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Colosseum Underground with Arena Floor Access & Roman Forum Guided Tour

3180 reviews

Colosseum Underground with Arena Floor Access & Roman Forum Guided Tour

from USD $121.31

Get a unique gladiator’s-eye view of Rome’s iconic Colosseum, in a Skip-the-Line tour that delves backstage into areas that are normally off-limits to the public. Explore the Underground, where gladiators prepared themselves for battle, and walk in their footsteps on a partially reconstructed arena stage. All this, plus the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum: all the most significant surviving remnants of Ancient Rome, in one fascinating tour.

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Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are currently not taking new bookings for day tours.

In Brief

Location:

Roma, Italy

Country:

Italy

Duration:

3 hours 30 minutes

Operates:

Daily

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Colosseum, Piazza del Colosseo, 00184 Rome Italy

Begin your tour of Rome’s most iconic monument with Skip-the-Line access directly through the Gladiator’s Gate. Once the main exit for defeated contenders, this special entrance leads you directly to the parts of the Colosseum most tourists don’t get to see.

Your first stop is the Colosseum Underground – the backstage area where gladiators prepared for battle. Here, your expert, English-speaking guide will call on their historical and archaeological expertise to let you imagine the space as it once was. Scenery and caged wild animals stood ready to be hoisted into the arena by ingenious pulleys. You’ll practically feel the gladiators’ tense anticipation and hear the roar of the blood-thirsty crowd.

Then, walk in the gladiators’ footsteps on a partially reconstructed arena stage – a unique and amazing photo opportunity. And unlike the gladiators, you’ll get to ascend from the Arena Floor to the Colosseum’s second tier, where fans cheered the violent spectacles below.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Palatine Hill, Piazza Santa Maria Nova, 53, 00186 Rome Italy

The next stop on the tour takes you back to the very beginning. The Palatine Hill is the spot Romulus chose to found the city that would become Rome in 753 BC – a decision that ended in tragedy for his brother Remus. Here, steeped in history, you’ll enjoy a spectacular preview of your next destination: the Roman Forum.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Roman Forum, Largo della Salara Vecchia 5/6, 00186 Rome Italy

The Forum and the Via Sacra, the Sacred Way, were the heart of Ancient Rome. All of Roman life could be found in this bustling marketplace: commerce and trade, political rallies, military parades, and the sacred ceremonies of the Vestal Virgins.

Duration: 30 minutes

Inclusions

Professional guide
Guaranteed to skip the long lines
Headsets to hear your guide clearly
Entry/Admission - Colosseum
Entry/Admission - Palatine Hill
Entry/Admission - Roman Forum
Guaranteed to skip the lines

Exclusions

Food and drinks
Gratuities

Departure Point

1: Largo Gaetana Agnesi, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
2: Trajan's Column, Via dei Fori Imperiali, 00187 Roma RM, Italy

Returns To

1: Colosseum, Piazza del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
2: Palatine Hill, 00186 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy

Additional Information

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
WE ARE UANBLE TO ACCOMMODATE GUEST BELOW 6 YEARS OLD DUE TO VENUE SECURITY REASON FOR TOUR AFTER 5PM
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Due to Colosseum security regulations, a PASSPORT OR VALID ID DOCUMENT IS MANDATORY to join this tour. It is your responsibility to ensure you have a valid document with you on tour. Passengers who fail to provide a valid proof of identity will be denied entry.
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
On this tour, some of the venues or parts of the venue may be subject to last-minute, unpredictable closures.
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 tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers

Booking Information

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

Cancellation Terms

Once booked, this trip is fully non-refundable

Booking Terms and Conditions

When you book this trip, you need to read and accept the terms and conditions for booking our day trips in excursions.

Scoring an average traveller rating of 5 out of 5 based on the last 24 recent reviews

“

So glad we booked this tour. What an amazing experience. Our guide Nadia was superb, really knowledgeable and friendly. Not to be missed”

Gwen L • Submitted 03 Feb 2020

“

The tour of the Colosseum is very interesting. There is so much more to see than the beautiful building you see from the outside. The walk to from the floor up through the stadium to the roof is fascinating. The walk to the forum to see the ruins is amazing to see. The tour guide described Rome as a lasagna of ruins. They just keep digging more layer and exposing older and older structures One of the best tours we have taken.”

James D • Submitted 29 Jan 2020

“

Massimo was a great tour guide. Very informative, knowledgeable, and interesting. He brought a book of pictures/diagrams that helped us better understand what we were looking at and how things may have looked like many hundreds of years ago. The tour was supposed to include the gladiators’ entrance but the wooden stage was frozen and they would not let us on. We did see a small portion of the lower part and we did go up to the 3rd and 4th levels.”

Vincent B • Submitted 23 Jan 2020

“

Great tour full of information, me and my boyfriend really enjoyed it and would highly recommend. Equally enjoyed the forum and palatine Hill part as well as the colosseum part.”

Kayleigh P • Submitted 21 Jan 2020

“

Our Tour guide Elizabeth from Citywonders was AMAZING! She knew so much and really explained and took her time to show us stuff. She saved the day from the tour guide we had for the coliseum part. The woman we had for that rushed us through everything and seemed like she didn’t want to do the tour. We barely saw the coliseum. Elizabeth wound up taking us aside after that woman’s tour to give us so much more info and to explain everything. I would have preferred to have Elizabeth given the entire tour. The only reason I gave it 5 stars was because of Elizabeth!”

