Colosseum,
Dungeon Tours.

Guided tours of the Colosseum underground areas.

 
The dungeons and underground areas of the Colosseum are only able to be visited as part of a guided tour.

Availability is notoriously thin on the ground, and booking in advance is well-nigh mandatory!
“This tour was amazing from entering the arena floor and the dungeons we found the knowledge of the guide exceptional. The Forum was equally as good. Five star experience.”
JV, United Kingdom
“The tour was great and our guide was very knowledgeable. He was interesting to listen to as well as funny. It was a long tour but this gave us time to see and learn so much. Thank you. I'd definitely use you again if I visit Rome.”
AB, United Kingdom.

To be clear, the only way to visit the underground areas of the Colosseum in Rome is as part of a guided tour. Unfortunately it is getting harder and harder to find availability as tours are fully booked months in advance. We offer our own tours whenever possible as well as working with other tour guides in Rome to offer tours that may also include the Forum, or the Arena floor, for example.

The underground - ipogei, hypogeum - areas are what made possible the long and spectacular days of the Colosseum in all their gore and glory - the subterranean backstage, as it were, where slaves worked, animals (read lions, tigers, hyenas and bears) were stored and gladiators rested, ate and offered up their prayers. They were completely filled in during the 5th century AD and as a result show a remarkable state of preservation.

Opening times:

The Colosseum is open almost every day of the year, excluding Christmas Day and New Year's Day, although opening times vary by season. Please note that last entry is one hour before closing time.

The buttons below will give greater detail on what we offer throughout the year, but it doesn't follow that they're always available ... many are seasonal, some only run on certain days of the week, and some have very limited availability, so please do use our calendar to check availability!



Security checking and queueing:

Heightened security coupled with the recent decision to impose a ceiling on the number of visitors allowed to enter the Colosseum at a given time mean that it is possible, even with a 'no queues' ticket, that you will face delays.

It is now also compulsory to pass through a metal detector - these extra security delays are currently causing often considerable queues that are, unfortunately, affecting ALL ticket holders and you are currently required to arrive well ahead of your visit time - please see this page for latest updates. The authorities have now made it clear that animals (dogs) are not allowed inside the colosseum, so please do not take your pets with you.

Please note that should the underground areas be closed for whatever reason (for security reasons or due to flooding after heavy rain) then we will arrange a partial refund.

Additional Colosseum links: Colosseum history and images, Colosseum location map, Colosseum tickets.

How you'll get your tickets:

To reserve tickets for a Colosseum guided tour, just fill out the booking form, give us a preference for date and time (dates are in European DD/MM/YYYY format), supply us with credit card details, and we'll do the rest. There will be no charge whatsoever until we confirm your reservation. We'll then point you to our secure page, where you can print out and/or download your entry voucher. Full instructions will be on your voucher. As simple as that!

Please note: You must present yourself at the time specified on your booking voucher - admittance will not be granted at other times.

4.7 stars out of 5 from 965 ratings. See all 741 reviews

5 stars
SK, Sweden
10th Mar 2023
This tour is amazing. We were guided by an archaeologist in a little group into an almost empty Colosseum. It was truly magnificent. Thank you Tickitaly!
5 stars
TD, United States
10th Feb 2023
My experience was wonderful and very memorable.
5 stars
AS, United States
19th Jan 2023
Our guide was an archaeologists and so knowledgeable about the Colisseum and Roman Forum. It was a hot day so many stops in the shade and for water fill ups. She had so many interesting stories and facts about the areas we were looking at. I felt like I had a greater understanding about Rome and its history. We were also a smaller group than many that went by us. Overall an amazing tour!
5 stars
CA, United States
3rd Aug 2019
the experience was great! tour guide was very informative on all accounts and spoke english very well :)
5 stars
MN, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
16th Jul 2019
Eleanor was very informative and funny. Excellent information provided
5 stars
MA, United Kingdom (Great Britain)
29th Jun 2019
This was an amazing tour, it gave me goose bumps! I have been told that the day tours are very busy so wanted to avoid this - so glad we did as we got to see so much and didn't feel rushed or pushed through like cattle. We had the added drama of a lightning storm in the distance which made it even more incredible. The tour guides were full of wonderful information who also made it fun too. What an amazing place, I feel very privileged to have been there and got out alive ! Hahahahaha. Thank you so much.
These reviews relate to the various tours of the Colosseum Dungeons that we offer, and have offered in the past. Until the Belvedere top levels were opened in 2017, the dungeon tours were actually provided as a combo tour of both the dungeons and upper levels, hence the references in some reviews to upper levels!
For even more reviews of the various Colosseum tours and tickets on offer, see these links:

Colosseum ticket reviews
Colosseum Tour (excluding dungeons and upper levels) reviews
After-dark Colosseum Dungeon Tour reviews
Colosseum dungeons guided tour tickets