Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Experience
Rome, Italy
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Once the epicentre of ancient Rome, the Forum and its neighbouring Palatine Hill are now sprawling ruins that offer a glimpse into the history and culture of the time. These sites are overflowing with ancient temples and monuments, plus gems like the newly restored Domus Tiberiana palace, but they can be a challenge to interpret on your own. With this admission ticket and audio guide, gain a deeper understanding of Rome's most captivating ancient ruins at your own pace.
- Avoid waiting in a long line with pre-booked Forum and Palatine Hill tickets
- Escape the busy city streets and walk in the footsteps of the early Romans
- Discover the Domus Tiberiana palace only reopened to visitors in 2023
- Explore with an audio guide and skip the hassle of keeping up with a big group
What's Included
- Roman Forum and Palatine Hill SUPER tickets
- The Domus Tiberiana
- imperial palaces
- Santa Maria Antiqua
- Curia Iulia
- Audio guide – Bring your own headset
- Colosseum Entrance
- Tour Guide
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- P.za del Colosseo, 23, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Please meet us at the (green souvenir kiosk) outside the lower-level exit of COLOSSEO METRO. Our staff will be holding an "The Empireverse" sign. Please arrive 15 minutes before, and remember to bring a valid ID. Thank you.
End point
- Palatine HillVia di S. Gregorio, 30, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
The Palatine Hill, which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city; it has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire.
Ticket Redemption Point
P.za del Colosseo, 23, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Itinerary
1
Roman Forum
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Palatine Hill
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Domus Tiberiana
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Please arrive 15 minutes earlier and bring a valid ID
- Avoid bringing large purses, bags, or backpacks
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 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
3.6
based on 61 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Booked this tour because I really wanted to show my husband the forum. We Couldn’t find the tour company where they said they’d be so was charged for nothing and had to rebook with another firm. We couldn’t get our money back
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear about your experience.
Our team was present at the meeting point, and we also tried to contact you using the number on your booking but couldn’t reach you. In such cases, we always recommend contacting us directly so we can assist immediately.
As we did not receive any communication at the time, the booking was marked as a no-show as per policy. We appreciate your feedback and will continue improving our meeting point instructions.
Overpriced and disingenuous advertising.
We had no data on our phones to access the audio guide. It’s totally self guided and no skip the line. Extremely inconvenient as well.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for your booking and for taking the time to share your feedback.
We’re sorry to hear that the experience didn’t meet your expectations. We’d like to clarify that the tour is clearly described on Viator as an audio-guided experience, which many of our guests enjoy for the flexibility and freedom it offers to explore at their own pace. All instructions are provided via WhatsApp to ensure easy access to the guide.
Thank you again for your understanding, and we hope to welcome you to a smoother experience in the future.
We, 4 adults were shocked to find out that it is an audio tour and NO live guide would accompany the tour. It was not clear from Viator description at all. In order to download the audio guide you need to have WhatsApp on your phone. It is very complicated to use audio guide. Information is very limited.
We were not able to start the tour bc of King Charles visit. All entrances were closed even the agent assured us that would be able to get through. After we waited for more than an hour we had to leave and never used the tickets. Would request refund.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for your booking and for taking the time to share your feedback.
We’re sorry to hear that the experience didn’t meet your expectations. We’d like to clarify that the tour is clearly described on Viator as an audio-guided experience, which many of our guests enjoy for the flexibility and freedom it offers to explore at their own pace. All instructions are provided via WhatsApp to ensure easy access to the guide.
Unfortunately, the security closures due to King Charles’ visit were completely beyond our control. We truly understand how disappointing the situation must have been and appreciate your patience during the delay.
Thank you again for your understanding, and we hope to welcome you to a smoother experience in the future.
The only negative issue was that the underground portion was canceled due to overlooking. Not sure how the tickets were distributed but other people were able to go.
Sarah was our tour guide and she is absolutely fantastic. It quickly became evident that she knows her stuff as it quickly became information overload...in a great way. We walked out knowing everything we needed to know about Ancient Rome Palentine Hill and the Colesseum.
