Rome: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Fully Guided Tour
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Rome: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Fully Guided Tour

By City Wonders
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The Colosseum is one of Rome’s most popular landmarks, but visualizing the ruin in its ancient heyday isn’t always easy. Understand the arena’s significance to Roman history during this guided tour, which also includes visits to nearby Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. Prefer a self-guided option? Then opt for an audio guide and tour the iconic monument at your own pace.
Lowest price guaranteeFree cancellation

Ages 0-99, max of 24 per group
Duration: 3h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More

Highlights
  • 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 a self-guided experience
  • Tours provide entry to all three sites, so you won't have to queue at the ticket office

  • Professional Expert Licenced 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 access if selected [€24]
  • Audio Guide directly on your mobile phone (If Option Selected)
  • Access to the Colosseum Arena Floor (if option selected)
  • 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. 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, Italy
    Meet 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
  • Most travellers can participate
  • Please note: All participant names are required at the time of booking in order to enter the Colosseum.
  • Every customer on this tour is required to present a valid government issued ID or Passport at the Colosseum, that matches their name on the reservation, or entry will be refused. Name changes are not permitted once the booking is confirmed
  • 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
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travellers

  • If you cancel at least 4 days in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
  • If you cancel within 3 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: 3731COLOSSEUM

From
C$72.41
per adult
Select date and travellers

Similar experiences

Itinerary
  • L.go Gaetana Agnesi, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
    Meet 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.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 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:
  • City Wonders
    37,762
    Rome, Lazio, Italy
    Joined in November 2007
  • rachelhP7175VM
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Semi private tour of Vatican and St Peters Basilica
    I liked how Eliza named me Simon then called me Peter and gave me the keys to heaven. I won points for knowing gods and goddesses. -Mason
    Written February 12, 2025
  • phoebev426
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing!
    This tour was phenomenal-- we learned a ton and ate great food and met so many nice people. Sonia and Luca were fantastic. I can't recommend this tour enough.
    Written February 12, 2025
  • andrewcX6454IN
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Pompeii with expert guides.
    Incredible place. A must see!! Our guide , Antonino was first class, extremely knowledgeable. Highly recommended if you are in this part of the world.
    Written February 11, 2025
  • DrBCervera
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fast paced and fun
    I loved visiting all the places on the tour. If you want to immerse yourself in each place, this is not the tour for you. It is very high paced. When I visit again, I am going to each place one day at a time.
    Written February 11, 2025
  • Traveler8191
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Spectacular on every level!
    From the guides to the itinerary, this was a great day. Just the right amount of narration, great to have stops on the way, nice mix of free time and guided tours.
    Written February 11, 2025
  • Dlito
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Pompei and Positano trip
    Patricia was a wonderful tour guide and we had a wonderful time on Pompei and Positano. Our guide on Pompei (I think it Edward) was very knowledgeable. It was a long day, but our driver got us there and back safely and we had a great day!
    Written February 9, 2025
  • andrewoW6937BP
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing experience
    Paula H, was brilliant and very informative, lots of details and in-depth historical facts. You cannot visit Rome without a visit to the Vatican!
    Written February 8, 2025
  • RJD02
    0 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Efficient ticket purchase but awful audio guide
    The ticket booking and collection was efficient, and there were plenty of reps around to give instructions after collecting tickets. However the downloaded audio by POP GUIDE was a waste of time and I wouldn’t bother with. The sound quality was poor and information useless. You would be best renting a proper audio guide from the reception of the Vatican Museum.
    Written February 7, 2025
  • 628gemmad
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful tour - worth it!
