First Entry Private Colosseum & Roman Forum Tour w/ Arena Access

Spoiler Alert: The Colosseum isn't what you think it is

Going into the tour I had no idea how much I'd learn about the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Marco went on to teach us all about the history of the sites. No spoilers, but it's a wild story. He was thoughtful of my mobility difficulties and discussed most of the information while we were sitting down. He also waited while my fiance and I were in line to use the elevator. Marco's use of pictures and comparisons to modern day experiences made the information fun and easy to follow. I'd definitely recommend this tour to others.

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5 star experience and guide

Took the early AM tour with Chiara (aka Whisky) and loved everything about the experience. Very knowledgeable and engaging. She took pictures of us and knew the best spots. Really appreciated that she would find the shady or breezy spots to stop when explaining anything which was perfect when considering the heat. Thanks!

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The worst experience!

Where to begin- this was the worst colosseum tour I’ve ever done (I’ve done 2 tours on previous visits with different companies- usually through GetYourGuide). I booked a private tour with my parents directly with livtours, I clearly stated that they had mobility issues (they walk slower) and were older. It was primarily for this reason that I booked the private option- so they wouldn’t hold people up and it could be tailored to them. Livtours assured me that all would be ok. It was a hot August day (not surprising), temperatures peaked at 38 degrees. The tour was meant to start at 1030, the tour guide make my older parents walk for over 2hrs in the heat for the Roman forum before we even entered the colosseum (it’s in small print on their website that they may not start at the colosseum but the main text says they will) . By the time that happened they were exhausted, dizzy and after 5mins in the colosseum wanted to leave. They didn’t even get to see the thing we travelled to Rome for and they didn’t even enter the arena floor. The reason given to us was that the timed colosseum ticket was at 1230. I booked this tour months in advance, they were informed of the issues regarding my parents and still made the insane choice of starting at the forum in that heat. There’s absolutely no excuse for this since this wasn’t a last minute booking- at least not on our end. To make matters worse the guide they assigned to us was pushy and kept insisting my parents walk further and acted like every request was a big favour (for example I asked if my parents could get the lifts up at the colosseum- they’re over 65 so easily qualify and she kept saying ‘we’ll have to see’). This is after livtours assured me the lifts would be fine. The guide also argued with other people in line for the lifts because they were young- I mean honestly the whole thing was so unprofessional- she doesn’t know what disabilities people may have. All in all it was complete rubbish. I’d like to acknowledge that livtours called me after I complained and gave me a partial refund but it’s a little too late. My parents essentially left Rome not seeing the one thing they really wanted to see. It was so dissapointing, No other tour of the colosseum I’ve done didn’t start at the colosseum! So read the fine print guys- and honestly this express entry thing is BS, you don’t get priority access by booking through these guys- if you buy the tickets from the colosseum official site (a much cheaper option) it’s timed entry anyway, they have a free downloadable audio guide and you can go at your pace without any of this nonsense.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We are genuinely sorry that your parents left Rome disappointed, as this is certainly not the outcome we want for any of our guests. However, we do feel it is important to clarify several points for future travelers, as the review does not fully reflect what occurred. As explained during our follow-up conversation, Colosseum tickets are allocated to us as an official partner, with tour schedules established well in advance. Your reservation was scheduled for 10:35–13:35, with the Colosseum entry specifically timed for 12:30. For this reason, the tour was arranged to visit the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill first. In August, these areas have considerably less shade and can be significantly hotter than the Colosseum, so beginning there allowed the guide to complete the more exposed portion earlier and enter the Colosseum at the designated time. The reverse formal was intentional, for your comfort. Additionally, the possibility of the itinerary operating in reverse is also clearly communicated in our tour information. We were advised before the tour that some members of the party were slower walkers. This is absolutely something we can accommodate on a private tour, and our guide adjusted the pace accordingly, including slowing down and providing multiple opportunities for breaks. A specific concern about the heat, however, was not communicated to us in advance. Had we known that the heat was expected to be a significant concern, we would have been very happy to discuss the available options beforehand. Our guide also explained that the Colosseum tickets were timed and that the group needed to be at the Colosseum for the 12:30 entry in order to use them. She offered an alternative option to visit only the arena floor so that your parents could have more time to rest, including the possibility of taking a break at the cafeteria. Unfortunately, none of the options offered were suitable for the group, and they ultimately chose to end the tour early. We are therefore disappointed by the suggestion that our guide simply insisted on making your parents walk through the heat without consideration for their wellbeing. While we understand that the experience was not what you hoped for, our team made several efforts during the tour to adjust the pace and provide alternatives within the constraints of the timed Colosseum admission. Although we do not believe the tour was handled improperly, we nevertheless reached out after your complaint and provided a gesture of goodwill. We remain sorry that your family was disappointed, but we also believe it is important to distinguish between an experience that unfortunately did not meet expectations and a failure by our team to make reasonable efforts to accommodate your party. We hope this clarification is helpful to future guests, particularly those traveling during Rome's very hot summer months. We always encourage guests with specific mobility or heat-related concerns to share those details with us before arrival so that we can help determine the most comfortable itinerary possible.

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The best tour ever

We did a first entry semi-private Colosseum and Roman forum Tour with special Arena Access in mid July with Valentina Falconi. It was amazing. Valentina was soo passionate and enthusiastic. She shared so many storied and information with us. The time just flew by. She engaged our 15 year old son throughout. He loved it, especially standing in the rooms of the first Roman Emperor. We can't recommend this tour enough. Thank you Valentina. We hope to return to do more tours with her.

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Great experience at the colosseum and RomanForum

Dario was fantastic. He was especially great with our 9 and 12 year olds, listening to their questions carefully and acknowledging their interests and feelings. He also gave each of them a 5 cent euro at the end, which they loved. He taught us so much in a very kind way. I couldn’t ask for better. I highly recommend this tour, and Dario, for families.

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