Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
4.5
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About
Experience the iconic Colosseum without wasting time at the entrance. Join our guided tour of ancient Rome, where you'll delve into the history of this amphitheater with an entertaining guide who shares stories of thrilling gladiator battles. Afterwards, explore the Palatine Hill to discover the origins of Rome before concluding your journey at the Roman Forum to witness its ancient ruins. For a more immersive experience, consider upgrading to a small-group or semi-private tour that grants access to the arena floor where gladiators fought for their life!
Lowest price guarantee
Ages 0-99, max of 24 per group
Duration: 3h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
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Highlights
- Upgrade your experience with access to the Colosseum Arena Floor
- Explore the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum with an expert guide
- Learn about ancient Rome and its unique origin story
- Customize your tour with options for group, small group, or semi-private experiences
- Professional Expert local guide
- Access to the Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
- Headsets to hear your guide clearly
- Fully guided visit of the Colosseum
- Colosseum Entry ticket (€18)
- Colosseum Entry ticket with Arena (if Semi Private option is selected €24)
- Entry/Admission - Colosseum
- Entry/Admission - Palatine Hill
- Entry/Admission - Foro Romano
What's not included- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Your tour begins near just off the blue metro line at Largo Gaetana Agnesi. Meet your guide and walk to the world wonder, where you avoid long lines with your fast-track pass and head straight inside the Colosseum. Travel back 2,000 years as your guide tells stories of gladiator battles, bloody animal fights, and executions in front of 50,000-strong crowds of spectators. If you’ve opted to upgrade your experience, you’ll then visit the arena floor and subterranean chambers, which are usually closed to the general public. Visit cells in which criminals and wild animals were kept, and follow in the footsteps of Roman gladiators in the arena. After ample time at the ancient landmark, you’ll continue to the Roman Forum via Via Sacra. The sprawling site has minimal signage, but your guide takes you to the highlights and gives you the inside scoop. Learn about the historical significance of the House of the Vestal Virgins and the Temple of Julius Caesar before concluding your tour with sweeping city views atop Palatine Hill.
- Start:
- Largo Gaetana Agnesi, L.go Gaetana Agnesi, 00184 Roma RM, ItalyMeet your guide at Largo Gaetana Agnesi, on the little square above the metro line B (blue line) stop "Colosseo". Your guide coordinator will be waiting here wearing a blue City Wonders polo shirt or jacket for easy recognition.
End:- Palatine Hill, 00186 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy
- Not wheelchair accessible
- 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: 3731COLOSSEUM- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Please ensure to arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before your departure time. Late comers cannot be accommodated.
- Please note: All participant names are required at the time of booking in order to enter the Colosseum.
- Please note that the itinerary for our tours may differ from the advertised order of destinations. We assure you that any changes made to the tour itinerary are carefully planned and intended to enhance your overall experience
- On this tour, some of the venues or parts of the venue may be subject to last-minute, unpredictable closures. When this occurs, we are happy to offer customers an extended tour in keeping with the advertised total length of the tour.
- May experience delays in clearing security checks when entering the venue
- IF PRIVATE TOUR IS SELECTED: Please be aware that the price for both adults and children is the same. Children can be booked at the adult rate.
- Each traveler must present a valid ID card or document that matches the name provided at the time of booking for successful entry to the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
- Unable to accommodate strollers or baby carriages on our group tours
- Italy’s tourist sites are among the most popular in the world. Our tours and our careful planning limit our crowd exposure, but please be aware that some days may be unavoidably busy during standard hours
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travellers
- All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.
- 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: 3731COLOSSEUM
From
C$26.07
per adult (price varies by group size)
Select date and travellers
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Itinerary
- L.go Gaetana Agnesi, 00184 Roma RM, ItalyMeet your guide at Largo Gaetana Agnesi, on the little square above the metro line B (blue line) stop "Colosseo". Your guide coordinator will be waiting here wearing a blue City Wonders polo shirt or jacket for easy recognition.
