Rome: Colosseum Arena, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Guided Tour

Rome, Italy

3 hours (approx.)
Offered in: English

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Overview

Get exclusive insider access to the Colosseum's Arena Floor on this guided tour, entering through the same doorway as once used by gladiators. Follow in their footsteps and gain a unique perspective of this iconic monument as you gaze up into the stands. Then, head to the nearby Roman Forum and Palatine Hill to explore the sites of Rome’s earliest settlements.

Check off three historic sites in one seamless tour
Explore the Arena Floor—usually off-limits
Audio headsets mean you don't miss a word of commentary
Learn more than you would exploring alone

What's Included

Live Guide
Headsets to hear guide clearly
Colosseum entrance ticket with arena access (valued at €24 per person)
Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2 per person)
Please note: Colosseum fees as above. The remaining cost of the experience covers other services.

Transportation
Hotel pick up & drop off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Via delle Terme di Tito, 93, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Meet us at Via Terme di Tito 93 office. Our staff will be happy to help you with the check in process

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Colosseum

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Roman Forum

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Palatine Hill

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
In the case of inclement weather (rain, snow, frost…), the arena floor may be closed off without notice. Entry through the gladiators’ gate will not be affected but access onto the arena floor will be prohibited.
Please provide the full names of all travelers when booking. Failure to present a voucher with all travelers' full names at the ticket office prior to entry may result in denied entry to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.

Please wear comfortable walking shoes
Aerosols, sharp objects and large backpacks will not be allowed
Kindly insert full name for all participants at you party. Please note that the names not included in the list will not gain access to the Colosseum. Please bring a valid identification card or passport.
Please note that your reservation is not refundable in case of modification or cancellation.
Each traveler must present a valid passport or ID document that matches the name provided at the time of booking for successful entry to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

Supplied by

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)

Reviews

3.9

based on 53 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great Tour!

Patrick_N, Dec 2025

It was well informed and also the guide was very informative and knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend!

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you for your kind review! We’re glad to hear you found the tour informative and enjoyed the guide’s knowledge. Thank you for the recommendation, and we hope to welcome you again in Rome!

Not recommended

Nate_H, Oct 2025

Booked this tour and the tour company phoned me the night before and cancelled it stating they don’t have enough room. Considering I would have had to pay if I cancelled within 24 hours, this should be illegal. I will also lose money on the conversion rate and credit card fees for foreign transactions despite being refunded. I phoned Viator customer service and Ivory could not be bothered to help or allow me to speak to a supervisor. Viator had another tour available but it was more than double the price. I explained that they should cover the difference but they were not willing to. I will never use this company again. Also the tour provider is Tours & Tours and should not be trusted.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thank you for your message. We are very sorry to read about what has occurred. Regarding our refund policy, if we are the ones who need to cancel and the client is not satisfied, we offer a full refund, which would be credited to your bank account within 3–5 business days after it is processed. On the other hand, we regret that foreign transaction fees may apply; however, we are only able to take responsibility for the service we provide. In any case, we take these types of matters very seriously. Therefore, we reiterate our apologies and truly appreciate your message, as it allows us to grow and improve our service. Kind regards

It's a great tour. Some...

Sonia_S, Sep 2025

It's a great tour. Some parts have uneven walkways but not bad. Our tour guide was terrific and answered all our questions.

Francesco was incredible!

Alice_B, Jul 2025

Francesco was the best guide we could’ve asked for. So passionate and knowledgable in guiding us around the beautiful sights of Rome and he really made the experience so much more memorable. Thank you Francesco you’re the GOAT x

Best guide

Dan_L, Jun 2025

We had a very good English speaking guide which was a blessing and he was Super nice and very educational..

Powerful, Informative and Well Thought Out Tour Guide

Wardell_W, Nov 2024

Amr Sonbol tour guide of Roma Colesseum was very knowledgeable, informative and interactive with our group. We were a group of 6 along with about 10 other people from all over. He spoke directly to everyone and made tour feel direct and personal/tailored to just you. Ask for AMR Sonbol as your guide and you’ll get the Royal Experience. Ashwan Rocks.

