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Colosseum Underground Semi-Private Tour with Roman Forum & Gladiator Arena
4.5
LIKELY TO SELL OUT*

Colosseum Underground Semi-Private Tour with Roman Forum & Gladiator Arena

By City Wonders
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The droves of visitors the Colosseum attracts are a testament to its status as a Rome icon. This small-group tour allows access to typically off-limits areas. Explore the underground gladiator chambers, and hear tales of the contests from a guide. Plus, tick off the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on a walking tour.

Ages 0-99, max of 10 per group
Duration: 3h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More

Highlights
  • Gain full access to Rome’s Colosseum, including areas typically off-limits
  • Explore the underground gladiator and animal chambers
  • Enjoy the view from the 3rd tier (when option is selected)
  • A small group means more attention from your guide

  • Professional English Speaking Guide
  • Small groups of 10 people or fewer
  • Dedicated audio headsets so you don't miss a thing
  • Colosseum entrance ticket with arena access (valued at €24 per person)
  • Colosseum reservation fee (valued at €2 per person)
  • Entry/Admission - Colosseum
  • Entry/Admission - Palatine Hill
  • Entry/Admission - Foro Romano
  • Guaranteed to skip the lines
What's not included
  • Gratuities

Once inside, you'll explore the Colosseum’s subterranean chambers and pits. These are typically off-limits and only accessible to a select number of visitors daily, so this tour lets you view more than most people get to see. As you explore, hear about the gladiators and wild animals that waited here before fights. While most visitors are only allowed around the perimeter, you will stand on the remaining floor, where you can see the underground chambers. Afterward, walk to the nearby Roman Forum, once the city’s political hub. Enjoy views of the ruins before climbing Palatine Hill, the residential area of ancient Rome’s elites, and gaze down at the Circus Maximus chariot circuit. Your tour concludes on the Via Sacra, ancient Rome’s principal thoroughfare. Please note: The order of sites visited may be reversed during your tour.

Start:
  • Largo Gaetana Agnesi, L.go Gaetana Agnesi, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
    Meet your guide at Largo Gaetana Agnesi, on the little square above the metro line B (blue line) stop "Colosseo". Your guide coordinator will be waiting here wearing a blue City Wonders polo shirt or jacket for easy recognition.
End:
  • Roman Forum, 00186 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy

  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 3731COLOSSEUM_SMALL

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • Please note: All participant names are required at the time of booking in order to enter the Colosseum.
  • Every customer on this tour is required to present a valid government issued ID or Passport at the Colosseum, that matches their name on the reservation, or entry will be refused. Name changes are not permitted once the booking is confirmed.
  • Please note that the itinerary for our tours may differ from the advertised order of destinations. We assure you that any changes made to the tour itinerary are carefully planned and intended to enhance your overall experience.
  • On this tour, some of the venues or parts of the venue may be subject to last-minute, unpredictable closures. When this occurs, we are happy to offer customers an extended tour in keeping with the advertised total length of the tour.
  • May experience delays in clearing security checks when entering the venue
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travellers

  • If you cancel within 3 days of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
  • If you cancel at least 4 days in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.

