Colosseum Arena Floor and Ancient Rome Semi Private Guided Tour

Rome, Italy

2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Offered in: English

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Overview

Avoid the hassle of keeping up with a large group and instead explore Rome’s top ancient sites with a small group on this intimate Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill tour. Head inside the ancient amphitheater with your guide to admire its arena and tiers of seats. Then stroll through the ruins of the Roman Forum and admire the views from the scenic overlook at the top of Palatine Hill.

Visit the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill in Rome
Personal attention and time to ask questions with a small group
Headsets to follow the guide's commentary easily in the busy sites
Choice of morning or afternoon tours to fit your schedule

What's Included

Admission to the Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
Licensed professional tour guide
Individual headsets to hear the guide
Colosseum entrance ticket (valued at €18 per person)
Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2 per person)
Note: Colosseum fees are as above. The remaining cost of the experience covers other services

Hotel pickup/dropoff
Food and beverages

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian
Via dei Fori Imperiali, 1, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Meet in front of the Basilica San Cosma and Damiano. Look for tour greeters in red Show Me Italy jackets/shirts. They will be waiting next to the large red pillar just in front of the church on the Via dei Fori Imperiali 1.

End point

Colosseum
P.za del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy

Itinerary

Colosseum

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Palatine Hill

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Roman Forum

45 minutes • 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
The names provided at the time of the booking cannot be changed.
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.
The meeting time is subject to change. In this case, you will be contacted in advance via email
There are mandatory security checks at all entry points to the sites. The wait time for the security check can be considerable during peak times/seasons and has nothing to do with the ticket line

Refunds will not be provided for no-shows or late arrivals. If you are late to the meeting point, you will not be able to join your tour.
Tours will run rain or shine (unless closed for safety reasons)
Please arrive 15 minutes before the start time of the tour
Toilets are limited, use the toilet before arriving for the tour. (Breaks made when possible)
No weapons (pocket knives), glass bottles or large backpacks
A government-issued ID/passport is required for every participant. Failure to bring an ID can result in the security staff refusing you entrance to the monument
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 12 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 10 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

4.3

based on 84 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Magda is the best

tolly4444, Aug 2025

Magda was fantastic, one of the best tour guides i have ever had anywhere. This tour of the colosseum and extras was worth every penny

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you for your wonderful feedback! We’re delighted to hear Magda made your tour such a memorable experience.

Excellent tour guide

marianneguertin, May 2025

Very knowledgeable tour guide. We were lucky and she was a retired archeologist. Have a lot of history in what we were seeing.

Response from Host, May 2025

Thank you for the wonderful feedback! We're so glad you had the opportunity to learn from our knowledgeable guide, especially with her rich background as a retired archaeologist. It’s always a pleasure to share history in such an insightful way.

Perfect Tour with lots of historical information.

Jamie_K, Dec 2024

Magda, our guide, met us exactly where she was supposed to. We were given little Earpieces to listen to what she was saying and we’re on our way. We were a group of 8. Magda was extremely knowledgeable and told us all of the history! She knew what we needed to do to get us through the security checkpoints as quickly as possible. We saw 2 levels of the colosseum and then she walked us over to Pallentine Hill, all the while sharing different facts and history with us. She showed us the best points to take pictures and gave us all the time we needed to explore! At the end of the 2.5 hours, she collected our stuff and told us how to leave when we were ready but we could stay for as long as we would like. 2.5 hours of touring was perfect for us. Overall, couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for your lovely review! We’re glad Magda’s knowledge and guidance made your tour smooth and memorable. It’s great to hear the earpieces and pace worked perfectly for your group. We hope to welcome you again soon for another amazing experience! ✨

We were supposed to see...

Laurie_M, Oct 2024

We were supposed to see the Palatine hill, but never went there at all, only the Colosseum and Forum. Our tour guide only talked about the way the buildings were constructed the whole time, ie, mentioned travertine over and over. Could have been much more informative and historically based. Also, ended way earlier than it was supposed to.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

We’re really sorry to hear that your tour didn’t live up to your expectations. Missing Palatine Hill and feeling the information was limited must have been frustrating, and we truly apologize for that. Your feedback means a lot to us, and we’ll make sure to address this with our team to improve the experience. Thank you for letting us know — we hope to have the chance to make it right for you in the future.

A great tour

Barbara_C, Oct 2024

This tour gave us a really broad overview of all there is to see in the Palentine Hills and much of the Colosseum. Our Guide was very informative and certainly knew his history.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you so much for your kind words! 🥰 We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the tour and that your guide made the rich history of the Colosseum and Palatine Hill easy to connect with. It means a lot to us that the experience left a positive impression. We’d love to welcome you again someday for more beautiful moments and discoveries! ✨

Disappointed

DAVID_B, Sep 2024

Did get to go into any of the ruins. My wife didn’t have her ID with her. Didn’t have enough time to go back to the hotel to get it. Paid for nothing. I would like a refund.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

We’re very sorry to hear about your experience. Please note that a valid ID is mandatory for entry, as communicated in advance in the booking details, and it is a requirement of the Colosseum administration and other archaeological sites. Unfortunately, without it, entry cannot be allowed. We understand this is frustrating and appreciate your understanding of these strict policies.

Professional guide and nice semi private experience

SingVi_C, Jun 2023

I think it's worth paying a bit more for a more intimate experience by having fewer people in the group. Our guide, Yumi (or Fumie as the Italians pronounce it), was professional, funny and would take time to explain the history and importance behind places or objects we passed by. She also had us use imagination to make the whole tour more engaging. Not sure why, but there was a bit of issue with our skip-the-line tickets so we had to line up with other groups but thankfully, the line moved pretty quick. I also wish that Yumi would give us more time to take photos here and there but overall the tour wasn't rushed.