Small Group Tour of Colosseum and Ancient Rome
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Rome, Italy
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Skip the large tour group, and see Ancient Rome and the Colosseum with a small group that’s capped at just 15 people (children not included in the cap). With a guide always in close proximity, you’ll catch all the anecdotes and curiosities that make the history of Rome come alive. The tour includes entry to the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and of course, the Colosseum where you’ll walk in the footsteps of the gladiators.
- Hear tales of the gladiators, emperors, and senators of Ancient Rome
- Enjoy a more personal tour with the opportunity to ask more questions
- Get tips for the most impressive photo points at the Rome Colosseum
- Avoid feeling overlooked as you explore in a small group of just 15 people
What's Included
- Entry to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
- Expert Certified Guide
- Headsets for groups when appropriate
- Colosseum entrance ticket (valued at €18 per person)
- Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2 per person)
- Please note: Colosseum fees as above. The remaining cost of the experience covers other services.
- Transport to/from meeting point.
- Food and Drink
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Via dei SS. Quattro, 81, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Meet at the Roman Vacations office on Via dei Santi Quattro, 81 Roma RM 00184.. Look for the orange Roman Vacations sign with the lion head on it.
End point
- Arch of ConstantineP.za del Colosseo, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Ticket Redemption Point
Roman Vacations, Via dei SS. Quattro, 81, 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
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- 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.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 7 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 117 reviews
Ciria_O, Jul 2025
Our family (teen boys included) thoroughly enjoyed our tour today! Mircea was very engaging and had so much valuable history to share with us! He certainly piqued our interest in learning more on Roman History! Thank you Mircea for sharing so much of your knowledge with us!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Ciao Ciria! Many thanks for your kind words.
We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with Mircea. He is hands down the best guide in the city. He loves what he does and his passion for history and Rome really comes out in his tours.
We hope to see you back again soon.
Safe travels!
Thomas_N, Apr 2025
Fantastic tour. The guide (Marchello) was extremely knowledgeable and very perdonable. The Roman sights are incredible.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Ciao Thomas! We are so happy to hear back from you these nice words! We always do our best to give you amazing memories in Rome. Thank you very much for your feedback. Safe travels!
Lisa_F, Jan 2025
It was excellent! Highly recommend. Marcello the tour guide was terrific.
My whole family enjoyed. Now we can see why it is one of the seven wonders of the world.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Ciao Lisa! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with Marcello. He is a fantastic guide, who truly cares that those on tour with him are enjoying themselves. He is an absoloute sweetheart and we love working with him.
We hope to see you guys again soon in Rome.
Safe travels!
Victoria_W, Jan 2025
Dimitri was very knowledgeable about the colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum. He was friendly and helpful.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Ciao Victoria! Many thanks for your kind words. Dimitri is a great guide, and is also incledibly caring and friendly. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with him.
We hope to see you guys again soon.
Safe travels!
Stephen_R, Sep 2024
The whole experience was good but very tiring as it was none stop for 3 hours and it was really hard work trying to keep up the pace with the tour guide. Although he knew the history of the place he spoke that fast just couldn't absorb the information that he was giving
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Ciao Stephen! We do the 3 hour tours as there is just so much information to go over, and, unfortunately the Colosseum sets entrance times which we must meet whilst also covering all 3 areas of the archaeological park.
As it is a group tour, we cannot miss any of the entrance times as it might be peoples only opportunity of visiting these places.
However, we will speak with the guide regarding the pace he is speaking at and to see if he can make it more palatable.
Many thanks and we hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Rome.
Safe tavels!
Georgette_E, Apr 2024
The whole concept of the age and the pulling apart to reuse elsewhere is saddening. Such an amazing structure for anytime much less the time it was built without machinery. Would like to see some colour put back in the restoration as described by our guide.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Ciao! It is quite saddening, but also massively impressive that the structure is still standing after all this time. We are very glad you enjoyed the tour and we hope to see again. Safe travels!