If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 3731COLOSSEUM_SMALL

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Itinerary
  • L.go Gaetana Agnesi, 00184 Roma RM, Italy
    Meet your guide at Largo Gaetana Agnesi, on the little square above the metro line B (blue line) stop "Colosseo". Your guide coordinator will be waiting here wearing a blue City Wonders polo shirt or jacket for easy recognition.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 00186 Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
  • City Wonders
    37,649
    Rome, Lazio, Italy
    Joined in November 2007
  • philippam667
    0 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sights good, tour could be improved
    This tour was good, but not great. The actual attractions were interesting. I would've preferred the tour guide to spend less time talking about related stories/myths and more time explaining the sights in front of me as I sometimes felt like we walked past a lot (especially in Palatine Hill/the Roman Forum).
    Written 14 January 2025
  • rosie0900
    0 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Definitely worth doing!
    Being on a relatively tight time schedule, booking this tour which included multiple popular spots was great. Our guide was very knowledgeable and really took the time to ensure we were all able to look at the information provided. I did feel that the headset used perhaps wasn’t as clear as another tour we had (and paid less for) so this was my only gripe. Definitely worth booking.
    Written 14 January 2025
  • N5916HRangelan
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Loved all the sites on a comfortable ride!
    We loved this day trip! The breaks were sufficient, ate god food, and saw some incredible sites in just a day! Our tour guide was wonderful and knowledgeable and our driver was great! Would have loved being in each place longer, however loved the fact to be back in Rome at the end of the day!
    Written 14 January 2025
  • lily740
    0 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great experience
    Good trip. Pompeii did not disappoint! The Amalfi coast was beautiful. A lot packed into a day but worth the trip. Marisa was fun.
    Written 14 January 2025
  • michelef405
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Vatican
    Joseph was amazing. Very informative really pleasant. Provided great information. Made sure we heard and saw everything. The Canadian group
    Written 14 January 2025
  • K4402WUjeffreyc
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worthwhile !!!
    Chiara was an amazing guide !!! The views of the Amalfi Coast are amazing! And the Pompeii tour was great! Since there is a lot of travel there is a bit of a fast schedule throughout the day, but definitely worth it to see Pompeii and Positano if you only have one day to do it.
    Written 14 January 2025
  • Michelle N
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Guided Tour
    You should not visit these famous landmarks without a guided tour, it’s a must! The information and history is invaluable. Our guide was so informative and we were lucky enough to go in January, so not too busy. Thoroughly enjoyed the tour!
    Written 13 January 2025
  • 0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fantastic Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour For Family of 5
    We thoroughly enjoyed our tour led by Carlo. He was very knowledgeable and engaging. Our kids (9,12,14) understood the tour guide and were amazed at the technology back in the day. Carlo even shared some pics of what things used to look like.
    Written 13 January 2025
  • Wander628931
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing tour of the Colosseum
    Fantastic tour with a well informed tour guide, great English too. Highly recommend. Take a coat if going in January though!
    Written 13 January 2025
  • mikeeF7095KI
    0 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Could have been a little better
    Tour was good. Could have spent less time at forum and let us go to the souvenir shop at coliseum. Really upsetting that we didn’t have opportunity. Rest was ok
    Written 12 January 2025
  • Fearless26947621846
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Breathtaking
    The tour guide was very knowledgeable. There is so much to see and I’d love to go back with more time in specific areas like the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. I would highly recommend this tour and suggest you wear very comfortable footwear - it’s really 3+ hours by the time you’re all through. Bravo 👏🇮🇹
    Written 12 January 2025
  • 200met
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A great day away from the city
    Paola is absolutely a great tour guide for this trip to Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, and Positano! Very knowledgeable and detailed about each location. Pompeii and Positano were never on my bucket list, but after this trip I would recommend it to anyone during the off season if you want to avoid the crowds and just want to immerse yourself in history and a little taste of that Limoncello. The Amalfi Coast has stunning turquoise waters!
    Written 12 January 2025
  • justine432
    0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fantastic tour of the Vatican museums
    PG our guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining and made the experience so much better than wandering around by ourselves
    Written 12 January 2025
  • 0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Thoroughly Enjoyable Day Trip To Pompei And The Amalfi Coast
    Viviana was a wonderful guide. Our family of five had a thoroughly enjoyable day (9 years old - 45 years old). Pompei and the Amalfi Coast are not to be missed!
    Written 12 January 2025
  • 0 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent Coliseum tour.
    Around three hour tour…includes Palatine hill also. Some steep steps up and down…so have comfortable walking shoes. Included all the main areas of coliseum and the guide does an excellent job of navigating through lots of people at a relaxed pace.
    Written 12 January 2025
See all 37,649 reviews
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles541 reviews
Excellent
398
Very good
49
Average
15
Poor
12
Terrible
67

Nobert14
Bristol, UK56 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
First and foremost thank you Sev who was an absolute legend of a tour guide!! He was epic, funny, charismatic and had encyclopaedic knowledge!! The tour was run by City Wonders and it was very easy to find the starting point, they ran to time and absolute value for money. We did the private tour, which included access to all areas of the Colosseum, which was amazing!! It’s so hard to put into words the experience of actually being in the Colosseum, the history that surrounds the building, the breathtaking feat of how this was built over 1950 years ago and actually retracing the footsteps of where Western Civilisation truly started!! You simply have to do this tour!! The only small blemish with the tour was that when you do an all access tour, you have a guide given to you from the Colosseum themselves. She was very difficult to understand, but thankfully Sev had educated us on a lot of the history prior to going into the Colosseum itself, so it didn’t detract from the 5 star experience we received. We also did Palatine Hill as well, which was equally as good, I could write and write waxing lyrical about this experience, as I say this is one of the best 3 experiences of my life and I have been fortunate to do some wonderful things!! Thank you City Tours, but again thank you Sev, you made this a memory myself and my fiancée will never ever forget!! You’re a gentleman and a scholar and the students at Rome University are lucky to have you!!
Written 17 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Russell R
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Book this “higher priced” tour a day or two in advanced to best fit your scheduled and put on some comfy walking shoes! Having a great historian guide (Amelie (sp?) was outstanding... knowledgeable, fun, and had a true passion for history... too bad she could not stay with us for the Colosseum portion of the tour). She made all the difference for us. Being told about all the wonders of what we were seeing really brought it to life for us. The total tour was just over 3 hours long, but stayed interesting. While the Colosseum portion lived up to our expectations, the Roman Forum portion was much better than expected for us. This tour is worth the cost (I’d likely not take younger kids on this one though...). I would not recommend booking any other long tours the same day, but we did plenty of “self-guided” walking the area and it was great.
Written 15 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

