Skip-the-Lines Ancient Rome Tour
| Group Tour | Yes | Private Tour | Yes |
|---|
| Tour Time: | 9am | Days Available: | Every Day |
| Tour Duration: | 3 hours | Tour Type: | Walking |
| Colosseum | Roman Forum | Palatine Hill | Temple of Caesar | Basilica of Maxentius | Temple of Saturn |
| Arch of Constantine | Arch of Titus | Temple of Vesta | Temple of Romulus | Temple of Castor | Temple Antoninus |
Meeting Point Information
| Group Tour Fees: | Adults €60 | Students €55 | Children 6-18 €50 | Children under 6 Free |
| Private Tour Fees: | First 2 Adults €240 | Each additional Adult €50 |
Each additional Student €45 |
Each additional Child €45 |
Rome Survival Guide
Tour Description
On this tour, we bring you to the most vivid and world-famous examples of Roman architecture - the Roman Forum and the mighty Colosseum.
But we begin our tour where the history of Rome began - on the Palatine Hill.
This hill, tallest of the seven on which Rome was first built, was according to legend the home of the twins who founded the city - Romulus and Remnus.
Although modern historians totally debunk the idea that these characters ever even really existed, evidence of dwelling places have been discoverd on the hill which date back to the 8th BC - interestingly at the same period in which the city was said to have been founded - although the earlier dwellers were more likely to have been shepherds and swineherds than heroic demigods.
Whatever the truth of Rome's earliest citizens, the hill would continue to play a major role in the city's development throughout the eras of Republic, Empire and again in the Christian Era. In the Republic (first five centuries BC, give or take a few decades), because of its association with the divine founder of the city, the hill became a site of devotion. Various temples to cult gods have been discovered here dating to this time. To tap into this idolatry and devotion, Rome's first Emperor, Augustus, decided to build his residence on the hill, and the Emperors of Rome would continue to build their palaces there for a further three centuries. After the fall of Rome, and a brief period during which time the Huns ruled Rome as the capital of their Kingdom of Italy (residing, of course, on the Palatine Hill), the Popes took control, and several monasteries and convents were built here during the Middle Ages. Finally, a cardinal transformed the northern section of the hill into a magnificent botanical garden, which overlooked the Roman Forum (and still today affords some beautiful views).
For this reason, today the hill is very confusing to the untrained eye, as it has mostly been reduced to a mass of rubble by successive generations who decided to built on top of what was there before. Today's archaeologists, who you will see still hard at work when you visit, focus on the remnants of the more ancient buildings as they dig, and in recent years have made exciting new discoveries about the ruins of the palaces and temples, which your Real Rome Tours guide will explain to you.
The Roman Forum was the centre of political life during the Roman Republican era. It was here that some of the famous political events the late Republic took place - the riots that broke out between followes and opponents of the Gracchi brothers, who wanted reform but instead were both murdered; the terrifying sight of heads on pikes along the Rostra, the orator's podium, during the terror of the procription years instigated by Sulla; Julius Caesar's emotional funeral, duing which the citizens rioted following Mark Antony's impassioned speech, forcing his assassins to leave Rome.
Although the Forum remained a symbol of Rome's greatness throughout the Imperial era, it also became something of a plaything for the megalomaniacal Emperors (of which they had a few!) Emperors such as Domitian, Diocletian, Maxentius and Constantine would transform the area into a shrine to themselves, with temples to divine Emperors and their families taking the place of temples to the gods, while riculous displays of vanity became common, such as Domitian's giant bronze equestrian statue of himself in the centre of the Forum.
In the early centuries after the fall of Rome, the ground level rose, burying much of the now abandoned site. Throughout the Middle Ages, the area was once again transformed, with many of the ancient temples converted into places of Christian worship, and even the greatest basilicas were buried over time, with simple dwelling places constructed above their remains.
Although the Forum remained a symbol of Rome's greatness throughout the Imperial era, it also became something of a plaything for the megalomaniacal Emperors (of which they had a few!) Emperors such as Domitian, Diocletian, Maxentius and Constantine would transform the area into a shrine to themselves, with temples to divine Emperors and their families taking the place of temples to the gods, while riculous displays of vanity became common, such as Domitian's giant bronze equestrian statue of himself in the centre of the Forum.
In the early centuries after the fall of Rome, the ground level rose, burying much of the now abandoned site. Throughout the Middle Ages, the area was once again transformed, with many of the ancient temples converted into places of Christian worship, and even the greatest basilicas were buried over time, with simple dwelling places constructed above their remains.
