Colosseum Arena Floor, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Guided Tour
4.5
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Colosseum Arena Floor, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Guided Tour
By Show Me Italy
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About
Exclusive priority access tickets allow you to skip the line and enter the Colosseum through the Gladiator’s Gate. Experience this historic landmark from a unique perspective on the arena floor, a restricted access area. Learn about the history and culture of ancient Rome from your guide as you explore this iconic amphitheater.
Lowest price guaranteeFree cancellation
Ages 0-99, max of 25 per group
Duration: 2h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: German, Portuguese, English, French, Spanish
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Highlights
- Skip the hassle of waiting in line with priority access tickets
- Exclusive entry to the Colosseum via the Gladiator’s Gate
- Explore the restricted access area on the arena floor
- Learn about Ancient Rome from your guide
- Official Live Guide
- Arena Floor restricted area
- Entrance/Gladiator Door
- Headsets
- Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Tour
- Admission Fees
- Entry/Admission - Colosseum
- Entry/Admission - Foro Romano
- Entry/Admission - Palatine Hill
What's not included- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Meet your guide in central Rome, near the Colosseum. Skip the line and enter the Colosseum through the Gladiator’s Gate, with direct access to the arena floor. The partially reconstructed arena floor is a restricted access area, allowing for a unique perspective away from the crowds. The visit includes a view of the underground chambers beneath the arena. Learn about a day in the life of a gladiator from your guide. The tour continues at the second level of the Colosseum where you can see the ruins from the point of view of a spectator. Throughout the tour, your guide shares stories of the history and culture of ancient Rome. Then head to the ancient Roman Forum, to learn more about the history of the Eternal City, and Palatine Hill, where Romulus is thought to have founded the city.
- Start:
- Santi Cosma e Damiano, Via dei Fori Imperiali, 1, 00186 Roma RM, ItalyMeet in front of the Basilica San Cosma and Damiano. Look for tour greeters in red Show Me Italy jackets/shirts. They will be waiting next to the large red pillar just in front of the church on the Via dei Fori Imperiali.
End:- Largo della Salara Vecchia, L.go della Salara Vecchia, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 62972P2- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Most travellers can participate
- 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.
- 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.
- The meeting time is subject to change. In this case, you will be contacted in advance via email
- Please arrive 15 minutes before the start time of the tour
- • Refunds will not be provided for no-shows or late arrivals. If you are late to the meeting point, you will not be able to join your tour.
- • Toilets are limited, use the toilet before arriving for the tour. (Breaks made when possible)
- • No weapons (pocket knives), glass bottles or large backpacks
- • Tours will run rain or shine (unless closed for safety reasons)
- There are mandatory security checks al all entry points to the sites. The wait time time for the security check can be considerable during peak times/seasons and has nothing to do with the ticket line
- The names provided at the time of the booking cannot be changed.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travellers
- If you cancel at least 11 days in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
- If you cancel within 10 days of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 62972P2
From
£46.82
per adult
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Itinerary
- Via dei Fori Imperiali, 1, 00186 Roma RM, ItalyMeet in front of the Basilica San Cosma and Damiano. Look for tour greeters in red Show Me Italy jackets/shirts. They will be waiting next to the large red pillar just in front of the church on the Via dei Fori Imperiali.
