It took five years and six trips to Rome before I went inside the Colosseum. I was resistant. What made me change my mind? The opportunity to take the Walks of Italy, Colosseum VIP Night Tour. The tour included the recently opened underground Colosseum areas where the animals were kept, and the arena floor.
While Walks Tours no longer offers a night tour, the magic of experiencing the Colosseum remains. Here’s what made this tour unforgettable, and what to look for when choosing a Colosseum experience for yourself.
The colosseum at dusk.
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A good tour guide is essential (updated 2025)
While the Colosseum is impressive inside and out, a great guide will bring the history to life. My guide, Jeanette, made the story of the Colosseum come alive by sharing some juicy details (some I’ve shared in this article.) Seeing it at night and gaining access to these previously inaccessible areas made it all the more special.
I learned a lot about the Colosseum
What did I learn about the Colosseum? It was not always called the Colosseum but was previously known as the Flavian Amphitheater. It took 100,000 slaves approximately ten years to build. Not only that, it was constructed over a pond, requiring advanced engineering skills. Those ancient Roman engineers were very sophisticated.
The Colosseum is the model for arenas as we know them today. There were seating tiers (just like today), and running water. They didn’t have elevators but used a system of pulleys and ropes to accomplish the same tasks.
Though admission was free you still had to have a ticket to get in. The wealthy Roman elites occupied the premium seats closest to the arena floor, while the general public occupied the nosebleed sections above. It seems to me that not much has changed.
The Colosseum was an active arena for 500 years before it closed and became a sort of quarry for the city of Rome. Many of the buildings you see around the historic center used the marble from the Colosseum.
It wasn’t all about blood and guts
I’ve often wondered if ancient Romans were very different than the friendly people I’ve met on my travels there. Were they really so bloodthirsty and cruel? As it turns out, it wasn’t all about blood and guts.
Remember this is B.C. times. There were no airplanes to whisk us across continents for a safari in Africa. No televisions for us to watch elephants, lions, and zebras run across the screen on the Discovery Channel. Witnessing the games at the Colosseum was the one chance for thousands of citizens to see exotic animals never seen by anyone in the civilized world before. Somehow this makes me feel a little better about it all–at least it wasn’t 100% about blood and violence.
Gladiators were like Rock Stars
What about the gladiators? Jeanette explained that being a gladiator was actually not that bad. They were the rock stars of their time. People had their favorites and dying on a stage in front of 50,000 cheering and screaming fans must have been preferable to hanging out in the hypogeum with the animals, slaves, and accompanying smells. The chances of dying down there were just as great as going to battle with another gladiator or an animal. And there was no glory in it!
Being a gladiator wasn’t just about brute physical strength. Remember, gladiators had never seen these animals before. Can you picture an ostrich running full speed at you– or a lion who’s been starved for several days being unleashed? Not only did a gladiator have to be strong and quick on his feet to overpower the animal, but he had to outsmart the animal as well.
The victor was led out of the Colosseum for a victory shower. Outside, waiting for the victors to appear, were the wives of the wealthy and powerful citizens of Rome. Just like rock stars, gladiators got the girls after the gig.
I honestly felt I experienced something really special on this tour and left with a better understanding of the people and times of ancient Rome.
What to look for in a great Colosseum tour
My VIP experience taught me what transforms a tour from ordinary to extraordinary. Whether you are planning for this week or next year, here’s what made my tour experience unforgettable and what you should prioritize when booking your own tour.
Small group size makes a difference
Walks Tours will cap the group at sixteen people. Small groups really do matter. You have a chance to ask the guide questions without waiting for forty other people to ask theirs. If the group is larger than six people you will be given a headset so hearing is not an issue.
Special access areas are worth the extra money
No matter who you book your tour with, general admission tickets do not include the hypogeum, the arena floor, and special upper areas where you really get a great view. These special access areas make the difference between an ok tour and an amazing tour. The hypogeum is where gladiators and animals waited before emerging onto the arena floor. Being there yourself gives you a much better appreciation for the history and drama of the time.
