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Colosseum Underground Tours
Headout is an authorized and trusted partner of the venue, offering curated experiences to enjoy this attraction. This is not the venue's website.
Explore the restricted Underground chambers, where gladiators and wild animals awaited their fate before battle.
- Everything you get: Descend into tunnels, holding cells, and trapdoors where gladiators prepared for battle. Then, step onto the Arena Floor and stand where battles once raged. Explore the seating tiers and museum, where ancient artifacts reveal Rome’s past. Your expert guide brings to life the spectacles, rulers, and warriors that shaped Roman entertainment.
- Why choose this? The only tour that grants full access to the Colosseum—from its Underground chambers to the Arena Floor and panoramic tiers. Step onto the battleground, then see it from the stands, just as spectators once did.
- Upgrades: Expand your journey into ancient Rome with a guided tour of the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill, home to the Temple of Antoninus Pius, Temple of Saturn, and the Arch of Septimius Severus, or opt for a small group of 8 for a more personalized experience.
Explore the restricted Underground chambers, where gladiators and wild animals awaited their fate before battle.
- Everything you get: Descend into tunnels, holding cells, and trapdoors where gladiators prepared for battle. Then, step onto the Arena Floor and stand where battles once raged. Explore the seating tiers and museum, where ancient artifacts reveal Rome’s past. Your expert guide brings to life the spectacles, rulers, and warriors that shaped Roman entertainment.
- Why choose this? The only tour that grants full access to the Colosseum—from its Underground chambers to the Arena Floor and panoramic tiers. Step onto the battleground, then see it from the stands, just as spectators once did.
- Upgrades: Expand your journey into ancient Rome with a guided tour of the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill, home to the Temple of Antoninus Pius, Temple of Saturn, and the Arch of Septimius Severus, or opt for a small group of 8 for a more personalized experience.
Inclusions
- Guided tour of the Colosseum & Underground
- English, Portuguese, French, Italian, or Spanish-speaking guide (as per option selected)
- Exclusive Arena Floor access
- Exclusive Underground access
- Access to the Colosseum tier 1 & 2 and Museum
- Guided tour of Palatine Hill & Roman Forum with priority access (as per option selected)
- Small group of max 8 people (as per option selected)
- Headsets
Exclusions
- Access to upper floors
- Hotel transfers
- All guests must go through an airport-style security check at entry for maximum safety. Expect to stand in line, this mandatory step cannot be skipped.
- The experience is not accessible for wheelchair users, pram/stroller users, baby carriages, and people with mobility issues.
- Names are mandatory for Colosseum bookings. Double-check the names at checkout for a hassle-free entry. Be sure to bring a valid photo ID with you to gain entry.
- Access to the underground is restricted to the general public. Be sure to book ahead to guarantee your spot!
- These tickets can't be cancelled or rescheduled.
Reviews
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4.6
4,286 ratings
3.6K
302
66
64
257
Guests from United States, United Kingdom, Canada and over 30 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
Jose
Apr 2025Verified booking
An incredible place because you can see up close the engineering with which this important building of the Roman era was built, this unique experience because being in the basement of the Colosseum with a great guide explains and teaches you where the ramps, elevators, drains and your mind "flies" imagining being in that time. It is very worthwhile
View original review in Spanish
Chantal
Apr 2025Verified booking
Everything. The underground was very exciting to experience. The guide was fantastic, Sandra explained the history vividly and in detail. It was an experience and adventure worth recommending. We would book again in a heartbeat.
View original review in German
Gary
Apr 2025Verified booking
Our tour was fabulous in every way AMANDA our tour guide was absolutely brilliant Very informative, concise and funny very knowledgeable and with masses of information She really made it very special
Nicholas
Mar 2025Verified booking
The guide was friendly and provided an engaging , in depth, knowledgeable tour and had an answer for every question. Amazing tour and value for money which i would do again instantly.
Jade
Mar 2025Verified booking
The whole experience was wonderful. Our tour guide Mya was amazing, she was so knowlegable, happy, and made the whole experience for us. without a guide we wouldn't have got a true insight to the history of this amazing buidling. Paying the extra for the underground tour was 100% worth it.
