The Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill are the most important ancient sites in the city, but visiting on your own can be overwhelming. With this tour, save time with skip-the-line entry and take in the highlights of these three fascinating sites with a guide. Learn about the history and architecture of the Colosseum before moving on the civic and religious buildings in the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

Fast-track tickets allow for time to visit three ancient sites in one tour
Visit with a guide to avoid getting overwhelmed by the vast sites
Interesting historic insights for a more engaging visit
A small-group tour for a relaxed pace and individual attention

What's Included

Tickets to the Colosseum
Tickets to the Colosseum Arena Floor (if option selected)
Tickets to the Palatine Hill & Roman Forum
Headphones available upon request
Small-Group, personalised experience
Licensed, historian guide
Passionate storytelling, and plenty of history to learn

Gratuities
Food and Beverages

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Arch of Constantine
Via di S. Gregorio, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
Please meet us in front the Arch of Constantine. Your guide will be holding a Yellow Carpe Diem Rome flag. Please arrive 10 minutes prior to start time. Late arrivals will not be eligible for refunds. Please also ensure to check local Covid-19 regulations before attending.

End points

This activity ends in a different location. See details below:

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What To Expect

Colosseum

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Palatine Hill

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Roman Forum

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate

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.
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 note we will either start with the Colosseum or the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill depending on the time of tickets we can purchase
Colosseum admission is free on the first Sunday of the month. Tours are discounted on these days.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 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 good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

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

Reviews

5.0

776 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 776 reviews

Best tour I have ever taken

CHRISTINE_S, Apr 2024

This was a fantastic tour! Barbara was our guide and she brought the colosseum and forum alive. Her knowledge and all she added to the tour made it more interesting that I could imagine! Definitely recommend this tour!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

We're glad Barbara brought the Colosseum and Forum alive on our VIP, Small-Group Colosseum and Ancient City Tour. Her knowledge truly makes the tour exceptional!

Excellent

Nicholas_K, Apr 2024

Brilliant lady tour guide very friendly abd up beat. Seen all of the sights that was advertise and very informative tour

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks, Nicholas! We're glad you enjoyed our VIP, Small-Group Colosseum and Ancient City Tour with our brilliant lady tour guide. Skipping the lines definitely enhances the experience!

Skip the lines and jump on in!

Tammra_P, Apr 2024

Great tour with a passionate, knowledgeable tour guide! Place was crazy busy, but we skipped right through the hustle and bustle!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks, Tammra! We're glad you had a great time skipping the lines and exploring with our passionate and knowledgeable tour guide on our VIP, Small-Group Colosseum and Ancient City Tour.

SCAM SCAM SCAM

Nicole_W, Apr 2024

SCAM SCAM SCAM I would leave zero stars if I could. You've been warned!!!! Scammers taking advantage of tourists

Great guide and great information

Raelene_S, Apr 2024

Standing on the stadium floor where the gladiators would have come out was one of the best parts as was walking the ancient road to the forum

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks, Raelene! Glad you enjoyed the tour and found the guide and information great!

Great Tour

Jane_P, Apr 2024

Great tour with a very knowledgeable guide who took his time to explain everything to the group. Thoroughly recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you, Jane! Delighted you enjoyed the tour with our knowledgeable guide!

Our favorite tour in Rome

charlie_s, Apr 2024

Ivanna was our tour guide and she was fantastic. Incredibly friendly and informative. She had all sorts of fun facts and knew the best places for pictures.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you, Charlie! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our VIP, Small-Group Colosseum and Ancient City Tour with Ivanna. It's fantastic that she provided a friendly and informative experience, sharing fun facts and guiding you to the best photo spots. We appreciate your feedback!

Small group is the way to go if you want a more personal experience.

David_E, Apr 2024

The tour was amazing mostly due to the Colosseum itself. The history and architecture really amazed me. The guide was professional, knowledgeable, and entertaining. The small group allowed more time for questions and answers. I was only expecting the Colosseum tour but we had much more.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks, David! We're glad you enjoyed the tour and found the small group experience rewarding. Hope to see you again for another adventure!

worth every Euro!

Debbie_L, Apr 2024

Alexander was a fantastic guide! details and facts and fun were our take always! booking was easy and we will use this service next time in Roma!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you, Debbie! Glad you enjoyed the tour with Alexander. Looking forward to hosting you again in Roma!

great tour of major Ancient Roman sites

John_A, Apr 2024

Christina gave a great tour of the Colosseum. She is clearly very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject matter. I learned a lot from her and I'm glad that I took the tour.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks, John! We're delighted you enjoyed our VIP, Small-Group Colosseum and Ancient City Tour with Christina. It's fantastic to hear that her knowledge and passion made the tour informative and enjoyable for you. We appreciate your feedback and hope to see you again soon for more fascinating tours!

