Roman Gladiator School: Learn How to Become a Gladiator

Recommended by 93% of travelers

Rome, Italy

High interest

Booked 5+ times today.

2 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.7

· Kathleen_O ·

Dec 2025

This experience was one of the highlights of the trip for our 11 year old son. We have Nerf swords at home that we play fight with regularly, but having the whole training experience here, with a fight in the "arena" just elevated everything. Patricio was great with the 2 families and explained everything in an interesting way. Definitely recommend.

· Brian_K ·

Feb 2026

What a fun experience. This was our two daughters top highlight of our trip, and one of our favorites as well. Mirco was so engaging, funny and full of great information. This was a great break from sightseeing to do something truly interactive and unique.

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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.

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

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours 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

4.7

based on 1,487 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Fun For The Family!

Jacob_N, Mar 2026

Tons of don for everyone. Mirkus was our Gladiator Guide and was really fun, engaging, and made for a memorable experience. Highly recommend!

Great experience learning...

Seema_P, Mar 2026

Great experience learning about Roman gladiators. Family got to “train” and “fight” as gladiators as well. Great activity for kids to breakup some of the routine tourist activities in Rome. We missed our scheduled time due to an uber mixup and the group was great about rescheduling. **Know that if you are coming in an uber, the address should be confirmed with the driver. Originally, the uber had us arriving at a destination far away from the school.

Fun for kids

Darrell_G, Mar 2026

Fun for kids or kids at heart. I would rate a five but all the adults did not get to have their time in the “fight ring”

Most fun for grandson

Susan_G, Mar 2026

This was an experience of a lifetime for our grandson! Merko was the ultimate gladiator instructor! I can’t imagine anyone who would be more engaging than he.

What a fun experience. ...

Brian_K, Feb 2026

This is fun and...

Brook_W, Feb 2026

This is fun and entertaining experience. Contrary to the pictures gladiator re-enactors / actors are not present and do not fight nor pose for pictures (at least in February). So be aware it is one man leading the group through training exercises and then prompting everyone to fight each other in the “arena”. It was fun and the kids had a great time but if you’re expecting the gladiators pictured you will be disappointed.

A perfect addition to our Italy trip.

Gordon_B, Jan 2026

This was such a fun, informative experience! As this was our first time in Italy, we wanted to get the full Italian experience and Gladiator School was just that! Our trainer was so knowledgeable; we learned so much about Roman history. The gladiator training itself was fun and comical as we had no idea what we were doing, but our teacher was encouraging and helped us feel right at home.

Fun time, but no drink

Corinne_M, Jan 2026

It was fun and informative, but unlike what the advertisement says, no drink is included. We had a good time overall.

Very highly recommend....

Josie_L, Jan 2026

Very highly recommend. One of the kids’ favorite parts of our trip for sure. I found the whole experience very impressive! My kids already want to go back to do it again!!

Absolutely must do when...

Samantha_B, Dec 2025

Absolutely must do when visiting Rome. Our children (and us) thoroughly enjoyed the experience and all the children asked to go again the next day! Our guide gave an engaging tour of the museum and even had the kids asking lots of questions. He was lots of fun and had us all laughing - especially at our final battle. The kids have all said it was the highlight of their time in Rome

Enthusiastic and welcoming instructor!

Lisa_J, Dec 2025

Mirkos was very warm and an enthusiastic teacher. It was just my son and husband as it was the first week in December and was the low season. He was really attentive and welcoming. Thank you so much!

A highlight of our trip to Rome

Kathleen_O, Dec 2025

Great family activity

Holly_M, Nov 2025

The Gladiator School was a great experience. Our teacher first taught us all about soldiers and gladiators and some of the weapons, helmets, and shields they used. Then we had some warm ups and instruction in offense and defense. Then we went to the arena and fought in matches. It was all fun and educational.

Fun experience

Melanie_T, Nov 2025

Fun experience! My 7 year olds loved the training and warm ups. We visited the colluseum the day before which was a nice reference point to start at.

Gladiator

Eric_R, Nov 2025

This is possibly the greatest tour that you can sign up for. Not only do they have artifacts, old gladiator and roman.Soldier uniforms. But you do actual combat training, it was so fun. Everyone is incredibly nice.The instructor was super knowledgeable, great guy

Amazing!