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- Palatine Hill, 00186 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Arthur T0 contributionsVatican Museum and Basilica.Skip the line is great. St Peters and the Vatican museum is very crowded but beautiful. Highly recommended to visit. Ciao.Written September 14, 2024
- 702jazzy0 contributionsPaid $500 to sit on a bus for 15+ hours.15 hours on a bus to rush and see the overly crowded Positano for an hour was not worth it. Ended up being 7 hours to get there, a couple bus breakdowns/switches, and torturously long traffic. It is apparently “always like this”. Pompeii was pretty cool, but definitely felt rushed through everything because of the traffic in Positano. Barely time to eat or use the restroom in any place. I would have chosen a different excursion had I realized we’d be stuck on the tight bus for that many hours. Our guide and drivers were wonderful, but given the traffic, this is not an appropriate day trip from Rome.Written September 13, 2024
- Maps3129070 contributionsMust take!Pavla H was very knowledgeable and about the history of the museum! Professional throughout the course of the tour. My husband and I really enjoyed and appreciate the tour! Will definitely take again!Written September 13, 2024
- TomD3720 contributionsVatican breakfast and Sistine chapelWe had a fantastic tour with Christian as our guide. I would highly recommend this tour and if you are lucky get Christian. He is so knowledgeable. He knows all the tricks to see everything the Vatican has to offer.Written September 13, 2024
- HeidiR6500 contributionsCiao Bella!We were very fortunate to have Ilaria as our guide. Her knowledge and passion for the history of The Vatican enriched our understanding and experience on the tour. It was definitely one of the highlights of our visit to Rome!Written September 13, 2024
- gabriellegZ606RQ0 contributionsBad bad badDo yourself a favour do not use this company….What we hoped for was a beautiful day out was a disaster they did no co ordinate transportation we were stuck outside and did not see anything. The bus was not co ordinated and we were stuck for 2hrsWritten September 13, 2024
- J1982GZjosephinep0 contributionsVaticanChristian our guide was wonderful, so knowledgeable and funny it made the whole experience that much better. The whole tour was at a relaxed pace that was easy for any level of fitness.Written September 13, 2024
- davidkG631DJ0 contributionsGreat tour and great tour guide!Catarina was the best tour guide! Fun, efficient and knowledgeable....highly recommend....And Sal, her assistant in training was great, tooWritten September 12, 2024
- 490egles0 contributionsJust take a look at the nice pictures with Rome but go elsewhere in Italy :).Rome is great to look at. However, in summer it is hot. Air quality is bad (little rain and no wind). It is dirty and vaste are all over in the streets even in the morning. Homless is a problem. The city is very expensive. I think it suffers from overtourism. Please consider other places. Just take a look at the nice pictures with Rome but go elsewhere in Italy :).Written September 12, 2024
- davidmP1062LF0 contributionsTerrific Day and Excellent GuideTerrific day and our guide Antonino was fantastic. Added a lot to the tour. The views are exceptional at the stops and enjoyed the lunch.Written September 11, 2024
- BMK2590 contributionsCannot RecommendI would not recommend. Most of the day is spent on the bus. Too rushed. One port would have been nicer, giving us more time to enjoy the sights, shop and have a meal. Coastal cruise is a bit misleading. It is not a cruise - you travel on local ferries. The tour guide (Angela) was great. The driver was also great. Scenery was beautiful. Overall just too rushed in each port. Our tour lasted about 16 hours and about 12 of those were on the bus or ferries.Written September 11, 2024
- A6415TVjanc0 contributionsAwesome tour guide 🥰Amy was an amazing guide and made the experience memorable! Vatican City is an amazing country! Definitely recommend 🙏🏻🙏🏻Written September 11, 2024
- FrequentFlier8275610 contributionsGreat day-trip from Rome!This was a great day-trip from Rome to Tuscany. Our tour guide Jonathan was very helpful and organized and made the whole day go off without a hitch. I highly recommend this tour. And, if you’re American and you can choose your guide, go for Jonathan.Written September 11, 2024
- cindyrP5717ZF0 contributionsGreat tour with so much packed into the day.Jonathan and Pamela were fantastic. Very knowledgeable, polite, caring, patient. Great story teller with humor and lots of great facts.Written September 11, 2024
- Q6845BMlisaf0 contributionsTuscany tourWent on Tuscany tour. Johnathan was our guide . He was great and very informative. Highly recommend Jonathan. Best tour yet!Written September 11, 2024