Paul
Apr 2025Verified booking
Our host was brilliant .. really enjoyed our ruling and her knowledge was great .. we all learnt a lot from the tour
Mrs
May 2025Verified booking
Very crowded but added to the excitement and the unbelievable feeling when you walked into the Colleseium itself. It gave myself and husband goosebumps. Tour guide was brilliant 👏
Julia
May 2025Verified booking
Honestly, bypassing the chaos. We saved so much time and our tour guide was wonderful. Highly recommend. Bonus: The tickets include entrance to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. So we enjoyed that after taking a break for lunch.
Robert
May 2025Verified booking
Our guide had an extraordinary amount of detailed knowledge about the Colosseum and the Roman Forum and was able to tell us a lot about life at that time. This and also the top organization of the event made everything a great experience. Robert from Munich
View original review in German
Christiane
May 2025Verified booking
Alessandro was a perfect guide. We were a small group of 6 people, which was ideal given the crowds in the Colosseum. Alessandro made the tour very lively, answered each of our questions in detail and even had extra footage on his tablet. He always had the well-being of all participants in mind and guided our group to shady spots for his explanations, organized the floor changes by elevator for my mother and another participant and showed us the best spots for souvenir photos. Many thanks for a great morning, Alessandro!
View original review in German
Manuela
Apr 2025Verified booking
It was an awesome tour with a fantastic guide! Emanuele is a Roman native with excellent knowledge of ancient history. We enjoyed every minute! Thank you again for that great experience! Manuela and Roland
Purnima
Apr 2025Verified booking
Our Guide was knowledgeable about Colosseum. She made it fun. Because of her, we got hassle free entry to all the sites and location, we skipped all lines and were the first one to enter into the Colosseum. I would recommend tourists to book all 3 site tours individually because the guide doesn't show you everything in Romun Forum in a combined tour. Do this tour if you don't have enough time or if you are with family/kids.
James
Mar 2025Verified booking
So much history. Informative guide who knew the history. Would definitely recommend do the underground part of the tour.
Carmen
Apr 2025Verified booking
Great tour guide informative ans detail oriented
Kenneth
Apr 2025Verified booking
Very crowded but our tour guide was knowledgeable and navigated us quickly around the crowds.
Donald
Mar 2025Verified booking
All the history and information
Lars
Mar 2025Verified booking
The guide Luigi, an archaeologist, was great an had very much ancient history to tell.
Alberto
Feb 2025Verified booking
The guides are exceptional. Very knowledgeable and helpful.
Elin
May 2025Verified booking
Anthony
May 2025Verified booking
Elsa
May 2025Verified booking
Nicholas
May 2025Verified booking
Gillian
May 2025Verified booking
Bob
May 2025Verified booking
Vincent
May 2025Verified booking
Reserved entry to the Colosseum at your selected time with the flexibility to explore the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill within 24 hours.
- Everything you get: Enter at your selected time and explore the seating rows where Romans watched battles unfold. Visit the on-site museum on Level 2, displaying artifacts from the Colosseum’s past. Head on to the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill within 24 hours, uncovering ruins of temples, markets, and palaces.
- Why choose this? Most tickets require you to visit all three sites in one go—this one doesn’t. Enter the Colosseum at your selected time, then explore the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill anytime within the next 24 hours. No rush!
- Upgrades: Choose an audio guide for expert insights that accompany you on your phone or take advantage of an English guidebook to uncover hidden stories as you explore. Extend access to Mamertine Prison, where history’s most infamous prisoners were held.
- Upgrade to access the Arena Floor, where gladiators once fought beneath roaring crowds, or choose hosted entry for personalized assistance and a smooth escort to the entrance.
Reserved entry to the Colosseum at your selected time with the flexibility to explore the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill within 24 hours.
- Everything you get: Enter at your selected time and explore the seating rows where Romans watched battles unfold. Visit the on-site museum on Level 2, displaying artifacts from the Colosseum’s past. Head on to the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill within 24 hours, uncovering ruins of temples, markets, and palaces.
