5 Best Colosseum Private Tours To Take In 2024
One of the best decisions I made when visiting Rome was taking a private tour of the Colosseum. As a budget traveller and someone who travels full-time, it’s not something I treat myself to very often.
But visiting a Wonder of the World is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I knew that getting a private guide is the best way of exploring the Colosseum.
For something which is expensive, it’s important to book a good tour – there’s nothing worse than a bad tour which ruins your experience.
That’s why I’ve put together a list of the best Colosseum private tours and all you need to do is choose the one which suits you best.
🏆EDITOR’S PICK: Best Tour = Private Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour with hundreds of 5-star reviews. Book now!
Eager to book a tour and ready to explore the best options? Let’s get straight into it!
My Top Pick: Colosseum Private Tour
#1 TOP PICK
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Private Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour
✔️500+ 5 star reviews
✔️ Personal Tour Guide
✔️ Skip the queue tickets
✔️ Customisable itinerary
Best Colosseum Private Tours
The Colosseum is an absolute must-do when visiting Rome for the first time, and after getting a private tour of the Colosseum myself, I can assure you there is no better way to see the beautiful 2000-year-old amphitheatre. Having a guide to yourself compared to a group tour is a no brainer if you ask me.
1. Private Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour
⭐RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars (540+ reviews) | ⌛ TOUR LENGTH: 3 hours | 🏛️ BOOK NOW
The Private Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour is the highest-rated private tour of the Colosseum across multiple booking websites. There are over 500 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews! While this might not seem like a lot immediately – it is a lot for private tours as not as many people book them as regular tours.
As you will see with most of these tours, the Colosseum includes free access to the Roman Forum, so most private tours of the Colosseum will also include a private tour of the Roman Forum, even better right?! I didn’t know this before my tour so it was a nice surprise when I found out.
The Private Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour has an amazing number of perks. They offer hotel pickup, you can choose a morning or afternoon tour, the tour can be in 7 different languages, and you can cancel for free until the day before. Just to name a few!
I made use of the hotel pickup for sure, and I went for the morning tour as I heard that the crowds are lower than in the afternoon and it certainly proved to be true.
Included in this tour is a private guide to tour the Colosseum’s inside, which is incredible by the way! I loved the outside of the Colosseum, but I loved the inside even more.
You can also choose to go on the Colosseum Arena Floor if you opt for the luxury version of the tour. It’s worth noting that you also get to skip the queue for the Colosseum as skip-the-line tickets are included in the tour!
As I said, it also includes a tour of the Roman Forum, which is also a very impressive statute of Ancient Roman architecture.
Throughout the tour, you can ask for additional information and ask your guide questions as the guides for this tour are the best. Their knowledge is extraordinary and as someone who loves history, I definitely put my guide to the test.
Don’t just take my word for it, another review reads “THE BEST GUIDE WE HAVE EVER HAD!!” – Alden_A, Viator. The reviews speak for themselves, this tour is top-class. It’s without a doubt the highest-rated, most popular and best private tour of the Colosseum.
I’ve taken this tour personally and I can’t recommend booking the Private Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour enough!
2. Colosseum & Ancient Rome – Private Tour
⭐RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars (40+ reviews) | ⌛ TOUR LENGTH: 3 hours | 🏛️ BOOK NOW
Also rated 5 stars out of 5 is the Colosseum & Ancient Rome – Private Tour. However, this option is a slightly cheaper tour. Whether you believe a higher price = higher quality is up to you to decide.
Colosseum & Ancient Rome Private Tour does however also include the Palatine Hill, as well as obviously the Colosseum, and similar to option 1, the Roman Forum. It’s also a 3-hour tour.
What I really loved about this tour was that the guide used printed images to support what they were saying. This allowed me to imagine how the Colosseum used to look 2000 years ago when it was built and was still in use. It really enhanced the tour!
Unfortunately, however, this tour does not include access to the Arena Floor and it is only available in two languages: English and Italian.
But in my opinion, the Arena Floor being missed out isn’t a huge loss. I personally wouldn’t be too worried about skipping it, you can’t see too much more than you can from the higher levels. But if it is included in the other tours, happy days.
The tour company says “You’ll leave with plenty of amazing pictures and a mind full of knowledge about Ancient Rome!” and that is definitely a huge perk of having a private guide- it’s basically a personal photographer as well as a guide!
I left the Colosseum with hundreds of new photos of me, some of them definitely profile picture worthy.
So hopefully it’s pretty clear that the Colosseum & Ancient Rome Private Tour is another great option in this list of Colosseum private tours.
3. Rome: Colosseum Arena Private Tour with Ancient City
⭐RATING: 4.9 out of 5 Stars (66+ reviews) | ⌛ TOUR LENGTH: 2 hours | 🏛️ BOOK NOW
Rome: Colosseum Arena Private Tour with Ancient City is the best Colosseum private tour on GetYourGuide, if you prefer to use their site over Viator’s. It is rated 4.9/5 stars with overwhelmingly positive reviews.
Similar to the two tours mentioned previously, this tour includes a tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum and does also include Palatine Hill. An added bonus with this tour is that the Arena Floor is included in the base price!