highburysi
London, UK9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
What an amazing experience. With so many Colosseum tours available we looked for a small group option where we would get to go underground, and this was perfect. More expensive than I wanted to pay, but when you see the queues of people whilst you pop through a side door and then underground it is so worth the money. We had 7 in total in our group (including our 10 year old son - who loved the tour), and the ability of the guide to speak into our headsets meant we didn't miss anything and no need to crowd around trying to get the best spot to hear. Our guide Jabbie was fantastic - great english, and so knowledgeable - never too rushed, funny, and moved us through the crowds like VIPs. Would look for City Wonders tours next time we are away
Written 11 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Anonymous
4 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022 • Friends
We we’re really looking forward to this tour and to seeing the underground part of the colosseum and this tour looked to cover everything we wanted. However, at 5pm on the day before the tour we received a message from the tour operator saying that the tour was cancelled due to ‘unexpected circumstances’. No further explanation was given on why the tour had been cancelled.

I called the tour operator and was advised they would not be able to offer us an equivalent tour (giving access to the underground parts of the colosseum) during the time we were in the city. This was incredibly disappointing and meant we had to re-plan our entire day, which had originally been planned around this tour. We had to scramble to try and find another equivalent tour, which was of course impossible so close to the tour time. All equivalent tours were fully booked at such short notice and so we had to compromise and miss out on the full experience whilst we were in Rome.

I would not recommend booking with this operator because they have been unreliable and cancelled so close to the departure time. I have requested a full refund and hope that this arrives soon, especially due to the extra expense incurred in booking another tour.
Written 27 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear 642rachaelk, Thank you for sharing your feedback on TripAdvisor. We are sincerely sorry for being unable to provide you with your original tour. We try to offer the best alternative and contact the client as soon as we are aware of an issue with the booking. Unfortunately there was no suitable alternative for you and we have issued a refund which should reach you within a week or two at the maximum. We wish you safe travels. Kindest Regards Chadia City Wonders
Written 27 March 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

DrinksItNeat
Mount Dora, FL36 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Not sure if this I the correct one, but my wife and I went on a skip the line tour of the Colosseum, Palentine Hill and Roman Forum with underground tour of the Colosseum.

The underground area was a bit underwhelming. I felt like there was too many people on the tour, so as the Colosseum official guide was pointing out areas we were not close at all to see. City Wonders started the tour and showed us around with the exception of the restricted areas. There was a huge disagreement b/w wonders guide and Colosseum guide. He felt like we weren’t entitled to the 3rd, 4th and 5th levels. Although it clearly says so on our documents. Afterwards he was asking to see what we had on our paperwork and still felt like she was wrong.

Going to the top levels was some of the best parts. It is definitely a long tour, so wear good shoes and maybe some water. If we wouldn’t have gone to the top levels, the full tour and upgrade wouldn’t have been worth it.

Our guide did not keep a good eye out and rarely gave us time to take a few photos. Hard to find him at times as he rarely put up his flag.

The history of it all is awesome and the guide definitely had a ton of knowledge of everything.
Written 22 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello DrinksItNeat, We appreciate your contribution on our site. We are sorry to hear that the tour did not meet up your expectations. Please note that the underground area of the Colosseum is a special access, and one of our best sellers, therefore the amount of clients booked on this activity can be significant, and I'm afraid City Wonders does not have control over the pax allowed by the venue. As a tour operator, we set-up a max pax on our group tours, in order to provide a better experience. On the other hand, I was surprised to hear your comments about the service provided by the tour guide, as we haven't encountered any similar comments from the rest of the clients who were on your group. Nevertheless, we will pass on your comments to your tour guide and will follow up with them in case it is needed. Be advised that at times our access to the Colosseum Underground is combined with the access to the Belvedere the 3rd, 4th and 5th levels of the Colosseum. This is a special access area usually closed to the public, which when available, we will offer to you at no extra cost. Once again, we thank you for sharing your experience with us, and wish you the very best. Moisés, City Wonders team.
Written 23 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

