See the Colosseum on a guided tour that gives you special access to enter the amphitheater on the arena, the same entrance that gladiators once used for their battles. This also allows you to skip the line at the main public entrance. Once inside, explore the ancient landmark with a guide, and then head outside to tour the archaeological area of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Select your preferred tour time when booking.

Colosseum and ancient Rome tour with special access
Enter the Colosseum directly from the arena floor, a rare privilege
Skip the main entrance line with priority admission tickets
Explore the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, as well (if option selected)

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Enter the Colosseum by the arena floor, and visit Palatine Hill and the Forum.

What's Included

Skip-the-line entry to the Roman Forum
Skip-the-line entry to Palatine Hill
Tour guide and headphones
Admission to the Colosseum arena (25 EUR if option selected)

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Transportation to/from attractions
Food and drinks

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Santi Cosma e Damiano
Via dei Fori Imperiali, 1, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
The meeting point is in the square in front, OUTSIDE, of the Basilica of Santi Cosma and Damiano, the church is located on Via dei Fori Imperiali (half way) & is close the entrance of the Roman Forum. You will see our staff in front of the Basilica wearing a uniform with the logos of the company.

End point

Via dei Fori Imperiali
Via dei Fori Imperiali, Roma RM, Italy

What To Expect

Your tour begins by meeting your guide at the local tour office near the Colosseum; then walk to the special entrance reserved for members of this tour.

Skip the regular lines and maximize your time at the Colosseum as you enter the amphitheater directly onto the arena floor, where gladiators and wild animals engaged in bloody fights. Visit the ring overlooking the underground sections of the Colosseum, and learn about its history from your guide, who has a degree in either art history or archaeology. Listen to anecdotes about the glory days of the arena and the lives of the emperors and senators of the time.

Next, leave the Colosseum and walk to Palatine Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome, where emperors and other wealthy residents lived. Take in the view of the Roman Forum and Circus Maximus, and then walk down the hill to explore the ruins of the forum, where your guide shares more stories and uses books and 3D pictures to show you how the site looked during the days of Ancient Rome. Your tour ends with return to your starting point.

Colosseum

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Roman Forum

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Palatine Hill

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Normal sized backpacks are permitted as huge backpacks will not be admitted.
Please Note: to access the Colosseum you need to add in your reservation the exact name and last name of all participants in your group and children need to be specified. In case of mistake in writing your name and last name in your reservation, if the Colosseum tickets controllers deny the access due to the wrong name and last name we decline any responsibility and NO REFUND will be provided.
Small group tour will average 26 people
Please be aware that to enter the Colosseum it is necessary to pass a metal detector security check;
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Please be on time or you might lose the entrance for the Colosseum or a part of the tour

A current valid passport or ID document is required on the day of the tour for the entrance at the Colosseum
Please make sure you bring comfortable shoes and a refillable plastic water bottle especially during hot weather!
There might be a change in order of the itinerary due to security and ticket availability.
Please note that due to uneven surfaces, this tour is not suitable for any persons with disabilities.
Please show up at least 10 minutes before the tour to do the check in
Please note that you will be asked a full refundable 10 euros deposit at the meeting point in order to ensure all the radios are given back to the guide or our staff. Once you return the radios you will be refunded your 10 euros. If you don't give back the radios you will be charged 30 euros for each of them.
-The entrance fee to the archaeological sites is 17 Euros for adults (23 Euros for the arena option), accompanied by a booking fee of 2 Euros. The additional amount covers services provided by experienced licensed guides, audio devices, booking fees and other tourist services. The aim is to promote transparency and ensure your understanding of the cost breakdown. In July and August, due to the heat, the duration of the tour is 2 hours. Please note that this tour is not wheelchair accessible. -Meeting time is subject to change; if this occurs, you will receive a call or message from the activity provider. please provide your correct phone number and country code. -ID mandatory. Guests who show up without ID cannot be guaranteed entrance. -The full names of all the participants in the booking is needed, incomplete information on the booking cannot be guaranteed entrance.
In summer time we suggest bringing a bottle of water. In summer time due to the heat the tour might last about 2 hours.
Not allowed: Pets, weapons or sharp objects, oversized luggage, smoking, alcohol or drugs, sprays or aerosols, glassware, unaccompanied minors, electric wheelchairs
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 28 travelers

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

Of course worth the trek, but be sure to wear proper shoes as the walk to the Colosseum is dusty, rocky, and uphill.

Note, it is a lot of walking, bring water and wear comfy shoes!!

Skip the line is a must when visiting these sites.

Reviews

4.5

2,934 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 2,934 reviews

Great time!

Lisa_L, Dec 2023

The tour was amazing! Great tour guide. Very informative and engaging! I highly recommend! There was so much to see and do. I took so many photos my phone died.

Fantastic

Janet_e, Nov 2023

Great tour Tour guide Flaven was amazing The coliseum and the Roman forum where cesur was cremated not murdered

Highlight of our Trip!