Today, however, thanks to a still-ongoing archeological effort, we can visit the original Forum at ground level as it was during the times of the Emperors, while simultaneously appreciating the mark left on the area by its Medieval makeover, as well as the impact of modern times on this infinite memorial.
Of course, the most famous monument left to the world by the Romans was the awe-inspiring Colosseum, an amphitheatre which hosted specuclar festivals which involved brutal and bloody games. We bring you inside the building, skipping the public ticket lines, and take you to the second level, from where you can truly appreciate what it must have been like to be a spectator at one of these fascinating events, and what it must have been like for gladiator, condemned to die to the sounds of applause.
There is a lot more to the Colosseum than the tales of gladiator and animal battles. It has stood as a proud symbol for Rome ever since it was first built by the Flavian Emperors towards the end of the 1st Century AD, and today, ironically, it serves as both a symbol of peace and is venerated by Christians. The Pope still to this day commemorates the Way of the Cross on Good Friday, by visiting the Colosseum and celebrating a mass by the cross that has had a home there for nearly four hundred years. Your guide will explain how this amazing transformation in identity occured, while bringing you back in time to an era when violence and cruelty was public entertainment. Learn how it was built to withstand earthquakes, designed to accommodate 50,000 spectators, divided into various sections according to their social class, how they sheltered spectators from the sun, and have your questions answered - such as "Where did they go to the toilet" - the answer is surprising and interesting!
We will leave you inside the Colosseum at the end of this tour, so that you can look around by yourself for as long as you wish afterwards.
Of course, the most famous monument left to the world by the Romans was the awe-inspiring Colosseum, an amphitheatre which hosted specuclar festivals which involved brutal and bloody games. We bring you inside the building, skipping the public ticket lines, and take you to the second level, from where you can truly appreciate what it must have been like to be a spectator at one of these fascinating events, and what it must have been like for gladiator, condemned to die to the sounds of applause.
There is a lot more to the Colosseum than the tales of gladiator and animal battles. It has stood as a proud symbol for Rome ever since it was first built by the Flavian Emperors towards the end of the 1st Century AD, and today, ironically, it serves as both a symbol of peace and is venerated by Christians. The Pope still to this day commemorates the Way of the Cross on Good Friday, by visiting the Colosseum and celebrating a mass by the cross that has had a home there for nearly four hundred years. Your guide will explain how this amazing transformation in identity occured, while bringing you back in time to an era when violence and cruelty was public entertainment. Learn how it was built to withstand earthquakes, designed to accommodate 50,000 spectators, divided into various sections according to their social class, how they sheltered spectators from the sun, and have your questions answered - such as "Where did they go to the toilet" - the answer is surprising and interesting!
We will leave you inside the Colosseum at the end of this tour, so that you can look around by yourself for as long as you wish afterwards.
Book Now
If you would like to book this tour, please fill out the booking form on our booking page and it will email us your request.
Booking
What Our Clients Say
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“Our tour guide was outstanding. His knowledge of Rome and history was impressive.
He had a natural ability to communicate this wealth of knowledge in a way
that was easy to grasp and enjoyable. I look forward to visiting Rome again
in the future and highly recommend your company to everyone.
Thank you for a wonderful day in Rome full of amazing memories!”
– Shauna, USA -
“We had a great tour and we were very impressed and overwhelmed with the guide’s
abundance of knowledge! He was great and made it wonderful because we learned so much!
The group size was small which was very nice.
I will definitely recommend your company to others traveling to Rome!
Thank you.” - Kim, U.S. -
“Tour with Richie was wonderful. Everything we expected and more.
It was singlely the best decision we made when planning our trip!
Richie was very knowledgable and we enjoyed spending the day with him.”
– Kristy, USA -
“All three of our guides' level of historical, archeological and artistic expertise
is to be highly commended. I cannot say enough positive words about all three tours.”
- Wendy, Connecticut. -
“Your 3 tours made our time in Rome really worthwhile.
The sunset one with Richie was great; he was so helpful and informative.
The Vatican tour with Alexandra was equally good
and we could not get over how much of a difference it made to the holiday.
Thanks too for the easy to understand directions and meeting places,
we had absolutely no problems at all.
You are all wonderful……..” – Jenny, Slough -
“We had a wonderful tour and Richie was a great guide!
He was wonderful with the children (ages 7 and 4) as well as us adults.
We highly recommend him to others!
Thank you for helping us have a truly wonderful experience in Rome!
Also, a special hello and thank you to Richie!!
We still talk about him!”
- Susan, USA.