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 on this group tour that grants you access to restricted areas. Stand where gladiators once fought and hear stories of Rome's ruthless games and battles as you walk onto the arena floor. Then explore the Colosseum's first and second levels with your guide before ending with a visit to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum.
- Choose from a range of packages to suit your needs
- Gain access to areas that are often restricted to the public
- Learn about the gladiators and the battles they fought from your guide
- Upgrade to a private tour for a more personalized experience
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
Gain special access to the Arena Floor through the Gladiator’s Gate, something most travelers miss out on.
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
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 3 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 4,148 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Catherine_H, Sep 2026
There is no “gladiator’s gate”
You will enter at regular gate with other guests. The description of this tour is misleading. The guide, Francesca, was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information. The tour was really good, but we were expecting a unique perspective from the gladiator’s gate.
Erica_J, Sep 2026
Our guide, Stephan, was exceptional! His knowledge of multicultural history really tied everything together and helped us understand the full history of Rome and the things we were seeing and experiencing. Our small group tour wound up being our 3 plus one other couple which made it feel very intimate. We really enjoyed this tour!
michael_r, Sep 2026
Absolutely must do tour when in Rome. The tour guide was exceptionally good, offering loads of information
Trista_G, Sep 2026
Gladiator’s Gate: Special Access Colosseum Tour with Arena Floor was booked ….. however we were told we didn’t actually get the special access to the arena floor! Complete false advertising! We went on this specifically to see the Gladiators Gate access. When we called immediately after to try and get the issue sorted, they effectively said the title has nothing to do with what was booked?! The third line item or what is “included” on the tour: special access to colosseum floor. Wildly confusing and such a shame !!
John_F, Sep 2026
We went to the colloseum, Palatine Hill and the forum. It was amazing and Valeria did an amazing job!!
Nicole_W, Sep 2026
Fantastic tour! Frederica was very knowledgeable & passionate. The trip was in very hot weather & Frederica was very considerate in her stops in the shade & breezeway areas. We had lots of laughs & all thoroughly enjoyed this experience. We would highly recommend this excursion.
michele_k, Aug 2026
Eddy was a wonderful tour guide. He was extremely knowledgeable about the Colosseum and the Roman forums. Eddy was on time, kept the tour entertaining and made sure we took breaks to grab water due to extreme heat.
Jarrett_H, Aug 2026
Our guide was great, knowledgeable and funny. So much information and great tips for your free time after the tours ends inside
Elise_S, Aug 2026
This was a good tour to do for our first visit to Rome , our guide navigated the crowds got us to where we needed to be and kept us in the shade as much as possible, pointed out hydration stops and reminded us how important it is to keep hydrated in the heat. Only confusing part was the meeting spot and the colours to look out for was different to all the messages sent. We were told they had re branded, just need to update that information going to customers to avoid confusion.
Stacy_W, Aug 2026
We got rebooked on a different tour title ‘Premium Colosseum’ tour on the same day because the tour company couldn’t get tickets with floor access. This was a bummer - we felt like we paid for ‘special access’ but just got normal access without any refund. Our tour guide Sara was excellent - her knowledge of the three areas we visited was incredible. There was a lot of walking up/down stairs and up to Palentine Hill with the tour we ended up doing.
Carla_H, Aug 2026
Our guide was very knowledgeable and made it a great experience. We would highly recommend this excursion.
ANTHONY_M, Aug 2026
Well worth it. Strenuous walk through the sites but guide took it #teady with plenty of breaks and was supra knowledgeable
Ryan_S, Aug 2026
Anna gave a knowledgeable tour. The gladiator’s gate gave us access to the coliseum floor as well. We also did palatine hill and Roman forum. It was a nice tour that covered a lot of the must see history.
Otis_G, Jul 2026
Be prepared to be on your feet, walking in the sun 🌞 for 3 hours. Wear comfortable shoes. Bring a water bottle.
Shawn_V, Jul 2026
The tour we booked was changed by the tour company and the rescheduled tour had a different time, and was not the same tour that we purchased and paid for in advance. It was very disappointing because the replacement tour did not include the gladiator level access. When this was brought to the attention of Viator, they declined our request for a refund. As Viator charges a premium for the tour service, we expected a better and different response.
Paolo_L, Jul 2026
It would have been preferable if we had actually participated in the tour I paid for. We arrived at our designated meeting point around 1:35 PM only to discover that the Gladiatour tour we had scheduled was completely replaced with a different tour. Consequently, we did not receive the experience we had reserved and paid for several weeks in advance. I am unsure whom I should contact regarding this issue or how to proceed with obtaining a full refund. We were extremely disappointed and expect thorough acknowledgment and resolution of this matter.
PAIGE_D, Jul 2026
No arena floor which we extra for. We spent little time in the actual stadium. Not very interesting.
Andrea_R, Jul 2026
Valentina was a wonderful tour guide! She was knowledgable and told stories that were very engaging and helped us to understand the situation at the time. We had slower party members and she took time to let them keep up. She took into account the temperature and helped us into the shade when possible. I see a lot of notes that people didn’t get what they paid for, but there’s a lot of options when you book so you have to be careful what you pick. I’d recommend Valentina for any tour, she’s clearly knowledgable, a good teacher, and very proud of her home!
Dorothy_C, Jul 2026
DO NOT DO NOT BOOK THIS TOUR! This did NOT go to the floor of the Coliseum. It was just a general tour of the area. We paid almost $300 to see the floor. Viator lied and refused to give us a refund.
Kristen_V, Jul 2026
Lucia was absolutely amazing! I can't believe how much knowledge she has! Her stories are wonderful and it made the tour memorable and personable!
Carolyn_M, Jul 2026
Spent the morning on this tour with my family. Antonio was our guide. Very knowledgeable and informative. So much history!. We really enjoyed it.
Sarah_D, Jul 2026
Super well educated tour guide. He was amazing; felt like I was attending an excellent college lecture
Michael_C, Jul 2026
Tour guide barely spent any time at the Coliseum. We only got to see about 5 things the whole entire 3 hour tour. She stopped and talked for about 40 minutes at each location. Felt like we were in school. Asking questions and if we didn’t know the answers she would yell pay attention. Very unprofessional and not enjoyable. Will not be using this service again.
Kenneth_R, Jul 2026
Excellent experience. Got an excellent guided tour of the forum then the colosseum. My wife and I said that doing these tours without the guide (who was excellent by the way, and very knowledgeable ) was a complete waste of time, do the tour. It does get very hot at some time of the day so take plenty of water and a hat. Another little fact. We’ve seen other comments about the tour who don’t give a good start rating, basically due to not being able to find the start point. The start point ISN’T at the colosseum itself, you go across the road, up the stairs and round to the start point on the bottom of the hill (just outside a cafe). Do a pre tour look to find the start point. Do the tour, well worth it.
James_H, Jul 2026
Our guide was knowledgeable. Many interesting facts shared. Must see it all to have a complete appreciation.
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
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