at 920am someone shows up with a coffee that they made time to stop and buy and no apology for being late, and instead tries to rush us to get the tickets and direction for an entry at 930am. Overall 45mins behind. No communication at all and wasn’t even wearing the color for the uniform we were asked to look for. When we reached out to Viator regarding this, they didn’t help at all. Do yourself a favor and go with another company. Stay away. Worse experience on our honeymoon
Brian_C, Feb 2026
Informative tour. Fun tour with a charming tour guide, Francesca, who obviously loves her job and made it a fun day for all of us
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