    Such a great trip, well organised & fantastic staff. Enrico was our tour guide and was not only friendly but very knowledgable. He gave a great mix of facts and fun and also gave us some downtime on the bus. Enrico was also great offering tips on how to spend our downtime, restaurants to visit and what to avoid. Positano is absolutely stunning, if you get the chance, sit on the right side of the bus and enjoy all the views down the Amalfi Coast. Pompeii is also an incredible site to behold. Such wonderful history & excellent guided tour. Overall a fantastic trip & highly recommended!
    Written February 7, 2025
  • 0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing tour! Informative and enjoyable!
    Lovely tour ! We enjoyed maximum! Well organised and informative! Fabrizio made our day more special by making small presents to everyone. Thank you
    Written February 7, 2025
  • Ferrari1975
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Incredible
    Just incredible. Art on steroids! You will never see art and history like this anywhere else. Take some tissues, it's hard not to feel emotional seeing what human beings can accomplish in art. It will blow your socks off!
    Written February 6, 2025
  • Y6075MFmarys
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    3 Counties in 1 day
    Great day out from Rome. See Countryside as well as small town and villages. Lunch at Montrpulicano was very good and final STOP at Civita Bagn... was great also for seeing countryside. Laura was able to judge how much to talk Andrea was a calm driver
    Written February 5, 2025
  • 697leanner
    0 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good tour
    Firstly , the meeting point was easy to find just across from the queues to enter on a set of stairs. We were really disappointed that due to the jubilee, we would not be able to have a guided tour around St Peters. We understood the reason however I'm sure the company would have known about this before hand and could have contac ted people to give them the option to reschedule to another day as by the time you have made your way to the meeting point and are standing with ur headset in its a bit late. We did receive a refund of £15 from a total of £150! Unfortunately we could not visit without a guide the next day as we had plans if we had known in advance we would have made a point of going the day before. Our guide was very nice and extremely knowledgeable. She took her time to explain what we were looking at and answer any questions. It felt very busy and so I can't imagine what it would be like in some of the more narrow areas in the busier months. This is a must do trip on a visit to Rome.
    Written February 4, 2025
  • RPR-tour
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    It was one of the great tours
    Great tour with great experience. The tour guide, John, was very informative and knowledgeable. Every single stop from Pompeii to Amalfi Coast was worthy.
    Written February 3, 2025
  • dovl84
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    If you have an extra day in Rome - go
    Jonathan was a great guide very knowledgeable. Reading about Pompeii cannot compare to seeing it. The vast size and the remains. The town of Positano is also lovely.
    Written February 3, 2025
See all 37,762 reviews
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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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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kellyo1966
Perth, Australia228 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
3rd time in Rome and first for our friends. It was so busy that most attractions we only got to see outside. We tried booking well in advance and ended up trying to get tickets at sites. We did get into Castel Sant' Angelo, which is just amazing and offers beautiful views of Rome. Loads of access to many areas, which makes this one of the best castle visits anywhere. Not expensive to visit. You can line up and buy on the day, we waited half hour. Big Bus tour around Rome was not too bad, we used it more of a taxi to get to different areas. Spanish steps and Trevi fountain are a must and even if you visit the Colosseum from the outside, if you can't get tickets, that is still magical. If you want to see everything, give yourself a good 4-5 full days, book very early from the official site, not resellers and just go the fast pass. If you don't do fast pass you will be lining up everywhere and you will hate the experience. We stayed outside of Rome on an Olive farm in Casalazzara and caught the train into Termini station and it only cost us €3. That was perfect for us as we didn't want the beeping horns and garbage trucks keeping us awake.
Written January 25, 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.

Jim B
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK106 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Couples
This tour was absolutely superb. I found it just the right length and our guide Renee was extremely knowledgeable and willing to answer any questions. She was a late stand in as our original guide for the tour couldn't make it Renee stepped in at the last minute and did a fantastic job (apologies if I've spelt her name wrong!)

We were lucky and had a day where the weather was bright and sunny and the crowds not too bad. Even though it was sunny, it was very cold inside the Colosseum when we were in the shade so wrap up warm! I would highly recommend booking your tour as early as possible in the day as the later it got the busier it got. We seemed lucky to time it perfectly.