Jennifer_C, Apr 2024
Wonderful experience. Richard was a wonderful guide with a lot of interesting details. The history was amazing and the description was super informative.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you so much for your kind review Jennifer! Glad you enjoyed the tour with Rich. Safe travels!
Brian_M, Apr 2024
Fantastic guide… provided a very interesting review of Ancient Rome and the life of its people. The colosseum and the forum were fabulous!! Cannot recommend this tour enough!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Ciao Brian! Thank you for your review! We are so glad that you liked the tour. Safe travels!
Sharon_B, Apr 2024
Unfortunately there seemed to be lots of confusion and chaos getting into the Colosseum which took ages, not necessarily the fault of the tour guide but he got very angry about the whole situation but the whole tour was horribly rushed, feeling like you couldn't even stop to take photos without rushing to keep up with the guide. The information provided was delivered in such a way that it was impossible to follow, too much detailed information, not enough basic explanation of the building and its' history so that what information was given, was just impossible to understand and follow except a few bits here and there. We couldn't visit the gift shop as we were in such a rush and once in the Forum, again the information provided was just not interesting, rushed, too many names and not making much sense and we again could not visit parts we wanted to. It was so poor, we went back and stood for over an hour to buy individual tickets for the Collosseum the next day for less than half the price and went round it just reading the information boards and found out so much more and saw so much more (being able to get out onto the stage, go round the exhibition area - none of which we were taken to on the tour). It was a thoroughly disappointing tour that we had to go back and do it ourselves learning and seeing so much more that way.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Hello Sharon,
We are very sorry that the tour did not live up to your expectations. We always thrive for a 5 star experience and sadly not all
personalities mesh between guides and clients.
In the Easter period due to Colosseum being more crowded and tours having a certain entry time that might be the reason you felt like it was rushed.
Nevertheless we are sorry that you felt this way and we hope that you have an excellent
remainder of your holiday in Rome.
Christine_R, Apr 2024
Guide was very knowledgeable and interesting! Kept the group together very well. Provided opportunities to ask questions. Kept us entertained while waiting in line. Mike the guide was fantastic- 10 out 10 would recommend!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you so much for your kind words! We are so happy that you enjoyed the tour!
Thomas_S, Mar 2024
The small group tour led by Mircea was amazing. He was knowledgeable, funny and a great storyteller about the history of the Colosseum and Paletine Hill. The size of the group tour (9 people) was perfect, it was so personal and it looked like our group had a better time than most of the others tour groups we saw! Flawless service by Roman Vacations all round.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Ciao Thomas! Thank you so much for your kind words. We are so happy we were able to provide you with such an enjoyable tour, it is what we strive for. Mircea is an awesome guide and we are so glad you enjoyed his tour. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Rome. Safe travels!
Andrea_C, Nov 2023
The guide was enthusiastic about the architecture but wasn’t great at telling any stories or bringing anything to life. It was like a lot of facts just being told to us. It’s like he had an agenda he had to get through. The details were incessant and overwhelming. I think I would have been better off just reading placards. I wouldn’t do this again.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Ciao Andrea! We are very sorry that the tour did not live up to your expectations. Sadly not all
personalities mesh between guides and clients. We hope that you have an excellent
remainder of your holiday in Rome.
Edan_C, Nov 2023
My tour guide (a Romanian guy whose name I forgot) was extremely knowledgeable on many fronts and spoke impeccable English. Though not as quickly as with a group, I could have visited everywhere we went as a solo tourist, but having so much context was amazing!
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Thank you for the review Edan, we are glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour!
Barbara_M, Nov 2023
Very crowded, but the guide was good at maneuvering us and providing information. She was cognizant of some members of the group who had mobility issues.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Ciao Barbara! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review. Your guide, another Barbara, is fantastic and we are so glad you enojyed the tour with her. We hope to see you again in Rome. Safe travels!
coventry_a, Nov 2023
Great time. The tour was long, lots of walking but we saw so much. Barbara was very knowledgeable about each of the places we stopped.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Ciao Coventry! Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. Barb is a wonderful guide who has an amazing knowledge. We are so glad you enojoyed the tour with her. We hope to see you again in Rome. Safe travels!
