Rome

Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour

Rome, Italy

Skip the Line Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour

2 hours 30 minutes
Offered in: English

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Overview

Walk in the footsteps of emperors and gladiators on a guided tour of Rome’s most iconic attractions — the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Beat the crowds with skip-the-line access to the Colosseum, and learn about the bloody battles and glorious victories that once took place inside this mighty arena. In the Forum, wander among the ruins of temples and judicial palaces while your guide shares insight into the complex social structure of ancient Rome.

See a pair of legendary Roman attractions on a 2.5-hour guided tour
Skip the line at the incredible Colosseum
Listen to legends of gladiators, gods and emperors
Learn about daily life in ancient Rome
See highlights of the sprawling Roman Forum ruins
Perfect for first-time visitors
Avoid peak crowds on this afternoon tour

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

This time-saver, archaeologist-led tour covers the highlights of the Colosseum in just ninety minutes.

What's Included

Priority access tickets to the Colosseum (value €18)
Priority access tickets to the Roman Forum
Licensed English-speaking tour guide

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Arch of Constantine
Via di S. Gregorio, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Meet 15 minutes before, at the Arch of Constantine. There will be a representative holding an ItaliaTours sign. No refunds will be given for late arrivals or failure to show. An official form of ID will be required to enter the Colosseum.

End point

Roman Forum
Via della Salara Vecchia, 5/6, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Tour concludes in the Roman Forum archaeological area.

What To Expect

Largo Gaetana Agnesi

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Colosseum

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Roman Forum

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
The ground in the Roman Forum is composed of large stone or dirt pathways that can be difficult to navigate with strollers or wheelchairs. Contact us to determine the best way to visit Ancient Rome with small children or guests confined to wheelchairs
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.
Tour departs rain or shine

Due to the route covered and/or the means of transportation used, it is not possible to participate in this tour using a wheelchair, scooter, or other aid. Please contact us to inquire about customized tour options for guests with mobility challenges
Wear comfortable shoes for walking
Wear a hat and sunblock during summer months
Bring water if you will tour on a hot day
Only small bags or purses are allowed in the Colosseum. No large bags or weapons allowed, and there is no cloakroom available
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.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 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.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

82 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 82 reviews

do it on your own and...

Sahiti_K, Aug 2023

do it on your own and save the money such a waste, there's information everywhere that explains things to you.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Dear Sahiti, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your recent tour with us. We are sorry to hear that you were disappointed with your experience. Although we do offer several options for self guided tours, including those with audio guides, we hope that you will consider booking with us again in the future. Wishing you the best.

Best Tour yet

Jodi B, Aug 2019

When in Rome Tour lead by our guide Aurora was the best tour booked in our three days in Rome. The day of our tour was exceptionally hot but that didn’t stop our guide Aurora in making it historically accurate in detail through its history and somehow found all the shady spots for a rest throughout. Her love of history and architecture was clearly present so it was a joy to spend the three hours with her and this historically significant sight.

Response from Host, Aug 2019

Hi Jodi, Thank you for booking with us, we really appreciate your comments about Aurora and our Colosseum & Gladiator Gate tour. We hope you return to Rome again in the not-too-distant future. When In Rome Tours

Great site. Great guide!

Nick A, Aug 2019

I have two young sons and our guide Aurora was entertaining and highly informative over our long visit. Thanks!

Excellent experience

Roy_G, Jul 2019

our tour guide was born in Rome and lived in Rome all of her life. while 2h is not enough time to cover the Roman Forum and Colosseum history, she did an incredible job and left knowing more than when I started. The lines were extremely long and it was so nice to bypass it and go right into the colosseum!

Colosseum and Forum

Joshua_P, Jun 2019

Great tour led by Robert from Ireland. Very knowledgeable and perfect amount of detail in the Forum. Nice way to cover the important parts and keep the kids attention. Colosseum interesting as well and skipping line was worth it.

Bait and switch operation

Irina_H, Jun 2019

The guide was lovely. The tour, however, is not what you are buying. The bait and switch is clearly a standard operation for them because they even go as far as including this switch in their legal language. There is no gladiator gate access with them. They will claim it wasn't available that day and refund you 5 euros. Meanwhile you will be watching all the other tourists having complete and total access to the arena floor and the gladiator gate. What you will get is the very basic access to the general public areas of the colosseum. The 5 euro refund is an insult. They lied to us, wasted our time, and gave us back 5 euros. In the meantime, we never got the chance to see areas of the colosseum we dreamed of seeing and there is no more time left on our trip to book with someone else. And like salt added to the wound they lie right to your face claiming there was no access this day while you are watching other groups walk out onto the arena below you. Huge disappointment with this tour. They should be ashamed of this. Save yourself 25 euros and get a different basic tour with anyone else, because this is what this tour is, general basic public access tour with skip the line, and absolutely nothing else.