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- L.go della Salara Vecchia, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
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Top rated
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- 32ishad0 contributionsRemarkablePics and vids cannot fully depict this rich Rome history. We highly recommend booking a guided underground tour for the full experience. The guides take the history lesson very seriously. Walking thru tunnels that Emperors, Gladiators and the hands that built this within 8 years is definitely a check off the bucket list.Written 20 March 2025
- 72jodic0 contributionsExcellent TourWe had an excellent tour! The tour guide was so knowledgeable and did a fantastic job of showing all of the history of the Colosseum and Roman times. She was very prompt and accommodatingWritten 20 March 2025
- ianhamilton5310 contributionsNever had a guide talk so much and say so littleDifficult to rate this tour as she friends did the same tour at the same time but with a different guide. Our guide, Claudia, was not great. There's was. I've done a few tours like this and I've never had a guide talk so much and say so little. Also, we were late starting because of a no-show, but we ended at 1pm on the dot. Our friends had the full 2.5 hours plus and did more of the palace than we did and knew much more than we did at the end. By all means do the tour, but don't go with her.Written 19 March 2025
- Jet467267607930 contributionsGreat ExperienceIt was a very great experience. The tour guide was excellent and very helpful. If you like historical places this is an experience you want to have in this place.Written 18 March 2025
- Inspire418014010310 contributionsWonderful experienceI had an absolutely amazing experience! Everything was perfectly organised and i would highly recommend it anyone looking for a hassle free and delightful adventure. Will surely do it again 👍👍Written 18 March 2025
- tomhtraveling0 contributionsWondering around ancient RomaMarcello was a fantastic guide. Showed us so much and explained about everything and had extra little stories to tell as we went. We really enjoyed it.Written 17 March 2025
- W2396UBsebastianl0 contributionsMarias TourMaria, was amazing I’ll be coming back. I wish there was an app I could reserve her expertises in advance! If you get Maria as a tour guide you are so lucky!Written 15 March 2025
- lillysX8902AZ0 contributions**Amazing Coliseum Tour with Lumi**My daughter and I had an incredible tour of the Coliseum with Lumi. She was so knowledgeable and brought the history to life with her engaging stories. Lumi made the tour unforgettable and enjoyable. Highly recommend!Written 14 March 2025
- Roving203973701060 contributionsWorthwhile experienceTour of colloseum, forum and palatine hill. Still crowded in March despite early start. Gene was terrific very knowledgeable and passionate about Roman historyWritten 14 March 2025
- 770luket0 contributionsOUTSTANDING TOUTAbsolutely phenomenal tour and Gene was a brilliant tour guide, friendly, full of laughter, full of information and knowledge, it really made for a wonderful experience!!Written 14 March 2025
- RolyAmers0 contributionsImpressive sights, great guideMagda was a truly exceptional guide. She was so passionate and knowledgeable, and kept everyone really engaged. Excellent tour.Written 14 March 2025
- Michael L0 contributionsUn tour incredibile 🔥The catacombs tour was incredible! the guide (I’m forgetting the name) was super chill and knew their stuff The catacombs honestly creepy but in the best way. Would recommend if you’re looking to explore some mysterious hidden gemsWritten 13 March 2025
- Kulsoom F0 contributionsBest guided tour of my life!!The tour was both fascinating and informative. Our guide was knowledgable and practically made the history come alive for us. The catacombs itself were inspiring, i had goosebumps 🫨 all in all it was a very unique experience and i’d recommend it to anyone interested in history and seeking to visit places other than the Colosseum and Vatican 🫰🏼💀Written 13 March 2025
- 646geoffr0 contributionsGeoff&JayneAbsolutely fantastic tour with our great tour guide Andy very knowledgeable and took his time with everyone the export this whole tour was amazing and Andy took his time with people that were tiredWritten 11 March 2025
- Dreamer3688870 contributionsGreat tourGreat almost private tour, our tour guide Eugenio was nice and super knowledgeable, highly recommended way to see the sights on RomeWritten 25 February 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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4.5
2,730 reviews
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268
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120
Poor
84
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These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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Navigate767448
5 contributions
Good beginning but not so goood ending. Our guide did a nice presentation of the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill. Informative and some nice detail. At the end of our Palantine Hill tour, the weather changed and we had a severe thunderstorm. We took shelter in the only public building that is open for visitors. However, due to the ‘appointment’ time for our Colosseum tour, she insisted we leave the building and follow her to the colosseum. The reader should know that the building we were in was getting flooded from the copious amounts of rain. Other tour guides stayed in the building with their group and basically cancelled the colosseum portion of the tour. Most of our group decided to follow the tour guide. My husband and I decided to stay in the building. We were there for at least an hour. There were at least 50 people in the entryway waiting for the rain to end. The rain was so hard and the thunder and lightning were frequent and deafening. We saw two people that were in our group the next day and they said the tour was awful because they were completely soaked and it was very difficult to see because of the pelleting rain. We could hear the tour operator telling the group that she couldn’t understand why we chose not to join them because ‘it’s only water’. Not only was it in bad taste to criticize us for not joining her, but I think it was a bad decision to continue the tour. She put the safety of the group at risk due to flooding and lightening, not to mention that we didn’t pay for that kind of experience. There should have been a back-up plan for a situation like that.
Written 4 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MARIA GABRIELA V
Gabi4092 contributions
Sept 2024 • Family
It was very good to have visited the place with the guide. We quickly accessed the place and explained the history, what happened in each place, the reasons. We understood a lot of things we had seen throughout our stay in Rome. It was definitely a very good choice! I'd repeat it. We booked tickets on the web a month before and once in Rome we didn’t waste time in queues, in making inquiries, or anything. The instructions we were given for the meeting were clear, the company and the assigned guide were absolutely punctual.
Automatically translated
Written 24 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Henrik A
Copenhagen, Denmark10 contributions
Lorenzo was a good guide. Audio devices worked almost without interferens.
