Ancient Rome Guided Tour with The Roman Guy
I’d visited the Colosseum before, but this time I wanted to experience Ancient Rome differently. Rather than simply walking through the Colosseum again, I booked a guided tour with The Roman Guy that included the Colosseum Underground and Arena Floor, followed by the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.
It turned out to be a very different experience from visiting independently. With a knowledgeable guide explaining what we were seeing along the way, Ancient Rome began to make much more sense.
For a first-time visitor, the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill can be a lot to take in. You’re surrounded by almost 2,000 years of history, often with little idea of what you’re actually looking at. This is one place where I think having a knowledgeable guide can make a real difference.
So, was The Roman Guy’s Colosseum Underground Tour with Roman Forum and Palatine Hill worth it? Based on my experience, here’s what the tour included, what I enjoyed most and what I’d want to know before booking it today.
Why I Chose The Roman Guy
There are plenty of tour operators in Rome, and choosing between them can be difficult. For me, the quality of the guide is what can make or break a tour, particularly somewhere with as much history as Ancient Rome.
I chose The Roman Guy’s Colosseum Underground Tour with Roman Forum and Palatine Hill because I particularly wanted to experience the areas of the Colosseum that most visitors don’t get to see, including the Underground and Arena Floor.
The tour is limited to a small group of no more than 10 people, which also appealed to me. Our tour was led by Elena, a local English-speaking guide who brought Ancient Rome to life. Rather than simply pointing out what we were looking at, she explained the stories and history behind the Colosseum, helping us understand what these extraordinary ruins would once have looked like and how they were used.
That was the real value of the tour for me. Having someone explain what I was seeing gave me a much greater appreciation of the history behind the ruins.
A quick note on the name: The Roman Guy and The Tour Guy are the same company. The Roman Guy is the Rome-focused brand, while The Tour Guy operates tours across Rome and other European destinations. So, if you come across both names when researching tours, you’re looking at the same company.
💡 Progressive Traveller Tip: If seeing the Colosseum Underground or Arena Floor is important to you, don’t assume every Colosseum tour includes access. Check exactly what’s included when you book, as tours and access arrangements can change.
What Does the Colosseum Tour Cover?
The Colosseum Underground Tour with Roman Forum and Palatine Hill takes around three hours and covers three of Ancient Rome’s most important archaeological sites: the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.
We met our guide and small group near the Colosseo Metro station, a convenient starting point if you’re arriving by public transport. Our Colosseum tickets were pre-reserved as part of the tour, so we didn’t have to organise separate admission ourselves, although everyone still needs to pass through security before entering.
Our tour included:
- Pre-reserved entry to the Colosseum
- Access to the Colosseum Underground (Hypogeum)
- A guided tour through the Underground tunnels and chambers
- Access to the reconstructed Arena Floor
- Entry through the Gladiator’s Gate
- A guided visit to the first and second tiers of the Colosseum
- A guided walk through the Roman Forum
- A visit to Palatine Hill
For me, the Underground and Arena Floor were two of the highlights and what made this visit particularly different from my previous trips to the Colosseum.
After exploring the Underground, we emerged onto the reconstructed Arena Floor before continuing to the first and second levels of the Colosseum. From here, you get a completely different perspective over the arena and the maze of underground passages below.
From the Colosseum, we continued into the Roman Forum, walking among temples, arches and some of Ancient Rome’s most important political and religious buildings. Elena took us past sites including the Temple of Julius Caesar, Arch of Titus, Curia Julia and Temple of Vesta before we continued towards Palatine Hill.
Palatine Hill was the final part of our Ancient Rome experience. From here, you can look across the Roman Forum and begin to understand how the different archaeological sites fit together — something that is much harder to appreciate when you’re walking amongst the ruins at ground level.
If time allows after the guided portion finishes, you can continue exploring the archaeological area independently rather than rushing straight to your next attraction.
💡 Progressive Traveller Tip: Allow at least three hours for the tour and don’t plan another timed attraction immediately afterwards. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water, a hat and sunscreen, particularly during the warmer months. There are stairs, uneven surfaces and quite a lot of walking.
If the Underground and Arena Floor are important to you, book well ahead. Not every Colosseum tour includes access to these areas, and availability can be limited. Always check the current inclusions when booking, as access arrangements can change.
