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Rome - Walking tour of the colleseum

Any recommendations for a reputable and entertaining walking tour group/guide in Rome. We will have our two teenagers with us and thought they would get more out of the visit with a guide. Thanks!

Posted by
4152 posts

The colosseum is actually one of the sites where you don't really need a guide. There are wonderful signs that explain, in detail, what you're seeing. I would suggest a guide or audio guide for the forum but not for the colosseum. If you still wish to take a tour I would book through the official site. Their tours are very good and inexpensive. http://www.coopculture.it/en/ticket.cfm?office=Colosseo&id=2 Donna

Posted by
26 posts

Marianne, We are four older women who decided we would do better with a tour guide who would go our pace and answer our questions. We had a wonderful woman: Ilaria Ceccarelli. You can contact her at ilariacecc@gmail.com. She met us at our apartment and took us to the Colosseum and Forum. We had Rick's tours and used them for many other places, but these two we thought might be more challenging. Worth every euro.
Sue

Posted by
34 posts

This august will be my first visit to Italy so this is just based on the research I have done planning my summer vacation... I have decided (after a lot of consideration) to book the 'Walks of Italy - A.M. VIP Access - Colosseum Underground, Arena & Forum' for my first trip to Italy in August. They have great reviews. Email/call/Skype with them and they will tell you how to get a 10% "Rick Steve's Reader" discount. My reasons were: 1. My hubby was really excited about the idea of seeing the 'Underground'. 2. I was a bit worried that my lack knowledge on Roman history would make me miss important sights while walking through the forum. I think the two teenagers would appreciate the 'Underground' (but I may be wrong). The 'Underground' tour would not include the mid level but it includes the 3rd (higher) level. Let me tell you (since I have already researched this) what the different prices are: 1. Colosseum/Forum/Hill = 12.5 euros 2. Underground and 3rd Tier tour = 22.5 euros
3. WoI Tour = 74 euros (but come out to about 67 euros with discount). Hope this is useful :) WoI website - http://www.walksofitaly.com/tour_bookings/tour_all_listing/1/85

Posted by
4152 posts

Lydia, they are not dungeons. This was the staging area for props, animals and gladiators before going into the arenas. Just to clarify, the underground and third tier can only be seen while on a tour. It is not open to the general public. There are many companies that offer the tour but I've found that booking through the official site has always been the easiest and the least expensive to do. Your tour will include entry to the colosseum, forum and palatine hill plus the tour itself. You can remain inside the colosseum for as long as you wish after the tour is over. Donna

Posted by
34 posts

Thanks for the clarification Donna. The main reason I booked the 3 part tour is because I really wanted to have a guide for the forum but most private guides were booked or on vacation (I contacted all of the guides listed on RS's plus 15 more they refereed me to :( ... August is a holiday month for Italians)... so WoI's tour was the next best option.

Posted by
4152 posts

I don't know if you are aware of this or not but there is an official tour offered by the forums. You cannot book it online but can call to book or book it when you get there. You simply sign up at the ticket office for the next available tour. I believe the forum tours are at 1:30 and 3:00, last an hour and cost 5 euros Monday- thursday with an added 12:00 tour Friday- Sunday. There are also tours of the Palatine hill. Donna

Posted by
34 posts

I did not know that :(
Well it is too late now, the tour is paid for. It is the only guided tour I am doing during my 14-day trip. Thanks for the info... hopefully this won't be my first trip to Italy :)

Posted by
1825 posts

Lydia,
I recommend renting the HBO mini series "Rome" before your trip. It is highly entertaining and while some of the characters are fictional they tried to be historically correct. It will give a really good background to a small but important part of Roman history and give life to the historical figures and places in Rome.

Posted by
360 posts

I did the underground tour last week in Rome at night and booked it through the Colosseum's official web site. Knowing it was going to take us into different areas, we still went to explore the Colosseum during the day to get the full picture. We definitely learned more about the venue during the tour, but I felt like the experience was more worth being able to see it at night and going into the additional areas, than the extra knowledge I gained from the tour (I'm sure most of it's online anyway).