Undergrounds Areas Colosseum and Roman Forum Small Group Tour

Rome, Italy

3 hours (approx.)
Offered in: English

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Overview

Accessing the Colosseum’s different levels can be difficult to organize on your own. This small-group tour offers skip-the-line entry and a more in-depth experience, taking you through the Colosseum Underground, Arena floor, and upper tiers. Continue to the Roman Forum and the Tomb of Julius Caesar, then explore Palatine Hill with your guide.

Check off three of Rome's top attractions in just one tour
Skip the long lines with priority entry to the Colosseum
Hear insider facts and stories from your guide's commentary
Explore areas of the Colosseum that are usually off-limits

What's Included

Entrance to the Colosseum with Arena and Undergrounds (valued at €24 per person)
Entrance to Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
In person tour guide
Headsets
Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2.88 per person)

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Santi Cosma e Damiano
Via 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. Please arrive 15 minutes early—late arrivals cannot join the tour.

End point

Piazza del Colosseo
P.za del Colosseo, 00184 Roma RM, Italy

Itinerary

Colosseum

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Roman Forum

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Palatine Hill

45 minutes • 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 the tour 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 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
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 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

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.6

based on 32 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

we got switched to a different (no underground areas) tour, but alternate tour was good

Rhett_F, Mar 2024

I can't recommend this operator for underground areas tour as we didn't get to do that tour, but I also can't complain too much. I took a chance and booked last minute and they changed us on to a regular tour even more last minute. While that was disappointing, I am happy we stayed on the regular tour without underground - perhaps booking/switching process was a bit sketchy, but the tour we received (without underground) was good, they kept our original schedule the same, and Francesca was a very very good guide. It was a small communications hassle later with getting the booked price we paid adjusted to correct price for the tour we received (via a partial refund process), but Viator resolved everything quickly without any issues.

Disorganized but good tour

Carlos_P, Sep 2023

My experience was very disorganized. I made reservations for a 3pm tour to receive a message 2 days prior to be at the meeting spot at 10:45 am? I got there at 10:45am and they didn’t have my reservation and told me they can put me in for 1pm tour. We had to wait at a restaurant across the street for 2 hours for a 1pm tour (I would have rather been catching up on some much needed rest in my hotel) After the 1pm colosseum tour we were told to meet back at the spot for a 3:30 tour to finish the rest of the Palatine Hill & Roman forum. Came back at 3:30 and once again schedule was all out of wack and they wanted us to come back even later for the rest. We were not OK with that and already extremely tired from all the walking and heat. The young lady tour worker at least did her best to accommodate us , gave us 2 waters for free and was able to have us join another English tour group (about 45 minutes later) that just finished the colosseum and was on their way to the rest of the tour (Palatine and the forum). The tour guides were informative but I think there is just sooo much history you can only get a glimpse and sometimes you hear other tours explaining other sites and the history of that particular object that you didn’t get to hear. . I don’t fault the guide for not giving us every piece of history because it’s just too much info for one tour to recite. A lot of walking, a lot of amazing history and amazing views. I only knocked off 2 stars because the organization was not good. What should have been a 3 hour tour ended up taking the entire day with all the waiting and rescheduling. I’m glad the tour organizers at least tried their best to fit us in but they need to be more organized their scheduling as I saw other tourists having the same issues with them. All in all I highly recommend the tour because this is once in lifetime things you will see and it’s amazing, just don’t make any other plans that day because you won’t know if you have to wait or get rescheduled. Plan for this as if it will be an all day thing. It was September when we did this tour and it is hot with lots of walking. Bring an electric fan, hat, dress comfortable and water with you if you can.

Poor communication Skills and disappointment

Sheryl_C, Jan 2023

Our first guide for the Palenytine Hill and Forum was great . Then the next part of our tour was the underground tour at the Coliseum. We were handed off to a different guide that that did not introduce himself, gave us no information as to where to meet. 2 of us in our party asked him where to meet once we got inside and through security at the coliseum. His response to both us was “go through security and “She” will tell you where to meet”. We could not find him, asked several guides, and finally found someone. It was 15 minutes after our tour was suppose to start, and told us “sorry, you missed your tour. We are Sold Out for the day. Our tour guide left us behind…He had poor to no communication skills. Definitely would not recommend this company to anyone.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Dear Customer, we're sorry to hear about your bad experience. The Undergrounds part of the tour was with a CoopCulture Colosseum guide and, unfortunately, we don't have control over their organization. On our end, we tried our best to help you by explaining to you and the rest of the group where the meeting point was, with the help of the Colosseum staff. We apologize again for the inconvenience. Thank you for your feedback, we will do our best to get better. Best regards, Laura.