Cindy_A, Nov 2023
The tour experience was overall very good. Check in at the start was efficient and friendly. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable and shared interesting history along the entire route of our tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Ciao Cindy! Many thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We are glad that everything went well and that you enjoyed the tour and expereince with us. We hope to see you again in Rome. Safe travels!
Antonia_F, Nov 2023
What an awesome tour guide! Rich is very knowledgeable of the history of the place, very thorough and very attentive to the group (small group). We gained more knowledge of the Roman history and a big plus meeting tour friends from Cali and Sarasota! Thanks Rich for the awesome info and good tour of the ancient history👍!
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Ciao Antonia! Thank you so much for your kind words. Rich is indeed a brilliant guide, his knowledge and attention to the group is awesome. And he's a great guy too. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with him. We hope to see you again in Rome. Safe travels!
Jack_T, Nov 2023
We thoroughly enjoyed the Ancient Rome and Colusseum tour presented by our guide Arturo. His explanation of Ancient Rome times, the culture of the people, and practices of the governing bodies showed his indepth research, knowledge and understanding of the Roman Empire. The Colosseum tour, the explanation of its construction, and the events presented at the ancient stadium were excellent. Without question our guide Arturo is in a class by himself. He made our tour an enjoyable and memorable experience!!
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Ciao Jack! Thank you so much for your kind words. Arturo is indeed in a class himself. He is an awesome guide and an absoloute sweetheart to boot! We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with him. We hope the rest of your time in Rome was as enjoyable. We hope to see you again soon. Safe travels!
Violina_P, Nov 2023
The tour was incredible!
It was well-organized, and our guide was not only knowledgeable but also incredibly passionate about the history of the Colosseum.
The guide, with his vast knowledge, a little humor and personal touch truly managed to get us back in old roman times.
Totally recommend!
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Ciao Violina! Thank you so much for your kind words. We strive to leave customers feeling the way you do. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with Arturo, he's an amazing guide. We hope to see you back in Rome some time soon. Safe travels!
Dana_G, Nov 2023
Our guide was excellent- very cheerful personality and very knowledgeable about the sites we visited. Our time together went very fast. I would book him again!
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Ciao Dana! Thank you for your kind words. The guide you had, Arturo, is awesome! He's such a sweetheart and gives an entertaining and interesiting tour. We love working with him. SO glad you enjoyed the tour with him and we hope to see you again when you're next in Rome. Safe travels!
DJ_D, Nov 2023
Booked a short notice and didn't regret it. Knowledgeable guide who bought the tour to life and reacted with the tour members. He didn't just read from a script. Note the tour is "at pace" due to the vast amount to see, so wont be suitable for all, especially as the paths at the forum are obviously a bit old!!! There are often other tours competing to get to the same views and indeed in October its appeared that the skip the line queue was longer than the actual just turn up queue. We booked a small number queue and there were 16 participants. I wouldn't want to be on a tour with more. The meeting point/office is close to The Colosseum and the lady in the office was very helpful. Take a water bottle and good walking shoes - don't go for a big sightseeing walk beforehand! Do recommend this tour and Antonello as a guide.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Thank you for the kind review, we are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your colosseum tour with Antonello!
teresa_g, Oct 2023
The tour and tour guide were fantastic ! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Our tour guide Arturo was very knowledgeable, pleasant and funny. Im only giving it a 4 star, because the meeting places are not easy to find for a tourist. (The maps are not very helpful and neither are google maps)
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Ciao Teresa! Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm sorry you found our office hard to find, we are as close to the Colosseum as we can possible be, and are glad you managed to figure out where we were in the end.
Arturo is a total sweetheart, and a awesome guide to boot! We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with him. We hope to see you again in Rome. Safe travels!
