Colosseum Tour with Arena Floor, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum
Description
Discover Ancient Rome on a small-group, expertly guided tour of its most iconic landmarks: the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum. With fast-track entry, a licensed guide, and just 3 hours, you’ll enjoy an in-depth journey through the Eternal City’s past at outstanding value. Begin inside the Colosseum, where tales of gladiators, emperors, and Roman engineering unfold, complete with sweeping views from above the arena floor. Continue to Palatine Hill, Rome’s legendary birthplace and once home to imperial palaces, before descending into the Roman Forum, the heart of ancient political and public life. With a relaxed pace, thoughtful route, and small group size, this tour is designed for comfort, insight, and unforgettable storytelling. Places are limited, so book now to experience Ancient Rome at the best price guaranteed.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This tour includes access to the Colosseum and entry onto the arena floor through the Gladiators’ Gate, the passage historically used by performers and participants entering the amphitheatre. From here, you’ll step into the central space where ancient spectacles once took place. With the guidance of a knowledgeable expert, learn about the Colosseum’s construction during the height of the Roman Empire and its role in Roman society. Your guide will explain how emperors used the amphitheatre for public events and displays, and how the Colosseum reflected Rome’s power, culture, and influence across the ancient world.
Next, continue to Palatine Hill, traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Rome. This significant archaeological area contains remains spanning from early settlements through later imperial and medieval periods. With your guide, view notable sites such as the Hut of Romulus and the ruins of the Imperial Palace, once associated with Rome’s ruling elite and administrative life.
The final stop on this tour is the Roman Forum. As the center of ancient Rome, the Forum was a bustling hub of markets, law courts, temples, and public life. Here, Julius Caesar was cremated, two emperors were killed in 69 AD, and Cicero delivered speeches that influenced Roman society and governance.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please provide the full names of all travellers when booking. Failure to present a voucher with matching names at the ticket office may result in denied entry to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
- Each traveller must present a valid passport or ID matching the name provided at booking for entry to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
- Tour order may vary: we will start with either the Colosseum or the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill depending on ticket times.
- Colosseum admission is free on the first Sunday of each month. Tours are discounted on these days.
Reviews(187)
Our guide was kind but very difficult to understand. His stories and information about the Colosseum jumped all over. It unfortunately didn't hold our attention. We opted out of the tour a bit over half way through due to the heat.
It was a very informative and fun tour!! Our guide made sure to find all the shady spots and water fountains, since it was so hot that day!
Get a water bottle to take along! It was hot!! Our guide Emilio was amazing! He has a wealth of information! This history is his passion!
Absolutely recommend this tour. Daniele was a fantastic guide, who was extremely knowledgable and moved just at the right pace. We all learnt so much and saw so much more than we would have on our own. The Arena visit was a real highlight and discovering how everything beneath the floor worked was fascinating. The meeting point was really easy to find and lots of reminders were send to us ahead of the tour.
Great guide (Polina, I believe). Loved the overview of everything. She was super knowledgeable and engaging. She also did a great job or reading the guests on the heat and comfort level.
Thank you for your lovely review, Tanya! We’re so happy you enjoyed the tour with Polina and appreciated her knowledge, engaging style, and attentiveness to the group’s comfort. We truly appreciate your kind words!
I would highly recommend a small group tour as it is very, very crowded and hard to hear. Stay close to your guide so you don’t miss any of the good information they have!
Thank you for your review! We're so glad you enjoyed the tour and found it informative. We appreciate your recommendation and hope you had a memorable experience exploring these incredible historic sites. We hope to see you again soon!
If you are on time, the tour company will make you wait for those who are not. We waited 10 minutes on a couple of late people and then the tour ended 7 minutes early. The guide, Daniele, was very knowledgeable but asked us more than once why we booked an express tour with only the arena floor. When I explained it was a last minute booking because another tour I’d booked was cancelled, he seemed annoyed. My family didn’t feel all of this, but I did. He knew a lot about the Colosseo and Forum. I’d go again, but I’d probably just book tickets and no tour, personally.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're glad to hear you found Daniele knowledgeable and enjoyed learning about the Colosseum and Forum. However, we're sorry that parts of the experience did not feel smooth or fully comfortable for you. Your comments regarding timing and communication have been noted and shared with our team for review. We appreciate your honesty and hope we can provide a better experience in the future.
Great tour guide. Removing a star just for the initial meeting point experience unrelated to the tour guide. They didn’t seem organized and it delayed things a bit. Once we got started we really enjoyed!
Thank you for your feedback and for sharing your experience. We're glad you enjoyed the tour once it got started and that your guide made it a great experience. We also appreciate your comments about the meeting point and will share this with our team to help improve organization. Hope to see you again!
If you get lucky enough to get Ale as your guide then woo hoo. She was knowledgeable, energetic and fun. Couldn’t have asked for better. Unfortunately, they messed up her schedule and she was only able to do the Colosseum portion but she went out of her way to make sure we got tickets and access to the whole tour. I’d recommend her without reservation! Bravo!
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so happy you enjoyed the Colosseum experience with Ale and truly appreciate her dedication in making sure you still had access to the full tour. We’re glad she made your visit so memorable, and we appreciate your recommendation!
Our guide Daniel was incredible. It was obvious he was very knowledgeable of everything we toured. He gave ample time to explore and take a few pictures as needed. He showed us many things that would be missed without a well informed guide. I really enjoyed our tour. Thank you.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're so glad you enjoyed the tour with Daniel and appreciated his knowledge and guidance. It's great to hear he helped bring the sites to life and made the experience memorable. We hope to see you again soon!
