The Tour Guy's Colosseum tour, arena optional

About this experience

The Tour Guy has a big Rome team, and the guides get the praise here: archaeologists, storytellers, people with tablets full of reconstructions. You get about 90 minutes in the Colosseum on the first and second tiers, an hour in the Roman Forum and 20 minutes on the Palatine. The tour ends in the Forum, so you can stay on afterwards.

The listing has three options: Colosseum Arena Group Tour, Colosseum Arena Semi Private and Basic Colosseum Group Tour (Arena Floor Not Included). The $55 from-price is the cheapest option, which is the Basic one. The inclusions still list a "ticket with arena access (valued at EUR 24)", but the arena line says "if option selected", and the Basic option's own name rules it out. The arena options cost more; check the option list for your date before you compare this with a tour that has the arena in the base price, such as Crown Tours.

Is the floor worth the extra? Most guests who chose it say yes. One called it "hands down, the coolest part of the day". Another thought you see the arena just as well from the tiers, only from a different angle. If you have been to the Colosseum before, the platform is the new part; first-timers on a budget can take the Basic option and miss little of the story.

• Guided first and second tiers on every option
• Arena floor on the Arena Group and Arena Semi Private options
• An hour in the Roman Forum, then the Palatine
• Guests report a shorter group line at Forum security
• Tour ends in the Forum with time to stay on

How the day runs

1. 10 min beforeMeet at the metro

   Between the two green souvenir kiosks just outside the lower-level exit of Colosseo metro. A rep holds a sign reading "The Tour Guy". Ignore the address pin: it leads guests to the upper level.

2. About 90 minColosseum tiers and arena

   Headsets on, then the first and second tiers. On the arena options the group walks out onto the wooden platform at the east end.

3. About 60 minRoman Forum

   The Temple of Julius Caesar, the Senate House and the Via Sacra, with the guide's pictures of how it looked.

4. About 20 minPalatine Hill

   A short climb for the overview of the Forum. Guests say the guide may skip it on very hot days.

5. EndFree time

   The tour finishes inside the archaeological area, and your ticket lets you keep exploring.

What's included

Who it suits

What guests say

Tips before you book

• Pick Colosseum Arena Group Tour for the floor. The word "Arena" in the page title does not put it in the Basic option.
• The meeting point is on the lower level of Colosseo metro, at street level opposite the Colosseum. Several guests went up the hill first.
• Save The Tour Guy's own phone number before the day. One guest who called the booking platform first lost the slot.
• Bring water and a hat from May to September: the Forum has little shade.
• Children 0 to 6 have their own band, and youths 7 to 17 another. Enter each child's full name as on the passport.

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• Is it worth it?
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Frequently asked questions

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