Nicolle_L, Nov 2023

We added Rome to our ittinerary last minute and booked this tour since it had good reviews and was still availible. Overall, loved it! Definately a highlight of the trip and our tour guide was hillarious! Tour guide was top notch, super funny, really added to the experience in a positive way and knew so much about the history of the Roman ruins. Can't say enough about how fantasitc he was. We did the english tour at 10am on a Tuesday. Also the price of this tour was very reasonable. Tips & Expectations - Since this tour is farily priced the tour group was on the larger side. This did not detract from our experience but did make the check-in process a bit longer. Make sure you get to the meeting point 15 minutes early like the ticket says so you don't hold up evreyone else. The tour was long since there is so much to cover, and even at 2.5/3 hours long we still could have spent another hour or so looking at all the ruins we didn't get to cover. You could spend an entire day at the Roman ruins - if you have that time I'd highly recommend reserving at least half a day!

Highly efficient and enjoyable

Taku_K, Nov 2023

The guide was not only so so nice but also very knowledgeable. Had a very efficient and enjoyable 2.5 hours.

Great tour of historic Rome

Susan_T, Nov 2023

Fabulous tour. Fast tracked through. So much information from our architect guide. Concentrated mainly on Forum and Palatine Hill, but there was surprisingly so much to learn and puts Ancient History into context. It us worth doing this bit if you like history. My teenage kids enjoyed it. Lots of walking. The Collosseum was great too where it finished and u could hang around there after.

Not good

Philippa_H, Nov 2023

Could not hear the guide clearly due to poor quality ear phones. Also, although guide was pleasant, her Italian accent was very strong and we struggled to understand her English speaking - as did others on tour.

A Peek Into the Past

Imelda_M, Nov 2023

We had the skip the line tour which I highly, highly recommend. Andrada did a fantastic job as we didn't know much of the history, but she provided great insight and allowed us to ask questions along the way! You definitely do not want to miss out on this tour!

The Colosseum can be...

Allison_B, Nov 2023

The Colosseum can be overwhelming, so we decided to hire a professional. I am not someone who generally likes guided tours, but found myself enjoying this tour very much. The use of headphones was very nice, the guide was fun, knowledgeable and even walked my boyfriend and I over to his favorite pizza place after the tour in the rain.

Great Tour Guides with VIP Access!!

Mike_D, Nov 2023

This. Tour. Was. Amazing. The VIP tour gets you access to places most people can’t go, and it truly is like walking back through history. Our tour guide was incredible, sharing important facts and information, pointing out things we otherwise would have missed, and giving us plenty of time to meander around and really look at things. From the Colesseum to Palantine Hill to the Roman Forum, this was definitely a highlight of our trip!!

A must before it changes

jtn1959, Nov 2023

We had plenty of time. Was not rushed Roberta our guide was fantastic. So much knowledge. Wear good shoes and take water. A lot of walking. Quite a few stairs.

Tour Of Rome

Michele_D, Nov 2023

The Tour Guide was very good and very informative. It was however dissappointing that the Tour we had was NOT conducted by ViaTour, it was with another Co. We had asked and paid for a Small Group tour which I assumed would be say 10 people, our Group was actually 20 people. I do not remember doing much of the Palatine Hill on the Tour, and I felt for the money spent on this it was rather rushed.... Whilst we had the History and did not have to queue ( which was all good) a similar ticket brought on the day would have cost approx £85 EUROS for us both.

Lots of history, lots of walking!

Aaron_S, Nov 2023

Great tour, our guide was very knowledgeable and the headsets worked well so we could hear him. The majority of this tour was spent in the palatine hill area and the coliseum was last, which was a great place to end (especially since it was towards closing time and not too many people were left in the coliseum). Needless to say there was a LOT of walking, lots of hills, and uneven ground. Please keep that in mind before booking.

Amazing

Trayveion_M, Nov 2023

It was an informative and great experience with jojo. He was very funny and knowledgeable and was very good at making it interactive

Bucket List!

Michelle_P, Nov 2023

The colosseum was awesome! Our tour guide knew EVERYTHING about the history of this amazing place. He took his time and we felt relaxed and comfortable.

Can’t Miss w Elida as your guide

Lonny_Z, Nov 2023

Absolutely Amazing. Elida our guide was wonderful !!!! She made the tour ! She was so knowledgeable and patient. Was a fantastic day !!!!

Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum Tour Was Great

Edward_P, Nov 2023

Our tour guide was very good and passionate about telling the story of the Colosseum. He brought visual aids to show a before and after type idea of the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. It was a very good tour.

Worth going in group

Kim_C, Nov 2023

Knowledgeable guide. Be prepared for lots of steps. Nice not waiting in lines. Crowds can limit photography.

Fascinating tour

Karen_H, Nov 2023

Had an excellent tour with our guide Flavia. She was not only incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the Colluseum as well as all of Rome! Her personality and wit made our time touring so much fun! Definitely will recommend to family and friends!

Friendly guide

marydell_w, Nov 2023

Our guide was really good. It was a large group and she tried to connect with everyone and kept the group together. The company was also great as i had my luggage with me and they stored it on their office because it was too big to bring into the colosseum

The best time. Money well spent

Paul_G, Nov 2023

Allessandro was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable. Didn;t walk too fast and always made sure thw whole group was present and could hear him

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