Gladiator’s Gate: Special Access Colosseum Tour with Arena Floor
Recommended by 92% of travelers
Rome, Italy
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Walk in the footsteps of ancient gladiators with a group or private tour. Stand where gladiators once fought and hear stories of Rome's ruthless games and battles, then explore the Colosseum's first and second levels with your guide. Finish with a visit to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum to complete your journey through ancient Rome.
- Choose from a range of packages to suit your needs
- Colosseum tickets are included for added value
- Learn about the gladiators and the battles they fought from your guide
- Choose between private and group options
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
Gain special access to the arena floor through the Gladiator’s Gate, with a guide to provide insights.
What's Included
- Colosseum entrance ticket (Full Experience Ticket €24)
- Gladiator’s Gate tour option : Special access to Colosseum Arena Floor
- Ticket for Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
- Colosseum & SUPER Sites option: Access to Roman Forum SUPER Sites
- Small group of 16 guests maximum
- Local English-speaking guide
- Headset (groups over 6 people)
- Note: Colosseum fees are as above. The remaining cost of the experience covers other services
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Via delle Terme di Tito, 72, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
This tour meets at Via delle Terme di Tito, 72 (Oppio Caffè). Meet directly across the street from Oppio Caffè at the gated entrance to Colle Oppio Park. Meet your guide at the entrance of Colle Oppio Park on the corner of Via di Terme di Tito and Via Nicola Salvi.
End point
- Foro Romano, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Colosseum/Roman Forum
Itinerary
Meet your guide and group on Via delle Terme di Tito steps from the entrance to the Colosseum.
Enter the arena floor—an area not usually accessible to the public—through a gate once reserved for gladiators and learn about the harrowing games and battles the Colosseum hosted centuries ago.
After the arena, head to the first and second levels to see where the Roman crowds once sat and gaze out over the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill—your next stop.
Leave the Colosseum and walk to Palatine Hill as you hear tales of imperial-era Rome. Explore the area and hear your guide regale the group with stories of war, politics, and betrayal, and get introduced to some of the ancient world's larger-than-life characters.
Finish your tour near the Roman Forum.
NOTE: New rules decree that only small backpacks and regular-sized handbags are allowed inside the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. All guests must now pass through a security check, and those with large bags may not enter (there aren't any storage facilities).
Enter the arena floor—an area not usually accessible to the public—through a gate once reserved for gladiators and learn about the harrowing games and battles the Colosseum hosted centuries ago.
After the arena, head to the first and second levels to see where the Roman crowds once sat and gaze out over the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill—your next stop.
Leave the Colosseum and walk to Palatine Hill as you hear tales of imperial-era Rome. Explore the area and hear your guide regale the group with stories of war, politics, and betrayal, and get introduced to some of the ancient world's larger-than-life characters.
Finish your tour near the Roman Forum.
NOTE: New rules decree that only small backpacks and regular-sized handbags are allowed inside the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. All guests must now pass through a security check, and those with large bags may not enter (there aren't any storage facilities).
1
Colosseum
1 hour 35 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Roman Forum
40 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
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Unfortunately due to the nature of this tour it is not suitable for guests with mobility impairments or with wheelchairs, or strollers.
- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
- The full names of all participants must be provided at the time of booking and match the names on their ID. The Colosseum requires all guests (including children) to present government ID at the time of entry. Therefore any guest that does not submit their name in advance of the tour, or who does not bring their ID to the meeting point, will be refused participation without refund. Name corrections are possible up to 7 days before the visit. After this, changes may not be possible.
- The Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill may close occasionally. We'll notify you of any changes in advance if possible. For last-minute closures, updates will be given at the start of the tour.
- Walks is an Official Parco Archeologico del Colosseo Operator approved to lead guided tours of the Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill.
- Please note: This tour offers multiple options. Take a moment to choose the one that best suits your interests.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
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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 4,121 reviews
Rebecca_W, Jul 2026
This tour was extremely organized and thorough. The meeting point is well established, the guide was extremely knowledgeable and was able to get us through the lines quickly.
Patrick_O, Jun 2026
Very disappointed by this tour. We did not go down to the Gladiator’s entrance- it was a standard tour that we’ve done before. It was misrepresented and over priced.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Dear Patrick,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're very sorry to hear that the tour did not meet your expectations.
