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Rome: Colosseum Underground and Roman Forum Guided Tour

Rome: Colosseum Underground and Roman Forum Guided Tour

Rome, Italy

Rome: Colosseum Underground and Roman Forum Guided Tour

Rome, Italy
  • 3 hours 10 minutes (approx.)
  • Offered in: English

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.

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

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

4.4
based on 603 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Bad Communication

alison_c, May 2026
Day of excursion we received many text more than 20 — with the incorrect meeting point causing us to miss our unground guided tour. Poor communication — paid a lot of money and there was no attempt to try to accommodate us in another tour.

A Great Day at the Roman Colosseum

Diane_S, May 2026
Wow! What a great day! Our guide was so engaging and obviously knowledgeable about the Colosseum and Roman Forum. We moved at a comfortable pace and were given time at strategic spots to take photos. The highlight of our tour was our time underground (it was my husband’s special request) and it did not disappoint.

Incredible tour

Brooke_B, May 2026
The underground tour with our tour guide Daniella was wonderful! She is incredibly knowledgeable and has a passion for history and Rome.

Coluseum

Rick_B, May 2026
Informative, and you will see a lot of history. Long time on your feet, be prepared. It was warm, so on a hot day have water!

Be aware of Ultimate Italy scam tour guide

Richard_R, May 2026
Be aware of the tour group called The ultimate Italy. They sold us through Viator a very expensive coliseum underground tour. Just before security the guide said she couldn’t come in as her license just got suspended two minutes prior. After researching the coliseum has changed their policy and not allow third party tour guides in. We ended up paying 10 times the ticket value and not have a guide Viator offered us 30% off for the inconvenience.

Underground tour was great addition but could’ve done without the Roman Forum.

Jennifer_S, May 2026
Glad we didn’t extra of going below because that was a very limited group and did provide some extra views and information. The Roman Forum wasn’t worth it unless you have the time to kill or are into the Roman history.

Do not book!!!!

Julia_M, May 2026
There is a change in ownership of the colosseum so they actually denied our entry and were completely unable to continue the tour as described. Do not book!

The tour was very...

Ronald_C, May 2026
The tour was very informative, our guide was wonderful. We are very happy we got to do the underground tour as well! it was well worth it to avoid the lines and get right into the venue!

Great experience.

Edward_B, May 2026
Absolutely a wonderful experience. The underground is a must see when going to the Colosseum. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and made the experience fun.

Fantastic tour! Just...

Susan_F, May 2026
Fantastic tour! Just the thoroughness of the experience was awesome & so educational!!! Our tour guide Teddy was outstanding!!!

Refund Given, But the Experience Was Ruined

Adriana_N, May 2026
We booked the “guided underground Colosseum experience” through Viator specifically for access to the underground area and a guided tour. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we were informed that we were NOT permitted underground access at all. We ended up scrambling to purchase regular entrance tickets the same day without a guide just so we could still see the Colosseum. Although we were refunded, the experience itself was extremely disappointing and stressful, especially because this was a major highlight of our trip to Rome. Had we known ahead of time that underground access was not actually included/guaranteed, we would have booked through another agency or directly with the Colosseum. We later learned that true underground access appears to only be available when booking directly through the official Colosseum site. Very misleading experience overall and it completely changed what we thought we were paying for.

Be Aware! Fake tickets sold by viator

Simone_S, May 2026
Very upset with the experience! We traveled around the world to see the coliseum and when we got here we found out that the ticket was sold by Viator from a company that is not authorized by the coliseum, so they did not let us in (ticket was not valid) . We booked the arena and underground and we were not able to do any of it. We had to stand in line for hours to buy a basic ticket (only one available last minute) and did not see the arena or the underground. I planned this trip months in advance and was very upset that I spent so much money on the trip and was not able to do what I paid for. Will never book with Viator again.

Our tour of the Colosseum...

