Extensive Colosseum Tour
Pick-up, skip-the-line & transportation included!
Kids pay half price!
Duration
about 4 hours
Skip-the-line tickets
Pick up at your hotel
Transportation to the Colosseum
Professional Guides
Activity level
moderate
Sights included
– First Floor
– Second floor
– Temple of Saturn, Temple of Vesta
– Imperial Palace ruins
– Mysterious temple of Mithra
– Beautiful Frescoes
Tour Description
Our Extensive Colosseum Tour is a journey through the layers of the Eternal City, from the depths of its underground buildings to the top of the Palatine Hill.
1. The Roman Forum
Your tour will start from the Roman Forum, the most important place in ancient Rome.
The Forum is where all the public activities of the city took place.
In this square Cicero, Mark Anthony, Julius Caesar, and many others talked to the crowds that gathered to listen to their speeches.
It was also the main marketplace and an open space for the Romans to meet up.
As you explore the ruins, your tour guide will bring the past to life through fascinating stories. You’ll learn all about the many wonderful buildings in the area: the Senate House commissioned by Julius Caesar, the temple of Antoninus and Faustina, and the temple of Romulus.
It will feel as though you’ve been transported back in time, to spend a day in ancient Rome. You’ll even get to walk on the roads where Julius Caesar walked when he celebrated his triumphs.
2. The Palatine Hill
After exploring the Roman Forum, your Extensive Colosseum Tour will continue towards the Palatine Hill.
This is where, according to legend, Romulus founded Rome by digging a trench around the hill.
The trench was the sacred boundary of the city, and nobody was allowed to cross it. But shortly after the foundation, Romulus got into an argument with his twin brother Remus, who then crossed the trench.
Romulus killed Remus and declared that this would happen to anybody who tried to pass the limit he had created.
The Palatine later became the Emperors’ residence.
On your tour, you’ll see the impressive ruins of the imperial palaces and enjoy the breathtaking views from the top of the hill.
3. The Colosseum
Your Extensive Colosseum Tour will continue with a visit to the most impressive building in Rome: the Colosseum.
Here, you’ll learn about the astonishing building technique, and how the Romans used only travertine, bricks, and concrete for the construction.
How long did it take for the Romans to complete this enormous building? Who built it, and when? Your tour guide has all the answers!
- The Ludus Magnus
On your way to St. Clement’s, you’ll walk past the Ludus Magnus, the place where the gladiators lived and trained.
Your tour guide will tell you all about the daily lives of these unfortunate slaves. They were forced to fight for the people’s entertainment, hoping to win their freedom before they died in the arena.
4. St. Clement's Basilica: the most impressive multi-layered building in Rome
The final stop of your Extensive Colosseum Tour is a surprising underground site: the Basilica of St. Clement’s, a beautiful church from the 11th century just a few minutes from the Colosseum.
Unlike the Colosseum, St. Clement’s is not very crowded – and that’s part of its charm.
- The Basilica of St. Clement’s from the 11th century.
St. Clement’s is a multi-layered building, a great example of how Rome is – literally – built on top of itself.
No other building offers you the chance to travel through the history of Rome, from the 1st to the 21st century.
Before entering the Basilica, you will see a lovely courtyard. The noise of water flowing from the fountain will welcome you as you walk through the ancient gate.
Then, you will enter the Basilica. It is one of the best-preserved Medieval churches in Rome, and you can still see the original marble floor, the gorgeous mosaics, and the choir.
But, that’s just the surface.
- First underground level: the Basilica from the 4th century.
After visiting the Basilica of the 11th century, your guide will take you down a short staircase, and you will reach a big underground building. That’s the first basilica of St. Clement’s, built in the 4th century: one of the most ancient churches in Rome.
This old church was used for about 700 years but was heavily damaged by the Normands when they attacked Rome in 1084.
Therefore, the Romans decided to bury it and build a new one – which was almost a replica of the original – right on top.
Your guide will show you the highlights of this incredibly preserved structure and will describe the phases of the challenging archaeological dig.
But, that is not the end of the journey!
- Second underground level: the Temple of Mithra and the Mint
You will take one more, narrow staircase, and reach the second underground level: an ancient Roman house that’s almost 2000 years old.
In this house, you will see a temple of Mithra, a mysterious Persian god that was very popular during the imperial age.
Mythraism was a mystery cult, and the people who were not initiated could not attend any of the rituals, and see the temple.
But, you can. Your guide will reveal the secrets of this mysterious cult, and help you get a better understanding of religion in ancient Rome.
Finally, you will walk into a massive underground building: the ancient mint of Rome, where coins were manufactured.
As you explore the fascinating subterranean rooms, walking on the original ancient Roman floors, you will hear the sound of water all around you…an underground stream is still flowing through the mint. It’s the same stream that still nowadays flows through the Colosseum.
Book our Extensive Colosseum Tour and don’t miss the chance to explore the layers of Rome with a professional, expert guide.
Forget about big, impersonal group tours and the usual scripts and explanations. There’s a much better way to experience Rome ― on a private tour with an expert guide.
Our tour guides will make sure you have a great time while discovering the roots of Roman civilization. You’ll head home with memories of the Eternal City that will stay with you forever.
*The order of the sights visited might change because of tickets’ availability and other circumstances.
You MUST bring an ID, a passport or a driver’s license to enter the sights.
As it’s really difficult to find Underground Colosseum Tickets, we kindly ask you to be flexible as far as the starting time.
79 € per additional adult
34 € per additional kid under 18
by cab or car to the Colosseum
If in Rome city center
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or call us at +39 376 165 1457 Tour Itinerary
Italian ArtVentures' Feedbacks
Your guides are so friendly and knowledgeable. They made the history accessible and enriching.
You covered every detail, down to lunch reservations, business class train tickets and wonderful air-conditioned transportation with friendly drivers!
Thank you again for all the e-mails to develop a personalized itinerary for a special trip! We give you 5 1/2 stars on a 5 star scale!