- Why choose this? Most tickets require you to visit all three sites in one go—this one doesn’t. Enter the Colosseum at your selected time, then explore the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill anytime within the next 24 hours. No rush!
- Upgrades: Choose an audio guide for expert insights that accompany you on your phone or take advantage of an English guidebook to uncover hidden stories as you explore. Extend access to Mamertine Prison, where history’s most infamous prisoners were held.
- Upgrade to access the Arena Floor, where gladiators once fought beneath roaring crowds, or choose hosted entry for personalized assistance and a smooth escort to the entrance.
Inclusions
- Timed entry to the Colosseum
- Access tier 1 & 2 and Museum
- Access to Palatine Hill & Roman Forum
- Special access to the Colosseum Arena (as per option selected)
- Audio guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese (as per option selected)
- Access to Mamertine Prison (as per option selected)
- Hosted entry with audio guide (as per option selected)
- Booklet (as per option selected)
- Headsets
Exclusions
- Live guide
- Access to the Colosseum underground or upper floors
- Names are mandatory for Colosseum bookings. Double-check the names at checkout for a hassle-free entry. Be sure to bring a valid Photo ID with you to gain entry.
- Please note that timed priority entry is only available at the Colosseum, but the tickets for the Forum and Palatine will remain valid for an additional 24 hours after the Colosseum entry time selected during booking.
- Note that there are 2 entrances: one for the Colosseum, and another for the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill (combined). You may enter each entrance ONLY ONCE and not re-enter.
- The security check can take 30 mins or more. To make the process quicker, please insert any object (including mobile phone) in the bag/backpack or in the tray to be included in the X-ray.
- Going for the audio guide? Simply ensure that the guides are downloaded on the Headout app before your visit. It’s super simple to use, and you get offline access with an easy language-switching feature. Just make sure your phone is fully charged and don’t forget to bring your favorite headphones!
- These tickets can't be cancelled or rescheduled.
Reviews
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4.4
10,328 ratings
5.5K
3.8K
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Guests from Spain, France, United Kingdom and over 89 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
Anke
Apr 2025Verified booking
Everything worked really well, the audio guide was also very informative and the children enjoyed it too. Unfortunately, everything was completely overcrowded, but you have to live with that
View original review in German
ALBERT
Apr 2025Verified booking
Strolling through the land of Marcus Aurelius and the great artists of the millennial and eternal city is indeskriptible ouuu yeahhh!!!🤘🏿🕺🏻💚⚔️🔥🏟
View original review in Spanish
Jose
Apr 2025Verified booking
I bought the tickets for the Colosseum which included a visit to the Palatine and the Roman Forum, everything was great, I bought two tickets on different days and the first one arrived immediately but the second one arrived 1 hour later, I had to wait but it was worth it.
View original review in Spanish
Mariam
Apr 2025Verified booking
It was great, incredible and impressive.
Yordan
Apr 2025Verified booking
Everything was awesome
Saskia
Apr 2025Verified booking
Very impressive, well organized with all the people who had to go in.
View original review in Dutch
Maria
Apr 2025Verified booking
It is impressive. Highly recommended.
View original review in Spanish
Botea
Apr 2025Verified booking
All, magnific, unic.
stephen
Apr 2025Verified booking
one of the must see places
OSAMU
Apr 2025Verified booking
The overwhelming sense of scale; it is a miracle that such a building still exists after more than 2000 years. I was impressed not only by the design, but also by the skill and execution of the architecture.
This review is translated. Show original review.
Miguel
Mar 2025Verified booking
Everything was great, the ticket purchase process was very fast. I would repeat for sure
View original review in Spanish
Anshuman
Mar 2025Verified booking
It's historic and is must as a checklist item in rome
Megan
Mar 2025Verified booking
Because is one of the new 7 wonders of the world!
Nicolae
Mar 2025Verified booking
All was good. A bit windy in those passages, but very impressive!
Lora
Mar 2025Verified booking
It's amazing, loved the atmosphere and it have incredible history. Definitely a must if you're in Rome.