Before You Go: Don’t Forget Your ID
Bring your passport or government-issued photo ID. Colosseum Underground tickets are issued in the individual visitor’s name, so the name on your ID must match the name provided when booking. Make sure everyone in your group has their ID with them on the day.
Inside the Colosseum Underground
The underground levels of the Colosseum — known as the hypogeum — were one of the most fascinating parts of our tour. Standing below what was once the arena floor gives you a completely different understanding of how sophisticated the Colosseum was.
This network of corridors and passageways was essentially the backstage area of the ancient amphitheatre. Gladiators, animals, workers, scenery and equipment were kept out of sight below the arena while thousands of spectators waited above. The original underground structures were built largely from wood before being reconstructed in masonry during the reign of Emperor Domitian.
What surprised me most was learning how theatrical the games could be. The wooden arena floor above contained trapdoors connected to an extraordinary system of hoists, platforms and lifts. Animals, people and scenery could suddenly appear in the arena, creating an element of surprise for the crowd.
At one stage, the Colosseum had 28 lifts for caged animals, operated by teams using winches. Later systems became even more elaborate, with as many as 60 smaller lifts capable of moving both people and animals from the underground passages to the arena above.
Walking through these corridors was one of the highlights of the tour for me. When you stand in the Colosseum above ground, it’s easy to concentrate on its enormous scale. Down here, you begin to understand the extraordinary amount of organisation and manpower required to stage the spectacles.
From the Underground to the Arena Floor
Emerging onto the Arena Floor gives you another completely different perspective. This was where gladiatorial contests, animal hunts and other spectacles took place in front of enormous crowds.
The original arena floor was made from timber and covered the underground network beneath it. From here you can look up at the tiers of seating and get a much better sense of what it might have felt like to stand at the centre of the amphitheatre.
The Colosseum is the world’s largest ancient amphitheatre, and although much of the original structure has disappeared over the centuries through earthquakes, fires and the reuse of its building materials, its scale is still remarkable.
Something I noticed when I returned in 2026 was how much more attention is now being given to accessibility. There are lifts within the Colosseum for visitors with mobility difficulties, including access between the first and second levels and lift access to the underground area. A panoramic lift opened in 2023, allowing visitors to reach higher levels without climbing more than 100 steep steps.
I thought this was a terrific improvement. Ancient sites will always present challenges for visitors with limited mobility, but seeing these changes made me realise how much more accessible the Colosseum has become since my earlier visits.
Progressive Traveller Tip: If mobility is a concern, check the current accessible routes before booking your tour. Not every part of the Colosseum or Roman Forum is equally accessible, and access to particular areas can change. The official Colosseum website provides current accessibility https://colosseum.info/information.
The official Colosseum website provides current accessibility information. Colosseum accessibility information
Exploring Ancient Rome: The Roman Forum
After leaving the Colosseum, our tour continued into the Roman Forum, which was included as part of our Ancient Rome experience with The Roman Guy.
Often described as the heart of Ancient Rome, the Forum was once the centre of political, religious and public life. Today, you’re walking through ruins, but with a knowledgeable guide explaining what once stood around you, it becomes much easier to imagine this area as a busy city centre rather than simply an archaeological site.
During our tour, Elena took us past some of the Forum’s most important sites, including the Temple of Julius Caesar, Arch of Titus, Curia Julia (Roman Senate House), Temple of Vesta and the enormous Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine.
The Temple of Julius Caesar
One of the stories I found particularly fascinating was that of Julius Caesar. He was assassinated in 44 BC at the Curia of Pompey, near today’s Largo di Torre Argentina. His body was later brought to the Roman Forum and cremated, and the Temple of Divus Julius was eventually built on the site associated with his cremation.
This is where having a guide really added to the experience. Elena’s stories about Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra and the Vestal Virgins connected the people I’d read about with the ruins we were actually standing amongst.
Nearby are the remains of the Temple of Vesta and the House of the Vestals. The Vestal Virgins were priestesses entrusted with maintaining the sacred fire of Vesta, which was meant to remain continuously burning. Their lives were governed by strict rules, including a vow of chastity during their years of service.
The Senate House and Ancient Streets
We also saw the Curia Julia, the Senate House where Roman senators met to debate and make decisions. Nearby, the enormous remains of the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine still tower above much of the Forum and give you some idea of the extraordinary scale of Ancient Rome.
