Bestseller
Skip the Line
Experience the immensity of Rome’s most iconic symbol on the City Wonders Express Colosseum Tour with privileged access to the Arena Floor through the recently opened ‘Gladiator’s Entrance’. On this tour, you’ll be able to slip through the Colosseum’s ‘back door’ without the lines, crowding and long security checks that characterize the main entrances to the Eternal City’s top sight.
Feel the glory and majesty of Ancient Rome at the height of its power as you walk on the very same stones as those who came to fight here in gladiatorial combat, treading in their footsteps out onto a partial reconstruction of the arena floor, looking up at the tiered ruins that were once filled with the 50,000-80,000 spectators who held your fate in the balance.
You are sure to hear their echoes as your eyes scan the structure’s magnificence from below, and your mind is boggled by the engineering prowess of what was once the largest amphitheater in the world, all from a unique 360-degree perspective. You won’t be alone either, as a local expert guide steeps you in the archaeology and dramatic chronicles of the building’s purpose in a narrative beyond anything Hollywood has ever dreamt.
Home to gladiatorial games, exotic staged hunts, theatrical executions and even mock sea-battles, this Colosseum tour explores the Arena Floor with its awe-inspiring panorama, up-close views of the underground ‘backstage’ where the spectacles were brought to life, and a look at where the Emperor’s box once stood, all special access areas that standard ticket holders don’t get to see.
Follow your guide up to the second level to see what the crowds saw, tracing the Colosseum’s circumference in an effort to understand what it must have been like when the stands were packed, the crowds were roaring and a gladiator’s destiny hung on their whims.
No other itinerary allows you to see the Colosseum from its two most impressive above and below viewpoints in just 1.5 hours. After the tour you will have the option of following your guide for Skip the Line Access to the Forum. Here you will be taken to the best vantage point for a short introduction to its history and most famous monuments before visiting them on your own. Once inside, you will also be able to hike to the top of the Palatine Hill for an exceptional bird’s-eye look over the Forum and Circus Maximus.
The Colosseum has fascinated visitors throughout history, evoking images of fierce gladiators, roaring crowds, and wild animals springing from cages. For the first time, you can now access the awe-inspiring Arena Floor directly for a truly indelible imprint of the wonder that was Ancient Rome.