The tour guide was very...

Kevin_M, Oct 2024

The tour guide was very informative and patient to ask all of our groups many questions - the tour length was just right The walking into the palatine hill area may be dissipated ult for some with mobility issues

Enjoyed the tour

Connie_M, Oct 2024

It was all surreal, to see something in person that you had only read about. Our guide was very knowledgeable, but the enthusiasm about her subject was what I loved. Driving around the next night, and seeing The Colosseum lit up made it even more beautiful. Thank you!

Response from Host, Oct 2024

Dear Connie, Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re so glad to hear that seeing these iconic sites in person felt surreal, especially after reading about them. It’s wonderful that your guide’s knowledge and enthusiasm added to the experience as well. Seeing the Colosseum lit up at night is truly magical, and we’re happy it made your visit even more memorable. We hope to welcome you back for more unforgettable moments!

Only way to see the ruins

joe_o, Jun 2024

Our guide was equally entertaining as informative . Great tour, would not have learned what we did had we not used a tour

My excursion to the...

Cheryl_W, Jun 2024

My excursion to the Colosseum was canceled. I was not notified. I had to reschedule and have not received a refund from my first trip that was canceled..

Could be better

Cameron_C, Apr 2024

Very long, we had to leave because it was just way too long. Meeting instructions were unclear, I was just given a location to meet at. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and sweet, just be cautious in regards to the length of the tour. Also, was kind of hard to understand her English.

The worst guide ever

Olga_C, Apr 2024

Absolutely awful guide. Her name was Olga. Primitive language, rambled on without any purpose, talked in circles repeating the same pointless information 3 different ways. 3 hours and zero information. This was over $200 thrown in the garbage. This was one of the most exciting places in the world and we got nothing out of this tour. We took out the headset half the time because it was impossible to take.

Great informative guide but a little long.

Amy_M, Apr 2024

Our guide was very good... extremely informative and pleasant. Although the tour lasted as described in the itinerary, the schedule was flipped with the Colosseum as the last stop. I felt the length of 3 hours was a bit long for our family. We would have done better with 2.25 - 2.5 hours.

Poor tour guide in stunning places, should partially get our money back

Claude_K, Apr 2024

The guide was half an hour late and could hardly walk. He was for sure not the youngest but he was so slow and out of breath we had to skip the Palantine (so no view from the hill) and did only the Forum and the Colosseum. Also we had to wait some 20 minutes to get entry to the Forum, so no skip the line, no fast track. At times our guide was hardly understandable. At the Colosseum the guide was ok in his explanations although he did leave us before we went to the gallery.

Can’t recommend

Ernesto_G, Mar 2024

We tried getting there but the address in Viator sent us to another place, we tried contacting the operator 20 minutes before without response, when we got there (about 6 min late) we didn’t see anyone. Asked for a refund as they did not answer our calls and the refund was denied. I think this would’ve been resolved had they answered when we were trying to get in touch. Viator isn’t doing anything about it so this review is also for the platform, very disappointed.

Careful When Booking

Ana_B, Oct 2023

BE CAREFUL WHEN BOOKING!! Make sure and double check the language you are booking for. I accidentally booked not knowing the tour was in Italian. My fault totally but when I tried to switch it I did not get any help. The employees from Tours Tours were not helpful at all and pretty rude. I will never use this site again. The tour guide at the Colosseo was wonderful although I didn’t speak Italian.

Not clear on language.

fgzskychyr, Oct 2023

Boy, where to begin. I selected the tour and in the description it said English was available. I am not sure if I missed where it said it was an Italian speaking tour guide but it was and lady was lovely and gracious. But we had no option on changing it and proceeded with the tour. Very disappointed in the whole thing and wished it were different. I do not hold fault with the tour guide or the tour company.

We had Francisco and he...

Hayley_R, Aug 2023

We had Francisco and he was an amazing tour guide. He spoke really good English’s and answered all the questions we had

Our guide Matteo was very...