Ola_P, Oct 2023
The tour guide was knowledgeable and patient with the group. The tour company and starting point, however, need some refinement. It started out in a garbage filled side street where our audio packs were actually distributed behind a row of garbage bins that were leaking into the streets and dog feces all over the street. Many tour participants walked through it so the first half of the tour smelled like dog poo. It was also not a small group. 8-10 people was actually 25 +
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Ciao Ola! Thank you for getting in touch. With regards to the meeting point location, it is not a side street, it is actually a main street in Rome. As for the garbage bins, we appreciate that it is not the most ideal location, but as we explained at check in, we used to gather you in a different location and due to the building works comandeering the location, we have to be fluid with it to try and appease the neighbours also. We apologise for the garbage, but this is a city wide issue, as I'm sure you notcied going around Rome, and not one we can control.
We also apologise for the size of the group, we had to slightly increse the number of participants (by 5) due to the Colosseum changing their ticketing policies and leaving us hanging. We strive to have no more than 15 adults in our small tours and we again apologise for the size of your group. We hope you enjoyed your time in Rome
Donald_V, Oct 2023
Our guide never showed. We were supposed to receive a refund but haven’t seen it on my card yet. To their credit, they let us have the tickets so we were able to get in.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Ciao Donald! Yes, it was incredibly dissaponting that the guide never showed up and still hasn't gotten back to us as to why. We apologize for this. With regards to your refund, we requested it to be refunded to you. If there is a delay, then that is with Trip Advisor as they are the ones who collect and hold your monies. Please contact their customer services to find out what is happening with your refund as we received confirmation from them that they would process it.
Again, we apologise for the guide not showing up, but hope you still managed to enjoy the Colosseum, and Rome, as a whole.
Vicki_M, Oct 2023
Best tour guide we have ever had. What a fabulous tour. So much knowledge! Never knew learning history would be so enjoyable!
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Ciao Vicki! Thank you so much for your kind words. Your guide, Arturo, is indeed one of the best. His knowledge is amazing and he's a total sweetheart into the bargain. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with him. We hope to see you again in Rome soon. Safe travels!
Matthias_P, Oct 2023
Arturo was an outstanding tour guide that enriched the tour with many historic details and stories and made it an entertaining experience. Suitable also for families. Very well organized tour.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thank you so much! We're so happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour!
Susan_W, Oct 2023
Great tour!! Rich our tour guide was very informative. He knows his history and told our group so much interesting and valuable info. Since he's an American living in Rome he was the perfect tour guide for us since we could understand everything he said Lol.. My husband and I were so happy we picked Roman Vacations for this tour and that we had Rich for our guide!! I highly recommend using this company for any of their tours!! Their office staff is very helpful and friendly, too!!
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Ciao Susan! Rich is indeed a brilliant guide. We love having him with us as he gives great tours and is a pleasure to work with. We are so very glad you enjoyed the tour with him. We hope to see you again in Rome. Safe travels!
MatthewJai_D, Oct 2023
Extremely knowledgeable guide (rich) tour was amazing. Be ready to walk. Guide gives history of ancient and modern day Rome
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thank you Matthew, so happy to hear that you enjoyed the Colosseum with Rich!
Max_H, Oct 2023
Standing in the Forum and the Coliseum and reflecting on history, imagining life 2000 years ago- while listening to Rich, our guide, fill in the religious, political and historical details.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Ciao Max! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with Rich. he is a wondeful guide and one we are lucky to have with us. We hope the rest of your time in Rome was as enjoyable. Safe travels!
Samantha_M, Oct 2023
The tour covered a lot of information and helped to not feel like you were having to miss out on anything. The tour guide was very well informed and explained everything concisely and easily to grasp. He included the best spots for pictures and was able to provide a lot of information and sites without feeling rushed. Loved the water breaks along the way to stay cool
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Ciao Samantha! Thank you so much for your kinds words. Your guide, Rich, is fantastic. His vast knowledge and experience really help to deliver a wonderful tour. We are so glad your got to experience it with him. We hope to see you again in Rome. Safe travels!
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