Rome: Colosseum Underground and Roman Forum Guided Tour
Rome, Italy
- 3 hours 10 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Explore the Colosseum like never before with exclusive access to the underground level and arena, immersing yourself in the remnants of ancient Rome. Your guide will share vivid stories, fascinating facts, and often-overlooked details about the arena’s brutal history, bringing the ruins to life. Afterward, stroll through the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, discovering the heartbeat of the ancient empire.
- Special access to the arena and underground areas of the Colosseum
- Access to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill without waiting in line
- Explore ancient Roman ruins with an informed guide
- Learn about gladiators, games, and historical events
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
Go beyond standard entry with rare access to the Colosseum’s underground and arena floor.
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Access to the Colosseum Underground
- Access to the Roman Forum
- Headsets to hear your guide clearly
- Colosseum entrance ticket valued at €18 per person
- Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2 per person)
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Via dei Fori Imperiali, 25, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Meeting Point: Via dei Fori Imperiali, 25, 00186 Rome (RM) Please meet in front of the Tourist Information Point at Fori Imperiali. Our coordinators will be identifiable by their “The Ultimate Italy” t-shirts.
End point
- ColosseumP.za del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Itinerary
1
Via dei Fori Imperiali, 25
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Roman Forum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
3
Colosseum
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
- Meeting Point: Via dei Fori Imperiali, 25, 00186 Rome (RM) Please meet in front of the Tourist Information Point at Fori Imperiali. Our coordinators will be identifiable by their “The Ultimate Italy” t-shirts.
- 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.
- If you arrive late for the meeting time, it will not be possible to join the group or reschedule, unless you pay for the activity again. As per "No Show" rules you will not be entitled to a refund.
- Please be advised capacity regulations and security may delay the tour departure. This could also influence the smooth running of the tour especially on national holidays and events.
- All visitors must pass through the monument/attraction security check please allow at least 20 minutes to clear security
- The exact timings and reservations can vary, dependant on the monument/attractions administration offices availabilities and decisions on the booking day and can be subject to last minute changes. Departure time can differ up to 30 minutes from your selected time.
- Due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
- Please be aware that large bags/backpacks/suitcases are not permitted in the monument/ attraction. Only very small bags are allowed. Please do not bring these items with you on the day of your tour as there are no cloakrooms at the monument.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Dress code is comfortable clothing
- The Colosseum portion of the tour will last approximately 1 hour.
- The Roman Forum part of the tour will last approximately 1 hour.
- Please provide an active phone number during the booking process in order to be contacted about last minute changing.
- Pets are not allowed inside the venue
- The tour reservations have strict timing. To join the tour you are required to be at the meeting point for check-in at least 30 minutes prior to your tour departure time.
- 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.
- Purchasing the guided tour, you are acknowledging and consenting that the Colosseum Underground admission fee is 24 € for adults, along with a 2 € booking fee, and free entry for children under 18. The remaining amount covers professional licensed tour guide along with other services, headsets, booking fees, and tour amenities. The tour operator provides transparency and is looking to ensure your understanding of the cost breakdown, enabling you to fully appreciate the value of the guided tour.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.4
based on 553 reviews
Ines_M, Mar 2026
Excellent organization and knowledgeable guide who smoothly took us through the crowds. As advertised.
Jayson_D, Mar 2026
Our guide Daniella was excellent! She was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. The tour blew my mind. One of the best things I have done.. Really enjoyed the unground tour. Amazing experience for my family including my two teenage daughters who also loved it and have raved about the tour.
Sarah_A, Mar 2026
We absolutely loved it! Our tour guide was amazing—so knowledgeable and engaging. He really took the time to get to know all 25 of us, even asking where everyone was from, which made it feel so personal. I would fully recommend him, and if we ever go again, I’d love to have him as our guide. I just wish I could remember his name—he honestly made the whole experience!
DianaJoselin_B, Mar 2026
Daniella was wonderful!! She did our tour on 3/26 @08:45. She was so kind and was very informative!!
