Colosseum - Is the underground and arena tour worth the extra $

I do not recommend tour groups but that's just my personal preference. Tickets to the colosseum are easy to get, just be ready on the day the date you want goes on sale. Underground experiences are difficult but we had good luck with the night experience for the underground. You will pay 4 or 5 times the ticket price for a tour group, which isn't worth it for me. When I am in Rome I always assume I will be back again (making my 5th trip to Rome soon) so don't feel bad if you miss something too. Good luck!

Jay, underground tickets are so challenging for tour groups to come by that even if you pay your money to a tour company there is at least a 50% chance they will cancel your tour last minute due to lack of tickets. It has happened to many people on this forum including me.

I did go on the regular Colosseum tour and I did not feel like I had missed out by not being on the Underground portion. I found the forum area (with a guide) at least as interesting as the Colosseum. I would include that on any tour.

I find having a guide to teach me about what I am seeing makes for a better experience. I'm willing to pay a little more for a guided tour of a historical location because I find the value offsets the cost.

I can't speak for the Colosseum, but don't underestimate the Forum and Palatine Hill. We took a guided tour and thought that the Forum and Palatine Hill were far more interesting.

Jay, I'm linking you to a very recent thread with a similar question. This will save me from typing a full reply out again, and hopefully some of it will be of use to you. :O)

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/best-way-yo-see-the-coluseum