Colosseum - tour or no tour?

We did a semi private guided tour, one other couple. The guide was an archaeologist, and really brough the place to life. It also got us into the underground, which was not then available on general admission.
She also took us over to the Palatinate Hill and the Forum.

Without having done that particular linked tour, I can safely say that the value of having the Forum and Palatine included is WELL worth the price tag. The Colosseum is easy enough to understand on one's own with a little reading up or an audio tour. The two other sites? Not so much. You'd really benefit from an experienced guide telling you what you're looking at and its function at the time.

I have visited the Colosseum with a guide and without one and it is a better experience with a guide. In addition, if you plan on going to the Forum and Palatine Hill, I highly recommend a guide. It was an extremely frustrating experience visiting on our own, even with the RS audio tour. As for the Walks of Italy tour, we took this in 2023 and it was excellent. The guide was very knowledgeable, we had plenty of breaks (as it was hot in May) and even thought the group size was large (25 people), we could still hear everything.

Thanks everyone! I think I will book the Walks of Italy tour.

I did a similar tour a couple of years ago with Through Eternity. I don't normally do tours, but was traveling with my nephew and thought it would be a better approach. We had a very good guide who took us through the Forum and Palatine Hill first, then the Colosseum. It was a perfectly adequate tour. The big drawback for me was seeing all three places in a short span of time (3 hrs) especially the Forum and Palatine Hill- which really need a full day or half day to appreciate. My nephew loved the Colosseum, but I don't think he grasped the significance of the Forum and Palatine Hill given the short amount of time spent there.

My husband and I will be in Rome next month and are taking a different approach. I have booked a small group Colosseum Underground tour (with the knowledge that it could be altered at the last minute by the tour operator- fingers crossed it won't be!). It's a tour of the Underground and Arena only (1.5 hrs) then we will be free to visit the museum and any other parts of the Colosseum we wish on our own. With these full experience tickets we can then visit the Forum and Palatine Hill on our own the following day. RS has a good audio tour of the Forum, which I'm enhancing with my own notes. I've created my own guide to Palatine Hill, using the myriad of available online resources. I'm a history teacher, so researching is fun for me! I have dedicated a full day here and am very excited as there is so much more to see compared to years ago when I first visited the Forum and Palatine Hill, especially the "Super Sites"! I also plan to buy a Forum Super Pass so that we can come back on another day.

If I didn't want to be my own guide, I think I would do a tour of the Forum and Palatine Hill, rather than the Colosseum. RS has a good audio guide for the Colosseum which provides plenty of context (and humor) and it's an easy site to do on your own (aside from the fact that it's usually heaving with tour groups). Anyway, my suggestion is to spread these sites over two days if you can, unless you just want a brief overview.

Happy travels!

Thanks Sara! The tour I'm looking at ends with Palatine Hill and I'm wondering if I want more time in the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill can I just.....not exit? I know you can go from the Roman Forum to Palatine Hill without leaving, can you do it in reverse as well? Anyone know if someone will check people's tickets once they're inside in case the tour doesn't hand out individual tickets?

That's ideal that your tour ends in the Forum/Palatine Hill! I would confirm this before you book as I was under the impression that the tour I took would do the same, but it did not. For most people, the order doesn't matter all that much. And yes, you can move freely between the Forum and Palatine Hill without showing a ticket. Once you exit the entire area, though, you cannot reenter.

With your tour, you will not have access to the "Super Sites", which I consider a big drawback. I would read about them and see if these are "must see" sites and if so, maybe consider the Forum Super Pass, which is not expensive (€16, I think).

I've put together quite a few resources for the Forum and Palatine Hill, so feel free to PM me if you're interested.

Hmm. I think I would be interested in the SUPER sites. Maybe I'll make do with Rick's audio guide. Thanks everyone!