Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum Guided Tour
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Rome, Italy
- 1 to 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
The Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill hold layers of history that are hard to piece together without context. This guided tour walks you through all three with a guide on hand to explain what you're seeing. Choose from a standard group tour, a small-group option, Arena Floor access at the Colosseum, or an evening exterior walk.
- Ideal for busy travelers: Visit three of Rome's top ruins on one tour
- For more personalized attention, upgrade to a small-group tour
- Admission tickets for all three sites are included for ease
- Access to the arena floor, usually off-limits to visitors (if option selected)
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
Explore the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill without committing a whole day to sightseeing.
What's Included
- Personalised, guided group tour of Ancient Rome for a comfortable experience.
- Expert insights and history provided by a licensed guide.
- Colosseum entry ticket included (€18–€24 value, depending on option).
- Optional Arena Floor access available for an additional fee.
- Faster access to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum.
- Top-rated small-group tour, offering excellent value.
- This tour is available in multiple languages, depending on the option selected.
- Access to the Arena floor (available if selected for an additional fee)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Arch of ConstantineP.za del Colosseo, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Please meet us in front the Arch of Constantine. Your guide will be holding a Yellow Carpe Diem Tours flag or sign. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to start time. Late arrivals will not be eligible for refunds.
End point
- Roman Forum00186 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy
The tour will either finish in the Roman Forum or the Colosseum, depending on which monument we start with, where you will be left to either leave or spend more time exploring the area.
Itinerary
1
Colosseum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
2
Palatine Hill
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Roman Forum
30 minutes • 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 travellers when booking. Failure to present a voucher with matching names at the ticket office may result in denied entry to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
- Each traveller must present a valid passport or ID matching the name provided at booking for entry to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
- Tour order may vary: we will start with either the Colosseum or the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill depending on ticket availability.
- Colosseum admission is free on the first Sunday of each month; tours are discounted on these days.
- Want an upgrade? Check out these other options: Small-Group Colosseum Tour (12pax)
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 3 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 724 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Audrey_R, Jul 2026
We arrived in Rome on an extremely hot day, and promptly went on this tour. The history of this area is incredible, and our tour guide was great. She was very knowledgeable of the history of the area we toured. It was a pretty strenuous tour, especially in the heat, so keep that in mind. If it's a hot day, bring plenty of water and take electrolyte pills. The two days of our trip that the heat and activities were overwhelming to me were the days we forgot to take our electrolytes. Great tour, so much history in this place!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you, Audrey! We're so glad you enjoyed the tour and your guide's knowledge of the Colosseum and Ancient Rome. We also appreciate your helpful advice for future travelers visiting during the warmer months. Thank you for your kind words, and we hope to welcome you back to Rome soon!
Julie_Z, Jun 2026
We had a great tour with Andy. He was very kind, knowledgeable and extremely kind. It was extremely hot and Andy knew great stops to discuss things in the shade to keep us cool. He also pointed out and stopped at most water bottle refill areas! We loved our tour and Andy was very easy to understand our English tour!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thanks so much! 😊 Glad you had a great experience with Andy and appreciated his care and knowledge throughout the tour 👍
Michael_V, Jun 2026
Very informative and unrushed tour. The guide was knowledgeable and had great insights. Clear meeting instructions.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your lovely review! We're so glad you enjoyed the tour and found it informative and well-paced. It’s great to hear the meeting process was clear and that your guide added valuable insights. We really appreciate your kind words and hope to see you again soon!
Emily_G, Jun 2026
We were looking forward to seeing the colosseum, roman, forum, palatine hill. Our guide did not have a working microphone for the colosseum portion. Once he got a microphone we found the information he was giving to be difficult to understand.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Emily,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re truly sorry to hear that your experience did not fully meet expectations, especially during such an important visit to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.
We understand how frustrating it must have been when the guide’s microphone was not working properly at the start, and that the audio issues made it difficult to follow the commentary even after it was fixed. This is certainly not the level of experience we aim to provide, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Please be assured that we always do our very best to ensure clear communication and a smooth touring experience, and your comments will be shared with our operations team to help prevent situations like this in the future.
We appreciate your feedback and hope we may have the opportunity to offer you a better experience next time.
