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Colosseum underground tour

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Hello!

My wife and I will be in Rome in February and people are now saying “don’t miss the Colosseum underground tour!”. But I’m a bit confused about how to go about that, especially since we’re getting close to the time we will be there. Oddly, Rick’s Rome guide barely mentions them. Anyway, it’s seemingly such a simple thing but so many questions. Maybe I’ll just number them:
1. I read that you shouldn’t get the pass until you actually get to Rome - because apparently this being Rome, well, things change. Is that correct?
2. But the longer I wait, isn’t there a greater chance of tours being sold out? (Please keep in mind this is for February I’m talking about.) Hopefully that’s not already an issue. If so…
3. Private guides? If by chance the underground tours are sold out, is hiring a private guide a work-around for that? If so, recommendations on private guides appreciated! (I’d rather not go through Viator etc because 1) they apparently randomly assign guides and 2) I’d rather my $ go directly to a great guide.)
4. Night tour? I’ve heard they’re amazing. Just wondering if anyone has thoughts (and if they’re available in winter).
5. As an aside: are the tours really 3-4 hours?? That’s surprising! It’s not like the Colosseum covers several square miles.
Thank you for any help!

Posted by
9064 posts

Underground tour tickets are the hardest to get. Even the paid tour companies are not a sure thing. They also have difficulty getting tickets and often end up canceling some of the tours the day before the tour. Ticket availability is hit or miss for them.

My tour was canceled last Sept, but I went into it knowing that was a possibility. The truth is, I didn’t really feel like I had missed out on too much by not doing the Underground. I enjoyed my time and especially enjoyed the Forum area. I do think a guide or a tour is a good choice here.

https://www.coopculture.it/en/

There are some tickets currently available for February. I would act fast

Posted by
3 posts

Great, thank you so much! If you don’t mind: I’m not really sure how you even get the underground tickets. I wanted to get the Romapass so can I buy the Romapass and buy the underground as an add-on? Thank you again!

Posted by
16849 posts

This is the official website for the Colosseum (plus some other attractions):

https://www.coopculture.it/en/

This is their guided tour of the underground: It is THE most difficult ticket to obtain for any attraction in Rome because of the economical price, and can sell out within minutes of tickets becoming available... although you might have some luck for next month.

https://www.coopculture.it/en/products/the-wonders-of-the-colosseum-visiting-the-underground-and-the-arena/

This is their 2nd most popular tour: it includes the underground but you're just accompanied by a coopculture staff member and not given any information while down there.

https://www.coopculture.it/en/products/full-experience-ticket-with-access-to-the-arena-and-underground-of-the-colosseum/

Night tours of the Colosseum are not available in February.

If you are seeing tours of 3-4 hours in length, they include the Forum and Palatine. Coopculture doesn't offer one of those but Walks of Italy, The Roman Guy and some other independent companies do. As the Forum and Palatine - which are nearby - are much more complex archeological sites than the Colosseum, booking a knowledgeable guide for all 3 sites is recommended.

Hope this helps!

Posted by
9064 posts

If you really want the Underground, go to the website you have now been given twice. Forget about the Roma pass for this ticket. Don’t waste any more time.

Posted by
58 posts

Hi @Robert. We will be going back to Rome in May and have booked this evening tour of the Colosseum. On our first visit in 2028 the was a torrential rainstorm the day we planned to go and we skipped it.

https://www.findrometours.com/tour/colosseum-underground-tour-with-arena-floor-vip-experience.

Personal preference, but I always book directly with the tour operator rather thru visitor or get your guide. I feel like many of the complaints I’ve read in reviews stem from having a third party involved.

No one guarantees underground access but after much research I felt this was the best option for what was important to us. I hope you have a wonderful time.

Posted by
16849 posts

We will be going back to Rome in May and have booked this evening tour
of the Colosseum.

Peggy, according to the provider's calendar, the latest you can book the tour you linked is 2:30 in the afternoon, so not an 'evening' tour. Are you sure that's what you booked? Also, their night tours are not available in February when the OP will be in Rome.

100% agree with you about 3rd parties. 👍

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