We will be in Rome September 25th-28th- basically 2 full days. Unfortunately the tour I wanted to do with The Roman Guy- Underground Colosseum tour- was only available on the 26th- the same day I have tickets to the Vatican Museum. Im wondering if it will be too much in one day and if the The Roman Guy tour is even worth it- over $100 bucks a pop. We usually do all the tours ourselves with RS Audio Guides but thought this one may be worth it since you have to do a you for the underground- not allowed on your own if I read that correct. Anyway- just want to get peoples thoughts. Should I cancel the tour with The Roman Guy and do it on our own at our leisure???
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12063 posts
Have done Vatican Museum and Colosseum tours as part of an RS tour. They were done on separate days. Cannot imagine trying to do both on the same day.
Not used 'The Roman Guy' so cannot comment on it.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
I wouldn't pay 100 euros for a 9 euros tour!! That's robbery!! I would book regular entry tickets to the colosseum along with an audio guide and visit on my own at my own pace. You can see the underground corridors from the main areas and walk the perimeter of the colosseum looking down into them. It's actually a much better view of the corridors than you get from the underground tour.
Donna
Posted by
15 posts
You need nearly a whole day at the Vatican. Pre book the Museum tickets so that you skip the queue and then there is St. Peter's.
For The Colosseum, download Rick Steve's guide as it's excellent and do it at your own pace.
Posted by
Cincinnati, OH, USA
768 posts
My wife and I were in Rome August 16 and booked a walking tour of the Colosseum, Forum et al. as a "supplement" to a more lengthy full-day small-group tour of Rome. Our guide for the "supplement" had prepurchased tickets and this, alone, was worth a great deal to us, the lines for tickets/admission to the Colosseum were horrendous. The visit to the Colosseum and Forum waS about 3 hours total.
We visited the Vatican Museum several years ago and spent at least 4 hours there. Doing both the Museum and the Colosseum in 1 day is not impossible, but being possible and enjoying your visits are two different experiences.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
Jon, anyone can purchase entry tickets online for the colosseum and bypass the long ticket lines. These tickets cost 14 euros each.
Donna
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16712 posts
Our guide for the "supplement" had prepurchased tickets and this,
alone, was worth a great deal to us, the lines for tickets/admission
to the Colosseum were horrendous.
But this is very easily avoided without a tour simply by purchasing entry tickets in advance. That can be done here:
http://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm
They are 14 euro if purchased on the website, and include the Palatine and Forum (the latter two must be visited together).
Do note that the €93.00 Roman Guy tour (which sees very good reviews) of the Underground ALSO includes guided narration for the Forum and Palatine, and includes entry tickets. That makes a difference. If it was JUST for the Underground, it would be overpriced but those additional 2 sites justify the cost. I would not book this tour if all you want to see is the underground (I'm with Donna: you can see down into it very well from above). No, you can't access the underground without a tour.
I also wouldn't book it if you are doing the Vatican Museums on the same day. The Roman Guy tour is 3.5 hours long plus the time to get there to meet your tour and time to get over the Vatican. The V. Museums can eat up a big chunk of a day, and BOTH tours involve a lot of time on your feet.
I assume it's this tour you're considering?
https://theromanguy.com/tours/Rome/colosseum-dungeons-tour-with-roman-forum-palantine-hill
Posted by
Folsom, California
542 posts
If you do a guided tour of the Vatican, it is about 3 hours,plus the time you spend yourself in the cathedral. We were completely exhausted at the end, having stood up for the entire morning.
if it were me, I would schedule something relaxing for the afternoon.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
I'm sorry but I don't think 93 euros for a guided tour of the forum is a deal at all. You can book the official tour of the form for 130 euros for a group of up to 30 people. This is much less expensive than 93 euros per person.
The tour of the forum, if it's the one Kathy linked to, is only about 90 minutes long considering that the underground tour lasts 90 minutes and the entire tour takes only 3 hours.
For me, it's just not a bargain and not worth the extra money but you should do what you're comfortable doing.
Donna
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16712 posts
Donna, it's the Colosseum (including the Underground), Forum AND Palatine, and is 3 and 1/2 hours in total. For a good guide (this one gets great reviews) and a small group (this one is no more than 12) I don't think it's a bad price.
I just wouldn't do it on the same day as the Vatican Museums.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
The underground tour costs 9 euros and takes 90 minutes. That leaves "about" 2 hours for the forum/palatine hill and the amount of time to get there from the colosseum and get inside the gates. That's about an hour each, which is very rushed.
For me, it's seems very expensive considering the alternatives available. The official guides are very good and the tours cost much less. Also, with the tour of the forum it would be a private tour as it's just for your group, not a group of 12 strangers. It's up to the OP what she is comfortable with but there are other, less expensive options available.
Donna
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16712 posts
I believe the coopculture underground tickets for the end of Sept. went on sale last Friday? They're a bargain, for sure, but it looks like other than 1 ticket on the 28th, the English tours are sold out for the 25-28th. I haven't checked tours in other languages.