Battail
Feb 2025Verified booking
A quick and efficient entry. Not too crowded this time of year... great 🇮🇹
View original review in French
Debbie
Feb 2025Verified booking
Just seeing it with the naked eye. Mind blowing Your guide bought it all to life
PONTONNIER
May 2025Verified booking
The tour of the Colissé is superb, and the audio guide very comprehensive. The commentary is a little fast. The Palatine Hill has many places and monuments to see. We'll have to go back again. The audio-guide is a great switch, even if you sometimes lose track of whether you're in the right place or not. All in all, a very nice, essential visit to Rome. With Headout everything worked well. Thank you very much.
View original review in French
Jean
May 2025Verified booking
Practical, reliable, easy to use But you could improve it by adding a geolocation feature to the audioguide. Indeed, especially at the palace, it's hard to find your way around, especially at the beginning... too bad!
View original review in French
DENISSE
May 2025Verified booking
The best thing is the time available for the visit, although the audio guide was not useful, it did not have a logical order, it was difficult to discriminate where you were physically versus the app but at least you had time to discover it.
View original review in Spanish
Ute
May 2025Verified booking
We arrived a bit earlier at the Colloseum and there was no big queue at the entrance. We needed to wait for 5 more minutes and we then went in straightaway. No hassle, the security was fast and we could enjoy the arena and other levels of the Colloseum. It was amazing and we could take our time to take many pictures. Then We went over to the Palatine Hill and Forum Romanum, There was no one there and we headed straight in. All the tickets we purchase were perfect on the phone and we had no problems going in. The whole area is amazing and being where thousands of years Romans roamed we could walk in their footsteps. We loved the whole day !
Marcos
May 2025Verified booking
Simple and easy to use. I missed a more in-depth / detailed explanation of the points I visited in the colosseum and on the palatine hill, I found it rather superficial.
View original review in Portuguese
Guste
May 2025Verified booking
Everything was magnificent however we didn't realise that the tickets for Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are only for one entry only, cannot go back to it after you enter it.
JOXE
May 2025Verified booking
It was not easy to follow the different points of visit along the tour. It would be appreciated to receive more indications of the location of each visit point described in the audio guide.
View original review in Spanish
Elizabeth
May 2025Verified booking
The architecture and engineering of the Colosseum is amazing! Getting up close and seeing that this was completed centuries ago just blows your mind.
Elevate your Colosseum visit with an expert-led tour and exclusive Arena Floor access—walk where gladiators fought.
- Everything you get: Enter at the time slot of your choosing and follow your expert guide through the seating rows as well as the museum displaying historic artifacts on level 2. Step onto the exclusive Arena Floor, where gladiators fought for survival, before exploring the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.
- Why choose this? Most tours don't include the Arena Floor—this one takes you onto it. Walk where gladiators fought and experience the Colosseum like never before with an expert guide who brings history to life.
- Upgrade: Choose between a small group tour (15 guests) for a more intimate, interactive experience or a larger group tour (25 guests) for a budget-friendly option.
Elevate your Colosseum visit with an expert-led tour and exclusive Arena Floor access—walk where gladiators fought.
- Everything you get: Enter at the time slot of your choosing and follow your expert guide through the seating rows as well as the museum displaying historic artifacts on level 2. Step onto the exclusive Arena Floor, where gladiators fought for survival, before exploring the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.
- Why choose this? Most tours don't include the Arena Floor—this one takes you onto it. Walk where gladiators fought and experience the Colosseum like never before with an expert guide who brings history to life.
- Upgrade: Choose between a small group tour (15 guests) for a more intimate, interactive experience or a larger group tour (25 guests) for a budget-friendly option.
Inclusions
- Guided tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, & Roman Forum
- English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian or German speaking guide (as per option selected)
- Small group of 15 people (as per option selected)
- Special access to the Colosseum Arena floor
- Access to Colosseum tier 1, 2 & Museum
- Access to Palatine Hill & Roman Forum
- Headsets
Exclusions
- Guided tour of Arena
- Access to Underground and upper floors
- Hotel transfers
- The experience is not accessible by wheelchair, pram/stroller baby carriage, or people with mobility issues.
- Rain or shine, this tour won't be canceled. If there is a heavy downpour, some areas of the tour will be closed for safety reasons.
