Colosseum Arena Floor Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Live Guide
Overview
Available languages
2 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Take a minute to marvel at one of the world's most iconic monuments, the Colosseum. Our special access tour will let you enter the Colosseum through the 'Gate of Life' walking directly onto the arena floor, just as the gladiators did centuries ago. Once inside, feel the sand under your feet, experience the grandeur of the arena from a gladiator’s perspective and get an up-close view of the underground. Your expert tour guide will bring to life the exciting and shocking events that took place where you now stand, as you wander through arches and climb ancient stone steps, in this magnificent amphitheater.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
The names provided at the time of the booking cannot be changed.
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.
The meeting time is subject to change. In this case, you will be contacted in advance via email
Tours will run rain or shine (unless the monument is closed by the officials for safety reasons)
There are mandatory security checks at all entry points to the sites. The wait time for the security check can be considerable during peak times/seasons and has nothing to do with the ticket line
Toilets are limited, use the toilet before arriving for the tour. (Breaks made when possible)
No weapons (pocket knives), glass bottles or large backpacks
Refunds will not be provided for no-shows or late arrivals. If you are late to the meeting point, you will not be able to join your tour.
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.
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.<br>If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
What To Expect
Colosseum
With the Colosseum looming large in the background, the excitement and anticipation rise as you get closer and closer to this world-famous landmark. Get a closer look at the incredibly detailed facade as you make your way through the arches and into the magnificent Colosseum, where you can imagine yourself a part of the roaring crowd that once filled the seats.
Roman Forum
Dive deep into ancient history as you explore the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum, the birthplace of Rome that is covered with breathtaking ancient architecture. Learn about Rome’s legendary twins, Romulus and Remus, as well Ancient Rome’s beloved Julius Caesar.
What‘s Included
Entrance Fees
Professional Licensed Tour Guide (if option selected)
Colosseum entrance ticket with arena access (valued at €24 per person)
Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2 per person)
Headsets (if option selected)
Please note: Colosseum fees as above. The remaining cost of the experience covers other services.
Food and drinks
Gratuities
Options
French Small Group
Small group Tour -Max 12 Guest: Enhance your Colosseum visit on a semi-private tour with just 12 guests for a more personal and engaging experience
English
Portuguese
German Small Group
Small group Tour -Max 12 Guest: Enhance your Colosseum visit on a semi-private tour with just 12 guests for a more personal and engaging experience.
Spanish Small Group
Small group Tour -Max 12 Guest: Enhance your Colosseum visit on a semi-private tour with just 12 guests for a more personal and engaging experience.
Spanish
French
English Small Group
Small group Tour -Max 12 Guest: Enhance your Colosseum visit on a semi-private tour with just 12 guests for a more personal and engaging experience.
Entry ticket + audio guide
Arena Experience (with audio): Self-guided audio tour (if selected): Includes admission tickets and an audio guide no live guide included.
German
Colosseum Attico Access Tour
Reviews
434 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Audio guide shared in an...
Anshul S,May 25, 2026
- Review from Viator
1.00Audio guide shared in an email link. No proper guidance as to entry times as there were two different tickets. Which we understood later. Very basic support given.
Do not book
rkcartwright,May 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00Do NOT book if you want to see the Colosseum. Told the day before they would not be able to go in the colosseum & would get a 30% discount. No response from the company in regards to the discount. Finally went through Viator to get a refund & it was granted. A huge waste of time if you’re going on a tour to see the inside of the colosseum.
Do not purchase
Mandy P,May 23, 2026
- Review from Viator
1.00This tour was overpriced and undervalued. It was annoying that the time picked was not the time we could enter the colesseum. Additionally, they required you to go to a “pickup” place for ticket vouchers when the vouchers were always present electronically. Waste of everyone’s time.
Don't do it - it is a huge con!!
Hopkins2020,May 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00Absolutely shocking experience. Paid £502 for 6 of us to be guided only to receive a text from Show Me Italy 10 minutes before to say that the Colloseum have changed the rules so there is no entry afterall and the tour will be around the outside only! I can do that for free. lso this is simply not true - the Colloseum only allow "Professional Accredited Guides" and access is now more strictly controlled so some tour operators cannot guaranteed entrance despite selling you tickets. And good luck getting a refund! Their system is about taking money not giving it back. The bottom line is that if you want guaranteed entrance then be patient and book directly with the Colloseum as they release them, it is cheaper too. Tour operators are a huge gamble and after waiting 60 years to do this, it ended up being an expensive disaster.
Horrible Experience!
JoeM 60640,May 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00The local operator failed to provide the tickets I paid for, ruined our experience, and is now trying to deny a full refund.
I purchased the...
ray t,May 20, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00I purchased the self-guided audio tour. the information presented was not as detailed as that given by the live tour guides, but I did prefer to go at my own pace and not be stuck with a crowd. I may have missed it in the details, but I was expecting the audio tour to come with a headset and audio device. instead, I had to download a weblink and listen on my phone; this wasn't a big deal, but I didn't bring ear buds, so I had to hold the phone up to my ear throughout. also, be aware that official ID was required to get in. I wasn't aware of this. fortunately, I had my passport with me. I used a nickname on my ticket, and this didn't match my passport exactly. I was very surprised that the person checking IDs made a big deal about this.
Disorganization despite the efforts of the reception staff.
AnnaMaria G,May 20, 2026
- Review from Viator
1.00Inquire well in advance, especially if you require audio guides. We received the link late and in German, despite having explicitly requested it in Italian.
Colosseum Arena Floor, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill Live Guide
B1485GCcarlac,May 20, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Max was an excellent guide—knowledgeable, engaging, and full of great insights during our Roman Forum and Palatine Hill tour. Unfortunately, just before the Colosseum portion, he was informed that the Colosseum would not allow him to guide us inside, including the Arena Floor. We had to return our audio devices and tour the Colosseum on our own during our ticket window. While we still enjoyed it, it wasn’t the same without Max’s expertise. This issue was caused by Colosseum restrictions, not Max or Show Me Italy.
Guided tour or NOT - don’t trust the tour description!!
Ranju M,May 20, 2026
- Review from Viator
1.00Don’t trust the bookings. I thought I was booking a guided tour, since it had “ Live Guide” in the title of the tour. It turned out to ban audio tour with no support or help. At the last minute we were asked to download an app which was NOT user friendly. We wasted time waiting for the guide, then trying to figure out what to do on our own. It took us from 8 AM to 2PM with a lousy experience. Will not be booking with this company again.
Good tour, but disorganized and rushed at the beginning
Mitchell S,May 19, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00While we enjoyed this tour, we found the check-in process to be very disorganized. We were told to meet in a specific location and the tour company representatives we about 100 feet (30 m) away, in the middle of a crowd. It took them a while to get everyone checked in and sorted out into different groups (our group was about 18 people). Then we had to wait for our guide and wait again for the tour company to give us our entry tickets. By the time we headed to the Roman Forum, it was more than 30 minutes after the scheduled start time of the tour. Our tour guide gave us an overview of the Roman Forum while we were waiting in line to clear security. By the time we actually got into the Roman Forum, we only had about 45 minutes until our timed-entry to the Colosseum. So our tour of the Forum and Palantine Hill seemed very rushed. The Colosseum part of the tour was less rushed. The guide did a good job describing of what it would have been like attending the Colosseum as a spectator or gladiator. We spent about an hour touring the Colosseum, and we had the opportunity to explore on our own after the guided tour ended.
From €26.00
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Operated by Show Me Italy