Melanie_F, Mar 2026
Easy to get the tickets and get to the meeting point. The tour guide was great and very knowledgeable. The underground experience was the best part. I totally recommend this tour.
Conor_G, Mar 2026
Alessandro was awesome. He clearly had so much knowledge and experience. He made our trip unforgettable.
Meredith_D, Mar 2026
Our tour guide for Palapatine Hill was amazing. Super knowledgeable and very engaging. Her knowledge of was very impressive. Paula M was her name. We all were very disappointed to learn that she would not be our guide through the whole tour. Now our guide for the colosseum was horrible. Her name was Irene. She was so bad that most of the group was not even listening to her on the headsets. I saw at least two families leave because she was so hard to understand. It was such a disappointment after how great the first part of this tour was. Based on my experience, the underground tour was not worth the money. I would have learned as much touring the colosseum on my own.
Nasreen_A, Mar 2026
Here's the issue. Our tour was for 1 pm, however the company started the tour 30-40 minutes before scheduled without providing us notification. The tour companies instructions state to find them based on t-shirts they would be wearing with their logo, but that's not possible when they're wearing a jacket. That's your fault. They yell at you on the phone telling you to look for the flag they are holding with their logo, which was never explained in the instructions provided. When you share your concerns and disappointment, they tell you they will cancel the whole trip if you complain anymore. We have booked several trips with Viator in the past years, but this tour company was quite unprofessional and we did not get to enjoy the full experience we paid for.
Rosemarie_T, Mar 2026
This was definitely worth it. The colosseum was truly breathtaking and having the tour guides explain everything along the way was worth the extra money. Take your ID I feel like it is something they lacked in telling us, but thankfully we had pictures of our passports with us. We would definitely do this again!
Jonathan_P, Mar 2026
What you get to see and the knowledge of the tour guide was great. The audio on the other hand was trash. Think of the cheapest headphones you could buy then go cheaper. That’s what you get and you can’t hear anything…. that is if they even stay in your ears. It’s very loud so headphones is a must if you want to hear the guide and that’s even in a group of just 8.
Donald_M, Mar 2026
You will learn that the Colosseum was used for much more than gladiator matches thanks to your tour guide.
Phil_T, Mar 2026
Our guide Teddy was very engaging, positive, extremely knowledgeable and a genuine happy chap. He allowed plenty of opportunities for questions and took some great photos of myself and partner.
Walking the steps that Gladiators took, underneath the Colosseum floor was a once in a lifetime experience. It was eery and moving.
It was a pleasure to join his tour and would recommend him to anyone.
Karin_B, Mar 2026
Eviss was very knowledgeable about the history of the colosseum and the roman forum. She had a good pace for the tour and easily held our interest. I would definitely recommend doing the underground tour.
Frances_B, Mar 2026
Very knowledgeable group leaders. Very well organised.Separate guides for colosseum and Roman forum trips but they were both great.
Philip_N, Mar 2026
Fantastic tour! Loved Tedros and the Forum tour! Very knowledgeable and funny. Underground Colosseum was incredible as well
Jeremy_I, Mar 2026
Amazing experience. Very informative and the best way to beat the long queues. 100% recommend. Only improvement would be the sound quality on the headsets, they kept cutting in and out.
jennifer_z, Mar 2026
The underground tour was the best. The guide was very interesting and informative. If you can do the underground tour, I would recommend it
JUELS_T, Feb 2026
Such a great experience seeing the Roman Forum and Colosseum with underground access. Giulia and Amy were very knowledgable guides and very helpful.
Christina_P, Feb 2026
We had the most incredible experience on the Colosseum Underground and Roman Forum tour, all thanks to our guide, Sara S.! She has a huge wealth of knowledge and brought the history of ancient Rome to life with such passion. Beyond being an expert, she was incredibly friendly and made sure everyone in the group was engaged and having a great time. If you get the chance to book with her, do it, she’s a gem!
