Colosseum Guided Tour in Rome
Description
Use a dedicated gate restricted to the general public access to enter the Colosseum. Walk through the Gladiators Gate and right onto the Colosseum, where gladiators fought in ancient times and catch a glimpse of the beautiful Roman amphitheater surrounding you, where 60,000 screaming spectators would watch champions fight their opponents to the death. From here, you can even see the names of Roman nobles carved into some of the seats right atop the Arena Floor. Get your cameras ready, this view makes for the perfect picture. Climb to the first and second tiers of the Colosseum. See where Rome’s wealthiest citizens sat to watch the gladiator games. Your guide will explain the rules of gladiator matches, as well as how this glorious structure got the name “Colosseum.”
Tour Options
Itinerary
See Rome's iconic monuments in a fun and easy way with your tour guide. Learn about the history of the amphitheater and the spectacular matches that the Colosseum Arena has hosted. Hear about the construction techniques invented by the Romans, the amazing skills of gladiators, fierce battles between exotic animals, and the advanced techniques Roman engineers used to build the Colosseum. Walk through the first level and see the arena, trapdoors. It will entertain you with the story of Gladioteral game, the largest and most expensive game in the history of humanity.
Roman Forum, most important forum in ancient Rome, situated on low ground between the Palatine and Capitoline hills. The Roman Forum was the scene of public meetings, law courts, and gladiatorial combats in republican times and was lined with shops and open-air markets. Under the empire, when it primarily became a centre for religious and secular spectacles and ceremonies, it was the site of many of the city’s most imposing temples and monuments.
Palatine Hill is considered to be the birthplace of the Italian capital and is believed to have been inhabited since the year 1000 B.C. During the Republican Period, Roman citizens belonging to the upper class settled in Palatine Hill and built sumptuous palaces, of which important traces are still preserved.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- 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.
- 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.
- Due to the Jubilee, some monuments may be under restoration. Please pay attention to any messages we may send regarding potential changes.
Reviews(81)
We had an excellent time. The Tour meeting place was easy to find. Our tour began precisely on time. Our guide Sandro was very knowledgeable and included all 10 of us in all of his presentation. He was courteous, funny, and a perfect guide!
Awesome to hear, Joe! Punctuality and great guides make all the difference, and we're so glad Sandro delivered. Sounds like a perfect day at the Colosseum—thanks for the 5 stars!
Decent colosseum tour- guide was knowledgeable. What is included is misleading... we took a later tour in the day and didnt realize when the colosseum tour was over you just go by yourself to the forum and the hills. The whole place was closed by that point and the guide simply said "you can always come back tomorrow". It was our last day in Rome, so we never got to experience the other two parts of the tour. Maybe notify the later tours that they might not have time to see the other parts?
Dear Christie_M, Thank you for your honest review. You're right—and we apologize. We should have made it much clearer that the Forum and Palatine Hill are self-guided and that later tours may not allow enough time to visit them before closing. Your feedback is invaluable, and we are already taking steps to ensure future guests are better informed, especially those booking later time slots. We're genuinely sorry this impacted your last day in Rome. Please reach out to us at discoverrometours@gmail.com—we would like to make things right. Best regards, The Discover Rome tours Team
The guide was wonderful and it was a small group, just 6 of us. It was hot that day and we made use of the water spigots within the Colosseum. Very crowded with lots of people. The only portion that was guided was within the Colosseum (2 hours) and the rest of the tour areas were self guided, but you had 24 hours in which to do that. They are next to the Colosseum.
Hi Jeff_S, Thanks so much for your review! We're thrilled your guide made the tour special and that the small group (only 6 of you!) made it even more enjoyable. Summer at the Colosseum is definitely busy and hot, so your tip about the water spigots is a great one—those nasoni are every tourist's best friend in July! We also appreciate you clarifying the tour structure, as it helps others understand the split between the guided Colosseum visit and the self-guided time at the Forum and Palatine. We hope you had a fantastic time exploring ancient Rome!
This was a great walking tour our guide was very knowledgeable. It was a small tour we were able to ask lots of questions.
