Rome: Guided Tour of Colosseum Arena with Roman Forum Entrance

Absolute bait-and-switch. I booked a 1-hour, 10:00 AM guided tour of the Colosseum and Gladiator Arena, followed by a self-guided walk through the Roman Forum. I intentionally picked an early slot to beat the scorching July heat and finish by lunch. Four days before the trip, they tried to cancel, leaving me zero time to rebook elsewhere. What they actually forced us into was the complete opposite of what I paid for. Instead, they dragged us through a, 2.5-hour Roman Forum tour starting at 9:00 AM. We weren't even given access to the Colosseum until 11:45 AM—during the hottest part of the day. To make matters worse, the guide didn’t even come inside the Colosseum with us! By the time we got inside, we were overheated, exhausted, and furious. This company lies to get your money and then gives you whatever leftover itinerary they want. I would never recommend this to anyone!

Do not book with this company. With only a few days notice, they contacted me to first say they had to change the time; then, a couple of days later they said it was back to the original time but the tour no longer included entry to the colloseum. They discounted the ticket and, since there were no available alternatives with such short notice, we continued on. The tour guide was at least informed and engaging. She took us through the forum and around the outside of the colloseum. Notably, other tour groups were very clearly gaining entry. This operator suggested it was the colloseum that changed something, but it was clearly something about them.

Told lots of stories and kept my kids interested. Only disappointment though was description did not match what happened. Information said 1 hr to 1 hour and 15 minutes for tour duration. When we showed up they said it would be 2.5 hours. Description also said you got to go on the arena floor but this did not happen.

We happened to have a tour on a day there were huge protests/ demonstrations. This created chaos at the meeting place. We were a little confused but my phone rang at exactly the right second with the tour company calling to ask if we were having any trouble locating them. She fine tuned her location and we were there with time to spare! Francesca the guide had great energy and really did a good job keeping the group together despite an extremely disrespectful family group who really wanted to do their own thing and kept wandering off. Overall, an excellent experience!

It doesn't allow time for many pictures in the colosseum. The whispers were terrible, there was a lot of static and that combined with the guide's accent it was VERY difficult to understand anything that was said. We basically had no tour guide.

I was told by someone with the company that there were no bathrooms inside the colloseum so I walked in the direction she pointed to try to use a bar bathroom that overlooks the colloseum. The way she pointed did not seem to lead to the area she indicated. I walked a quarter mile to pay to use a bathroom which caused me to be late. There IS a bathroom inside the colloseum though no time to use it before the tour. Now, the tour itself. It was very enjoyable. I don't recall our guides name but I felt informed and well led through the experience. I do recommend this tour just note the bathroom notes I've shared.

The Coliseum Arena Floor tour was a must do while in Rome. Being down on the floor allows one to appreciate the size and detail of this historical relic. Francesca was our tour guide. She did a remarkable job reciting the history of Ancient Rome and telling us all about the Coliseum. We then were able to walk around Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum, and gardens. Wonderful excursion. Would definitely recommend!

Great experience. Perfect organization. Today we were fortunate to be guided by Manola on a wonderful tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Forums. Manola was incredible: she transported us back in time with her passionate explanations, making us feel every stone and every story. It was truly an unforgettable journey through history. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, we highly recommend it to everyone!

Our guide was knowledgeable and passionate about explaining every detail that we would have missed otherwise. She was a great story teller. Our family enjoyed the details and of course skipping the line helped us to get straight to seeing, learning and enjoying the monument rather than being bogged down by massive general line. We had the “arena floor” ticket so it was good to explore from this level where the gladiators fought. I would highly recommend and worth the money. Btw, go back in the evening when lights are on, to take pictures from the outside - it’s stunning!

Wonderful tour. Could not have been better. Our guide was incredibly informative and it was evident she enjoyed her job as a guide.