Rome: Catacombs Underground & Colosseum Small Group Tour
Description
Ideal for history lovers, this experience combines guided discoveries with free time to explore some of Rome's most iconic landmarks. Discover the hidden world beneath Rome on an immersive underground experience. Explore the ancient Catacombs of Domitilla, a vast network of underground burial chambers that reveal the history of early Christian Rome. Choose the Catacombs & San Clemente option to continue beneath the Basilica of San Clemente, where layers of history uncover ancient churches, Roman buildings, and a 1st-century temple. Choose the Catacombs & Colosseum option to combine your Catacombs visit with Colosseum admission and a multilingual audio guide. Your ticket also includes access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Please note that this option includes standard Colosseum admission only and does not include access to the Colosseum Underground. Each option offers a unique way to experience Rome's hidden history.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Relax with comfortable round-trip transportation between the city center and the Catacombs.
Explore the underground tunnels of the Catacombs on a guided tour. Discover ancient Christian burial chambers, early frescoes, and fascinating stories about Rome's underground history.
Descend through three historical layers of Rome at the Basilica of San Clemente, including the underground basilica and ancient Roman structures. This stop is included only with the Catacombs + San Clemente option.
Continue your self-guided visit through the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill using the same admission ticket and audio guide. This stop is included only with the Catacombs + Colosseum option.
Enjoy skip-the-line entry to the Colosseum and explore at your own pace with a multilingual audio guide. Please bring your own smartphone and headphones to use the audio guide. Access to the Underground is not included. This stop is included only with the Catacombs + Colosseum option.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The meeting time is subject to change. In this case, you will be contacted in advance via email
- Tours will run rain or shine (unless closed for safety reasons)
- Please arrive 15 minutes before the start time of the tour
- No weapons (pocket knives), glass bottles or large backpacks
Reviews(290)
Christina was very kind and helpful. She made sure we was comfortable and gave us a warm hand off to the tour guide in the catacombs. She waited for us to return and took us to the next stop.
Our guides were very knowledgeable, pick up and drop offs at the meeting spot were well handled and the experience itself was amazing
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the experience and that everything, from meeting the group to the tour itself, went smoothly. It's wonderful to know our guides helped make your visit so memorable with their knowledge and passion. We hope to welcome you back for another great experience in the future!
Krystina or Christina not sure how to spell her name but she was amazing. She was very knowledgable and helped us find local places to eat as well since we didn't have any idea what was good. She was the best tour guide we’ve had so far in Italy. We loved her!!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you had such a great experience with Kristina-we'll make sure she sees your lovely feedback. We're so glad she could help you discover some great local spots too. We hope to welcome you on another tour the next time you're in Italy!
No French guide despite a reservation 1 month in advance. They notified me the day before and since then, no response to my refund request.
This tour is misleadingly advertised. It’s a small-group tour of the catacombs, but not of the Colosseum that part is essentially just a ticket drop-off. Communication was a mess from the start: the tour company called at 10am asking where we were, claiming they’d told us to arrive then, even though the app clearly listed a 10:30am start time. We arrived at 10:28. After the catacombs, instead of heading to the Colosseum, they drove us 30 minutes in the opposite direction to drop off another couple at a different tour, then backtracked to finally bring my family to the Colosseum. And “bring” is generous they dropped us off with tickets and left, no guide, no assistance. They also never mentioned we’d need ID to enter. Luckily we had photos of our IDs saved on our phones, or we wouldn’t have gotten in at all. The one star is entirely for the catacombs portion that guide was excellent and genuinely informative. But that credit belongs to the catacombs site guides, not this tour company, since we were just handed off to them. As for the Colosseum “tour,” there wasn’t one.
We booked the excursion a month in advance. Three days before, SHOW ME ITALY contacted us and told us there was an error on the page and that it was no longer available. They swapped the Capuchin Crypt for the Roman Forum (I had already seen it) in a group of 21 people. For the Catacombs, we were a group of 6 people. When we left the Catacombs... they took the rest of the group to the Capuchin Crypt and not us. I mentioned it to the guide, and she told me to call the office (they never answered). The guide told me she didn't have our tickets and that we would have to pay to enter. The error was not mine; they should have honored what I had paid for. Why did they change the itinerary??? If there was availability anyway. I never understood the change. I sent messages about this situation and they never responded. Not even to apologize.
We thought we had booked the Colosseum underground tour also but didn’t realise until 48 hours before when we received a text asking if we were able to move our tour as the guide was unwell. It was only at this point that the company outlined what was involved. Communication was quick and efficient and the tour actually went ahead as planned. The Catacombs visit was interesting and was done with a guide who worked there. The company only provided transportation to and from the Catacombs, the rest we had to do on our own which involved walking from their office to the Coloseum. We had an audio guide for the Colosseum which was actually more confusing than anything. We would have preferred an actual guide or at least for someone from the company to walk us to the Colosseum and show us the entrance. The ticket allowed us to take our time which was good and then we could do the Forum on our own. This tour is good if you are looking at it purely from an ease of logistics side in that your transport to the Catacombs as well as tickets are all sorted but don’t expect a full guided tour.
Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We truly appreciate it and have taken your comments into careful consideration. In fact, we've already made some adjustments to improve the experience and provide clearer guidance for our guests. We're glad you enjoyed the Catacombs visit and appreciate your honest review -it helps us continue to improve. e hope to welcome you on another tour the next time you're in Italy!
Our guide was phenomenal!! They were very patient with us and did an amazing job explaining everything! I highly recommend this group!
Thank you for your fantastic review! We're delighted to hear that your guide helped make your experience enjoyable and informative. We truly value our team's dedication to providing welcoming, engaging, and memorable tours for every guest. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again in Rome soon!
Our tour guide Christina was very helpful through the whole process. We had a booked a tour with another company prior to this one and had them cancel 1 week prior to our tour. Show me Italy stepped up and delivered on our Colosseum and catacombs tour. Definitely would recommend this tour!
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're delighted we could help make your visit to Rome a memorable one. We'll make sure Christina receives your lovely feedback - it will mean a lot to her. We truly appreciate your trust in us and hope to see you again on a future visit to Rome!
Booked a tour that in the description included access to the underground at the Coliseum. Our tickets did not reflect what we paid for. I have tried to find direct contact information to resolve this with the tour company but have not been successful.
Thank you so much for your feedback. We're sorry to hear there was some confusion regarding your booking. Our tour has multiple options, and one of them includes access to the Colosseum Underground. This is why the Underground is mentioned in the overall tour description. However, the option you selected does not include Underground access. If you have any questions about your booking, please don't hesitate to contact us directly with your booking reference. We'll be happy to review it with you and clarify any details. Your experience and satisfaction is very important to us.