Matthew_O, Feb 2026
We had our tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum with Simona and it was great from the start to the end, very friendly and interactive. Highly knowledgeable and easy to engage with. Provides you with fun facts along the way and was very attentive and considerate of elderly in the family, so very much appreciative of her look out for chairs and easy exit points. Will highly recommend doing this tour with Simona!
Steven_G, Feb 2026
George was our tour guide and he was great! Full of knowledge and kept a good pace while seeing the sights. We were extremely disappointed upon our arrival after booking the tour that included the underground we were told that portion was cancelled without a great explanation of why. We were offered a 25% refund if we continued on with the regular tour. We continued on but think that the refund should be more than just 25% due to how expensive the booking was.
Terri_T, Feb 2026
Our tour guide was great and uncovering the history of the Colosseum was fascinating. I’m so glad that we were able to view the Colosseum from literally the bottom to the top!
Jon_C, Feb 2026
This tour was thorough, informative, and engaging. Our guide, Maya, made access to the sites smooth and simple, especially with a family. I would not have been prepared to access the sites without her experience, and the depth of her knowledge along a three-hour walk was impressive. No guidebook could compare.
The total length of the tour was long for our five-year old, but the movement and changing setting provided opportunities to explore and Maya was wonderfully patient to allow us time to wander around the periphery of the group.
Cheryl_P, Feb 2026
Fantastic experience, not rushed. Went off season in Feb and it was very crowded wouldn’t attempt it in the summer months!
Clair_G, Feb 2026
Absolutely the best way to visit the colosseum, would definitely recommend. We felt that we had a full experience & were able to get excellent photos without a lot of foot traffic getting in the way. Our guide was excellent.
The forum visit was informative, however felt a little rushed. There was so much information & so little time.
Angela_W, Feb 2026
A very comprehensive tour and insight into Roman history and the colosseum, lots of photo opportunities. Ask for Katrina she was considerate and very knowledgeable!
Anonymous, Feb 2026
Fantastic experience! The tour guides were very friendly, knowledgeable and chatty. Would highly recommend!
Marya_R, Jan 2026
Well worth it and very informative tour. It starts at the hill across from the coliseum and the tour guide (sorry forgot the names) narrated the history and gave explanations as we walked through Palatine hill, Roman forum and them into the coliseum, all while bypassing all the lines. Once inside we met up with the second tour guide, who had the “special keys “ to access the underground. It was a hauntingly and interesting exploration of where and how the gladiators and animals prepared before entering the arena walking through the different tunnels. And finally we were lead to another private area outside overlooking the arena. Well worth the prize and time for a small group and very informative tour.
Heather_N, Jan 2026
10/10 day, thank you so much to our tour guide who gave our group an amazing experience. I did the tour solo, which I was nervous about because I’m an introvert, but the group, as well as the tour guide made the 3 hours feel very comfortable. We learned an insane amount about the history of Rome and the Coliseum. The tour felt like a very exclusive tour…security was a breeze at Palatine Hill, and we had a bathroom break. There’s also a small shop to buy snacks or drinks. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history and facts, and also showed us pictures. He gave us time to take photos and also answered all of our group’s questions. After the hill, we walked passed the 3rd arch (and learnt about it), and our guide got us into the main ticket area and Coliseum security in less than 15 mins. From there we went directly to the underground area for our timed tour. The coliseum allows only small groups a 30 minute window to be in the underground area each day. After our time, we again zipped around any general admission area, straight into the Coliseum floor. Here, we learned more about the history of Rome, etc. and ended our tour. In total, we were all together just over 2 hr 45 mins. We were then given free reign of the Coliseum to visit whichever above ground level we wanted to, for as long as we wanted to. I left knowing so much about the history of Rome & the Coliseum, and had a really great experience with the tour.
Kelly_O, Jan 2026
Carmelo was extremely knowledgeable about the Roman Colosseum and Forum. He was patient and organized. A very pleasant tour.
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