Roman Gladiator School: Learn How to Become a Gladiator
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Rome, Italy
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover what it takes to be an ancient Roman gladiator in Rome. During a hands-on lesson, learn how to fight with authentic weapons of the time while wearing a traditional gladiator tunic and belt (available for rent). Located on the Appian Way, not far from the Colosseum, this class is a unique and interactive way to learn about ancient Roman history and culture.
- Train to become an ancient gladiator near the Colosseum in Rome
- Includes entrance to the Gladiator School of Rome Museum
- Choice of lesson times throughout the day to suit your schedule
- Enjoy more personal attention with a small-group class
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
Securing a spot at this popular kid-friendly activity in advance means no disappointed young gladiators.
What's Included
- 2 hour class to become a Roman Gladiator in a Day
- Lessons are instructed by members of the Historic Group of Rome
- Drink
- Gladiator clothing and weapons hire for the duration of your lesson!
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Food and beverages, unless specified
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Via Appia Antica, 18, 00179 Roma RM, Italy
Departure Point: Lessons commence at the Gladiator School of Rome, located approximately 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from The Colosseum Address: Via Appia Antica, 18, 00179, Rome, Italy Directions: Either take Metro (line B) and get off at OSTIENSE and take the bus number 118 OR take Metro (line A), get off at stop SAN GIOVANNI and then take bus number 218. However in the spirit of easy access - we suggest taking a taxi (approx. 10-15 euros) to access the school Dates: Daily Opening hours 9:30am - 1:30pm 2:00pm - 6:00pm Return point: Concludes at the Gladiator School of Rome
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Your gladiator lesson takes place at the Gladiator School of Rome, located near the Colosseum on the historic Appian Way in Rome. Specializing in the reenactment of ancient Roman life and gladiator fighting, your instructors are members of the Historic Group of Rome. Begin your class by donning your costume — a traditional belt, tunic, leather gloves, and a training sword known as a rudis.
Learn the basic skills of gladiator sword fighting before summoning your imagination and channeling your inner ancient Roman fighter as you fight off ferocious lions and battle other sword-wielding gladiators. If you wish, you can participate in an optional tournament, complete with a prize for the victor. Either way, all participants receive a certificate of accomplishment at the end of the lesson.
Friends and family are allowed to watch your class from the viewing platform. Admission to the Gladiator School of Rome Museum is also included so you can check out gladiator weapons and other artifacts.
Learn the basic skills of gladiator sword fighting before summoning your imagination and channeling your inner ancient Roman fighter as you fight off ferocious lions and battle other sword-wielding gladiators. If you wish, you can participate in an optional tournament, complete with a prize for the victor. Either way, all participants receive a certificate of accomplishment at the end of the lesson.
Friends and family are allowed to watch your class from the viewing platform. Admission to the Gladiator School of Rome Museum is also included so you can check out gladiator weapons and other artifacts.
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Gladiator School of Rome
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Minimum age is 6 years
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 1,590 reviews
Review summary
Last 12 months
167 reviews
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Travelers consistently praise the knowledgeable and energetic guides who deliver engaging Roman history and gladiator training suitable for all ages. The interactive gladiator activities, including combat techniques and mock battles, are highlighted for their educational and entertaining qualities. Families particularly appreciate the well-organized experience that effectively engages both children and adults, making it a popular choice for multi-age groups seeking a fun, educational outing.
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Our 3 kids - ages 15, 13 and 10 - all had fun. Lots of different activities kept it interesting for the kids
This was a fun experience for adults and kids. We got to learn about ancient Roman times and act it out. Bring the bug spray!
Our two boys aged 8 and 12 loved this. We were fortunate that we were the only group doing the activity on the day. Ivan was a really good activity leader and very knowledgable. He was great fun and good at getting kids and adults involved! Venue was reasonably easy to find and is off the main road and hence you need to give a taxi the precise address. Also watch out for mosquitoes for the later performances!
What fun for the whole family. We learned about gladiators but in a way that interested my 11 year old grandson. The sword fights were done safely but still fairly fierce! Our instructor, Pugnax, was wonderful - kept the kids engaged but enforced all safety rules.
Such a fun and different experience then what you will find else where. My husband and I enjoyed the history behind being a gladiator, the different weapons/armor, and learning attack/defense moves! We would definitely recommend going to the gladiator school!
We had an amazing time at Gladiator School. I brought my kids, ages 6 and 9, and it was the highlight of their trip. They did a great job with hands on education in their museum, making the training interesting and just tough enough, and the final battle arena was a lot of fun. My only tip: bring bug spray!
Traveling with my 12 and 10 yr old boys. Of course they loved this. Good prep for having them check out the Colosseum. Our instructor was great. Highly recommend.
This was incredibly fun and a learning experience for our family. We had the best time learning about gladiators, how they fought, and just playing together.
Brilliant experience for families Full interactive experience educational, fun and came away with new skills sword, shield and spear The 2hour slot was just right and our gladiator host so much fun making sure everyone picked up the skills, got one on one time and photo opportunities
I was incredibly on the fence about this experience despite all the top reviews. It felt like a waste of a half day and a fair amount of money. Is it worth the money? Ehhh, it's pretty pricey compared to other activities, so I'd argue the price is high especially for non-participants. But, the activity was a highlight for our 8 year old, and the information was excellent. Everyone had a great time and I'm grateful we booked it.