Hi Barb_E! Thank you for the wonderful review. We're so glad you appreciated the small group setting and found your guide knowledgeable. It makes all the difference when you can ask questions along the way! We really appreciate your feedback.
Great overview of the Colosseum itself and the history. Milan was a great guide! He took us to all the best photo stops too.
Thanks, Carrie! We’re thrilled you had a great time. Milan will be so happy to hear you appreciated his photo stops. Come back and visit us again!
I can’t tell you about the tour because the tour guide left without us. All other Viator tours communicated through email … except for this one. They were sending WhatsApp messages that I never saw saying to meet 20 minutes early. And the instructions of where to meet were not clear. We were given the tickets to tour the Colosseum on our own but we did not get the tour we paid for. Better communication is key.
Dear Susan, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry you missed the guided portion of your tour, but we would like to clarify the facts. Meeting time – Our meeting time is 15 minutes before the tour start time (e.g., 9:45 AM for a 10:00 AM tour). This is clearly stated on the voucher you received from Viator. Viator also sends an auto‑notification with the same information. Additional communication – As an extra courtesy, we also send WhatsApp messages and make phone calls starting 5 minutes before the tour to remind guests. We sent these to you, but unfortunately we did not receive a response. Other guests – All other participants arrived on time – some even 30 minutes early. Our guide waited at the meeting point and began the introduction there, continuing for an additional 10 minutes past the start time to allow any latecomers to join. This is longer than we are required to wait. However, we cannot wait indefinitely without disrupting the experience for the other guests who arrived on time. Tickets provided – Even though you missed the live guide, we provided you with valid entry tickets so you could still tour the Colosseum on your own. We understand this was disappointing, but we hope you can appreciate that punctuality is essential for group tours and that we made every effort to communicate and wait beyond what is expected. We encourage all future travelers to check all communication channels (email, WhatsApp, Viator messages) and arrive at least 15 minutes early. As a gesture of goodwill, we would like to offer you a 20% discount on a future tour with us. Please contact us with your booking ID to redeem. Sincerely, Customer Support Team
Had a wonderful time learning about Colosseum history. Giorgia was very friendly and made it an enjoyable tour.
Thank you, Alice_K! We're so glad you had a wonderful time learning about Colosseum history. Giorgia is indeed friendly and passionate – she makes every tour enjoyable. We appreciate your feedback!
We had a small group and our tour guide was very knowledgeable and compassionate about the subject matter.
Thank you, lisa_t! We're so glad you enjoyed the small group tour. Passionate and knowledgeable guides make all the difference, and we're happy yours delivered an outstanding overview. We appreciate your feedback! Sincerely, Customer Support Team
Our guide was informative and excited to share information of the Colosseum. It was beautiful and I recommend the small group tours.
Thank you, Shawna_C! We're so glad your guide was informative and passionate about sharing the Colosseum's history. Small group tours really do make a difference. We appreciate your recommendation! Sincerely, Customer Support Team
Disappointed that the original tour we booked was changed at the last minute on us. We booked the guided tour of the Roman Coliseum from the gladiators' entrance with optional walking/unguided tour of the Roman Forum. The company at our arrival to the meeting spot confirmed our original tour but then changed it to guided tour of the Forum and the unguided tour of the Coliseum. The tour guide was also 45 minutes late and he appeared to be a last-minute substitute. He did a great Forum Tour and even mentioned he was not aware the tour specifics were reversed. Our first time family member traveling member to Rome really wanted to learn about the Coliseum. This was very disappointing for everyone besides our family who paid for the tour who had originally signed up with the intent to learn about the Coliseum.
Thank you for your feedback, Robert. We sincerely apologize for the confusion regarding your tour itinerary and for the guide's delay. This is not the experience we aim to provide. We're glad to hear that despite these issues, your guide delivered an excellent Forum tour. However, we understand your disappointment, especially for a first-time visitor to Rome who was looking forward to learning about the Colosseum. We take your feedback seriously and are reviewing our processes to prevent this from happening again. We hope you'll give us another opportunity in the future.