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
4,925 reviews
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David T
4 contributions
Mar 2020
Hi, I paid for a Semi Private guided Tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill with City Wonders. This tour was advertised as a small group of no more than 12 people for a 2 hour duration and with head sets included. We arrived at the designated area where we were greeted by a member of City Wonders, we then were introduced to our guide who we later found out was a free lance guide. The tour started with 14 people but grew further down the line as the guides own clients joined the group. We had no head sets as advertised and with the rain and wind found it difficult to hear her. We skipped so many areas of the Colosseum like videos and artifacts, were given brief descriptions of the main areas and were then ushered out to the entrance for the Roman Forums where we were left to our own devices and our tour guide left, this was also after an 1 1/2 hours and not the 2 hours advertised. It was that bad that a French family wanted to stay and look further around the Colosseum and were told that was fine but they would then have to pay again for entrance into the Forum as it was a group booking (surprisingly they did) At £135.00 for the two of us this was extremely poor value and City Wonders should vet their guides more stringently?
Written March 5, 2020
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.
Dear Y4885NYdavidt,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback.
We are sorry to see that you felt the tour didn't live up to your expectations.
First of all we wish to say that we are very surprised to hear that the group was more than 12 people, as generally speaking we would never allow more than those allotted to the time slot to join. This is because we usually do not have spare tickets.
Usually the headsets would also always be provided, and they would only not be provided if you joined the ticket only group.
We are also incredibly surprised to hear that the guide was not a City Wonders guide, as generally speaking the guides work for our company directly. What is more, it is usually not at all possible for other clients to join the tour as it continues.
It is however true that is is only possible to join the Forum if you do not stay in the Colosseum, as it is not possible for the guide to wait with the tickets to the Forum for clients to spend as long as they wish in the Colosseum.
We are very concerned by the issues you raise, and we invite you to contact us at info@citywonders.com with the name of your guide and the booking reference number for the tour, so that we may follow up and investigate.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Kevin
City Wonders Team
Written March 5, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dave and Kelly
4 contributions
Oct 2019
One of the highlights of our trip was definitely our tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. We cannot say enough positive things about our guide, "Barbara (Blue Eyes)" and the experience she provided! Barbara is a phenomenal guide! She is extremely knowledgeable, educated, speaks fluent English, and really explained so much of the history without ever making us feel rushed. She also really paid attention to meeting the needs of everyone within our group.
We have visited many places and have been on several guided tours and have often felt rushed, had language barriers, and at times have felt like cattle being herded. This experience was hands down 'THE BEST' and most enjoyable we've ever experienced!
Thank you to Barbara and to City Wonders!
We have visited many places and have been on several guided tours and have often felt rushed, had language barriers, and at times have felt like cattle being herded. This experience was hands down 'THE BEST' and most enjoyable we've ever experienced!
Thank you to Barbara and to City Wonders!
Written March 9, 2020
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.
James
Wallingford, UK2 contributions
We were so lucky to have the knowledgeable and very personable Christina as our guide. Her enthusiasm for her city was infectious, and her passion for her academic subject of art history (PhD no less) really brought the Colosseum and Forum to life. There were 12 of us, a small enough group to make it feel personal and fun. It is expensive, but you get what you pay for and so much more - we sailed past queues, and were treated to interesting titbits of information that can’t be found on Google or in a guidebook. If you are new to the city I can’t recommend a personal guide highly enough. Handy hint - make sure you have water, a cap and sun cream as the sun above the Colosseum is strong even in Spring!
Written April 12, 2022
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.