Do not ignore the insect spray. We brought it, but never saw a single bug so we didn't use one. One of our family members walked out with a dozen little bites across his legs. Use the spray before you go ;)
This place deserves 6 stars. It’s one of those few absolutely unique experiences and the antidote for kids bored with seeing yet another ruin. It was truly special and the guide was simply amazing.
Here’s the answer to the question I tried to find in the reviews before booking: should you book for yourself and your kids or just your kids?
Answer: It’s all about even numbers. If you have two kids, don’t sign up! It will be weird. If you have 1 or 3 kids, you basically have to sign up for it to be fun for them. And then there was the one kid without a family member and someone had to pity fight him…
Also, believe the mosquito warnings. The other reviewers are actually underselling it. When I asked my kids their favorite activity in Rome, they said, if we didn’t count the mosquitos, this was their favorite. If you count them, it was near the bottom. They each got like 30-50 bites. I never get bitten and got 10-20 bites. I’ve never experienced anything like it. Just find some bug spray or wear long pants. It was so, so miserable without either.
It’s unfortunate because, ignoring the mosquitos, it really one of the best memories from our entire trip and definitely the one they’ll be talking about when they see their friends in school.
This experience was one of our top excursions of our trip to Italy. The activity was different from anything else we did and linked really nicely with our visit to Rome's Colosseum. We had a family of four including two kids ages 13 & 10. While it seems our group lent itself to a slightly younger crowd, our kids still had a blast. The instructor was also amazing and made the entire experience a light-hearted, good time.
My only advice is to book a return car from the location back to your hotel/ downtown Rome as it was tough to get an uber or tax to return.
It was a wonderful experience. My daughter really enjoyed making her sandals. Highly recommend that you try this out
So much fun for the whole family. They even involved the grandparents who had come to watch. It was hot but they offered lots of cold water and we laughed and learned the whole time.
Bring and use bug spray. We had a great time! I felt this gave some variety to learning about Roman history. We laughed a lot.
This starts with some gladiator history in a "museum" then moves to "training" where you weave side to side under a rope, jump side to side over a rope, avoid side to side swinging bags, then do push ups. You do the run through twice. Then you learn basic fighting moves and practice with a partner. Lastly you move to the Arena and battle to the death. At the end you get a certificate for your freedom. It is hot but fun. Water ia provided. Went with 13 year old and 15 year old. Boy and girl.
Excellent, hot and good work. A fantastic 2 hrs learning alot about roman gladiators. Great replication of armour etc and time for photography
Ivan was an excellent teacher and we couldn’t have been any happier with this activity. Kids had a good time and were very entertained
Great time with the kids! History and fun and lots of running around. It is not near the coloseum which was my bad for not noticing
This was incredible. The teacher is hilarious. He is incredibly knowledgeable about gladiators. He trains you very well. You get water too.
NOW! Getting there was a bit tricky. You have to walk all the way up to the end and you will see it. Its hidden in the back.
Amazing experience for both adults and children. Great learning and even better action! Fun for the whole family.
This was such an excellent activity and experience for our 6 and 7 year old boys! From the moment you arrive on site, you are totally immersed in the atmosphere of a gladiator academy, from start to finish. The tour included costumes, a brief interactive educational chat and a hands-on display of a range of gladiator armor. The kids loved learning about the various weapons and trying on the helmets. From there, we spent nearly an hour in formal gladiator training - doing physical warm ups, learning sward maneuvers and even battling the well-training gladiator instructor. My kids also loved archery training + competition. Lastly, we were all guideded into a mock battle arena for the final fight. It was perfectly dramatized, fast-faced and even concluded with a graduation ceremony of sorts. The whole experience left my boys feeling like true gladiators - so memorable and fun!
Fantastic! Kids had a great time and were able to burn off some energy. Gladiator was phenomenal with the kids.
This activity is a great break for families from all the museums and looking at history in Rome. It’s both active and educational. Highly recommend for families with kids visiting Rome.
Our Roman trainer was Evan/Ivan…he was great!! He had all engaged; adults and kids. His English was great and did a fantastic job sharing some Roman gladiator history and innovations. The training was fun for all and learning the techniques was fun!
He had the moms be the queens during the “battle” and the kids loved performing for us. Do this with your kids and have a blast
It was a lot of fun, very entertaining! The host was full of energy and spent the time to train everyone. Even my teen and tween eventually got into it and enjoyed themselves. It is open air and can get hot mid day.
One of our major highlights! Anyone with kids in Rome should take them to do this! It was a great experience!
Must do for kids that are tired of looking at art and ruins! The whole family enjoyed the experience. The coaches make it so much fun.
We picked the hottest time of the day for this adventure. Because of that choice we got to have a class all to ourselves and it was amazing. Our instructor was awesome; we had 4 teenage girls and dad participate. They had so much fun and we laughed so hard. The girls had fun the dad had fun. I had so much fun watching and cheering them on. They give it 100/10. The museum was awesome we learned so many new things. Definitely worth the time and money.
Experience was awesome. I wish there was more training or an advanced class but understand they have to design for a range of ages. Still very fun time sparring and learning how to be a gladiator. Would do again.
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up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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