- Names are mandatory for Colosseum bookings. Double-check the names at checkout for a hassle-free entry. Be sure to bring a valid photo ID with you to gain entry. Photo IDs are mandatory for minors and adults.
- The order of attractions visited might be subject to change. Your guide will help you navigate all 3 sites daily of the crowds.
- As there is no timed entrance to the Palatine and Forum, it is impossible to skip entry lines. Please expect a delay when entering these sites.
- These tickets can't be cancelled or rescheduled.
Reviews
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4.4
10,859 ratings
7.7K
1.7K
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Guests from Spain, United States, United Kingdom and over 81 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
Vicky
Apr 2025Verified booking
Our tour guide Paulo was amazing. His knowledge about everything Roman, Rome and Italy was simply astounding. He made the tour enjoyable as well as informative. We came away knowing more than we ever thought we would! I would thoroughly recommend!
waslet
Apr 2025Verified booking
Superb tour, interesting and fun. Great guide! Beautiful landscapes, lots of memories! The only downside was that the meeting place was very poorly signposted, so it was a difficult moment.
View original review in French
Paula
Apr 2025Verified booking
The best part of our tour of the Colosseum, the Forum, and Palatine Hill was definitely our tour guide. She was knowledgeable and had a great way of delivering her message, even a little joke now and then. The sites are awesome inspiring given their age, construction, and purposes.
Shafik
Mar 2025Verified booking
I went on a very cozy, private tour with Marle Robinson, with three other tourists. Marle was amazingly knowledgeable, sharing fascinating stories from history throughout the experience. She's very sharp and witty, with a lot of funny jokes to keep us engaged. At the same time, she was very attentive to our needs, making sure we remained hydrated, never strayed too far from each other and had ample time to snap a couple of photos. The tour gave us fast track entry to the venues and we were able to coast through the sites swiftly due to the sheer size of the company. It's very clear that our guide is passionate about the topics covered during the tour, being a practising scholar herself. This tour is highly recommended!
Pamela
Apr 2025Verified booking
Just seeing if in person was awesome.
Neil
Apr 2025Verified booking
Beautiful everything, the guide was very nice and explained everything with luxury and detail is worth it.
View original review in Spanish
Kristina
Mar 2025Verified booking
Genna from Barcelona was amazing! She really made the tour interesting and fun!
Jobbin
Mar 2025Verified booking
Superb morning with a guide Francesca who was very willing to answer all our questions.
View original review in French
Dalila
Mar 2025Verified booking
Imagining ancient Rome. I liked the very friendly and explanatory guide.
View original review in Portuguese
GIOVANNINI
Feb 2025Verified booking
Exceptional guide. Very impressive monument
View original review in French
Kenneth
May 2025Verified booking
Our guide was excellent, very informative and answered all questions. She definitely made it a worthwhile experience. Highly recommended.
DHANEUS
May 2025Verified booking
The tour is superb, the guide Paolo knows all the history of Rome of course but also France . The tour lasts 3 hours, but you can't see the time go by. Just great.
View original review in French
Sharon
May 2025Verified booking
Great group of around 10 people the colosseum was amazing and our guide was great with all the facts every step of the way but in a light and humorous way made it very entertaining
COMMIEN
May 2025Verified booking
We came to Rome for the first time at the end of April and this visit to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum was a must. The tour was incredible from start to finish. It was a first for us to hire a guide, and we have no regrets! Simone is a very interesting guide, with a great sense of humor. We loved it and highly recommend this tour and this guide. Many thanks to her!
View original review in French
Kevin
May 2025Verified booking
The tour was very interesting and well organized. A 2.5-hour guided tour of the Forum, Mount Palatine and the Colosseum - a great, informative experience!
View original review in French
Andrew
May 2025Verified booking
The tour guide Saed was excellent, personable, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The visit was very memorable and enjoyable.
Wesley
May 2025Verified booking
Fabulous tour full of information, the tour guide Diego was so friendly & helpful he made the whole experience superb !!! Excellent !!
