Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill Tour

Glory Of Rome Guided Tour

Witness the Glory of Ancient Rome with your private guide as you enjoy skip-the-line access to see Rome’s most enduring monuments, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.

What’s Included in The Ancient Rome Tour:

• Skip the line tickets to the Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
• Guided tour of the famous amphitheater including the Cavea, the Vomitoria & plenty of strategic photo opportunities
• Walking tour through the Roman Forum
• The Ruins of Palatine Hill
• Officially licensed English-speaking private guide

Colosseum and Ancient Rome Tour Description

Come and hear about the scandals, intrigues, and passions that defined ancient Rome as you walk through its most famous archaeological sites:

The Colosseum:

The battleground of the Gladiators and one of the new seven wonders of the world. Your experienced tour guide will reveal the fascinating history, legends, and captivating characters behind what is perhaps Rome’s most iconic building.

The Roman Forum:

The perfect location to understand the glory of ancient Rome, the Forum was the center of the Empire, where the Senate met, where all the roads that led to Rome met & indeed was the ‘umbilical’ of the Empire.  As you walk amongst the gorgeous ruins, your tour guide will give you a stunning introduction to ancient Rome and the incredible figures who, with shrewdness and strength, transformed a hilltop village into the world’s major global force.

Palatine Hill:

The most famous of Rome’s seven hills, Palatine Hill is actually credited with being the site where Romulus founded what would become the Eternal City. Venture amongst the ancient ruins surrounded by beautiful towering pine trees as your guide explains why this became known as “the first nucleus of the Roman Empire”.

Wonderfully planned and executed 10 day vacation across Italy. Great travel planning! After a friend recommended Travel by Luxe, we used their company to book a 9 day tour around Italy. We started with three days in Rome across a very rainy Christmas, then we were driven south for a quick day tour of the Amalfi coast and a night in Sorrento. The following day we saw Pompeii in the morning, had Pizza in Naples for lunch, and took the rapid train to Venice. Two fabulous days in Venice were followed by a day in Florence, then back to Rome by train for one more day, and then home. We had a fabulous time. Marta of Travel by Luxe proposed itineraries based on what we told her of our interests. We had private tours everywhere. She booked fabulous hotels for us - the rates were ok and we got upgraded in rooms at least a couple of times, as it was off season and the pandemic was still going strong. The tour guides were superb in Rome, Pompeii, Florence and especially Venice, where Giorgia Stainer was our guide for two days on the streets and waterways of Venice and Murano and Burano. All of the guides were knowledgeable and fun to talk to - about art, architecture, ruins, and food, for example. We had walking tours with nice lunches in Rome, Venice and Florence. No detail was unattended to. Transfers from airports, train stations, hotels, and the tourist sites were all right on time and very nice. Exceptional high points included Pompeii, the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, a trip to the glass making factory, New Murano Gallery, near Venice, and all of the amazing art in Florence. Christmas Lunch in Rome and traditional foods in every city were standouts as well. This experience was a solid “5” on the five point scale. If I could rate it a “6” I probably would.

Ellis N ★★★★★

Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill Itinerary Details:

This tour is an action-packed three hours.

We will meet outside the Colosseum and proceed to enter without waiting in the long queues of tourists. Once safely inside, we will enjoy discovering why it deserves its status as one of the new seven wonders of the world.

Following on from this, we will make our way over to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill to walk along the ancient roads, visualizing how the Romans lived.

This tour doesn’t run on  Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Travel by Luxe is the best! Travel by Luxe was the best travel company to work with! The first contact was with Amy, the owner and she noted our interests and passed along our information to Marta, who we worked with through our planning stages and during our trip. Marta was very helpful and patient with all the changes we made through the planning stages. She booked our personal tours for the Colosseum, the Vatican, a boat tour of the Amalfi Coast and Capri. She arranged for a number of private drivers for us and kept us updated while in Rome who would be picking us up and when. Our entire trip went smooth and we enjoyed every minute of it! Thank you, Marta, Amy, and Travel by Luxe!!!

Donna C ★★★★★

Do I Need To Pay Extra For Skip The Queue Tickets?

In short, no! As officially licensed guides to Rome, we are able to INCLUDE fast-track tickets to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill in the price of your guided tour.

*skip the line, still must go through basic security on sites*

Why Book Your Ancient Rome Tour With Luxe?

