Domus Aurea Tour

I toured the Domus Aurea April 2017. There is only one way to tour — with a licensed archeologist who is part of the excavation team, and only one English tour Is available. As I recall, tours are limited to specific days of the week (I don’t remember which days) so as not to interfere with ongoing archeological work, so you may need to schedule your coliseum and forum visits around the Domus. It won’t make any difference which area you tour first — coliseum, forum or Domus. I booked my tour through their online service. It was a great tour, an experience not to be missed.

Book your tour here. They are only available on selected dates, currently Saturday and Sunday and right now, only through Aug 26. This is a working archeological site so full access, every day, is not possible.

No special order required. Note it is VERY cold in the excavation even in summer!

I was here last November and can recommend it. It's an working site, so tours are only given on the weekends and only by their own guides. I've seen this offered by other tour groups, but not sure what they could offer since outside guides (as I understand it) aren't allowed. Check the site directly to arrange for a time. Times do fill up so as soon as you know when you want to go, make the reservation so you can get the English tour. Going on your own without a guide isn't an option.

Within the site, you'll see what is left of Nero's palace that took up a massive part of what was Rome at the time, and it included the Colosseum within the site. There is a 3d video that is included in the tour that gives a good idea of the scale of the site since most of it is either gone or built over (as in the Colosseum). I did the Domus first before going on a tour of the Colosseum/Forum, and that seemed to be a good way to view it, but it's not critical. Whatever works best with your schedule. The bigger question is when in the year are you going. It gets a bit cool since the site is underground, so if you're going in the summer, might be a good idea to do the Domus in the afternoon when it's too hot to be outside. This site is right across the street from the others so logistics isn't a problem.

Does anyone know if the tour is given in the winter, ie December?
Thanks for posting the topic and for the detailed replies.

SuzieeQQ
San Diego

The Domus Aurea tour is well worth it! I toured the site in March 2017 and had a splendid (if frigid!) time. Learned so much, and the VR experience midway through the tour is mind boggling. Also so cool to learn about the farmers, shepherds, and artists who first rediscovered the Domus and saw the ancient art that came to influence the grotesque style of the Renaissance.

If you're considering VR tours, you might also look at the VR tour at the Baths of Caracalla. I did that tour this year, and I really enjoyed it. Helped me to better understand the immense scale of the Baths before they were scavenged over the centuries.

Let us know if you have additional questions, and happy planning!

I visited last summer and loved it!

Thanks for all the replies! We will be there in a few weeks, and they have some openings for the weekend day we were planning on visiting the Colesseum, so that is perfect. Does anyone know how long the tour is? Thanks again!

I did it in March. As others have said it is well worth it. It lasts about 1-1/2 hours.