Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour with Gladiator's Gate | Small Group

Step through the Gladiator’s Gate and out onto the Colosseum’s arena floor on this immersive small-group tour of no more than 6. Your expert guide will walk you through Italy’s most enduring and iconic landmark, taking you beneath the surface of the Rome of the Popes to uncover the City of the Caesars. Then dive into the heart of the world’s first global empire as you venture from the Colosseum into the Roman Forum.

Rome’s influence can still be felt throughout the western world – in government, engineering, architecture, language, and literature. Your journey towards discovering it starts at the majestic Colosseum.

Step through the Gladiator’s Gate – still standing after almost 2,000 years

As a symbol of the Roman Empire’s global power, the Colosseum is a must-visit when in Rome. The amphitheater’s endurance pays testament to the genius of Roman engineering. Within its walls were some of the most barbaric spectacles of antiquity, sanctioned by the state to keep the masses happy.

Your guide will bring the ancient arena back to life, recreating its spectacles, introducing you to its spectators, and letting you in on the secrets of how this amphitheater worked. After stepping through the Gladiator’s Gate, you’ll explore the upper levels of the world’s most famous stadium, immersing yourself in the history of the powerful – and often merciless – Roman Empire.

We then venture into the Roman Forum

The Roman Forum contains dozens of monuments, each with its own unique story. But only an expert guide can do the Roman Forum the justice it deserves. Among some of Rome’s most ruined ruins lie some fascinating treasures. Treasures which offer up many clues into how Romans lived, loved, worshipped, and entertained.

We’ll pass by the Arch of Titus, which shows the treasures stolen from Jerusalem and used to fund building the Colosseum. We’ll visit the Temple of Saturn, one of the city’s oldest structures dating back to the 5th century BC. And we’ll visit temples not to gods but to emperors and empresses who, having died, were declared gods: the temples of Vespasian, Antoninus Pius, and Faustina.

Saving the most spectacular sights until last, we view the Palatine Hill

Historically, the Palatine Hill is the most important of Rome’s Seven Hills. Romulus founded Rome on the Palatine Hill (his ill-fated brother instead set up camp on the Aventine). It was always home to Rome’s rich and famous. And over time it became the favored place for the emperors to build their elaborate palaces. In fact, it is from “Palatine” that we get our word “palace”.

The Palatine Hill is home to several sites that have recently reopened to the public, including the House of Augustus, House of Livia, and Nero’s Domus Transitoria. We don’t enter these sites on our Gladiator’s Gate small-group tour, but we can arrange your guided visit on our Private Ancient Rome tour.

** Minimum of two participants required for each small group tour. **