This certainly doesn't sound like the experience we aim to provide, and we'd appreciate the opportunity to investigate your comments further. Please could you email us at feedback@walks.org with your booking reference? We'll review exactly what took place with our local team and follow up with you directly.
We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and hope to hear from you soon.
Kind regards,
Samantha
Walks & Devour Tours
Sarah_G, Jun 2026
So informative and our tour guide Francesco was amazing!
Wear good shows and a bring a water bottle!
Cheryl_K, Jun 2026
We had an amazing guide named Marco who
was not only an expert on the sites but also had a great sense of humor! Extremely enjoyable experience listening to the stories of the beautiful historic & iconic Rome. Loved it even though the temps were in the 90’s!
Clare_T, Jun 2026
Great tour. No waiting in long lines to get in. Knowledgeable tour guide so you can truly know how the colosseum worked back in the day
Ryan_C, Jun 2026
Viator failed to explain meetup instructions properly. Specifically this was my first tour using Viator, not knowing they outsource to other tour providers. They marked the meeting location, where we were in time looking for Viator tour group. We asked around, other people and tour guides in the area. We missed the tour and not provided a refund when showing how Viator did not provide clear instructions.
Skip booking with Viator, use Walks and the Tour guy.
Thomas_B, Jun 2026
Very disappointed with this tour. The tour was to include special access to the arena floor and 1st and 2nd floors, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. We toured the 1st and 2nd floors but did not get on the arena floor. The tour of Augusta’s house on Palatine Hill was nice, but way too long. We didn’t tour any of the Roman Forum because the guide said the tour was over and it was almost closing time. We didn’t feel like we got the tour described in the Viator booking.
Carl_V, Jun 2026
The meet up is chaotic and confusing… they are not really helpful. But the guide Eddy was awesome and really made the tour fun. Where comfortable shoes and be ready to walk.
Evan_B, Jun 2026
Lucia was great and the tour was quick without being rushed. Perfect length with kids before they start to lose attention.
SUSAN_C, Jun 2026
Amazing experience however 1 member of our group had an incorrect surname on their ticket and caused a half hour delay for everyone else she was not allowed in but did purchase another ticket outside and joined us later the knock on effect was inevitable
Susan_H, Jun 2026
We had the best tour guide, gave us a lot of Roman history, very easy to ask questions and get responses, looked after us very well
Frances_W, Jun 2026
The tour was good. The guide was knowledgeable. There was no access to gladiator floor. That part was disappointing.
Jayce_H, Jun 2026
This was an incredible experience. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable about the history of the colosseum and house of Augustus. He was very welcoming and enthusiastic. You can tell he loves what he does. Highly recommend this tour!!
YVETTE_G, Jun 2026
This is a must if in Rome! Whether you choose to visit and do a more in-depth tour of the underground, or choose this tour of the inside, the history and stories that our guide shared were excellent. Don't just view the Colosseum from the outside, being inside is crucial to understanding the history of this amazing place. I can't imagine touring the Colosseum without the vast knowledge our tour guide had.
Maryann_B, May 2026
Our guide Amber was fantastic. As an archeologist Amber knew so much about the Colosseum and Palatine Hill - we were truly amazed throughout the whole tour. This was our second time visiting the Colosseum using this tour company. Our first experience was equally as good. Thanks Amber for a memorable day.
lsid, May 2026
The tour was great! Viator was awful. Got 2 confirmations that our time was 8:30am so missed our free breakfast at the hotel and had to kill 2 hours until our real time. Book directly with Walks. Got 2 different start times, one from the tour company but Viator kept sending emails it was 8am and we were afraid to miss our tour. Of course it was really at 10:45am like Walks said.
Stefan_L, May 2026
Sara was a great guide. Very informative and easy pace. Definitely get more with a helpful guide. You have time when it’s over to wander the forum if you choose too. Ear communication sound was good but they were falling off everyone.
Paul_P, May 2026
This was an amazing experience with an expert in Roman, Gladiator and Colosseum History. I took a tour with my family and this event was the highlight of our visit to Rome, Italy. Niccolò Arcangeli clearly loves his work and it shows. I would recommend this tour to any one interested visiting the Colosseum with a subject expert.