Left us 20 minutes before the stated time on the ticket

Zana_S, Apr 2024

We had originally booked at 10:30, they called and asked us to change our tour to 9:30. They called us at 9:05 and said that if we weren't there by 9:10, they would leave us. Our ticket clearly said 9:30. We arrived at 9:15, which was before the requested time to arrive on our ticket and they had left us. Beware of this group and if you do go with them, do not agree to changing times.

Great tour!

VIcki_B, Apr 2024

Our tour guide Paolo was terrific. I learned so much! He was a true historian. The tour was very memorable. The communication between the tour company and myself was also seamless.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks, Vicki! Delighted to hear you had a great time on our VIP, Small-Group Colosseum and Ancient City Tour with Paolo. We're glad you found the experience memorable and the communication seamless. Hope to see you again soon for more wonderful tours!

Great tour. Very helpful guide.

Shiju_A, Apr 2024

The tour was really nice. Ivana was very knowledgeable and was very patient. We had kids and she adjusted the pace of the tour to accommodate us while showing us everything.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks, Shiju! Glad you enjoyed our VIP, Small-Group Colosseum and Ancient City Tour with Ivana. We appreciate your feedback and hope to see you again soon for more great tours!

A highlight of our Roma trip!

Rochelle_L, Apr 2024

such a great combination of a tour - we were only looking for a Colosseum tour and the rest of the tours were such a bonus. Our Guide was so informative and she shared really insightful information and showed us great locations for pictures with good views and vantage points. This was a highlight of our Roma trip! And a reminder to bring Euros to tip your guide - we felt so bad we both forgot cash in the hotel and would have loved to reward our guide with a lil extra thank you (sorry!!)

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks, Rochelle! We're thrilled our tour was a highlight of your Roma trip. Your kind words mean a lot to us. Hope to see you again soon!

Recommend This Guided Tour

Lynne_S, Apr 2024

Out tour guide was so informative and gave very good descriptions of the history of the colosseum and the grounds! Would recommend doing guided tour so you understand what you are looking at!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks, Lynne! Glad you found the tour informative. Hope to see you again soon!

Awesome and entertaining small group tour!

Paul, Apr 2024

Our guide was very knowledgeable and informative. It was great to move through the monstrous crowds with the small group. All our questions were answered with detail and humorous antidotes. Highly recommend this tour and guide!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you, Paul, for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed our VIP, Small-Group Colosseum and Ancient City Tour. Providing a knowledgeable and entertaining experience while navigating through crowds is what we strive for. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for more adventures in the future!

We had Elisabeth as our tour guide on April 19th. She was very professional and explained all aspects about the Colosse

Gerard_C, Apr 2024

Elisabeth was our tour guide for the Colosseum Tour on April 19th. I had limited mobility, with a cane but she made every effort to ensure that I was comfortable and able to see everything she was expertly explaining to our group. She was so professional and knew every aspect of this tour and made us all a little smarter after it, so that we could tell our friends and families some very interesting points of interest of how it really was in the Gladiator and Roman times. Thank You Elisabeth for sharing your knowledge with us and I recommend everyone reading this review to request the Colosseum tour with Elisabeth.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

We sincerely appreciate your valuable feedback. Your satisfaction is what drives us, and we can’t wait to welcome you back for another outstanding experience. At Carpe Diem, we believe that our customers deserve nothing but the best, and we’re committed to delivering just that.

Brilliant tour with Aurora

Molly_S, Apr 2024

Excellent tour. Aurora was so friendly, genuine and knowledgable. She answered all our questions with such a big smile. Absolutely brilliant with the child in our group. Definitely recommend.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks for the glowing review, Molly! We're thrilled to hear you had a brilliant tour with Aurora. Your recommendation means a lot to us!

Excellent experience with a very knowledgeable and captivating guide.

Tracie_P, Apr 2024

Our guide was fantastic. He was deeply knowledgeable about the history of Rome, the archeological sites, and the political forces that shaped ancient Rome. The tour was thoughtfully paced, gave us time to get photos at key sites and where the views were most impressive, and left us in the Roman Forum, which is perfect because there is so much more there to explore. My only regret was missing the gift shop in the Colosseum. If they made the tour 10 minutes longer it would be perfect, but there is no way I would have traded time with the guide and learning about the history for a few souvenirs. We would have loved to have done the 4.5hour tour that does the lowest levels, but they were booked far in advance. The tour we had though was rich and brought life to the experience.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks for the wonderful feedback, Tracie! We're thrilled to hear you had an excellent experience with our knowledgeable guide. We appreciate your understanding about the timing and hope to welcome you back for another tour in the future!

Fantastic Tour

Terri_C, Apr 2024

Filomina was an exceptional guide. So knowledgeable and easy to follow the history. One of the best tours we’ve had in Rome. Definitely recommend!!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thrilled you enjoyed the tour with Filomina! Thanks for recommending us.

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