Rome: Colosseum Express Gladiator Arena-Small Group/Private Tour

Was the best experience we have had. She was thoughtful prepared articulate. Took time to explain every aspect of colloseum. I would have used her for our entire Rome trip had I known about her. So patient, smart and resourceful to support me when I forgot proper id. Thank you .

I booked and paid for this tour several months ago. Now, less than a week before the trip I got a message that the tour was cancelled. I see that the same dates and times and tours and still available online, but the price is 4X as high. What in the world?! DO NOT RECOMMEND

We wanted an express tour and we got exactly what we needed. Our guide did a phenomenal job of hustling us in even with all of the new restrictions and long lines. He gave us great insight into the history of the colosseum and Ancient Rome and by some miracle he even managed to engage my 13 year olds interest. We booked this last minute after “the tour guy” completed dropped the ball and left us hanging. Turns out it was for the best and we were all extremely pleased with our tour.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and got us in very quickly past all of the lines. He gave us so much history about the gladiators and had so much enthusiasm about the history. He was a wonderful guide. We had a great time.

I’m sharing this so other travelers can make an informed decision before booking a premium private Colosseum tour through Viator or GetItalyTours. On Thursday, June 4, we booked a 1.5-hour private English tour of the Colosseum arena floor through Viator. The tour operator was GetItalyTours / getitalytours.it. The total cost was approximately $1,000 for our group of five. The actual Colosseum entry tickets were about $124 total, meaning the majority of what we paid was for the private guided experience. Our tour was scheduled to begin at 8:45 AM. We arrived early at 8:30 AM, and our entry tickets were valid from 8:30–9:30 AM. At about 8:50 AM, we reached the front of the tour entry line and scanned our tickets. Our group’s tickets worked, but the guide’s badge was denied. Over the next 50 minutes, we stood waiting while the guide spoke to multiple Colosseum staff members, tried to call his supervisor, and attempted to get the issue resolved. We were told the guide was “in the system,” but not listed as working that day. The supervisor for the tour company was apparently not onsite and was not answering the phone. Eventually, after escalation to Colosseum supervisors, we were allowed in — but by then nearly an hour of our scheduled private tour time had been lost. About 55 minutes into the actual tour, our guide had to leave because he had another tour to lead. So we paid for a 1.5-hour private tour, but received about 1 hour of guide time and an incomplete experience. After the tour, I contacted Viator and requested a partial refund for the portion of guided time we paid for but did not receive. Viator contacted the tour operator, and GetItalyTours refused any refund, claiming this was due to “security delays” outside their control. That explanation does not match what happened. This was not a normal security delay. The issue appeared to be that the guide was not properly listed as working that day, and the company’s supervisor was unavailable when the guide needed help. Regardless of the cause, we paid for 90 minutes of private guide time and only received about 60 minutes. Viator then told me any refund had to come from the tour operator, even though I booked through Viator. My issue is simple: when a traveler pays a premium price for a private tour, the operator and booking platform should stand behind the product. A reasonable partial refund for the missed 30 minutes would have been appropriate. Very disappointing service from both Viator and GetItalyTours.

While the tour was good and guide was very knowledgeable- we were disappointed in our whole experience. Our first tour cancelled a week before - one we had booked months in advance that included the underground. The company made no offer to assist in rebooking something similar but did give us our money back. Then the tour guide was 15 mins late today. Was very nice and knowledgeable but sent us on our way to look around on our own with no one to tell us what we were looking at or to answer any questions after showing us the ground level and the arena level. We paid nearly $550 for this!! Not at all what I expect from Viator or for the money.

Showed up on time. Looked everywhere for the guide could not find them. I called and they were clueless. They said I missed my tour after I spent 20 minutes trying to find them. I paid over $1000 for a small group tour and just received my entrance tickets.

This was easily one of the best tours of our trip. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable. We learned so much that we had never realized or learned on previous visits. A private tour was the way to go. Our family learned so much. I highly recommend this tour!!!

May 2026 couples booking. It seemed like our guide was either ill or not wanting to work that day. Did he do his job as far as what was minimally required? Yes. We met our guide at the right place and at the right time. We got into the colosseum as expected. Lots of lines and security checks which is totally fine by me. We had access to the arena and the colosseum itself. And our guide spoke a bit about some of the pieces there. Fine. Honestly, I could’ve gotten this information from google/Wikipedia. Our guide was plainly not interested in doing his job. The little he spoke was delivered in a monotone and uninterested manner. It wasn’t what I was expecting from a semi-private expensive tour. Also, please save your money and don’t book the arena. You can clearly see the arena from a regular entrance to the colosseum. The arena is not the same as the underground. The underground is UNDER the arena. Anyway, save your money. Get a regular colosseum guided tour (if you prefer a person, which I do) and save your money for shopping instead.

We had a wonderful tour with Julia. She made it interesting and fun.