SophieP
New York City, NY45 contributions
Sept 2019
This tour was fantastic! Although there were, what seemed like, a gazillion people gathering to see the Colosseum, the tour leaders quickly got us together with our guide and off to the front of the line. We saved hours of line-waiting and skated through pretty quickly. Our guide was patient and explained the process very clearly, so we all knew what to do and where to go. She was also incredibly knowledgeable as her other job is as an archeologist...so we really felt like we were getting an insider's tour. It was engaging and kept us riveted with tales of yore and information that doesn't always come from a book. When we moved on to the Forum and Palatine Hill, we got to see real archeological digs in action, too! I never felt rushed and although the tour was long, it kept me interested the entire time. I'd absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants a deeper exploration of these historical giants.
Written January 11, 2020
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.
Adele C
Brooklyn, NY9 contributions
Feb 2020
Tour was excellent! We had Stephanie as our guide. She had a great personality and a wonderful way of relating to the diverse group that we were, from all different parts of the world. She pointed out things that I would never notice if I were on my own. She also was able to tell the history in a way that made it came alive and made it relevant to our lives. Thank you!
Written February 10, 2020
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.
MWAudi6
8 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
The tour to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill was amazing. Booked using link on Trip Advisor. Guide was Selena. Very well educated on Romes history.
We did the Vatican first and then the Colosseum but I would reverse that order if going again. It is a total waste of time going to these places if you dont go with a guide as I feel a person should know what they are looking at. No queues anywhere and it was just great for us. Feel sorry for the Restaurants, busses, taxis etc. As tourism is dead here at the moment.
We did the Vatican first and then the Colosseum but I would reverse that order if going again. It is a total waste of time going to these places if you dont go with a guide as I feel a person should know what they are looking at. No queues anywhere and it was just great for us. Feel sorry for the Restaurants, busses, taxis etc. As tourism is dead here at the moment.
Written March 7, 2020
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.
spb1992
West Midlands, UK8 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Tour guide was brilliant new what she was taking about. Passionate about her country.
Lots of steps and walking which is exactly what we expected.
Really enjoyed the tour and it was around 3 hours. Only thing I would advise is lots of people also did the Vatican City tour in the same day. Where as we did it over two days.
Doing the Vatican City tour and colosseum tour in one day would be far to much as there is no time for lunch as you go from one side of the city to the other. So glad we did it over two days!
Lots of steps and walking which is exactly what we expected.
Really enjoyed the tour and it was around 3 hours. Only thing I would advise is lots of people also did the Vatican City tour in the same day. Where as we did it over two days.
Doing the Vatican City tour and colosseum tour in one day would be far to much as there is no time for lunch as you go from one side of the city to the other. So glad we did it over two days!
Written January 23, 2020
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.
Doc the Traveler
Ohio City, OH2 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
Our tour guide Hector was very knowledgeable. We got thru all areas efficiently while he provided a great commentary on what we were seeing. His suggestion to see a few movies Like Gladiator or Spartacus to get a big picture view of the past was great. This tour is not for those having problems walking. If you have trouble you may want to get a private tour guide so you can go slower. Some people did drop out. Also go early in the morning the Roman sun can be brutal in the summer. Very worthwhile
Written August 12, 2021
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.
Jen J
7 contributions
Jun 2022
Took the basic (not small group) Colosseum tour as part of the full day combo package with the Best of Rome walking tour and found that it's better to just go for the colosseum tour and skip the city walk.
Lady archaelogist guide for the Colosseum tour was knowledgeable, engaging and made every effort to connect with and tailor her content to different members of her group - from young children to the older adults. She even supplemented her commentary with hard copy pictures she carried in her bag.
This was in contrast to the city walk guide who kept shoving mainly art history facts to participants even though not everyone seemed interested in what's being said. There was also no mention of the large number of eateries and gelato spots along the way until a participant asked for food recommendations at the end of the tour. Note also that the guide will not be entering the Pantheon to explain things inside. So before you pay for this city tour, maybe check out other free walking tours first that also cover the city centre - some of these other agencies have very creative itineraries that reflect their guides' efforts to offer something different to tourists.