Skip the line is a must
If you’ve not walked by the Colosseum and seen the line that goes on seemingly forever, you’ll thank me for this tip. Do not book a tour with anyone if it’s not a skip-the-line tour.
A reputable guide will bring Ancient Rome to life
You don’t want to waste your time in Rome with a mediocre guide. Look for guides that are expert archaeologists as well as story tellers.
According to the website, Walks Tours is an Official Parco Archeologico del Colosseo Operator approved to lead guided tours of the Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill. That’s what you want. Pros with a good relationship with the local bureaucracy. I’ve taken several tours with them including a pub tour in London under their Devour Tours group. I also took a Trastevere food tour with Devour which I wrote about for Travel Awaits.
Currently available tours
While the specific tour I took is no longer available, Walks offers other exceptional Colosseum experiences with small groups and special access. Their Gladiator’s Gate: Special Access Colosseum Tour with Arena floor sounds similar to the memorable tour I took.
Other highly rated tours include the Premium Colosseum Tour with the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill. I’ve toured the Forum and Palantine Hill on my own and now I’d like to do it with Walks.
Planning Your Rome Trip?
The Colosseum is centrally located, but where you stay matters. I always recommend Trastevere—it’s close enough to walk to major sites like the Colosseum (30 minutes) yet feels authentically Roman. Read my complete Trastevere neighborhood guide for the best restaurants, hidden gems, and where to stay.
The VIP tour of the Colosseum was with Walks of Italy. All comments and opinions are my own.
This article contains affiliate links for tours. If you book a tour, I receive a small commission which helps offset the costs of running the website and is much appreciated. Grazie!
15 comments
[…] Sadly, Pope John died only one year after the chateau was completed so he never spent much time there. None of the subsequent popes ever lived there either. Pope Clement VII used it as an occasional hideout. The castle was passed to the Bishop of Avignon but it was too expensive to maintain. In time the stone was mined for building materials much like the Colosseum in Rome. […]
i never even imagined the Colosseum could have looked that beautiful at night! marvelous shot Penny dear
Penny — Yikes — I read my comment after I sent it and didn’t clean up the misspellings. Could you strike that entry and use the one below? Thanks!
I had no idea gladiators were often seeing beasts like lions and tigers for the first time when they entered the ring. But ancient Rome wasn’t known for its zoos. The Colosseum at night sounds magical.
I had no idea the gladiators were often seen beasts like lions and tigers for the first time, but it makes sense. Ancient Rome wasn’t known for its zoos. The Colosseum at night sounds magical.
So much here I didn’t know. I wasn’t aware of the gladiators not knowing many of the animals they faced. Or that the chances of dying in the hypogeum was equal to fighting in the ring… Thanks for sharing you pictures and knowledge, great post!
A visit to the Colosseum many years ago awakened in me a fascination with Roman ruins. Now I seek them out everywhere. I’ve never been to the underground portion, but I think I’d love it!
You would!
A visit to the Colosseum many years ago awakened in me a fascination with Roman ruins. I’ve never been down to the underground areas, and I think I would love it!
As a 15 year old in Europe, I was far from impressed with the Colosseum. I think I’d love having another go!
Interesting. Let me know if you go back!
penny my love. you are killing me! gladiators- will i see mr.crowe there? omg. the history, the richness, the sheer energy of those architectural masterpieces is unreal. thank you for sharing. gabi
My wife and I were in Rome in September and we loved the Colosseum’s night tour. It looks so different than in the day. To walk through the Colosseum with a small group and a guide with no crowds was wonderful. We did several tours with Walks of Italy and had a great time on all of them.
It is different. I loved it because of the lack of crowds!
I’m going to put this night tour on my bucket list for when the day comes and we visit Rome. I love tours that take me behind the scenes!
Hi Patti
So glad to hear that. Hope you make it soon!