Michelle_C, Jun 2023

Our guide Matteo was very patient, informative and friendly. The crowds are a challenge at this time of the year and even when you pay for the skip the line there's a wait due to the numbers. It's still worth it. Michelle, Australia

Very poor

Rob_M, Jun 2023

I originally booked a gladiator entrance Colosseum tour for 2pm. The day before I received a phone call telling me that the tour was now at 4pm. We arrived at the meeting point at 3.35pm but could not find anyone, I called the company and was told that they had left at 3.30pm and had missed them. I asked for a refund but was told no. I then called Viator and made a complaint to them, they said they would look into it, I received a message from them saying that they were unable to issue a refund with no explanation.

Amazing tour

Lauren_F, Jun 2023

Our tour guide Lucie was amazing and very knowledgeable. She looked after our whole group and made an effort to make the day as eventful as possible. I highly recommend this tour

Scam

ngonzalez0006, Jun 2023

Do not book! This company is a scam. Day before scheduled tour the company reaches out and tells me there’s a time change, not a problem. Day of tour we arrive to meeting point and the tour guide says the new scheduled time is a tour in French. No of us speak French so big problem. Tour company says it’s not there problem and will not help in any way. No new tour and no refund.

Colosseum

Mary_Y, Jun 2023

Excellent tour. Fantastic tour guide. His pace was perfect and his historical knowledge and detailed descriptions were superior. Highly recommend tour and Viator.

Coliseum tour

Linda_P, Jun 2023

Maria was a great guide! Very knowledgable, interesting and fun! We thoroughly enjoyed her tour of the coliseum.

Excellent

Maria_E, Jun 2023

Maria was excellent. She is an archeologist and very knowledgeable. She made the tour very fun even for the kids. Took her time explaining details and some facts and places that originally were not mentioned in the tour. She went above and beyond of what we expected.

Wonderful experience

Elisabeth_M, May 2023

Our guide was just phenomenal… Valeria (if my memory is correct) We spend time to find the best visit while planning our trip in Rome. And as we are also italian, we took the italian option and paid a bit more to see the arena… that was the best choice. French and English tours were completely crowded but we were only 6 people and could even spend more time on some places. Valeria was archeologist and really passionate. We could really feel the gladiators entering in the coliseum I definitely recommend!

Response from Host, May 2023

Dear Client, Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful feedback with us! We're thrilled to hear that your experience with our guide, Valeria, was nothing short of phenomenal. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we appreciate your trust in our services. If there's anything else we can assist you with or if you have any further comments, please don't hesitate to reach out. We look forward to serving you again in the future and providing more remarkable experiences. Thank you!

Great tour

lisamcaputo, Jul 2022

Our guide was great! Very knowledgeable and pleasant. Kept track of the group and asked if we wanted to do other optional things

Colosseum tour

Kimberly_B, Apr 2022

We had a easy to find meet up point. Frederico, our guide was so knowledgeable and amazing. Be prepared for lots of walking and hills

Worrisome check redeemed by an excellent tour.

WilliamPotter, Mar 2022

Excellent tour guide (Marcus) who did very well with balanced and informative, especially with regard to architrecture and history, comments offered in a easy to digest manner. There were, however, moments of panic since it was not clear which group near the Arch of Constantine was the right one to join and most of the people crowding around someone checking people in had booked through other agencies so it took us a long time to find out who had our reservations. There was no sign and only a white flag with no wording on it so impossible to know which group to approach.

Tours of Colosseum may be restricted

Lisa_K, Jun 2020

Our guide was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Unfortunately, several of the sites were still closed because of the coronavirus. We also had to tour the Colosseum with one of their official guides, and follow her pace. It was a bit rushed, and we didn't get to visit the arena floor. The company told me I would be getting a partial refund, but I haven't received it.

Response from Host, Oct 2020

Dear Lisa, Thanks for taking the time to leave a review regarding your experience. We accept the fact that Colosseum applies very strict rules during this very difficult period of time. Unfortunately, we have to respect these rules to make sure that everybody is safe. Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Likely to Sell Out