Rome
3.5 hours
3:30 PM
Max 16

Highlights

  • Enter the Colosseum like a VIP – Breeze past long lines with pre-reserved access and explore the first and second tiers where Rome’s elite once watched the games unfold.
  • Step inside Rome’s most restricted ruins – From imperial villas to hidden temples, access the Super Sites of the Roman Forum—areas that are usually closed to the public.
  • Walk through Caesar’s private residence – When available, explore the House of Augustus, a space filled with frescoes few travelers ever get to see.
  • Feel like part of an intimate inner circle – With groups of 16 guests or fewer, your guide can tailor stories, answer questions, and create a truly personal journey.
  • Hear every whispered legend – Personal headsets ensure you won’t miss a word, even among the ruins or in rare-access indoor spaces.
  • Learn from Rome’s most passionate historians – Our expert guides bring millennia of history to life through immersive storytelling and scholarly insight.

Tour description

Why Take This Tour?

You’ve heard of the Colosseum. Maybe even walked Palatine Hill. But what if we told you Ancient Rome had VIP rooms?

This tour isn’t just a step beyond the crowds—it’s a rare invitation into the Roman Empire’s most private spaces. From the Colosseum’s bloody spectacle to the imperial secrets hidden deep in Palatine Hill, this tour goes further, deeper, and into places others can’t.

See Caesar’s Palace. Wander villas with 2,000-year-old frescoes. Explore imperial ruins sealed to the public. With a small group and an expert guide, this isn’t just sightseeing—it’s access. The kind few ever get.

Ancient Rome—Unfiltered and Unlocked

You’ll begin in the Roman Forum, Ancient Rome’s buzzing downtown. But where other tours stop at the main square, you’ll head beyond the ropes—into rare-access areas where emperors once ruled and worshipped.

Depending on the day, your guide may lead you through:

  • The House of Augustus: Caesar’s private residence, with original frescoes rivaling Pompeii
  • Santa Maria Antiqua: Rome’s first Christian monument, hidden beneath centuries of earth
  • Domus Tiberiana: The first imperial palace, sprawling and dramatic Every site you enter is usually closed to the public—made available only to a select few each day.

Then, the Colosseum Awaits

After walking through palaces and imperial corridors, you’ll enter the Colosseum with priority access. Learn what a day at the games looked like—from exotic animals to grisly executions and the roar of 60,000 spectators. With time to explore both tiers alongside your expert guide, the Colosseum reveals not just its architecture—but the stories etched into every stone.

Please note that this description is an example and your experience may vary depending on the season, day of the week, and group size. Regardless of where your tour goes, you always have an excellent experience.

Sites visited

  • Colosseum
  • SUPER Sites
  • Roman Forum

Included

Verified guest reviews

4.7 / 5
1543 Customer Reviews
  1. Excellent

    1259

  2. Great

    180

  3. Good

    69

  4. Average

    24

  5. Poor

    11

Anna

Oct 28, 2024

Rosanna was an amazing tour guide!

Laura

Oct 28, 2024

3 hours passed by very quickly; it’s difficult to get to know everything but Nikolai was great and made the tour very interesting and enjoyable

Harold

Oct 27, 2024

The tour was absolutely wonderful, - the tour guide made a big difference, she was so knowledgeable! The guide giving added insight and details made it so worth while! Booking with "Walks of Italy" also made a HUGE difference in - wait time"! We did not wait very long, at all, as your tour gets a very big advantage over people who choose not to book tours--and those wait lines are hours LONG! It was a great experience and highly recommend the tour, whether you are a first time visitor or have been to Rome other times!

Catlin

Sep 16, 2024

Our tour guide Jaber was beyond knowledgeable with the history of this tour and the sites we saw. We thoroughly enjoyed all the time to take some amazing pictures as well and got to see so much within a 3-1/2 hour tour

Ronald

Sep 15, 2024

Paola was a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour guide. A very comprehensive tour- highly recommended.

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