But one of the things that stayed with me wasn’t a grand temple or monument.
It was simply walking along the original ancient stone streets.
Knowing that emperors, senators, merchants and ordinary Romans walked these same streets almost 2,000 years ago makes you stop and think about the generations of people who have passed through this place.
For me, that’s where a guided tour of the Roman Forum really earns its place. Without someone explaining what you’re looking at, it can easily become a collection of columns, stones and ruins. Once you understand the stories behind them, the Ancient City begins to come back to life.
Palatine Hill: Views Over Ancient Rome
Our final stop was Palatine Hill, also included in our tour with The Roman Guy. Rising above the Roman Forum, it’s one of the Seven Hills of Rome and, in my opinion, one of the most impressive ancient sites in the city.
According to Roman legend, this is where Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers at the centre of Rome’s founding story, were rescued and suckled by a she-wolf. Romulus would later kill Remus and become Rome’s legendary first king.
Beyond the mythology, Palatine Hill became one of Ancient Rome’s most prestigious addresses. Emperors and wealthy Romans built enormous residences here, and you can still walk among the remains of imperial palaces, gardens and ancient buildings.
For me, though, one of the highlights is the view. From the hill, you can look across the Roman Forum and begin to understand how all the sites you’ve just walked through fit together. After spending several hours amongst ruins at ground level, seeing Ancient Rome from above gives you a completely different perspective.
By the time we finished at Palatine Hill, we’d experienced the Colosseum Underground and Arena Floor, walked through the Roman Forum and explored one of Rome’s most historic hills — all with a guide explaining what we were seeing along the way.
For a first-time visitor with limited time, I think that’s one of the greatest advantages of this tour: you cover three of Ancient Rome’s most important archaeological sites in one experience without having to work out how everything fits together yourself.
💡 Progressive Traveller Tip: Don’t rush away when the guided portion finishes. If your ticket and access conditions allow, spend a little extra time exploring the archaeological area and taking in the views from Palatine Hill.
Is The Roman Guy Colosseum Underground Tour Worth It?
For me, yes. I’d visited the Colosseum before, but this tour gave me a much better understanding of how it actually worked and what happened behind the scenes almost 2,000 years ago.
The Underground and Arena Floor were the highlights. Walking through the passages beneath the arena, where gladiators and animals once waited before appearing in front of thousands of spectators, was something I hadn’t experienced on my previous visits.
But the value of the tour wasn’t just the special access. Having Elena guide us through the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill connected the history in a way that would have been difficult to achieve visiting independently. Instead of simply looking at ruins, we understood what we were looking at and the stories behind them.
For a first-time visitor to Rome, I think a guided tour is particularly worthwhile. The Roman Forum can be difficult to make sense of on your own, and covering the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill with one knowledgeable guide makes the whole Ancient Rome experience much easier to understand.
Would I book the Colosseum Underground Tour with Roman Forum and Palatine Hill again? Yes — particularly for the Underground access and small-group experience. The Underground is restricted access and tickets are highly limited, so this is one tour I’d book well before arriving in Rome.
There is one thing I’d keep in mind when planning your day: Underground tour times can change because of ticket allocations. The Roman Guy currently recommends keeping your tour day flexible and checking your emails for any changes to your starting time.
My verdict: If you simply want to see the Colosseum, you can certainly visit independently. But if you want to understand how the Colosseum worked, see beneath the Arena Floor and put the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill into context, I think this tour is worth paying extra for.
Planning Your Trip to Rome?
If you’re planning your own visit, these guides will help you make the most of your time in Rome:
3 Days in Rome: What First-Time Visitors Need to Know
My practical advice for a first visit, including the things you often don’t discover until you arrive.
Rome Travel Guide: What to See in 3 Days
My complete guide to where to stay, getting around, what to see and tours worth considering.
Trastevere Food Tour Rome with The Tour Guy – Eat Like a King!
Another guided experience I enjoyed in Rome — and a very different way to discover the city through its food, markets and neighbourhoods.
Continue My Italy Journey
Rome was the final stop on this part of our journey through Italy. If you’re planning a similar trip, you can follow our route from Lake Como through Verona and Venice before arriving in Rome:
