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Best Colosseum Tour?

Posted by on

I will be visiting Italy for the first time this October and am trying to determine which Colosseum tour I should pick. There are several options, all with different durations and prices. When you went, did you just buy entry tickets via the Co-Op Culture website? Did you visit the Arena and/or Underground, and if so, did you think it was worth it? Or, did you purchase a tour via a third party like TripAdvisor or GetYourGuide? Did you go without a guide, and if so, did you wish you had one?

Let me know what you would recommend!

Posted by
173 posts

Hey there! I am also going in October as my first time so unfortunately I can't tell you how they were yet, but I can tell you what I'm planning.

I'm going the 3rd party tour route via Walks of Italy. I'm thinking of actually doing 2, one during the day, which includes the forum and Palatine hill, and one at night. The day one does not access the arena floor or underground. The one at night does.

I understand that might be a little excessive for most people, so if I could only pick one I would do one that includes the arena floor and underground. Walks offers a day one that covers these plus Palatine hill and the forum. I had a friend who did the underground and told me it was worth it.

Posted by
9 posts

Something I've noticed in Coliseum tour reviews is that sometimes people have their booked tour changed to a different time or a different type (i.e., no underground).

My understanding is that happens because the tour companies have to get their tickets the same way as members of the public, through the coopculture website.

The tickets are put up 30 days before the date of entry or tour, with a smaller one 7 days ahead of time. The ones with access to the underground go real fast. Thus one has to be ready to book and pounce fast.

I'm waiting for the dates I'll be in Rome to book and will try to get them through coopculture. https://www.coopculture.it/en/tickets/

One option is to use the Rick Steves audio tour on his app along with a plain ticket. However, that ordinary ticket doesn't get one into the arena or underground.

Posted by
4751 posts

I'm not sure one is better than the other but one thing I'd recommend is a tour that includes the Forum and Palatine Hill. We thought those two were far more interesting than the Colosseum. For the record, every tour we've done in Rome was through https://www.througheternity.com/ and we've never been disappointed.

Posted by
90 posts

My family did an early morning tour in Summer 2019 with The Tour Guy and we did go underground and to Palatine Hill. By the time we got to Palatine Hill it was one of the hottest days I have ever experienced in my life. There is no shade! The tour guide was excellent and we could skip the line by going with a guide. I thought it was worth the money to go with The Tour Guy.

Posted by
32 posts

The Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill are on Day 2 of The Best of Rome in 7 Days tour.

Posted by
108 posts

Thanks for the information! We will be in Rome in September and I need to schedule theses tours!

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