Skip the Line Private Tour: Ancient Rome and Colosseum Art History Walking Tour

Rome, Italy

Explore the Colosseum and Forum in style on a private walking tour with an art expert, and skip the queues for the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. Accompanied by your own private guide who specializes in art history, you'll enjoy personalized attention on your special private tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum without wasting time waiting in line.

Your three-hour private walking tour begins atop the Colle Oppio with a panoramic view of the Roman Forum and Colosseum, Rome's most recognizable landmark. From here you will skip the long lines with special access to the Colosseum.

Once inside the Colosseum, you will hear about the amphitheater's bloody past as you listen to tales of gladiators, mock sea-battles and executions. After a brief rest at the Arch of Constantine, you will arrive at the Palatine Hill, the most famous of the seven hills of Rome. From here you can admire the magnificent views of the Roman Forum and Nero's Circus Maximus where chariot races were held.

The last stop on your private walking tour is a stroll along the Via Sacra or 'Sacred Way', the main path through the Roman Forum that was used for triumphal processions.

This in-depth private tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum is hosted by an English-speaking guide specializing in art history. Please list any special interests you have (art, architecture, history, culture) at the time of booking to alert your guide, so they can prepare for your private tour.

USD $100.73

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Bernadette W	December 2011
This tour covered alot of ground and was worth every minute. The Colisseum, the Forum and Palentine Hill...WOW! Our tour guide was Elena and she was well versed and absolutely pleasant to be with.

Review by: An Qiao T	November 2011
Excellent, excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and enjoyable tour of classical rome.

Review by: JeffnRick	October 2011
This was a Private Tour. The two of us plus our tour guide. This was amazing and our guide was excellant. We really enjoyed this tour!

Review by: Ignazio C	September 2011
This was an outstanding tour and my partner and I had a tour guide all to ourselves, so it couldn't have been more peronal and done at our own pace! We highly recommend this as the perfect way to take it all in in a relaxed, informative and professional manner.

Review by: Nick J H	September 2011
Laura our tour guide was AMAZING she was very enthusiastic and informative, she had our attention the whole time. Would highly recommend this tour,was one on one and no waiting in queues. Thankyou Laura you were fantastic!

Review by: Deborah R	August 2011
We only had 1 day in Venice and felt this tour gave us a good overview. Our short time was spent very well with a pleasant and knowledgable guide.

Review by: Robert V	August 2011
Our private tour of Ancient Rome was fantastic! We met Shannon our guide and immediately hit it off. She was fun and outgoing and knew the answers to our many (sometimes obscure) questions! She made sure we lingered where we wanted and kept going where we didn't want to spend as much time, and she was really informative, bringing ancient Rome to life. The whole Viator experience was super, including walking past weary hot people in a long line and getting right in to the Colosseum. We thoroughly enjoyed having a private tour so that we could move at our own pace (even though it was 95 degrees out) and hear everything Shannon had to say. It was a super experience and I would strongly recommend to anyone considering a tour to try Viator.

Review by: djones6026	August 2011
Other than the one day strike at the Forum preventing us from going into the Forum area, it was an outstanding tour. Our tour guide, Laura, was exception.

Review by: Thomas L	August 2011
Our guide was great. We covered so much more territory and so many more facts than we could have on a group tour.

Review by: Pee Fong L	July 2011
Our guide was the best! He was very informative, passionate and helpful. We couldn't have enjoyed the day better.

Review by: Guillermo Z	June 2011
Miss Alice from Chicago was an excellent tour guide because her vast knowledge of Roman History, her very nice personality , her generous sharing of her knowledge and her pleasing manners. She is an asset for your organization and in the future for the staff of any American University. Thank you, again Miss Alice._br/_ G. Zambrano.

Review by: relayer	June 2011
Our guide Graham made this extra special for us. He was knowledgeable and entertaining. We went for the Colosseum, but found the Forum equally fascinating.

