Small Group Tour: Colosseum & Roman Forum with Arena Floor Access
Description
Step onto the arena floor like a gladiator when you take this exclusive tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Your friendly professional guide will take you and your small group through the special gladiator gate entrance to stand directly on the arena floor. Here, you will get to feel what it's like to look up at the stadium the way gladiators would on the day of battle. After learning about the daily lives and fighting styles of the gladiators your guide will take you up to the next level so you can see the arena from the view of the excited spectators, where you will learn all about the games and the emperors who hosted them. Your guide will also take you to the Roman Forum, the city center of ancient Rome with it's temples and government offices. From here you'll go up to the Palatine Hill to hear your guide tell stories of the emperors as you walk through the palaces they built and lived in.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Take in the oldest part of Rome when you visit the Roman Forum to see the government buildings, temples and ancient roads that were home to daily life in Ancient Rome. Pass by the senate house, the temple of the Vestal Virgins and the Temple of Julius Caesar where his ashes were laid to rest. Walk on the road built by Emperor Augustus and marvel at the beautiful ruins that can still be seen today.
Make your way from the forum up to the Palatine Hill where Emperors built their palaces. Once home to the founder of Rome, Romulus, the Palatine Hill is where Rome originates. Throughout Roman history emperors were born and died on this hill. Many of them built grand homes we call palaces thanks to the name of the hill. You will walk through the ruins of these palaces as your guide tells you the entertaining stories of the emperors and the history of Rome. You will even get a peak at the Circus Maximus, the stadium where chariot races were held, as well as Emperor Domitian's own private stadium on top of the Palatine Hill.
You will feel like a gladiator about to go into battle when you enter the Colosseum directly onto the arena floor using the special access Gladiator Gate. This special entrance is only for those who book this special Arena Floor experience. Once you are on the floor, you will be able to look up at the stadium where over 50,000 spectators would sit to watch the day's events. The culmination of which were the gladiatorial battles. Your guide will tell you all about the different styles of fighting as well as the daily life activities for the gladiators. From here you will proceed up into the stands themselves to get the point of view of the fans, and some excellent photo opportunities. This is where your amazing guide will tell you all about the many events that were part of the games, including animal parades, exotic animal hunts and even public executions at lunchtime. This is the most complete Colosseum experience you can get and we know you will love every minute of it.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- 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.
Reviews(888)
Great tour. Very well organized and our tour guide was very knowledgeable. Would highly recommend!!.
Ciao nancy! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us. We hope to see you back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
We had a great time with our tour guide and learned so much! It was during a heatwave and we didn't even notice! Definitely recommend!
Ciao! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us. Our guides do an amazing job of making sure everyone enjoys themselves on tour, regardless of the weather. We hope to see you back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
Great tour and tour guide. Saw all of the most important elements of each site. It was very hot and our guide did a great job of making sure we stayed hydrated and found shade wherever possible.
CIao Heather! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us. Our guides do an amazing job each day, and they know just how hot it can get being out there so they will always do their best to make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible the entire time. We hope to see you back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
If you’re looking for a tour that will give you a deep dive into Roman history, you’ve found it. This is more than a Colosseum tour… you traverse the surrounding areas, the palace remains, and get exposure to some of the nooks and crannies you might have walked right past without a guide. And if you’re lucky enough, you’ll get Mitch to lead the tour. You can tell he’s a guy who loves what he does. He’s eager to take questions and share his knowledge.
Ciao Ashley! Thank you so much for your recommendation, we are happy to hear that you loved the tour!
Angela was a highly knowledgeable guide - informative, historically accurate, visually creative with her stories, fun and professional. A thorough tour and surprisingly inexpensive for a tour with 6 people. We loved it
Ciao, Thank you so much for your kind review, we are glad that you enjoyed the tour with our tour guide! Safe travels! Kind regards, RomanVacations
This tour is provided by Roman vacations. We were concerned about different tour companies after researching online about third-party organizations canceling their tours. But this company is legit. The information provided made it easy to find their office. The company did inform us well in advance that our morning tour needed to be changed to an afternoon tour. Fortunately it did not affect our schedule.They provided a wonderful tour guide, Luni, with audio headsets. Luni was very informative. She was very familiar with the facility and was helpful in avoiding crowds. She was very patient with young children. Our trip wouldn’t have been as enjoyable without all the information she provided. We would highly recommend this tour. It was an unforgettable experience.
Ciao! We are glad that you had a great experience with us. Thank you so much for your recommendation, we always do our best to make our precious customers happy! Safe travels back home and hope to see you again soon. Kind regards, RomanVacations
Mike/Mitch/Fabio was wonderful. So much knowledge and intricate understanding of the tour. He pointed out both the grandiose and minute details, all of interest.
Ciao! Thank you so much for leaving such a review for us! Mircea is an awesome tour guide and he loves joking about his name. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your stay in Rome as well. Kind regards, RomanVacations
Our guide, Benjamin, was very knowledgeable and made it fun and was accommodating to us skipping part of it because it was very hot that day.
Ciao, Thank you so much for your kind review, we are glad that you enjoyed the tour with our tour guide! Safe travels! Kind regards, RomanVacations
Good tour of Colosseum. We were not able to get tickets to the Arena floor however. I guide was very energetic and knew his stuff. It would have been even better if he would have engaged the kids in our group a bit more. Our tour was somewhat damped by the Giro d'Italia being in Rome that day, but not tour companies fault.
Ciao, Thank you for your feedback regarding your tour. We are sorry that the guide was not more kid-friendly, not all guides are a match for all visitors. However, we are happy you enjoyed the tour and appreciate your understanding regarding the delays caused by the Giro d'Italia. Thank you again, Roman Vacations Team
Our guide had a tremendous wealth of knowledge and really brought the history to life. His enthusiasm made him a great teacher.
Ciao Anne! Many thanks for your kind words. We are so glad you enjoyed the tour with us. We hope to see you back in Rome soon. Safe travels!