Luciano
May 2025Verified booking
The guide was very clear and we went with a child under 2 years old in a car and we were given time without having to run around, very good visit.
View original review in Spanish
RAFAEL
May 2025Verified booking
VERY INTERESTING VISIT TO THE COLOSSEUM. THE GUIDE, ELEONORA, WAS WONDERFUL. SHE EXPLAINED IT AS IF SHE WAS LIVING IT. SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT.
View original review in Spanish
David
May 2025Verified booking
The experience and the detailed explanation of our guide made the visit even better. She was able to explain every corner and make us travel back in time.
View original review in Spanish
Marianne
May 2025Verified booking
Our guide Gilberta was very interesting and gave us lots of details . She made the visit very pleasant in front of an absolutely marvellous site that is a must-see when you come to Rome.
View original review in French
Vibeke
May 2025Verified booking
Our guide knew a lot and was good at informing, when we could hear what she said. The quality of the sound in the er plugs was poor
Paul
May 2025Verified booking
Had an absolutely amazing day. Made so by the knowledge and enthusiasm of our guide. It was fantastic to see it but more fantastic to know it.
Fernanda
May 2025Verified booking
The tour was Awesome! We had Eliane, a Brazilian historian, she was Pationate and very knowledgeable about history and the details. I was impressed with her knowledge and enthusiasm. You can tell when someone loves what they do and she definitely is a person that loves what she does. Take a hat with you, it was very sunny and we walk a lot during this tour.
Elianne
May 2025Verified booking
The place itself is worth the visit, and certainly with the explanations given by the guides the visits are enriched. The tour was good. What they do need to check, is that in the tour confirmation they specify a place as the meeting point, which in the end is NOT correct (it is the office of a tour operator, which by chance we asked about Headout, and he told us that they always put the meeting point wrong, to which we had to walk a little further to get there...if not, we would have been waiting for hours or even lost the tour).
View original review in Spanish
Make the most of Rome
Colosseum Underground (Hypogeum) Quick Facts
- Purpose: Backstage for the Colosseum, where gladiators, slaves, and wild animals were housed before the fight.
- Access Areas: Underground tunnels, holding cells, trapdoors, Arena Floor, seating tiers.
- Inclusions: Expert-guided tour with stories of gladiators, emperors, and Roman engineering.
- Materials and Architecture: Constructed with stone and Roman brick using ancient engineering techniques, including manual elevators and pulley systems for dramatic stage effects.
- Date of construction: The Hypogeum was constructed under Emperor Domitian's reign, around 81-96 AD, following the initial completion of the Colosseum in 80 AD.
- Reconstruction: Partially reconstructed during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
- Current use: A restricted-access historical site offering immersive guided tours that reveal the Colosseum’s behind-the-scenes workings.
Highlights of the Colosseum Underground tour
The Underground is where the real drama began—hidden from the public eye, this was the intense backstage of the Roman games. Here's everything you get to experience during your action-packed guided tour of Colosseum underground:
Explore the Arena floor
Start your Colosseum Underground tour in the Arena, also known as the stage. From here, you can appreciate the sheer scale of the amphitheater from a gladiator's perspective. You'll enter the Colosseum arena through the morbidly-named Gate of Death and absorb the dramatic atmosphere where gladiators once battled for survival.
Colosseum Arena Tours
The Hypogea
The next stop is the Hypogeum, or the Underground—where gladiators and wild animals waited before being hoisted into the Arena, often through trapdoors, unaware of their fate. Split into two levels, it was a maze of tunnels and cages used to prep performers, shift scenes, transport props, and care for animals—essentially the backstage of the Colosseum.
Walk the tunnels and imperial passages
The complex tunnel system included tunnels that the Emperor and Vestal Virgins could use for entry and exit, offering direct access to their imperial residence without having to mingle with other spectators. The tiles used in these particular passages boasted intricate decorations, distinguishing them from the rest. Gladiators had their own monumental arched entrances, designed for maximum theatrical impact as they emerged into the crowd’s roar.
Wooden elevators
To move animals, stage props, and even gladiators in and out of the Arena, the Romans used a system of wooden elevators hidden beneath the Colosseum. Powered by ramps and counterweights, these lifts were an incredible feat of engineering—and a big part of what made the shows so dramatic.