Review by: Janet A	June 2011
Wonderful tour of Pompeii and Herculaneum with an experienced guide. Take a hat and water as there were many people getting burnt and thirsty. Thanks, Viator

Review by: Enrico L	May 2011
Excellent tour! Everything went smoothly, met on time, easy to find, no line. It was great! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and fun. We were so glad we booked a private tour. It was only the 4 of us, and it was so worth the money!

Review by: Anthony F	May 2011
This was a great tour. Mike, your representative was excellent. he took his time and told us everything. He is extremely knowledgeable in that time-frame and gave us a true feeling of what it as like over 1,000 years ago. It was a 10 star tour, not a 5 star tour. Thank you so much for making our first trip to Italy so memorable. Thanks to Mike it was the best 3 hours I spent in Rome.

Review by: SARAH B	May 2011
it was so worthwhile!!! Katie was great!

Review by: Bradley F	April 2011
Great tour and a great guide!

Review by: Kelly L	March 2011
Our tour guide, Alex was amazing! Her Knowledge of ancient Rome brought history to life for us. She was welll informed and answered all of our questions. The tour was not rushed, but relaxed and at a good pace. If anything we had to hurry the tour because we had another tour booked for the afternoon and had to be at a different location by a certain time, but Alex helped us arrive on time by giving us directions how to get there. I would highly recommend this tour, especially if all the tour guides are as good as Alex.

Review by: Ellee	November 2010
Our guide was wonderful. He shared a lot of detailed information and answered our multitude of questions. The forum tour was great.

Review by: Leslie D	November 2010
excellent tour of ancient rome with private guide very informatve

Review by: Tobias B	October 2010
Loved it. Our guide here was Anna. she was excellent. the one on one personal tour was really the only way to go. Detail passion and knowledge from Anna brought to life the ancient history of Rome

Review by: Quentin B	October 2010
Our tour of the Colosseum was fantastic! We decided to choose the private tour of the Colosseum and The Forums . We spent a week in Rome and our tour was the highlight of our trip. Our guide was very knowledgeable, pleasant and extremely patient. We asked a lot of questions and he didn't mind at all. I felt like I spent the day hanging out with a very knowledgeable friend rather than a tour guide. He went above and beyond what I had expected. I would definitely take a tour with Viator in the future .

Review by: Barbara W	October 2010
Our guide Jim M was excellent. He made Ancient Rome come alive. Could not have been better. Made additional recommendations for sights for us to see. Excellent. Excellent. Excellent.

Review by: Sydney K	September 2010
We both had a great time on this tour, our guide was amazing. It was a one on one so I can't say how good it would have been as part of 25. But having said I was more than happy to have paid extra.

Review by: Yvette G	July 2010
Our guide was the best not only did he know his history we avoided long times in the blistering heat. After the tour he took us to a great place to eat stayed and shared a beer. He then proceeded to circle all the places we should visit and resturants we might want to try. He gave us great inside info on tipping and best things to do at different times of the day. I could go on and on but basically our Roman holiday was perfect thanks to our tour guide who really knew his stuff.

Review by: Alexander K	July 2010
Excellent and very helpful guide, highly recommended.

Review by: Michael L, Australia	June 2010
Anna our guide was fantastic, her knowledge was comprehensive and her manner was engaging.

Review by: Nina M, United States of America	June 2010
Our tour guide was wonderful and full of great information. We had a great tour of the Colosseum and surrounding area. We highly recommend it.

Review by: Marian S. S, United States of America	June 2010
This was a fabulous tour with a wonderful guide, Caitlyn, a young American from Connecticul with degrees in Art History and Ancient Civilization. She was very knowledgeable, relaxed, and funny, giving a running commentary and answering all of our questions without seeming to be following a script! The tour lasted a full three hours, and was the highlight of our trip!! Give yourself a wonderful gift and spend the money for this individual tour! The meeting place is at a little plaza directly on the very TOP of the Metro Colosseo station, accessible only from inside the building.

