Step inside one of Rome’s most exclusive ancient sites — Nero’s legendary Domus Aurea, the Golden House. After the great fire of 64 A.D., Emperor Nero rebuilt the heart of Rome as his own colossal pleasure palace, complete with a rotating dining room and an enormous artificial lake. When Nero fell in 68 A.D., his successors buried the entire complex to erase his memory… and on top of his lake they built the Colosseum. For centuries, the Golden House slept hidden beneath the earth. Today, after years of careful restoration, the surviving halls, frescoes, and grand vaults are open again. As you descend underground with your expert guide, you’ll relive the extravagant world of Nero and experience one of ancient Rome’s most astonishing secrets.
In demand: 26 of the next 32 departures are already sold out.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 14.
Immerse yourself in the history of the Domus Aurea in Rome with a guided tour and an immersive virtual reality experience. See Emperor Nero's Golden House as it must have appeared in his time.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
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All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Domus Aurea Guided Tour with Virtual Reality Experience lasts about 1h 30min. The itinerary has 1 stop.
Prices start at $71 per person for this Rome experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, starting at 9:30 AM, 10:00 AM, 10:45 AM, and 1:30 PM.
Children aged 0–17 pay from $35, adults from $71.
It can: 26 of the next 32 departures are already sold out, so booking ahead is a good idea.
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
The meeting point is Please meet us at the green souvenir kiosk outside the downstairs exit of COLOSSEO METRO station. Our staff will be holding an “The Empireverse” sign. Please arrive 10 minutes early and don’t forget to bring a valid ID with you. The tour will start 10 minutes after the scheduled time. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 18 participants.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Please advise during the booking process if any traveler's have mobility concerns so that we can best accommodate you.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
An unforgettable experience, literally and virtually walking through ancient history. Our guide, Irene Corsetta (sp?), was fantastic: very informed, enthusiastic, and welcomed & answered every question. Irene is a top-notch guide who further enhanced this amazing experience.
Thank you for your kind words. We are truly delighted you had such a memorable experience with us, and we look forward to welcoming you again soon.
Our experience with The Empireverse was absolutely wonderful. The support for changing our tour date was completely flawless. A massive thank you to Mr. Sam, who assisted us with incredible professionalism right from the start and came to greet us in person before the tour began—a level of personal attention you don't see every day in Rome, and one we truly appreciated. The Domus Aurea is magnificently stunning, but the kindness, courtesy, and exceptional customer service from this team are truly priceless. Highly recommended!
Thank you for your kind words. We are truly delighted you had such a memorable experience with us, and we look forward to welcoming you again soon.
The empireverse did exactly what we expected them to. Yay. But i will say that you should always try to get the official tickets to domus aurea, because the actual tour is the same but cheaper and the process is simpler. But if ur like me and all the official tickets are sold out, the empireverse is a great and reliable company. Sam is also pretty chill.
Thank you for your kind words. We are truly delighted you had such a memorable experience with us, and we look forward to welcoming you again soon.
I gave it 4 instead of 5 because in my opinion there are 2 drawbacks: 1) the price of €63 per person, when it costs half that on the Municipality of Rome's website (sold out); 2) at this price, the guide's English (by his own admission) was not the best; For everything else, the visit is worth experiencing, even just for the COLD (a constant 10-12 degrees) that we loved with 35 degrees outside. Unfortunately, the buildings are very devastated by time and humidity, but above all by the fact that they were buried after Nero's death to build new structures on top, using the Domus as a foundation (including the Colosseum built on the artificial lake). However, what remains is imposing and exceptional: above all, I was impressed by the grandeur and height of the rooms, the wonderful and very bright octagonal hall for events and banquets, the fragments of frescoes from the "grottoes," discovered in ancient times and frequented by artists, who drew inspiration to create the "grotesque" style, in vogue even before 1500, including Raphael's school, of which Rome (but not only) preserves numerous wonders (wonderful examples that I remembered are: Villa Farnese in Trastevere, Villa Medici at Trinità dei Monti, and the Vatican rooms in the Vatican Museums). If you have time, it is really worth a visit, but you need to book 2-3 months in advance during high season to pay affordable prices.
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your detailed and thoughtful review. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your visit to the Domus Aurea and appreciated its fascinating history, impressive architecture, and, of course, the naturally cool temperature inside. During the summer months, it really is a refreshing escape from Rome's heat! We often recommend that visitors bring a light jacket or jumper, as the temperature remains around 10–12°C (50–54°F) throughout the visit. We also appreciate your honest feedback regarding the ticket price and the guide's English. Your comments are valuable and will be shared with the appropriate team as we continuously work to improve the experience we offer. Thank you again for visiting with us and for sharing your insights. We hope to welcome you back to Rome for another unforgettable experience in the future.
This is just the basic tour you can buy yourself. Unfortunately, the public tickets were sold out so we had to buy through a reseller. The actual tour itself is incredible but the VR is included on the public tour as well. It was also very difficult to find the ticket seller and the time of the tour changed with no other options.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the Domus Aurea experience itself. We’re sorry that the meeting point was difficult to find and that your tour time had to be changed. Occasionally, schedule adjustments are necessary due to operational requirements, and we always do our best to inform our guests as early as possible. Regarding the tickets, public availability can sell out quickly, so we secure access through our allocated inventory to ensure our guests can still visit. We appreciate your comments, as they help us improve our communication and meeting point instructions. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again on another tour.
Amazing and well-presented.
Thank you for your kind words. We are truly delighted you had such a memorable experience with us, and we look forward to welcoming you again soon.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domus Aurea Guided Tour with Virtual Reality Experience | 1h 30min | 4.2 (6) | $71 | |
 Rome: Experience Visiting the Domus Aurea with Virtual Reality | 1h 30min | 4.7 (13) | $80 | View |
 Rome Domus Aurea Virtual Reality Tour with Exhibition | 1h 30min | — | $56 | View |
 Rome: Colosseum Entrance and Virtual Reality Experience | 2–4 hours | 4.4 (58) | $91 | View |
 Domus Aurea Skip the Line Ticket Guided Tour | 1h 30min | 4.2 (11) | $57 | View |
 Domus Aurea a Golden House of the Roman Emperor Nero Guided Tour | 1 hour | — | $79 | View |
 Colosseum Virtual Reality Outdoor Experience with Audioguide | 1 hour | 4.6 (25) | $34 | View |