Eileen_N, May 2026
Our tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum was amazing. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and made the history come alive. We learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Highly recommended

Viktoriya_S, May 2026
It was excellent choice. Colosseum Underground has to be booked months in advance and it is worth every penny. Absolutely must. The other part of the tour for Palatine Hill was with the separate team - and we were lucky to have Paula as a tour guide. She is knowledgeable, very well spoken and possesses great way of delivering information. Great tour. Recommended Highly!

10/10 recommend

Alicia_K, May 2026
This was an amazing tour and at a reasonable cost! Would definitely recommend. Just be careful what time of day you book for if you’re going in warmer months! A lot of outside, walking, and very little shade. Our tour guide did a great job of finding water and shade as much as possible and taking breaks.

N/a

Linda_R, May 2026
Very informative. Guide knew how to make sure we got the information and kept the group together. Viator kept us informed with updates as the tour came close to the date.

Definitely recommend

Dawn_H, May 2026
Very knowledgeable guide. Enjoyable experience. Thoroughly recommend the whole VIP tour to skip the queues

Missed meeting point

Normand_V, May 2026
Double check the meeting point multiple times. We missed our tour because it was different the day of? It was also not mentioned in the email, just buried at the end of the details. Also missed their phone call So not fair to give 1 star for review of tour as we did not actually get a tour. But.. Would not recommend this tour company for this reason, we booked other tours that specify meeting point more clearly!!

Enjoyable!

Richard_G, May 2026
Our guide Mia was awesome! A local who grew up in the area and had so much enthusiasm and knowledge! We did a self tour a few years previous and this was a much better because we got all the history!

Colosseum tour

Victoria_K, May 2026
Daniella was very knowledgeable about the history and shared it well. It is moderately challenging climbing stairs.

Great experience

Linda_M, Apr 2026
So interesting. The underground with colosseum is a must ! Loved the guide. She was incredible wish I could remember her name

Outstanding tour! Our...

Robert_J, Apr 2026
Outstanding tour! Our tour guide Maya was extremely knowledgeable and personable. Great value for the experience.

Marvellous tour Roman Forum & Colloseum

Dharmendra_S, Apr 2026
Great experience , must do thing in Italy. Roman Forum & Colloseum are marvels of ancient Roman architecture. How they did it 2000 years back with no technology is something that hits hard

Just Go!

Jody_R, Apr 2026
This tour was exceptional. Eviss was a fantastic guide. If you have any doubts about taking the underground tour, let me remove them. It’s worth every penny. To walk where gladiators have walked and see the tunnels and cages where animals were kept brings another layer of perspective to the tour I had not experienced in previous tours I have taken. Speaking as a travel consultant, this was one of the best tours I have ever taken. Don’t hesitate. Just Go!!!

Great tour and guide

ederwin, Apr 2026
Great overview of everything around and within the Coliseum. Not too long, just right and not too much walking.

Coliseum tour

LORRIE_S, Apr 2026
It was so great and informative We would definitely recommend this tour to anyone, and going down below was worth every cent

Difficult to understand

Caitlyn_V, Apr 2026
It was too expensive for what little information you get from the guides. Both guides, in the Colosseum and on the Forum, had a huge Italian accent, so we couldn't understand them very well. Also, the info was quite boring, they kept to the facts and didn't spice it up with some legends of the ancient emperors.

Great experience

Jeanette_L, Apr 2026
A great experience. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and happy to answer questions. I would highly recommend.

this experience was...

Jessica_H, Apr 2026
This experience exceeded every expectation. The depth of history you get on this tour, combined with the VIP elements, makes it truly stand out. We added the underground portion—and it’s absolutely worth it. While you can walk through the Colosseum on your own, seeing it from below completely changes your understanding of how it actually functioned. Learning what the gladiators and animals went through, along with all the details you’d never pick up on your own, brings the entire place to life. If you’re visiting the Colosseum, this tour is a must.

Great Experience

Tristan_G, Apr 2026
This event gets you into a temple within the Roman Forum, on top of the hill of palaces and the underground/arena floor of the Colosseum. Amazing adventure. Wish the price was a bit better; but who doesn’t think everything is overpriced right now?