Lady archaelogist guide for the Colosseum tour was knowledgeable, engaging and made every effort to connect with and tailor her content to different members of her group - from young children to the older adults. She even supplemented her commentary with hard copy pictures she carried in her bag.
This was in contrast to the city walk guide who kept shoving mainly art history facts to participants even though not everyone seemed interested in what's being said. There was also no mention of the large number of eateries and gelato spots along the way until a participant asked for food recommendations at the end of the tour. Note also that the guide will not be entering the Pantheon to explain things inside. So before you pay for this city tour, maybe check out other free walking tours first that also cover the city centre - some of these other agencies have very creative itineraries that reflect their guides' efforts to offer something different to tourists.
Written June 15, 2022
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.
Rob G
19 contributions
Jun 2022
Wonderful tour in every way. Our tour guide, Flavia [? spelling] was exceptionally knowledgeable, very thorough, personable, and entertaining. In our group of 7 we had 3 grandsons, age 10 and 12. She engaged them throughout the tour and made them feel a part of it and allowed them to experience the full perspective of how unique the history is of that time in Roman history. We started at the Colosseum, and after a thorough tour of it we moved on to the Palatine Hill and then to the Forum. It's a lengthy tour but time seemed to fly by due to her way of conducting the tour. We could not even remotely been able to obtain the information she provided for us on our own; and it would have taken much longer. This tour is well worth the money paid and my entire family highly recommend it.
Written June 15, 2022
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.
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 April 24, 2023
I think so. It looked as though certain (slightly more expensive) tours offered underground access, and some didn't. Btw, Trip Advisor is refusing to refund me for the tour I booked through them that didn't happen, so beware.
Written April 26, 2023
Hi! We would like to buy this tour mainly for skipping the line. Can we buy this tour but explore Colosseum & Roman forum ourselves (without a guide)?
Written March 13, 2023
No. You need to be with the guide to skip the line. It starts with the Colosseum, so you could leave the guide and explore that, but you won’t be with the guide to skip the line at the Roman forum..
Written March 14, 2023
Hi, visiting in November and would like to book this tour however a couple of questions, when it says a fully guided tour of Colosseum, does that include the Arena/ backstage etc.
Also once you go from Colosseum, to Roman Forums and then Palatine Hill- can you go back to the Colosseum/ Roman Forums on your own or not?
Many thanks
Marie
Written October 9, 2022
When we were there in August we had a very detailed and extensive tour of all three places. The Colosseum portion was incredible but we didn't go into the pits below. However I didn't feel we missed anything because we had quite a good stretch of time inside and outside the Colosseum and we left with amazing photos and a ton of awesome new knowledge/info about it's history. My understanding was that once we exited we were not able to go back inside the Colosseum.....unlike the Forum and Palantine Hill where we also had an incredibly detailed and extensive tour of those places as well.....but once the tour ended we were free to explore those places on our own. My wife and I did continue to take in both the Forum and Palantine Hill on our own afterwards and it was fantastic. For us the tour was the perfect amount of time and detail. It allowed us to feel like we really explored everything there was to see and learn. That said we are not huge history buffs who want to spend hours looking at architecture and reading plaques but I think even for people who want that kind of immersive experience they wouldn't be disappointed with this tour. I highly recommend taking this tour because of the "Skip the Line" element which really sped things up plus our guide was AMAZING so we were completely satisfied with the whole experience!
Written October 10, 2022
Why is the English speaking version £20 more than the other language options?
Written August 22, 2022
Don’t know to be honest…I have noticed that but it didn’t bothered me…I assume it’s because English groups are more frequent…🤷🏻♂️
Written August 23, 2022
Yes I believe so. But try and stay with your group
Written August 29, 2022
Hi, I am looking to book a tour. I am not staying in a hotel, I will arrive on a Norwegian cruise line to Chivitavecchia. Where will be a meeting point with a guide? Thank you
Written July 19, 2022
Our meeting point was just outside of the Colosseum, above the subway stop. It was our responsibility to get to the Colosseum. I am sure there are tours that originate in Citavecchia, but probably encompass multiple stops, including the Colosseum and Forum.
Written September 30, 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.
