I have a love/hate relationship with guided tours. On one hand, I love tours that can take you to places you can’t get to on your own easily. Tours that let you “skip the line” are a great time saver. Tour guides have a wealth of knowledge that you may not get as easily if you visit some places on your own.
On the other hand, structured tours sometimes drive me crazy. You’re always on someone else’s schedule, waiting for late people, and wasting time. Tours don’t always allow the freedom to eat when you’re hungry or go to the bathroom when you need to. Want to spend more time at a stop? Sorry, the tour is already moving on.
So, before our upcoming trip to Europe next month, I thought long and hard about what tours to book (if any). I ended up only booking one tour during our time in Rome.
Colosseum Night Tour
I booked a night tour of the Colosseum. I’ve been to the Colosseum before, but the rest of my family has not. I visited during the day when it was very crowded. My tour didn’t stay inside the Colosseum for very long since we had other places to visit that day. I saw the main arena, but the tour didn’t include the underground part.
This night tour begins after dark when the Colosseum is closed to the public. Only private tour groups are allowed. The tour includes the underground and arena floor, which will be new to me.
The tour cost $95/person, so it wasn’t exactly cheap. However, I was absolutely mesmerized by the Colosseum on my first visit. And, I think this is a good place to splurge.
Have you visited the Colosseum at night? Have you splurged on any tours in Rome?
Note: I am traveling this week with limited access to internet. My responses will be delayed.
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Did the night tour pre-Covid. I had been to Colosseum previously but wife had not. It was a good experience but wife was disappointed because it is hard to see inside as they don’t light it up. She wished she could see more of the details and how the ruins look inside. Was fun seeing the details underneath the floor and they give a lot of the history of the landmark.
We booked an underground tour of the Colosseum, which just opened to tourists in the last few years (and guided tours are the only way to see it). It was amazing! For everything else in Rome we use the Rick Steves free audio tours.