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Hello, thanks for taking the time to review. We're sorry all members were not able to join in the Colosseum Underground portion of the tour. The Colosseum's management has new rules that we (tour operators and tour guides) must constantly navigate. These rules create confusion for all visitors to Rome (regardless of with a tour or not) and we're always doing our best to accommodate the change. Luckily the 3rd party company that manages the ticket office has been removed with a new company managing the ticket office in 2024. The change is very welcomed as we're always looking to improve guests’ experiences,
We value your feedback and would appreciate the opportunity to make it right. Thank you for choosing Empire Tours. We sincerely apologize once again for any inconvenience caused, and we hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future. Best regards,
EMPIRE TOURS
We almost missed the tour we were looking for empire tour and the you’re guide was holdin up a city you’re sign very confusing for the customers!! Then no one knew where the meeting place was because there were no signs again very confusing
Response from Host, Oct 2024
thank you!
What a great tour. Aside from it being 100 degrees (Fahrenheit), Sarah Gildea made the tour fun. Being that Sarah lived in the US and in our neighboring state, she provided humor and education to the entire tour. Our kids (late teens and early 20s) also enjoyed Sarah’s witty humor and educational facts. The only downside to the tour was that the tour company cancelled the underground portion of the tour. I’m sure Sarah would have made that engaging as well. If you do this tour, be prepared to do a lot of walking, which for us was a good thing.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you!
the magnificence of it all! The guid e was good and she was quick to move us in ut of thousands of people.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you!
The tour company changed our starting location and I was not informed however, Our guide was very informative and I loved the history of Palatine Hill and the Colosseum. The weather was hotter than I expected and we walked a lot.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you!
The unexpected happens…
1. Our cruise itinerary changed. The company was kind enough to switch to a different day. We actually got a private tour.
2. We had a sick 8 year old. Our guide, Tanya, is a remarkable person who put forth efforts beyond belief to comfort us all in the time of unexpected illness. She helped gather vomit bags. She actually brought us medicine for nausea. Incredible.
3. The actual tour still managed to be educational and enlightening with visual aids and storytelling.
4. Book this tour 😊
Response from Host, Oct 2024
thank you!
This company is poorly run. The only reason we selected this tour was to see the underground. It was removed from our trip without any notice. We waited for over an hour to start and had to wait around and double back to wait for some extra people to join us. The saving grace was the actual tour guide was very versed in history and was well prepared. We were refunded a small fraction of the amount we paid. The tour company wasn’t even apologetic they were flippant in fact. I would skip this tour I think we just experienced a bait and switch.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hello, thanks for taking the time to review. We're sorry all members were not able to join in the Colosseum Underground portion of the tour. The Colosseum's management has new rules that we (tour operators and tour guides) must constantly navigate. These rules create confusion for all visitors to Rome (regardless of whether with a tour or not) and we're always doing our best to accommodate the change. Luckily the 3rd party company that manages the ticket office has been removed with a new company managing the ticket office in 2024. The change is very welcomed as we're always looking to improve guests’ experiences,
We value your feedback and would appreciate the opportunity to make it right. Thank you for choosing Empire Tours. We sincerely apologize once again for any inconvenience caused, and we hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future. Best regards,
EMPIRE TOURS
Booked our tour 3 months in advance. Our Tour was canceled the day before. Viator put us in a different tour and size. The tour was rushed. Couldn’t hear tour guide. Felt like cattle being pushed through a coral.
We have always enjoyed this tour in the past.
Response from Host, May 2024
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for taking the time to review. We're sorry all members were not able to join in the Colosseum portion of the tour on 23/05/2024. The Colosseum's management has new rules that we (tour operators and tour guides) must constantly navigate. These rules create confusion for all visitors to Rome (regardless of whether with a tour or not) and we're always doing our best to accommodate the change. Luckily the 3rd party company that manages the ticket office has been removed with a new company managing the tickets in 2024. The change is very welcome as we're always looking to improve guests' experiences.
