Colosseum arena floor, Forum and Palatine Hill guided tour

Highlights

• Enter through the arena floor gate, where the gladiators came in, and stand where they stood
• Skip the main entrance queue with a reserved timed slot
• Walk the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill with a licensed archaeologist guide
• Panoramic view over the Forum from the Emperor's palace on the Palatine

What to expect

Meet your guide at the Arch of Constantine and go straight in through the arena floor. From there you look up at the tiers the way the crowd looked down, and the guide explains how the building worked as a machine: the lifts, the awnings, the hundred-day games. Expect about an hour inside.

Then out and across to the Forum, an open-air site that makes little sense without someone to read it for you. The Palatine climb at the end is short and the view back over the Forum is the best in the city. The tour ends there, a five-minute walk from Monti if you want lunch.

Underground access is a separate product and is not included. If you want the underground, look at the Colosseum underground tour, which costs about twice as much and sells out earlier.

Meeting point

Arch of Constantine, on the Colosseum side. Look for the guide with the green sign. Metro line B to Colosseo, then two minutes on foot. Arrive 15 minutes early; the security check takes time and the slot does not wait.

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Good to know

• Bring photo ID. Names on tickets are checked at the gate.
• No large bags, glass or tripods. There is no cloakroom.
• Wear shoes you have walked in. The Forum is uneven and there is little shade.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide and Viator. Direct bookings are non-refundable.
• Staying nearby: Monti and the Celio are the closest good places to sleep, ten minutes from the meeting point. Our guide to where to stay in Rome compares them with the rest of the city.