We were around 30 people in the group, which I think was a large group, especially since February is the off-season.
I think the price is a little greedy, since the groups are so large. Excluding the entrance in the ticket price, the price of the guide for 3 hours are then around 1500 EUR!
Also, we should have been given the 24 hour ticket at the end, so we could freely visit the Forum, as we only scratched the surface of the area, and I could have spend the rest of the day there...
We were around 30 people in the group, which I think was a large group, especially since February is the off-season.
I think the price is a little greedy, since the groups are so large. Excluding the entrance in the ticket price, the price of the guide for 3 hours are then around 1500 EUR!
Also, we should have been given the 24 hour ticket at the end, so we could freely visit the Forum, as we only scratched the surface of the area, and I could have spend the rest of the day there...
Written 22 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shelley S
Seguin, TX1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Friends
We had a pretty bad experience right from the get go. The tour guide was supposed to speak English, but sadly her English was very poor and essentially unrecognizable. Pretty sure she mixed Italian with English most of the time. She didn't have a flag to hold up for us to keep track of her so with the crowds and me being short, it was a challenge to stay up with her. We did loose people twice and had to stand around and wait while she tracked them down or they came to find us. She had a book with pictures that she held down at her waist level expecting everyone to see. When we asked a few questions about what the forum was used for she responded with "you come, you see." She either couldn't understand our English or didn't know much about her topic. All thru the colosseum she kept saying "look the big columns" or "lions and tigers" or other stupid half sentences that meant nothing. Several people left part way thru and most people in the group were openly complaining about not understanding her. I can't believe we stayed for the whole thing. I kept thinking I would learn something but I can tell you nothing about the colosseum, forum or palatine hill, other than the names of them. I guess I got to see them at least. Her name was Valentina. The only good thing was we got a 20% refund from the company that we booked thru (Headout) when I complained to them. Still it was 3 hrs wasted and too much money for what we ended up with. Hopefully she will only be allowed to do Italian tours in the future, cause her English sucked.
Written 12 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Begoña d
1 contribution
Aug 2023 • Family
We have done a guided tour of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine and it has been a total disaster. The tour started 10 minutes late, we made a 10-minute stop to get water, and then another 25-minute stop for the participants to go to the bathroom, in addition to other stops asking other guides for favors to try to fit three people English speakers who came with us. The visit to the forums has been practically non-existent, they have put us in the Church of Santa María Antigua while we saw the other groups with their guides through the forum (the visit is to the ROMAN forum). In the Palatine a panoramic view from a viewpoint and in the Colosseum we were limited to entering the arena without accompanying us through floors 1 and 2, while the rest of the groups were accompanied by their guides (we have seen them throughout the entire the route).
Honestly, it gave us the feeling of having an audio guide with a monotonous and boring sound but without the possibility of pausing. The only good thing is that he spoke Spanish very well, but the rest is unacceptable after paying 256 euros. I really feel cheated.
Honestly, it gave us the feeling of having an audio guide with a monotonous and boring sound but without the possibility of pausing. The only good thing is that he spoke Spanish very well, but the rest is unacceptable after paying 256 euros. I really feel cheated.
Written 5 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Danielle M
1 contribution
Mar 2025 • Couples
I would give Show Me Italy Tours through Trip Advisor 0 stars if I could. We were supposed to see the arena floor and gladiator entrance of the Colosseum along with the Roman Forum. However, because our tour guide Barbara got us to the entrance of the Colosseum over an hour after the time on our ticket we were not permitted to enter. We were then turned away and told we would “get our money back”. We have not been refunded and the number we have tried to call does not work. We were then left to wait in a very long line for same day tour tickets without the exclusive access we had originally paid for. Given this is one of our last days in Rome we will now be unable to book a similar tour with a different company. I would not recommend this tour to anyone!
Written 8 March 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hey there, we’re really sorry to hear about your experience, and we totally understand your frustration 😞. We want to make this right for you! Please reach out to us via email or our chat support, and we’ll sort out your refund ASAP. Thanks for your patience! 🙏💬
Written 9 March 2025
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ellaieu
Tucson, AZ20 contributions
Incredible Colosseum Tour with Barbara!
Our guided tour of the Colosseum was an unforgettable experience, thanks to our amazing guide, Barbara. She was incredibly knowledgeable, sharing fascinating historical details and bringing the ancient structure to life with her stories. Barbara was patient and attentive, always taking the time to answer our questions thoughtfully.
Her enthusiasm and passion for history were contagious, making the tour not only educational but also highly engaging. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Rome—ask for Barbara if you can!