Matthew T • Submitted 20 Jan 2020

“

Adding the arena floor access and underground was the right decision! We were able to see parts of the Colosseum that others were restricted from entering. Taking this tour meant we didn't need to stand in some long line, we walked right in at the appointed hour. My tour guide Valerio was exceptionally knowledgeable. He was fantastic.”

Adam B • Submitted 14 Jan 2020

“

This is an inherently remarkable place, with so much history and grandeur. Our tour guide was Nick, who was very friendly and knowledgeable. To have arena floor and underground access and skip the line access was well worth it. Warning: lots of cobblestone and irregular ground and stairs on this tour so be prepared!”

Ki-Hon L • Submitted 13 Jan 2020

“

Massimo our tour guide came prepared and armed with pictures to show that help us visualize the journey we were taking with him in the tour. Highly recommended.”

Pedrito T • Submitted 10 Jan 2020

“

Our tour guide, Alba, was great. She was very knowledgeable and loved answering questions and encouraged us to ask more! Definitely worth the money.”

Alex • Submitted 10 Jan 2020

“

The tour was conducted very efficiently. Our guides not only provided interesting information about the Colosseum and Forum, but were very helpful in ensuring that the senior members of our group enjoy the sights under the most comfortable circumstances possible.”

Ma Janina H • Submitted 06 Jan 2020

“

We did the tour on New Years Eve with start time at noon. The tour started promptly and Damiano was our guide. He was THE BEST. We’ve done a similar tour in the past that I thought was good but there’s no comparison. His knowledge and additional insights as an archaeologist are incomparable. He added humor and details, including reconstruction pictures on his tablet, that just really made everything great. Even the teenagers stayed interested :)”

Mignonne M • Submitted 02 Jan 2020

“

Our guide was the most prepared and knowledgeable person I have ever met. Simply a wonderful experience and would not have enjoyed the visit to the Coliseum half as much were it not for her. Highly recommend a guide for this activity.”

Jorge C • Submitted 26 Dec 2019

“

We saw sections of the Colosseum definitely not on the agenda of other ours! Both our guides we absolutely well-informed AND interesting - a tough combination to find.”

Brenda R • Submitted 25 Dec 2019

“

My wife and I had an opportunity to see the Colosseum before but were unable to do the underground our last time due to rain. This time, we went with our family and friends and we were all amazed. The guide was wonderful and really knew her history. The underground is short but really puts into perspective. Such an amazing day!! This tour is an absolute must..”

Heather C • Submitted 24 Dec 2019

“

We had two tour guides and they both were amazing. The tour did run a little long, so pack a snack, but the detailed history, understanding and patience with answering questions suppressed expectations. Going on the tippy top of the Coliseum was amazing and the. To ruins was just incredible. Highly recommend!”

Heather W • Submitted 23 Dec 2019

“

Fantastic, well worth the money. The Forum was amazing and would possibly not have seen it without doing this tour. In the Colosseum we were able to explore the underground area which we wouldn’t have if we were on our own.”

shirley-tyler • Submitted 09 Dec 2019

“

Very Knowledgeable Guide! Alain was fantastic, and he made the tour exciting and worthy of the time and money required!”

JAMES T • Submitted 05 Dec 2019

“

Our overall tour guide, Emmanuela, was amazing. Her knowledge, friendliness, and care of the group was amazing. In the Colosseum, we had an official guide from the Colosseum take over for that portion, her name was Laura. Laura was late, talked very fast, and when an elderly woman asked her to repeat some information, Laura was borderline rude. But Emmanuella took over for the remainder of our tour and we can't say enough good things about her and the tour!”

Barbara L • Submitted 03 Dec 2019

“

Def consider taking a tour! The history and knowledge you get with the tour makes the colosseum that much more amazing!”

cashbugg2011 • Submitted 02 Dec 2019

“

This tour provides extended access to the colosseum, which is nice. The tour was informative and flexible for what you want!”

shrauners • Submitted 02 Dec 2019

“

The Coliseum at night is spectacular ! Our guides were knowledgeable, articulate as well as humorous. Despite the many steps (there is a lift available) we loved seeing the ruin from three different levels at night. The lighting was stunning. They have incorporated technology, too. A must see during your visit!”

Debbie B • Submitted 02 Dec 2019

“

Loved this visit, the wealth of knowledge provided by Nick was amazing!! His insight was spot on and his ability to entertain the crowd was very much appreciated.”

Christopher R • Submitted 02 Dec 2019

“

Our children enjoyed the tour with Nick during the pantheon/colosseum morning tour. He was very friendly, informative and joyful. He seems to really enjoys his job. However in the after we had the underground tour with Laura and she did not seem to really enjoy her job. She was not as friendly and joyful as Nick. She was going through the tour really fast which made it difficult to understand.”

Linh N • Submitted 29 Nov 2019

“

This was one of the best tours we have ever taken! Our Guide, Amil, made it fun and very informative. The time flew by and we would do it again! Thank you for making this available to tourists❤️”

Terry A • Submitted 27 Nov 2019