Brittany_R, May 2026
Absolutely worth it. Laura was an amazing, friendly, and highly knowledgeable guide. I’d love to do other tours with her!
Mary_J, May 2026
We enjoyed the tour. Our guide was very informative. He provided a great deal of information. It was very long and more difficult than we expected given the stairs to and from the areas. We also struggled with who the tour was with and where to find them as there were several companies in a small area.
Response from Host, May 2026
Dear Mary,
Thank you for reaching out and sharing your experience with us. I’m truly sorry to hear that your tour didn’t meet your expectations—this isn’t the standard of quality we strive to deliver, and I can understand your disappointment.
I’ve noted your comments about the tour being long and difficult and will be addressing this with our operations team and guide to ensure we learn from your experience and improve moving forward.
While I’m unable to offer a refund for your booking, please rest assured that your feedback is incredibly valuable to us. We’re committed to delivering the best possible tours, and your insights play a key role in helping us refine our offerings.
If there’s anything else I can assist you with or additional details you’d like to share, I’d be happy to help. Thank you again for letting us know about this.
Kind regards,
Take Walks Team
Benjamin_C, May 2026
This was a great tour that I highly recommend you do on your first day in Roma. You see it all, and it goes at a great pace and shows you some in depth spots that many miss. High recommend.
Carol_O, May 2026
Amazing experience & our guide was so very helpful & knowledgeable. You really cant experience something on this scale without a guide.
Learnt so much from her, got to experience so much more than if you just went by yourself.
A truly amazing experience
Linda_L, May 2026
It would have been helpful if Viator had put the tour operator info in our booking detail. Without that it made our ability to locate our guide and his team a bit challenging. But we did connect.
We had a very Detailed overview of coliseum from perspective of arena floor. Learned lots of history of the culture at the time of this magnificent facility. Our guide was a historian so he had great information to share. After the coliseum we walked to the entrance of the forum where we got a short introduction before he left us (group of 6) to explore on our own. The experience was supposed to be 3 hrs but was closer to 2.5.
Kathleen_M, May 2026
Wow! The tour was amazing as was our guide Amber. She was extremely knowledgeable, charming and patient.
We would recommend her to friends planning a trip to Rome.
NICOLA_G, May 2026
This was such a great tour and Kylie our guide was so incredibly knowledgable. Despite the biblical rain that decided to arrive halfway round the tour, Kylie handled this with grace and humour and despite us all being soaking wet, she kept spirits high. I can’t recommend enough that going somewhere like this, you need a guide - there’s so much you can’t comprehend or understand without their expert knowledge. Loved it!
Andrea_M, May 2026
Tour was very well organised and easy to find meeting point. Eddy was super knowledgeable and very passionate about his craft and Rome, we learnt a lot
Dawn_C, May 2026
Absolute diabolical service from Viatour. We arrived at the meeting point. It was a restaurant. Didn't see a guide. We ran around for 2 hours. We missed the tour because we didn't get the correct information
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Dawn,
We are sorry to hear that you were unable to join your tour. We understand how frustrating it is to miss a scheduled event, especially one involving a site as significant as the Colosseum.
Our meeting instructions are provided to ensure all guests can arrive at the designated location in time for the scheduled departure. Because these tours operate on a strict timeframe to meet entry requirements, we are unable to delay the start for late arrivals or provide a guide once the group has moved into the site.
While we recognize this was a disappointing outcome to your day in Rome, we must adhere to our check-in policies to ensure the experience remains on schedule for all participants.
Kind Regards,
Gerard
PHILIP_H, May 2026
The guide provided a lot of historical details during long stops on the tour. However while walking there was little time to see and take pictures of the many interesting ancient structures. On one occasion the guide did not know we had been left behind and we had to negotiate our own way through the Forum security. We would have preferred shorter stops with a little less information and a slower walk between the stops.
Donna_P, May 2026
Our tour guide Lily was outstanding! My only regret was that we did not do this tour on day 1 in Rome. The history, culture and geography put everything else in Rome in perspective. Lily's descriptions and analogies really brought the Colosseum to life.
Stephen_J, May 2026
This is a busy busy place but with headset and very knowledgeable guide who negotiated the people with expertise it was a stunning introduction to the greatness of the Roman Coliseum
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