The Colosseum, Rome - Guided Tours & Tickets

Tour Highlights

Save money by combining our two best-selling Rome tours into a single day
Visit the most important attractions in the Eternal City: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
Gain insider knowledge from your expert, local guide about each of these historic landmarks
Save precious time with our official No-Wait Partner Access at the Vatican & Skip the Line Access at the Colosseum
Groups of 25 people or less
Headsets so you can always hear your guide

Gallery

Visit two of Rome's most important attractions in one day – the Vatican and the Colosseum with our special No-Wait Access. See the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and St. Peter’s Basilica. This is the perfect tour to make the most out of your precious vacation time in the Eternal City.

Altar of the Sistine Chapel — No-Wait Access at the Vatican
Cross the border into Vatican City, the world's smallest independent state and enjoy No-Wait Access to the Vatican Museums, where you'll see famous artworks including the Sistine Chapel.

Front view of the Colosseum — Feel like a Gladiator
Also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, this is one of the most highly-recognized attractions in Italy and around the world. The largest of its kind, it has towered over Rome since 70 AD, hosting mock sea battles, gladiatorial contests, executions and plays over the centuries.

St. Peters Basilica Vatican — St. Peter’s Basilica
Named after one of Jesus’s twelve apostles and one of the largest churches in the world, this towering structure houses an ornate collection of Late Renaissance architecture and art, including Michelangelo’s 'Pietà'.

Tour Description

This is the only one-day tour combining the two single-most important attractions in Rome – the Colosseum and the Vatican – where you’ll also be treated to visits to the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Enjoy No-Wait Access and special entry to the Vatican, and Skip the Line Access to the Colosseum and St. Peter’s Basilica to make the most of your vacation time. With routes specially designed by our expert, English-speaking guides, you’ll save time and see more incredible sights.

Tour the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & Raphael Rooms

We begin the morning with a carefully crafted itinerary through the Vatican Museums, where you will pass the crowds directly to the most important and famous artwork housed here. Stand in awe of the Sistine Chapel, tour the Raphael Rooms and enjoy a wide variety of galleries filled to the ceiling with ancient sculptures, medieval maps, pristine paintings, delicate tapestries and precious relics.

Learn More with Our Expert Guides

Hear fascinating stories only a local would know from your expert, English-speaking guide. Learn about the interesting personalities behind your favorite pieces of art. The frescoes of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel hold hidden secrets, including a personal message to the Pope. Your City Wonders guide will be your key to revealing them.

Marvel at St. Peter's Basilica

Up next is St. Peter’s Basilica, the home to multiple masterpieces including Michelangelo’s Pieta and the magnificent altar. Absorb the ornate basilica and its impressive dome, which is one of the largest in the world. Then enjoy free time to explore on your own and dine at a nearby authentic Italian café. Feel free to stroll through the center of Rome and take in the bustling sights and sounds of life as a modern Roman.

Explore the Ancient Colosseum

In the early afternoon, once relaxed and well fed, we cross over to the Colosseum, one of the world’s greatest wonders. Experts in archaeology and history, our local English-speaking guides will take you back in time to the ancient Roman empire, recounting the gruesome spectacles, battles, and politics that played out here. This awe-inspiring amphitheater is more magnificent than any modern arena, looming in the center of this great metropolis.

Discover the Legend of Palatine Hill

But the adventure doesn’t end there. We step further back in time to Palatine Hill where Rome was founded by the wolf-raised Romulus. Imagine yourself as an ancient aristocrat debating against your foes in the Roman Forum, the political and economic heart of the ancient empire. It is an experience like no other in the Eternal City, and only City Wonders can provide it on an incredible one-day excursion.

Check out our full list of Colosseum Rome tours.

What's Included

Skip the Line Access to the Vatican Museums
Vatican Museums entrance ticket and reservation fee
Access to the Sistine Chapel
Skip the Line Access and tickets to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
Headsets, so you can always hear your guide
Small groups of 25 people or less
Expert, English-speaking tour guides

Sites Visited

Vatican and Museums
Sistine Chapel
St. Peter's Basilica
Colosseum
Roman Forum
Palatine Hill

Meeting Point

Important Notes

St. Peter's Basilica and other religious sites are subject to occasional closures for religious ceremonies. When this occurs, we will provide guests with an extended tour of the Vatican Museums, or appropriate alternative. In these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts. Appropriate dress is required for entry into some sites on this tour. Knees, shoulders and backs must be covered. Due to increased security measures at many attractions some lines may form on tours with 'Skip the Line' or 'No Wait' access.
Please note that in case of unexpected closures of some of the areas inside the Museums, the guide may have to modify the itinerary slightly. For example, if some of the internal connecting areas are closed for safety reasons, Raphael's Rooms may be replaced with Pio Clementino Museum, where Laoocon and Apollo Belvedere statues are.

FAQs

At the end of the tour, will I be able to explore the Colosseum on my own?
If you wish to explore the Colosseum on your own after your tour, you should take our Express Colosseum Tour with Gladiator's Entrance and Special Arena Floor Access (with or without Breakfast). This gives you a guided tour of the Colosseum only. After the tour you can choose to either enjoy the skip-the-line entrance tickets to the Roman Forum (our guide would accompany you to enter but the visit is not guided) or stay inside the Colosseum without the guide.

For any other tour however, our tours follow a pattern of visit and you would not be able re-enter the Colosseum without waiting in the line and purchasing an additional ticket.
Do you offer the Colosseum tour in other languages?
Are the Vatican Group tours accessible for wheelchair users?
Due to some itinerary restrictions, we are unable to accommodate wheelchair users or customers with restricted mobility on our Vatican Group Tours.

We welcome wheelchair users on our Private Vatican tours. Wheelchair users are required to use a different route through the Vatican Museums. Our Private Vatican Tours fully accommodate wheelchair users and persons of reduced mobility. Your guide will bring you through the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, but not the Basilica.

*Important note: Neither option detailed above includes the special skip-the-line access to Saint Peter's Basilica as it is not wheelchair accessible. If you wish to visit Saint Peter's Basilica after your tour, you will need to exit the Vatican Museums, go to Saint Peter's Square and queue to enter. Entry to the Basilica is free.