Response from Host, Jun 2019

Dear Eerinka, We are very sorry that your Colosseum tour didn't measure up to your expectations. While part of what you said is true, in that our tour did not obtain access to the gladiator gate and arena floor, I do feel it important to point out a few details. Over the past few months, tickets which were once widely available for tour operators are suddenly and mysteriously "sold out" within seconds of the opening of sales. It has led to a problematic situation with many of the tour operators of Rome, leading to a class action suit demanding fairer distribution of tour operator access tickets. We do wish to assure you that we did not achieve 5 star status with more than 3500 reviews by trying to deceive or scam our clients. We are working round the clock to correct the errors in this tour so that no future clients will feel they did not get what they paid for. Our tour descriptions have already been updated to reflect this. The difference between the standard skip the line entrance and the arena floor entrance is that of exactly 2 Euro per ticket. For this reason, we felt that 5 Euro per person compensation would be fair. We are sorry if you do not agree.

The Best Guide Ever!

Jane_C, Jun 2019

I took my 16 year old son and we had the best part of our trip to Rome as the Guide was so knowledgeable. Her passion, expertise and ability to look after us all when the weather was so hot was superb. THANK YOU 😊

A Colosseum Kiss

Carolyn_B, May 2019

Our guide Eleanor was excellent. She was knowledgeable, interesting and interested. She even brought along a booklet to show us pictures of the way certain parts of the Colosseum looked in it’s hey day. Eleanor graciously took our photograph and then encouraged us to kiss for the next one. Of course that is the photograph we treasure! Two thumbs up!!

Excellent

Alexis_L, Mar 2019

We had Frank “the Irish guy” and he was wonderful! He made the tour interesting for all ages and kept a good pace. Highly recommended!

One of the better tour guides on our...

ANA MARIA M, Oct 2017

One of the better tour guides on our tours. New her history and was enthusiastic. Smelled horribly. Needs to use deodorant in the hot weather.

Great way to see two of Rome's...

jabry5, Oct 2017

Great way to see two of Rome's highlights without having to commit to an all-day tour. Our tour guide was one of our favorites on our entire European trip. Highly recommend.

Excellent tour and enthusiastic guide...

Megan M, Oct 2017

Excellent tour and enthusiastic guide. Highly recommended

Having visited the Coliseum on my...

Sharon_L, Sep 2017

Having visited the Coliseum on my own in the past, this tour was far more enjoyable with our knowledgeable guide. I also enjoyed the forum with our guide. He was also informative about useful tips about getting around Rome and places to go.

We had Julian as our tour guide. I...

Hershko, Aug 2017

We had Julian as our tour guide. I will agree that it was one of the hottest days for a tour that was were expos outside. I thought the tour was adequate. A good overview of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

Our guide was friendly and...

David C, Aug 2017

Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable about the Colosseum. However, I am only giving the tour 3 stars, because the Roman Forum portion of the tour was very brief and more limited in information. Information was shared near the entry to the forum, and just inside the entry, but that was it. Our guide then told us that was the end of the tour and that we could continue to explore on our own. The tour only physically encompassed a fraction of the acreage of the forum, such that we had to speculate on most of what we were seeing. And a word of warning for anyone who can't hold it for a long time the tour was almost 4 hours long, and there are evidently no public restrooms along the route. When I asked our guide 3 hours into the tour if there would be an opportunity for a restroom break, she seemed surprised and a little annoyed and said, it's only a 4-hour tour, so we don't plan for that, why? Is it an emergency? It was said with a smile, but came across a little condescending. We eventually found a small public restroom on our own inside the forum after the tour ended.

We took a small group tour in our...

dede.ramsey, Jul 2017

We took a small group tour in our tour guide was outstanding. She was knowledgeable and had a deep knowledge of the Roman history.

The tour was amazing. it was a small...

Ameeta M, Jun 2017

The tour was amazing. it was a small group in the afternoon and our guide sorry I forgot her name was amazing. She was so knowledgeable and all in all an excellent tour. highly recommend it.

This was the best way to view the...

Patrice_P, May 2017

This was the best way to view the Colosseum and the Roman Forum! I have visited before and had to contend with the really long lines and not enough historical information. We were in a small group with no wait time for entry. The guide was a historian and knew his subject well. Every one of our questions was answered thoroughly. It was a much better experience this time and we learned a lot. I would definitely book a Viator tour the next time I travel.

Fabulous tour guide who was well...

Annette J, Sep 2016

Fabulous tour guide who was well informative and a pleasure to be with. Would recommended this to anyone had a great day.

This tour was fantastic. Our guide...

Brett C, Sep 2016

This tour was fantastic. Our guide was very knowledgeable and the stories he told bought the Colosseum and Roman Forum to life. Well worth the money.

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Likely to Sell Out