The tour did not occur. We were told underground tours were cancelled for the day, yet we observed people taking the underground during the rest of the colosseum tour. Very disorganized at start of tour. Guide Sara was excellent
Response from Host, May 2024
Hi Charles,
Thanks for taking the time to review. We're sorry all members were not able to join in the Colosseum portion of the tour on 11/05/2024. The Colosseum's management has new rules that we (tour operators and tour guides) must constantly navigate. These rules create confusion for all visitors to Rome (regardless of whether with a tour or not) and we're always doing our best to accommodate the change. Luckily the 3rd party company that manages the ticket office has been removed with a new company managing the tickets in 2024. The change is very welcome as we're always looking to improve guests' experiences.
The guide was terrific!!!!! This tour far exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend the underground tour. We had a different guide for the Forum and Palatine Hill, and that part was a bit rushed because there were 2 separate groups combined for that part and the other group had to rush to get to their coliseum tour. We were able to stay and finish at leisure since that was after our coliseum tour.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you!
We had our tour with Tanya did a fantastic job. I thoroughly enjoyed having her as a guide. Our entire group learned so much and had a amazing time would recommend.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you!
Amazing tour. So glad we had full access and skip the line as it was busy for Feb. Easy to find the meeting point, great info from the tour host.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you!
Our tour guide was great! She had a lot of patience and was super informative on everything! Was truly a great tour! Definitely recommend for anyone wanting to see the coliseum and learn some history along the way.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you!
The experience is awesome but the guide felt more like she was just trying to get through info that she has recited 10,000 times....
Also would have been nice to know in advance that the second half was not possible the same day because you could physically not get to Palantine Hill before the last entrance at 330. Suggest not to book after 1pm.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you!
Shortly after I arrived at the meeting spot, I was told I couldn’t go into the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill because it was going to close before I got there. I was taken into the colosseum by one man and he barely explained anything to me. We reached the line to enter and they said I needed to wait until 2 pm (the tour was at 1:30 pm). So the man said like 2 things about the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. I explained I was told I was told I wasn’t going to be able to go in and he claimed I could get in. He continued to ask me what I knew about the colosseum and the Romans instead of explaining anything to me. He even asked me how much I paid for this tour. Finally I entered the colosseum and the man walked all over the place trying to find something and I had no idea what was going on. Finally I saw a sign that said “Underground Meeting Point” and I assumed that wasn’t the correct spot since the man was walked around searching for something for 15 minutes. Finally he told me back to the spot that I had thought I was supposed to be and said bye. I was taken on the tour by someone else. After the tour inside the colosseum was over I walked over to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, and they were closed and were not allowing anyone inside. I was extremely disappointed by the entire thing and it made me want to leave.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Hi, sorry for the inconvenience that happened, That day Colosseum management decided to close for 1 hour early Roman forum. That's why we informed you forum tour going to be the next day.
Sorry for again
Thank you!
The colosseum was breath taking we did a group tour with and archeologists who was great and knowledgeable. After that we met with our tour guide but didn’t get to shop in the souvenir store and it seems our tour got cut short as it was to be a 3 hour tour and got got within an hour and a half the guide just took us to the forum spoke a little on some of the history and basically dismissed herself. Basically left alone to explore but didn’t get a full booking experience like any tours we have booked. I think getting half a refund should be appropriate seeing how we only had half the tour. Don’t think I would book this tour again just seemed a little sketchy
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your kind words! We’re glad you had a great experience. Hope to see you
again. ...
This tour by Empire Tour was a disappointment. We paid for a small group English tour. We were assigned a tour guide that has only 4 months of experience, from Poland, and her English was so-so. Additionally, she's soft spoken, so most of the time, as she was walking ahead and talking, most of us couldn't hear what she was saying. The first portion was the Underground tour, which is conducted by the Colleseum staff. The tour agency made a mistake with one ticket for one family member who was with us, and it took 20 min. to handle this. That family has to NOT go on the Underground tour - which was excellent (again, it conducted by Empire Tour. Underground tours are handled by Colleseum staff.) After we we done with the Colleseum tour, we had to WhatsApp our tour guide to rejoin the family, and we had a shortened rest of the tour. Our guide kept looking at her watch to end the tour by the 3rd hour, although we consumed almost 40 min. with the mishaps. I really question Viator vetting these tour companies.
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$44.98
per personWas $47.34(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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