kirstz1992
32 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Solo
Absolutely fantastic day! Beautiful weather also, unfortunately the stage was dangerous due to ice in the morning so we weren't allowed access but we did get to go on the top level to ourselves which was an absolute fabulous experience. Absolutely wonderful experience. My tour guide Elizabeth was fantastic, friendly, extremely knowledgeable and super passionate about Rome. Her background of study made her the best informative tour guide. Allowed us time to take pictures, excelled with interesting information & facts. Just wished she could have done the whole tour including the underground too. Fantastic english for an Italian, accent wasnt to overpowering and could fully understand every word she said. Will definitely recommend. Any improvement I would say that I would recommend less people in a group or a longer period in the Colosseum as there are so much public once you leave the underground bit that you struggle to take in a moment of history and to get many photos. Roman forum was fantastic & amazing. Palatine hill was a walk through time. Absolutely beautiful historic buildings.
Written 18 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sylvie521
Riverview, FL191 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
There are so many tours to choose from to this monument. I chose this one as it had Underground and Arena Floor access. After we were separated into smaller groups, Marco was in charge of our group. Everyone gets a head set and we went to a special entrance to meet up with another group and the special Colosseum tour guide. We had access to areas others did not but there was a lot of climbing. Use the elevator if you have the need. We enjoyed the tour of the Colosseum and it is well worth the extra money to go underground and on the arena floor although we were not there long. You avoid the larger crowds. We went in February where the weather was nicer however the crowds are always here! After we left the Colosseum, we went over to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill stopping at various arches to learn all the back stories. The stories are my favorite part and Marco was very knowledgeable about these monuments. I was in total awe of every part of this tour thanks to Marco. Purchasing this tour made it easy to see what we wanted to see without all the confusion about trying to do it yourself. There are very few markers to learn about what you see so I cannot imagine going here without a guide. Loved this tour!
Written 8 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kim
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
We took the Colosseum tour with Amil and had a fantastic time! She was incredibly knowledgeable and I could tell she genuinely enjoyed what she was doing. My husband took a tour several years ago and said the tour we got didn’t even compare, this one was much better. Amil knows her stuff and even though the tour was almost 3 1/2 hours, I could have kept sightseeing with her as our guide. Absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Rome, and with Amil if you can!
Written 14 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Luna
Birmingham, AL2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
We booked a tour for the Colosseum Underground with Arena Floor Access & Roman Forum Guided Tour just days before our trip and it was definitely worth it. Emanuele G. was a terrific guide and you could tell he was very passionate about the history of everything and making sure to communicate what you would need to know to fully appreciate all of the destinations. Probably the best 3 hour tour you can purchase in Rome. Emanuele’s friendliness, insight, and overall fantastic personality brought to life the magnificence of the Roman Empire.
Written 17 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Diane H
Tulsa, OK3 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
I want to caution to those who book this tour or any other tour with City Wonders. This tour was booked 3 months in advance with complete prepayment (that was nonrefundable). City Wonders changed the departure time with only 2 1/2 hours notice. No phone call, just an email. Instead of offering a later time, they offered an earlier time that was a time conflict with an earlier booked tour. What kind of company changes the time to an earlier time and only giving 2 1/2 hours notice? The kind of company who does this is undependable and unreliable. PROCEED with CAUTION if you choose to take your chances. City Wonders should know that multiple tours are usually booked each day when in Rome. Horrible customer service and will never book with City Wonders again.
Written 23 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Diane H, We would really like to apologize for any inconveniences caused by us while on your travels. Specifically, we know that the manner in which you were notified about the rescheduling seems a bit disingenuous. We're deeply sorry for having to reschedule your tour. While we try to avoid these situations every step of the way, they occasionally do happen and we must try to find a resolution with all our customers. Since the pandemic, we've been working to ensure emergencies of this nature do not impact the experience felt by our customers -- and we will continue to do so. Please, if your situation was not resolved, email us at customer.service@citywonders.com with your full name and booking reference number so we may further accommodate you. We are here for you. Once again, we extend our sincere apologies for this inconvenience Diane. Kindest regards, Edgar J. from City Wonders
Written 24 October 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

Colosseum Underground Semi-Private Tour with Roman Forum & Gladiator Arena provided by City Wonders

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