• Our officially licensed guides are expert historians and passionate storytellers.
• We only provide small group private tours, allowing us to customize each tour to your own tastes, or if you have kids or not.
• Tour at your own pace and learn in more detail about any aspect that grabs your attention – your guide is devoted to your group and is not forced to hurry you along.
• We don’t just provide an ancient Rome experience; we aim to create lasting memories!

Optional Add-Ons For This Tour

Extended Ancient Rome

Step back in time to when Rome ruled the world as you discover the stories, legends, and fascinating historical characters behind the Roman Empire as you visit the most significant locations, incredible architecture, and stunning monuments of the era with your private guide on our extended Rome tour. 

As officially licensed guides, we can provide skip-the-line access tickets to all locations on this tour, so you have more time spent on-site with your tour guide and less time waiting in queues.

Sites Visited on our Rome Extended Tour:

• Roman Forum
• Palatine Hill
• Two of the Three
  • The House of Augustus
  • The House of Livia
  • Domus Transitoria (Palace of Emperor Nero)

Extended Rome Tour Description

Ready to experience Rome like a true ancient Roman? With the Rome Extended Tour, an action-packed 4.5-hour tour, you will skip the line with your private guide as you visit the ancient center for civic and political life, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill, which was the location of the first Roman settlement. Legend has it, this is where Romulus and Remus founded Rome! 

Visit the House of Augustus

The House of Augustus, which was home to Rome’s first emperor and heir of Julius Caesar, is on top of the Palatine Hill and features spectacular wall paintings and floor mosaics, which are considered to be among the best in the Roman world. This House is especially significant as the layout and architecture help us to understand the transformation of Palatine Hill into the seat of imperial power, which marked the passage of Rome from Republic to Empire. 

Explore the House of Livia

The House of Livia was home to Livia Drusilla, wife of and political advisor to Augustus. This house, also located on Palatine Hill next to the House of Augustus, is the epitome of ancient refinement and elegance. 

Guided tour of Nero’s Palace

The third option is the Domus Transitoria*, the palace of the Roman emperor Nero. Nero, remembered today as the mad emperor, reigned during the Great Fire of Rome, which all but decimated Rome in 64AD. But did the Emperor start the fires himself? Your private guide will reveal what brought the mad emperor to power and discuss the engrossing theories and legends surrounding his reign.  

Extended Tour Benefits

This tour is perfect for kids & families!

These can’t-miss sites are made all the more fascinating by the presence of immersive technologies, such as video projections, light mapping, and narrative voice. When in Rome, see Rome as the ancient Romans did!

This add-on extends the tour by 1.5 hours

Aperitivo Tour

A Traditional Aperitivo at a Local Wine Bar

After the tour, get ready to relax and live like a true Italian. We will accompany you to our favorite local wine bar, which is a stone’s throw from the Colosseum, for a true Roman Aperitivo. A traditional Aperitivo would include a spritz/a glass of wine/beer, and a selection of Italian delicacies.

The Aperitivo is an Italian tradition starting back in the 18th century by the distiller Antonio Benedetto Carpano. The word ‘Aperitivo’ is derived from the Latin word ‘apertor’, or opener, and the Aperitivo is the precursor to a dinner or lunch designed to ‘open the stomach’, as the Italians would say. It’s also where Italians love to catch up!

Prendiamo un aperitivo – let’s get together for an aperitivo – is a catch cry amongst the locals, & we can’t wait to take you along to experience this.

This tour is perfect for adventurers who want to learn about both the ancient and modern city of Rome in an interactive and hands-on way, and want to make the most out of their time in the Eternal City!

This add-on extends the tour by 30 minutes.

We highly recommend the Tours by Luxe experience! During our week in Rome in July, Amy and her fabulous assistants Irenes P and V put together two wonderful tours for us. Our first was a tour of the Vatican Museum accompanied by our guide Jessica, the second to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Forum with Letizia. Both guides were knowledgeable, entertaining and fun. We all got a lot out of the tours - it’s so much better than wandering around by yourselves. Discovering secret messages in famous art works or having centuries old graffiti pointed out is just thrilling. It’s also fabulous bypassing the queues and having air-conditioned transfers to and from the sites. We highly recommend the Tours by Luxe experience.

Rebecca Hingerty ★★★★★