Only reason this isn't a 5 star review is that I found the City Wonders staff a little inpatient and curt, seemingly more interested in chatting amongst themselves, yawning and playing with their mobile phones. They could use a little training in customer service whilst the tour guide herself was very professional and friendly indeed.

They recommend you turn up early. We did and were basically told to come back at the time of the tour (in a rather abrupt manner) so don't worry too much about the 'arrive 15 minutes before your tour time'. We did and the staff couldn't be bothered to even talk to us other than 'come back at 9 when your tour starts'.
Written November 18, 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.

Hrafn32
Reykjavik, Iceland6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
Visiting the Colosseum in Rome was absolutely unforgettable! The moment you step inside, you can feel the weight of history all around you. It’s wild to think about how this massive arena was built so long ago and still stands strong today. Walking through the ancient stone corridors and looking out over the arena floor, you can almost hear the crowds and imagine the epic battles that once took place there. The architecture is mind-blowing, and the views from the upper levels are incredible—perfect for snapping some amazing photos. I definitely recommend getting a guided tour or audio guide to really appreciate all the history. It’s such a cool experience, whether you’re a history buff or just exploring Rome. Totally worth it and a must-see if you're in the city!
Written January 17, 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.

meonearth
New Canaan, CT37 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Friends
I hate leaving negative reviews, but this was an incredibly bad tour because of the tour guide. This was a mid-priced tour ($146 per person) and we think we would have been better off booking one of the budget large group tours. Our guide was very difficult to understand, gave very little information about the colosseum and palatine hill, and then ended the tour right after we entered the roman forum without ANY information at all. In the colosseum, we saw other guides giving lengthy descriptions in each stopping point, but our guide would say things like, "Bricks. 3 million. Mama Mia!" That's it. Then she would turn around and walk in silence to the next view point where she would say something similar.

In addition, 3 different parties in our group got lost because she kept randomly walking away to the next viewpoint without a warning. She refused to hold her flog up even after people in our group repeatedly asked her to because they were having trouble finding her. I don't think she was being mean, I just think she is a scattered person and kept forgetting. My 2 friends and I were lost for about 15 minutes after we mistakenly guessed the group had gone downstairs and we only found them by luck. Another group had a baby stroller and had to use the elevator and she led us out of the colosseum without waiting for them. The family found us 45 minutes later as we were getting into the ticket line for the Roman forum and they were so upset they were near tears. It was only after we went through to the Roman forum that we noticed a third party (a mom and young son) weren't with us. We all felt bad because since the tour guide holds the tickets and it was very busy that day, I'm sure they weren't able to gain access to the Roman Forum at all.

The worst part was that my friends and I had all travelled to Rome to see and learn about this incredible icon and felt our time and effort were wasted. If we had time in our schedule, we would have booked another tour with another company the next day, but our itinerary had us leaving for Florence the next day so it was impossible. But that is ridiculous. I think when you book a professional tour, you should be able to expect one.
Written May 25, 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.

Miles N
Vancouver, Canada3 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2024 • Couples
We were charged over $310 CAD for a tour that you can see is $35 per person online. We arrived across the street and were given an €18 ticket and told to walk across the street and download an app. There was no tour guide and the app was buggy, confusing and would not work inside the colosseum. I cannot express how incredibly disappointed we were with this experience. I would not recommend booking a tour with City Wonders - I have requested a refund. You could buy your own ticket and download Rick Steves and save yourself a ton of money.
Written September 22, 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.