Nicole_K, Jun 2026
We went on this tour on the 5th of June with husband and two adult children. Getting past the long lines at both the Colesseum and the Forum was very nice.
Our tour guide knew so much about the history and the area and we could have listened to her all day. She managed the group and the crowds spectacularly.
You could easily spend much longer at each location but this tour gave you the highlights and allowed for my family to explore more of Rome in the afternoon. Our guide recommended a great restaurant to relax before heading back out to see the sights.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're so glad you and your family enjoyed the tour and appreciated the guide’s knowledge and recommendations. It’s great to hear you were able to experience the highlights and still have time to explore more of Rome. We really appreciate your kind words and hope to see you again soon!
Sudhir_V, Jun 2026
We had booked and confirmed our Colosseum tour months in advance and had been planning this trip for approximately 8 months. Unfortunately, despite having confirmed tickets through Viator, we were denied entry because Viator failed to communicate our updated schedule to the local operator, Carpe Diem Tours.
We arrived expecting everything to be in order, only to discover that the necessary information had not been passed along. As a result, we missed visiting the Colosseum altogether, which was one of the main highlights of our trip to Rome.
What makes this especially frustrating is that this situation was completely outside of our control. We relied on Viator to coordinate with their tour partner, and that communication breakdown ruined an experience we had been looking forward to for months.
This was a major disappointment for our group, and unfortunately Viator has lost four customers because of it. We will not be booking through Viator again and cannot recommend this service based on our experience.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Sudhir,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, and we are truly sorry for the extremely frustrating experience you and your group had.
We completely understand how disappointing it must have been after planning your trip for so long, especially with the Colosseum being a key highlight of your visit to Rome. Being denied entry due to a communication issue is absolutely not the experience we want for our guests, and we sincerely apologize for the distress and inconvenience this caused.
Please know that we take situations like this very seriously. We always aim to ensure that all booking details and updates are properly coordinated between our platform and local operators, and we regret that this did not happen in your case. Your feedback will be thoroughly reviewed with our operations and partner teams to understand exactly where the breakdown occurred and how we can prevent something similar in the future.
We truly regret that your experience fell so far short of expectations and appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
Meghana_D, May 2026
Horrible......... not sure where I should begin since we never got go on the the tour. The office rescheduled our tickets from 1:30pm to 3pm and then when we went to the meeting spot, the tour guide told us they did not have our names and tried to contact the main office. The main office the got after 15 whole mins just to let us know that our issue has been escalated and they are working on it ..... so while they were "escalating" our issue we missed our Colosseum tour ....... so how are we supposed to be compensated.....????? We did not get to see the Colosseum after coming to Rome inspite of booking so well ahead for no fault of ours !!!!!!!! Very very disappointed
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Meghana,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, and we are truly sorry for the extremely upsetting experience you had.
We completely understand how frustrating and disappointing it must have been, especially after planning in advance and traveling all the way to Rome with the Colosseum as a key highlight of your visit. Missing the tour due to scheduling changes and a mismatch in booking details is absolutely not the experience we want for our guests, and we sincerely apologize for the distress and inconvenience this caused.
Please be assured that we take situations like this very seriously. We always strive to ensure that any schedule updates are properly communicated and reflected with our on-site teams, and we regret that this breakdown occurred in your case. Your feedback will be escalated and reviewed with both our operations and support teams to understand exactly what went wrong and how we can prevent it in the future.
We truly regret that your experience fell so far short of expectations, and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
Kathy_L, May 2026
Great experience! Personalized for the group and a no rush tour. Longer than expected, but in a good way! Much focus on getting the best experience on a crowded venue. Thank you Andrea!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so happy you enjoyed the relaxed pace and personalized experience with Andrea, even in a busy venue. We truly appreciate your kind words! 😊
Chelsea_H, May 2026
We had a wonderful tour guide who set a nice and easy pace. Very knowledgeable and went above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable as a pregnant woman on a 90 degree day!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so happy to hear your guide made the experience comfortable and enjoyable, especially on such a warm day. We truly appreciate your kind words and are glad you enjoyed the tour! 😊
rajtolat, May 2026
Despite some rain, this was an excellent tour. Our guide, Giorgio, was excellent - informative and entertaining!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the tour despite the rain and that Giorgio made the experience so informative and entertaining. We hope to welcome you again soon in Rome!