Our guided tour of the Colosseum was an unforgettable experience, thanks to our amazing guide, Barbara. She was incredibly knowledgeable, sharing fascinating historical details and bringing the ancient structure to life with her stories. Barbara was patient and attentive, always taking the time to answer our questions thoughtfully.
Her enthusiasm and passion for history were contagious, making the tour not only educational but also highly engaging. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Rome—ask for Barbara if you can!
Written 8 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicola T
3 contributions
We were so looking forward to our trip to the Colosseum floor, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on our final day in Rome but were extremely disappointed. There were delays starting the trip and although it was supposed to start at 1:30 pm we didn't leave until 2pm. Then we had to join the queue outside the Colosseum for 45 minutes and so we didn't even start the tour until 2:45pm. Then the tour started with a toilet stop so we didn't do anything until 3pm. The tour guide was very knowledgeable but we had to rush everything because of the timing to get to the Roman Forum. However when we got to the end of the very rushed tour there was not enough time to get to the Roman Forum or Palatine Hill as it was shutting. We were so upset because this will be our only visit to Rome and this was something that we really wanted to see. The guide telephoned his office and they offered us a 30% off of the ticket price but this is not good enough. Our Colosseum trip was rushed and spoiled as we were being dragged around at speed. The guide did his best but to not see these two places at all was simply not acceptable. The tour should be scheduled to start earlier as they are aware of all the queues. I booked through Trip Advisor because I thought you were a reputable company and that we would get a great experience but sadly that was not the case. I do understand that some of the issues were outside your control but it ruined our final day in Rome. I do not think that a 30% refund is anyway near enough compensation. We definitely should be refunded the whole amount of £141.26 which is a huge amount to spend for the awful experience that we had. Bitterly disappointed.
Written 2 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Castres M
1 contribution
Mar 2024 • Couples
A very bad experience!!!! we have never had such a poor service for a guided tour, especially for the price paid. 3/4 of the visit the guide only gave logistical instructions and for the last quarter she repeated 3 pieces of information that she kept looping. We had to take out our Lonely Planet to get the explanations and today we bought dry tickets to explore the visit in more depth. I really do not recommend this service, it is not worth the asking price and we are used to guided tours.
Written 2 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melvy C
Sydney, Australia5 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
The Colosseum and surrounding temples are so big, a guide is essential. Our experience was good. My only complaint is that the guide's accent was very thick and my kids could not understand him, I had to translate for them.
There is a toilet inside and your guide will stop there at the beginning. We made the mistake of going to the toilets outside which was a long 20 minute wait and cost 1 Euro per person. You can also fill up your drink bottles with water inside.
There is a toilet inside and your guide will stop there at the beginning. We made the mistake of going to the toilets outside which was a long 20 minute wait and cost 1 Euro per person. You can also fill up your drink bottles with water inside.
Written 10 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How much time is spent in each place - in the description it says only 60 mins in the Coliseum and 45 mins in the Forum
Written 6 March 2025
Tour started at 1:30 as I recall and we got into the colosseum around 3pm
The colosseum closed at 4:30 so we had another half hour on are own at the end of the tour
We both felt the whole experience was good
Written 8 March 2025
Would I be able to reserve a tour for 18 people? How would I do that? Currently, the max people that I can add on Tripadvisor is 15.
Written 14 April 2024
Is the colosseum administration restricting your daytime access to the colosseum underground? A tour I booked with told me that due to overcrowding, the administration there is restricting underground access.
Written 24 April 2023
Hi we went early April and it was just so packed with people. We saw people down there but it wasn’t worth it our guide told us as we could see ourselves the work being carried out is very restrictive. We had paid for this but never got the chance as per construction and over crowding. My biggest recommendation is take a tour guide as it would be a nightmare to get onto lines and do this yourself. Be also aware if you’re taking the tour with Basillica included same thing can happen. It may not be open which happened to us. Enjoy your trip but use a bathroom before you start!!
Written 26 April 2023
Dora C.
Banqiao, New Taipei
Hello, I would like to ask that the tour will visit the underground and Arena of the Colosseo?
Written 21 October 2022
Hello this tour was fabulous but did not go underground ..however you could see clearly from the area floor the chambers underneath
Written 22 October 2022
Where do we meet you? I booked another tour, prior to our cruise, and could never find them at the colosseum. I'm out $120. Is there a specific address/ location to meet?
Written 3 August 2022
We thought we could just show up at the colosseum since we had the tickets on the phone which was wrong. One must meet at the company office down the street. A bit confusing but it says clearly on the ticket so I just didn’t read it good enough. We had to run and just made it there in time.
Written 6 August 2022
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.