Review by: Mark S, United States of America	June 2010
Sara was fantastic. Her knowledge of the history and her enthusiasm, despite it being a very hot day made the tour that much more enjoyable.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2010
After a little confusion finding the meeting point and getting registered, this tour was remarkable. A short walk to the Colosseum, past a long line of other tourists and we were transported to another era! Michelle was an informative guide who's passion for her city and the ruins was contagious.

Review by: Marian S. S	June 2010
This was a fabulous tour with a wonderful guide, Caitlyn, a young American from Connecticul with degrees in Art History and Ancient Civilization. She was very knowledgeable, relaxed, and funny, giving a running commentary and answering all of our questions without seeming to be following a script! The tour lasted a full three hours, and was the highlight of our trip!! Give yourself a wonderful gift and spend the money for this individual tour! The meeting place is at a little plaza directly on the very TOP of the Metro Colosseo station, accessible only from inside the building.

Review by: Marylou U, United States of America	April 2010
We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. Our guide was wonderfully informative and thoughtful of our needs and wants. She was a pleasure and made our time in Rome especially memorable.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	April 2010
The ancient city is massive and bustling with tourists. We had a private tour with a guide with perfect English and a great knowledge of ancient Rome.

Review by: Irene W, United States of America	February 2010
Our guide was wonderful. She was filled with historical info and expertly guided us through the Colosseum, Palentine HIll and the Forum.

Review by: Alan G, United States of America	September 2009
Our private tour of the Roman Coliseum and Forum were the highlight of our stay in Rome! Our guide was from Chicago so her English was perfect and her knowledge and ability to share it was incredible! With a private tour guide we did not wait in any lines which was great since the lines are one or more hours long. The best money you will spend while in Rome is hiring a guide like ours!

Review by: Anonymous	September 2009
Our guide was very friendly, however we didn't feel like the private tour was worth the extra expense! She gave us the basics, but didn't really "bring the sites to life." Additionally, our guide ended the tour 1/2 hour early.

Review by: Jeffrey M, United States of America	August 2009
Our guide was very good, very knowledgeble about everything Rome. Although is was blazingly hot, she kept us in the shade and knew where all the fountains were. The private tour was definitely worth it. When you see the large tours trying to get through everything and everyone struggling to even hear what is being said, you know the private tour is the way to go! The tour was interesting and at a good pace - not overwhelmingly fast with too many details, yet enough to really keep our attention. I would highly recommend this type of tour.

Review by: Anonymous	July 2009
The tour guide was informative and interesting. She responded to our interests and knowledge level. Perhaps most important, she was a pleasant person to be in the hot sun with for three hours.

Review by: Elisa K, United States of America	June 2009
Private tour so worth the extra money, details and narratives and entertaining guide, came with books and diagrams to add to the ancient visual picture.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2009
Our guide was just wonderful. It was so interesting to feel that close to such dramatic happenings during Roman times!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2009
Our guide was amazing! We thoroughly enjoyed it!

Review by: Nicholas K	June 2009
Private tour so worth the extra money, details and narratives and entertaining guide, came with books and diagrams to add to the ancient visual picture.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	April 2009
Our guide was great. Very knowledgeable, tailored the tone and pace of the tour to our needs, and provided insights that we would not have otherwise received in a larger group tour. Excellent tour.

Review by: Vicente C, United States of America	December 2008
Amazing stories of the past will stimulate your imagination.

Review by: Johanna C	December 2008
Amazing stories of the past will stimulate your imagination.

Review by: Gregory P	December 2008
This was good for the free time. My guide was a bit lazy, but she covered the basics and then I was free to explore the Palatine and surrounding ruins.

Review by: Robert B, United States of America	October 2008
Excellent. Excellent guide, well informed and all that I could hope for.

Review by: Tony G, United States of America	October 2008
Had to reschedule because our flight was canceled. Buy the Viator insurance to cover cancellation. BUT this was an AMAZING tour, WELL WELL WELL WORTH IT. It was my wife & I and the guide. AWESOME. Spend the extra money, get SO MUCH MORE.

Review by: S. D. R, United States of America	July 2008
Great tour guide, lots of information. Well worth the money spent.