Sheila_P, May 2026
Very thorough tour of several attractions in and near the colosseum. Our guide was very knowledgeable about every aspect of the tour. There were also many opportunities to capture beautiful pictures throughout the day. Highly recommended.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the tour and found it informative and well-paced. It’s great to hear you had plenty of opportunities to take beautiful photos along the way. We really appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again in Rome!
Jeanette_R, May 2026
Stay close to your guide tour person. Bring your water and pay attention to the historical facts. Lots of walking ware good tennis shoes.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the tour and found the historical information engaging. We also appreciate your helpful tips for future guests about staying close to the guide, bringing water, and wearing comfortable shoes. We hope to welcome you again soon in Rome!
GG_G, May 2026
There was a lot of walking, but frequent stops while our guide gave us the history of the colosseum and Rome.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the tour with Sarah and had such a great experience exploring Barcelona. We hope to welcome you again soon!
Cara_C, May 2026
This was an amazing experience not only is the site unbelievable. Our tour guide Andy was amazing. He was able to impart a lot of information to us. Also helped move us around to get best pics. I would definitely recommend Andreas he was awesome. Very educational tour!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled you had an amazing experience with Andy and enjoyed exploring the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again soon in Rome!
Patricia_S, May 2026
While our tour guide was very kind, and informed, his Italian accent was so thick, we could not understand the majority of what he was saying. His intentions were good, but unfortunately, this interaction completely ruined our tour because we could not understand so much of what he was saying. Viator and Carpe Diem touring company would not issue a partial refund or respond in anyway to our concern. We did request the tour be in English and while it was, again, we couldn't understand him because of his accent. This was a huge disappointment since we will never be here again.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Patricia,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, and we are truly sorry to hear about your experience.
We understand how disappointing it must have been, especially after specifically requesting an English-language tour, to find that the guide’s delivery was still difficult to follow. Even when a guide is speaking English, clarity and ease of understanding are essential, and we regret that this affected your ability to fully enjoy and engage with the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum.
We’re glad to hear the guide was kind and knowledgeable, but we completely understand that this cannot make up for the communication barrier you experienced. Your comments regarding clarity and accessibility will be shared with our operations team for careful review, as this is an important part of delivering a quality experience.
We’re also sorry to hear about your concerns regarding follow-up and refund handling. While policies can sometimes limit adjustments, we understand how frustrating it feels when an issue like this is not resolved to your satisfaction.
We truly regret that your visit was so disappointing and appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
Barbara_R, May 2026
This Guide did not speak English clearly, asking for a refund.
I received zero value from him. Most other folks were also frustrated, including my partner. Do not use.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Barbara,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, and we are truly sorry to hear about your experience.
We completely understand how frustrating it must have been if the guide’s English was not clear enough to follow the explanations, especially during a visit as important as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. This is certainly not the standard we aim to provide, and we sincerely apologize that you and your partner felt you received no value from the tour.
Please be assured that we take concerns about communication very seriously, as clear and engaging storytelling is a key part of the experience. Your comments will be shared with our operations team so this can be properly reviewed and addressed with the guide.
We truly regret that your experience fell short and appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
Lisa_H, May 2026
We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Kopal. She really brought history alive and was so knowledgeable Highly recommend!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the tour with Kopal and that she brought the history to life for you. We truly appreciate the recommendation!
Lynn_S, Apr 2026
Excellent tour. Very professional and knowledgeable guide. She shared a lot of information and used books and photos to show how the ancient city was in its prime. Would definitely recommend.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your excellent review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the tour and appreciated your guide’s professionalism and knowledge. It’s wonderful to hear the use of visuals helped bring ancient Rome to life. We truly appreciate your recommendation!
Leanne_F, Apr 2026
Great tour guide lots of extra information and worth the paying a bit more. Would definitely recommend and a good experience
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re delighted to hear you found the tour worthwhile and enjoyed all the extra information from your guide. We truly appreciate your recommendation and kind words!
Bronwen_L, Apr 2026
Polina was amazing! She was very knowledgeable and made the tour very fun. I would recommend this tour!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a great time with Polina and enjoyed her knowledge and fun approach. We truly appreciate your recommendation!