Emma_V, Nov 2025

We visited the Gladiator School in Rome and absolutely loved it! It was such an amazing experience — fun, engaging and brilliantly organised. The instructor was full of passion and made the whole session come alive with humour, history and excitement. The mix of learning about ancient Roman gladiators and actually training like one was fantastic for both kids and adults. We honestly didn’t want it to end — it was so enjoyable that we wished we could have stayed longer. It’s definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Rome and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something unique, active and unforgettable

Fun Family Experience at the Gladiator School

Delia_A, Nov 2025

After visiting the Colosseum, we decided to walk to the Gladiator School ; we got a bit lost on the way, so make sure to take your time getting there as it’s a little tricky to find. But once you arrive, it’s absolutely worth it! The experience was fantastic, educational, and full of energy. We learned about ancient Roman history, practiced real gladiator techniques, and ended the day with big smiles. A great activity for families! highly recommended!

Great time for everyone

Geoff_E, Oct 2025

This was a fantastic experience! The kids loved it so much. It was a great combination of a brief museum trip where the kids got to see and hold the weapons and gear of the time and then training and then finished up with the excitement battle in the arena!

We learned to be gladiators!

Valerie_F, Oct 2025

This tour was AWESOME! We were two adults, my uncle and I, and we booked the early morning gladiator experience and were the only two on the tour. Our guide was incredible; he was funny, friendly and very knowledgeable with Gladiator artifacts and history. We wish we had a little more time to see the impressive museum inside the grounds of the Gladiator school, the artifacts and many different helmets and armor and everything inside was very very cool. After the explanation in the museum, in which we were able to put on some of the armor, we went outside to learn techniques the gladiators used in fighting and to warm up at an obstacle course. We were also able to try to fight with swords and shields! Our guide also explained they regularly hold reenactments and just recently competed with their group in a national tournament. This experience was very fun and was the highlight of our trip. I would recommend this to everyone! Adults, families, anyone and everyone— go and check out this gladiator school!

Our kids favorite activity in Rome

Jason_W, Sep 2025

After visiting the Colosseum, we headed to the Roman Gladiator School….and it ended up being the absolute favorite activity of our entire trip to Rome. The experience started with a lesson on what gladiators wore during their fights, complete with the chance to try everything on and take pictures fully geared up. From there, we jumped into agility training and even a mental training game to get into the gladiator mindset. The highlight was stepping into the arena to learn real gladiator moves with shields and wooden swords. The instructor were engaging and made the whole thing fun for all ages. We ended with a friendly competition to see who would be crowned the best gladiator of our group, which had the whole family laughing and cheering. My entire family, from our 4-year-old up thought this was the single best thing we did in Rome. The only drawback is that it’s a bit outside the city. Taxis can be pricey, and while buses are an option, they don’t run very frequently. It’s about a 45-minute walk from the Colosseum if you’re up for it. Still, the experience was absolutely worth it, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for something unique, fun, and memorable in Rome.

For a fun time and experience

Bjorn_H, Sep 2025

This was great and even better than expected. We had Flama explaining a lot of the history on Roman legionnaire and gladiator fighting. But also expect to get stuck in and do some training in skills, take your kids too! Place is outside the old Roman walls but easy to reach with the 118 bus on the via appia. Best part: being beating up by Flama (wearing legionnaire kit)

Fantastico for our whole family!

Robyn_D, Sep 2025

It was fantastico for the whole family! Our gladiator trainer was fun, informative and a real delight. Love the history section as much as the actual training. HIGHLY recommend for anyone but especially for family with kids. It was one of our best adventures in Roma!!

Becoming a gladiator !

Maximus_D, Aug 2025

So much fun!! My kids , myself and even my wife participated in the gladiator training. We dressed up, trained and fought like a gladiator and make timeless memories. Thank you so much to our trainer who helped us have a blast.

Great for the entire family!

Cindy_S, Aug 2025

Great history and fun for the entire family! Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothes. Would highly recommend!

Absolutely great for children

Elizabeth_W, Aug 2025

I took 3autistic kids ,Kids loved it really set the mood for the colleseum the staff were great with the kids . Kids learnt loads to .

So much fun for all ages!...

Lana_C, Aug 2025

So much fun for all ages! I was surprised how much history can come alive in the museum before the training begins. Really worthwhile especially for active kids. Although they have snacks, I would recommend eating before coming as there are no real food options nearby. My son said this was the highlight of the trip

Excellent Gladiator activity

Sarah_D, Aug 2025

We really, really enjoyed this experience - it was one of our highlights in Rome. We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 12yr, 8yr) and it was excellently pitched. We were lucky that we were the only family booked in for our particular time and our gladiator teacher, Ivan, was excellent. He was engaging with the children and his knowledge and passion for the subject really shone through. Cannot recommend highly enough.

An unforgettable, hands-on journey into Ancient Rome!

Oren_B, Aug 2025

The Gladiator School in Rome was one of the absolute highlights of our trip. From the moment we arrived, the team made us feel welcome and immersed us in the world of ancient gladiators. The instructors are passionate historians and skilled entertainers, striking the perfect balance between teaching and fun.