Tale of Two Tours

Steven_M, Jan 2023

We arrived 30 minute early and where rushed to a tour already in process. While we didn't miss much at the beginning the entire Forum and Palatine Hill experience was highly rushed and a poor experience. Once we got to the Colosseum we were handed off to a different tour guide who was fantastic. She shared information and walked us through the underground really well and allowed us time for pictures and take in a 2000 year old facility. She saved the day for us.

Excellent trip

Adrian_M, Mar 2022

Dennis was very very knowledgable Answered every question , his English was exceptional. Didn’t spend much time at palatine hill or forum but you are left there so can stroll freely afterward. Would definitely recommend

The underground part of...

Nikolaos_S, Jan 2022

The underground part of the Colosseum, the incredible Forum, the peaceful hill of Palatino were awesome. Our tour guide was very nice and very helpful with kids as well.

Recommended for families!!!!!

Sarah_K, Dec 2021

Renata was a wonderful tour guide. She taught us so much and was incredibly knowledgeable. She was very engaging and kept our kids interested on a tour that may seem long to them. They obviously loved the Colosseum the most and even more since she was willing to answer all their questions. Thank you so much, Renata. This was the highlight of our trip!

Great tour of the Colosseum underground!

Laura_G, Sep 2021

We’ve been to the Colosseum before but this time we’re able to go underground and see where the gladiator doors and the animals were held! We always use Walks of Italy/Viator for our tours. The guides are so knowledgeable and fun!

Great tour!

meb1479, Oct 2019

Francesca was a great guide. It was informative and entertaining, and we learned a lot while having a really cool experience. She really helped us see the ruins as they once were, and showed us the highlights of the Forum! The experience was great and she really helped make it one of the highlights of our trip.

Response from Host, Oct 2019

Thank you for your high praise of Francesca. It's rewarding to know that the Undergrounds Areas Colosseum and Roman Forum Small Group Tour was a highlight of your trip!

Worth the price

juliegagen, Sep 2019

We had an awesome guide, Fe ( Felicity ) who was very animated and taught us a lot. No hassle finding the meeting point and entry was super easy with a guide. Underground was very interesting and helped with the whole understanding of how things worked back then

Response from Host, Sep 2019

Felicity is indeed a brilliant guide. Thank you, Julie, for sharing your experience with us!

Excellent tour with a great guide

Daniel R, Jun 2019

We were guided around the restricted areas of the Colosseum by Flavia who was very knowledgeable. We entered through a side gate without standing in any line and went straight to the arena floor where we spent a good 20 minutes, then moved down into the underground. After touring these two restricted areas we went to the common areas open to everyone where we were further guided along. All in all it took slightly under 2 hours and we were given ample opportunity to look around the areas on our own before we moved on. After finishing at the Colosseum we went to the Palatine Hill where we had to stand in line to pass a security checkpoint before climbing up the hill to where the old senate buildings stood. We were given the history of the hill and told of all the palaces who once stood at this site. We were also given a 15 minute break to explore on our own and visit the restrooms. After going back down we entered the Roman Forum where we were told the history of the site and all the temples that once were there, along with a few reconstructed images of how it might have looked. The tour finished in front of the building where Julius Caesar was cremated and then we were left to explore the Roman Forum on our own or exit through the nearby gate. All in all an excellent tour, I would definitely recommend this tour to my friends.

Response from Host, Jun 2019

Thank you, Daniel, for this wonderfully descriptive account of your experience! We are very happy you had a thrilling tour!

Wonderful trip thru the Vatican!

KRISTIN_W, Apr 2019

Laura was an excellent guide on our tour thru the Vatican and St Paul’s. There was so much to see, and she picked out great highlights and stories to share.

Discovering Roman history with an archeologist is the way to go!

Charlene_O, Feb 2019

This was my 2nd time at the colosseum, Palentine hill, and the forum ruins (first time in restricted access areas). I've done many tours and each tour guide has their own take on the historical stories. Our guide Francesca is also an archeologist, I really enjoyed her insights and discussions on what used to be. I learned things I didn't learn before. She gave us time to feel what it must have been like to enter the arena as a gladiator. I highly recommend this tour.

Really great tour. It is a long...

Dave_D, Jul 2018

Really great tour. It is a long tour, both on distance and time. Well covered Colosseum and Forum. Very knowledgeable guide and small group make it well worth the money.

Visita top

Alessio_V, Jan 2022

Siamo contentissimi della nostra visita al Colosseo, che è stata fantastica. Flavia è una guida top, molto preparata e sempre pronta a rispondere alle domande riguardo al Colosseo, alla storia di Roma e a qualsiasi curiosità inerente la storia di questa grande città. Sempre sorridente e gentile, senza guardare l'orologio ed anzi molto attenta al "benessere" del gruppo. La visita del foro è molto interessante, idem Colosseo e sotterranei aperti da poco al pubblico. Esperienza raccomandatissima.

Likely to Sell Out