A pretty cool part of this particular private tour is that you get to enter the Colosseum through the “secret back door” known as the “Gate of Death” which is where dead animals and gladiators were carried out of the Colosseum- prepare for more facts like these during your tour!
When I walked through the gate, I wasn’t exactly dressed for battle, but I still felt like a gladiator. Walking through the gate and imagining how many people walked through the same gate and what happened afterwards gave me goosebumps.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that some tours of the Colosseum only take place in good weather conditions- Rome: Colosseum Arena Private Tour with Ancient City, along with most on this list, goes ahead in any conditions; sun or rain.
So make sure to dress appropriately depending on what time of year you visit Rome. I visited in December and as you can see from my photos, somehow I had blue skies every day.
As another review reads, “getting a tour with 25 people is one thing, but having a private guide is quite another” and this is the perfect summary of the advantages of taking a private tour. It’s so much better.
Rome: Colosseum Arena Private Tour with Ancient City is one of the best private tours of the Colosseum that you should consider, no doubt about it.
4. Colosseum Private Tour (Skip the Line)
⭐RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars (40+ reviews) | ⌛ TOUR LENGTH: 1 hour 20 mins | 🏛️ BOOK NOW
Colosseum Private Tour (Skip the Line) is another incredible option for seeing the Colosseum as a private group. It’s rated 4.5/5 stars and once again, includes access to both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
As this review shows, the tour company really go above and beyond to make sure you have the best tour possible. This can be seen again through one of the points in their overview of the tour.
“Customize the itinerary according to your interests” – this way you can ensure you are having the tour you pictured, the private tour of the Colosseum that you want, not any other tourist. This is definitely a service that not many tour companies can offer!
I loved this aspect. It makes such a difference being able to say “can we spend an extra 10 minutes here and skip this?”. At the end of the day, you’re paying good money, and being able to learn more about what you are interested in matters, and I made good use of this during this tour.
You may also be wondering whether you tip in Rome or not, for tour guides, about €10 would be more than enough. But it’s not necessary if you don’t want to.
This is the shortest tour on this list, only lasting approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. So it might not be the tour for you if you want a deep dive into everything there is to learn about the Colosseum. But on the other hand, if you’re short on time, then it’s a great option.
Nonetheless, Colosseum Private Tour (Skip the Line) is a solid option for getting a Colosseum private tour.
5. Rome: Private VIP Colosseum Underground Tour Walking Tour
⭐RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars | ⌛ TOUR LENGTH: 3 hours | 🏛️ BOOK NOW
Last but by no means least is the Rome: Private VIP Colosseum Underground Tour Walking Tour. It definitely wins the biggest name of all the Colosseum private tours!
As you may have noticed by the name, this tour also includes access to the underground of the Colosseum!
The underground of the Colosseum is a unique part of the amphitheatre, and being included in a private tour is a huge plus. As I said earlier, skipping the arena floor isn’t a huge deal, but getting to go underground is!
I loved being in the underground of the Colosseum, it was indescribable. You can still see all the markings on the stone from where things had scraped or left friction marks. My guide pointed out how the floor worked and being underground, you can see where all the mechanisms were. It’s a completely different Colosseum experience and I loved it.
The tour company also specifically mention they talk about the Arch of Constantin, which sits outside the Colosseum. Although I imagine most tours would mention this crossing from the Colosseum to the Roman Forum.
Again, the guides on these tours are flexible, which is what you want when taking a private tour. You want to be able to determine the pace of the tour; stopping at bits that interest you the most.
Rome: Private VIP Colosseum Underground Tour Walking Tour is an incredible option for getting a private tour of the Colosseum, particularly as it includes a tour of the underground too! It’s truly a case of “last but not least”.
🏆EDITOR’S PICK: Best Colosseum Private Tour = Private Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour with hundreds of 5-star reviews. Book now!
FAQs
Below are some related questions to Colosseum private tours along with my answers.
Yes! Being able to tour the Colosseum at your own pace and choosing where to spend more time is an amazing perk. As well as being able to ask questions as much as you like, getting a more personal experience and avoiding large group tours. There are lots of reasons to get a Colosseum private tour.
A private tour of the Colosseum will cost approximately €200. Obviously, this depends on which tour company you use, and whether it is a group price or per person.
The highest-rated private tour of the Colosseum is the: Private Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour with hundreds of 5-star reviews from customers worldwide.
Conclusion
And there you have it, 5 of the best Colosseum Private Tours in Rome. In my opinion, the best option is the Private Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour.
Whichever tour you choose to take, you are guaranteed to have an amazing time. The Colosseum is extraordinary and having a private guide makes it even better!
All of the tours are offered in English but most of them offer a few languages if English is not your first language and you would prefer the tour in another language.
Whether you are spending one day in Rome, 2, 3 or 4 days in Rome or more, you need to fit in a private tour of the Colosseum. It’s an absolute must.
So I hope you have an excellent tour- it will be a tour not to forget and you will create memories to last a lifetime- as well as get some cracking pictures!
