Colosseum and Roman Forum Small Group Guided Tour

See the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill on an expert-led tour that makes the most of your time here in Rome. This visit lets you discover Rome’s ancient ruins with a local guide in just two hours — better still, your local guide can share tips and insider advice on what to do next. We want you to have a perfect day here in the Eternal City.

Your guide will share a detailed description of the Colosseum as you admire it from the outside. Then pass by all those long lines to enter with your skip-the-line ticket. Once inside, you’ll learn about the gladiatorial contests and public spectacles this arena was made for. Mock sea battles, animal hunts, recreations of famous battles, and even public executions happened right where you’re standing!

You’ll also hear about the technological prowess of the engineers who built the Colosseum — no easy feat back in 70 AD. As you walk around the tiers to get the best view of the arena, find out about advanced mechanisms like trap doors used during the gladiator games.

Next, your guide will prepare you for your visit to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, conveniently located together in the same archaeological site. You’ll learn how for centuries the Forum was the center of day-to-day life for criminal trials, gladiator marches, elections, commerce, and more.

Armed with tips on what to look for and the history of the place, visit the Forum Magnum (as the Romans called it) at your own pace. It was once a marshy lake, but today, you’ll walk along the paved higher street level and see for yourself why Rome is called a city of layers.

As always, feel free to ask your guide for suggestions on what to do next. As a local, your guide can share tips on where to eat, family-friendly travel spots, where to take the best photos — whatever you’re looking for.