Get a gladiator’s-eye view of Rome’s iconic Colosseum on a skip-the-line tour that delves backstage into areas that are normally off-limits to the public. Explore the Underground, where Gladiators prepared themselves for battle, follow their footsteps and feel what the they felt as they awaited their fate. In addition to the Colosseum tour, you also visit Palatine Hill and Roman Forum—all the most significant surviving remnants of Ancient Rome, in one fascinating tour.

As you move through the Underground, your expert, English-speaking guide calls on their wealth historical and archaeological expertise to let you imagine the space as it once was. Their gripping description brings this unique space to life as you picture the caged wild animals ready to be hoisted into the arena by ingenious pulleys, amid the gladiators’ tense anticipation and the roar of the crowd.

The next stop on your tour takes you back to the founding of Rome. Palatine Hill is the very spot where brothers Romulus and Remus did battle and where the victorious Romulus founded the city that would become Rome. Your journey culminates at the heart of Ancient Rome—the Roman Forum and the Via Sacra, the Sacred Way. All Roman life could be found in this bustling marketplace: commerce and trade, political rallies and military parades, and the sacred ceremonies of the Vestal Virgins.