Rachel S
9 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
We were literally one minute late for the tour because the Uber had a problem getting us to the area and the tour guide Yuri left with out us! We saw the guide as we were approaching and stopped him and told him we are probably part of this tour and instead of helping and waiting for us for a minute until we sorted it out he kept going! They also did not even try to call us to see if we were coming and we were a group of 8! There was another group of 4 that they did this too as well. The staff working at the center was awful too we had an issue with our ticket and they did not help us they wasted our time even longer …no one knew how to help and then they just sent us to fetch for ourselves. When we finally found the same guide Yuri I mentioned above he was rude unapologetic and made it our fault. We could not hear the whole colosseum tour. And mind you we were a group of 8 4 adult and 4 children plus another 4 from a different family. And he did not even try to speak louder and we saw many guides from other tours do. I would definitely not recommend this company there are a lot more friendlier and professional tours that we saw. They also rip you off on the price I booked this tour way in advance and the day before I saw it for $300 less while we paid close to $1000! But I couldn’t cancel due to there no refund or cancellations! I have contacted VIA to get a refund at least for a portion and still nothing!
Written August 26, 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.

Ursula P
2 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
Rome as a city is impressive. The tourist attractions are only somewhat beautiful. The crowds that were there really put us off.
Despite booking a ticket online for over 100 euros, we were unable to get into the Vatican due to very poor organization. We could have walked to the Colosseum ourselves despite having a guide (only around the outside).
The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and many other attractions were impossible to visit because of all the people.
We have decided to avoid such city trips.
In our opinion, all the tickets that can be booked online for entry are pure money-making, especially since you only have a time slot.
Google
Written May 2, 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.

Dunbrian
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
Unfortunately like many others that booked this tour it turned out to be a scam. We had booked this in May for a tour on the 3rd July. We turned up as instructed 15 minutes before the tour was due to start and the City Wonders staff there proceeded to send us back and forth between them as nobody wanted to deal with us and finally told us that our tour guide hadn’t turned up although there were others going on a tour at the same time! Their attitude on the day was disgraceful.

The options offered to us were to take the entrance tickets for that day with a value of €18 although we had paid €66.50 each for this tour and get a partial refund or just get a full cancellation. Having subsequently read all of the reviews from other people that were supposed to take this tour in June and ended up in the same position this is an all too familiar story now to be believable. The entrance tickets have a 15 minute time slot and as this was the 3rd July at the height of the tourist season so with two young children with us we felt we only had the option to reluctantly take the entrance tickets.

So far we have received no refund and this experience most definitely impacted our overall enjoyment as a family visiting the Colossuem for the first time. We were very disappointed and let down by City Wonders. Do not book with them!
Written July 16, 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.

Karen
Monterrey, Mexico1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
I arrived at the meeting point with the 15 minutes in advance that they request to start the tour, but upon arrival, we were only informed that the guide had not arrived and that they could not carry out the service for which we paid (€112). They offered us to cancel the reservation and give us a full refund or a partial refund and 2 individual tickets to do the tour on our own. We chose partial refund with individual tickets so as not to miss the opportunity to visit the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine. Unfortunately to date I have not been contacted nor have I received the partial refund, I am still waiting for them to honor the refund.
Google
Written August 8, 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.

Jennifer R
Bonney Lake, WA23 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 • Couples
While the site itself was amazing, the whole experience was horrible. The tour guides for this “guided” tour simply tell you to download an app and dump you at the entrance to claw and fight your way through thousands of other tourists. Did not know the guide was an app, not a person, so did not bring AirPods. Luckily, hubby had his so we each took one. Then, there are so many thousands of tourists, the cell service was terrible and the app would not load or play once you are inside. Paid $5 euros more each for this app on the tour that was free to download. I thought that fee was for an audio device like I saw others wearing. Just walked around and looked at stuff with very little context, just what we could overhear from other guided tour guides. Also, I understood that we would get to go down to the under places where the animals were kept, but that was not included. I guess “floor” is the main 2nd level. Very misleading. Book with another company that will clearly state what’s included. Be prepared to show your passport 3 times before getting in, and a metal detector security more stringent than the airport, but that was everyone, not just this tour.
Written October 12, 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.

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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.

Rome: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Fully Guided Tour provided by City Wonders

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