Frequently asked questions about Colosseum Underground tours
Are Colosseum Underground tours available year-round?
Yes, but with exceptions. Tours run throughout the year but may be paused due to adverse weather, restoration works, or exclusive events. Winter schedules may be more limited—check availability in advance.
Can I explore the Underground on my own?
No, the Underground is a restricted zone only accessible with a licensed guide. This is both for visitor safety and the preservation of the fragile archaeological area.
Does a general Colosseum ticket include Underground access?
No, not all Colosseum tickets include access to the Underground. The Colosseum Underground requires a separate ticket, which includes a guided tour. This ticket typically also includes access to the rest of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.
Is the Underground tour physically demanding?
It can be. Expect uneven paths, stairs, and limited seating. These tours may not be ideal for wheelchair users or those with mobility issues. Wear comfortable shoes and check accessibility details beforehand.
Are the tours suitable for children?
Yes, but best suited for older kids (8+). Younger children might find the historical depth and walking tiring. Some tours offer family-friendly formats—look out for those if traveling with kids.
Who designed the Colosseum Underground?
The Colosseum, including the Underground, was commissioned by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty, but the hypogeum was added later by Emperor Domitian.
When was the Colosseum Underground built?
The Colosseum was built between 70-80 AD, but the Underground was added later, approximately ten years after the inauguration of the arena.
How do I get the most out of my Underground tour?
Choose a small group tour (around 8–12 people) for an intimate experience. This gives you more time with your guide, better photo ops, and fewer crowds in tight spaces.
What can I do at the Colosseum Underground?
Visitors to the Colosseum Underground can explore the labyrinthine tunnels, learn about the logistics of staging the grand gladiatorial games, and gain a deeper understanding of ancient Roman history and culture.
Do I need to book Colosseum Underground tours in advance?
Absolutely. These tours sell out fast due to limited group sizes and high demand, especially in spring and summer. Booking at least 2–3 weeks in advance is strongly recommended.
More reads
Millions love heading out with us
Waslet
FranceApr, 2025
Superb tour, interesting and fun. Great guide!
Beautiful landscapes, lots of memories!
The only downside was that the meeting place was very poorly signposted, so it was a difficult moment.
View original review in French
Colosseum Arena Floor, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum Guided Tour
Chantal
Apr, 2025
Everything. The underground was very exciting to experience. The guide was fantastic, Sandra explained the history vividly and in detail. It was an experience and adventure worth recommending.
We would book again in a heartbeat.
View original review in German
Colosseum Guided Tour with Underground & Arena Floor
Nicholas
United KingdomMar, 2025
The guide was friendly and provided an engaging , in depth, knowledgeable tour and had an answer for every question. Amazing tour and value for money which i would do again instantly.
Colosseum Guided Tour with Underground & Arena Floor
Jose
SpainApr, 2025
I bought the tickets for the Colosseum which included a visit to the Palatine and the Roman Forum, everything was great, I bought two tickets on different days and the first one arrived immediately but the second one arrived 1 hour later, I had to wait but it was worth it.
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Colosseum, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum Access
Bullion
FranceApr, 2025
The visit was exceptional, not least because of our guide Gil, a passionate and fascinating archaeologist! We learned so much and saw the beauty of ancient Rome.
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Colosseum, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum Guided Tour
Rosa
SpainMar, 2025
The guide María Ángela is very sensible and professional. She has led the group with a lot of tranquility and patience. I really enjoyed the walk through the forum and the Palatine Hill. Thank you!
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Colosseum, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum Guided Tour
Lovas
HungaryMar, 2025
+ 1 more
Altough we had a ticket to skip the line we had to wait a lot to enter forum romanum.
Entering to the colosseum was very fast but there were too many people inside.. it was not enjoyable.
Hosted Entry to Colosseum, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum
Mayur
IndiaJan, 2025
It was very smooth visit, we were able to find meeting point very easily after that our guide provide us information. They were super awesome.
Colosseum, Palatine Hill & Roman Forum Access with Multimedia Video