Kirsten_L, Apr 2026
Francesca was ama ing. She was so knowledgeable and really shared tons of information. She knew her history and explained everything in great detail. She was easy to listen to. Would definitely do this again.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a great experience with Francesca. Her knowledge and storytelling truly make the history come alive. We really appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you again!
Gerardo_B, Apr 2026
The organization could be improved. We lost about 10 minutes at the beginning because the radios weren’t ready for the tour.
That said, the guide was excellent—very knowledgeable and easy to follow, which made the experience enjoyable overall.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Gerardo,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour overall and found the guide knowledgeable and easy to follow.
We’re sorry, however, for the delay at the beginning due to the radios not being ready. We understand how even a short delay can affect the start of the experience and set the tone for the tour, and we regret the inconvenience this caused you.
Please be assured that your comments regarding organization and equipment readiness will be shared with our operations team so we can improve efficiency and avoid similar delays in the future.
We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you again for an even smoother experience next time.
Ricardo_F, Apr 2026
Good knowledge, price decent, wonderful place to visit and huge, but we think that we missed places to go, and stopping to often just to hear the history
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Ricardo,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re glad to hear you found the guide knowledgeable and that you enjoyed visiting such an incredible and historic site.
We’re sorry to hear, however, that the pacing of the tour felt a bit too stop-and-start for your preference, and that you felt you may have missed some areas as a result. We understand how important it is to maintain a good balance between storytelling and actually exploring the monuments, and we regret that this affected your overall experience.
Your comments are very helpful and will be shared with our team so we can review the pacing and flow of the tour to better balance information with time spent moving through the sites.
We appreciate your feedback and hope to have the opportunity to offer you a smoother experience in the future.
Lydia_R, Apr 2026
Our tour was amazing! The guide was wonderful. Made sure to interact with each member of th tour and made sure no one got lost/left behind with the crowds. We even got a nice quick bathroom break which was much needed. He answered everyone's questions and gave a wonderful tour with so much interesting information, it was really one of the best parts of our trip to rome.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your kind review! We're so glad you enjoyed the tour with Kiti and left full and happy. We truly appreciate your feedback!
Claudia_D, Mar 2026
We loved our tour and tour guide, Daniele! He was great! He made sure we were all comfortable and was very knowledgeable. I would recommend to anyone who wants to go to Rome and the the colosseum.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, Claudia! We’re so glad you loved the tour with Daniele and felt well taken care of throughout. 😊
Dorothy_L, Mar 2026
We could not find the guide to start with but they rang us up and directed us to the location, this was helpful. The tour was very informative and just what we wanted.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, Dorothy! We're glad the guide helped you get started and that you found the tour informative and enjoyable. 😊
Daniel_H, Feb 2026
Great small group tour with about 12 people in our group. Tour included about an hour inside the Colosseum then on to the Forum and Palatine Hill. Our guide brought us through security and checkpoints smoothly. Remember to bring passports (or photos of them). Lot of walking, but our guide kept it at a manageable pace. The tour also ends in the middle of the Forum, so you can feel free to explore more afterwards if you choose.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thanks Daniel! Glad you enjoyed the small group tour and the smooth guidance through the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill. 🏛️🚶♂️ Great tips on the passports and exploring afterward!
MARCO_F, Feb 2026
Giorgio was a fantastic guide and extremely knowledgeable. We had a group of 7 in total with four of us coming together. Absolutely perfect size group and a super efficient way to make sure you don’t miss all of the important sites. Would definitely recommend. Very professional communication and follow up from Emma as well.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thanks Marco! Glad you enjoyed the small group tour and Giorgio’s knowledge. 🏛️ Hope to see you again in Rome soon!
Shirley_H, Jan 2026
Wear good shoes a lot of up and down steps, guide Andy was great lot of good info around the area for food after the tour.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you, Shirley! We’re glad you enjoyed the tour with Andy and found his tips helpful. Thanks for the great advice on wearing good shoes! 😊
Sarah_G, Jan 2026
We really enjoyed our walking tour with Yousef. He explained everything in an easy to understand way, and really brought the sites to life. We all enjoyed the tour and learned a lot.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you, Sarah! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the walking tour with Yousef—bringing the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum to life and making it easy to understand makes for a memorable experience!
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