Roman history Archives - The Bright Eyed Explorer

Colosseum Tour: Arena Floor

I cannot stress to you that while in Rome and doing tours, especially the Colosseum Tour: Arena Floor that you really should be paying the little bit more to do a ‘Skip the Line’ tour. Who wants to be spending a good portion of their holiday waiting for entry into a famous historical site or a museum? At the end of the day, you are there to see this famous site and bask in its history and glory. The Colosseum in Rome is no exception.

So it is because of that I chose ‘The Roman Guy’ skip the line Colosseum Tour: Arena Floor. And boy am I glad I did.

You meet your guide across form the Colosseum where you are given an introduction of what you’ll be seeing on tour and given an earpiece to hear what the guide is saying. Handy when there is 20 of you on this particular tour and there’s roughly 10 other tours starting the same time.

We move over to the side of the Colosseum where the guide gives us a lesson on the history of the Colosseum, how it was made and who fought there. Our guide also told us the stories of what would happen to the Gladiators if they won, or if they lost (poor guys), the animals who fought and what kind of spectators came to watch the fights. Interesting to hear all of this and how Roman class society dictated where you sat in the arena and what privileges you were given while being at the colosseum.

All while she was talking, I was taking in her words but itching to get inside and see with my own eyes what it would have been like in its heyday.

From the outside the colosseum is massive. It is actually so amazing that it is still standing and in reasonably good condition after close to 2000 years.

I chose the gladiators entrance tour because I wanted to go out on that level and potentially feel what it may have been like. Walking out onto the arena floor is a life experience that I will never forget. Just so amazing! On this tour the entrance from outside and onto the arena floor happens really quick.

Once you are on the arena floor, I turned around and looked up into the stands, and imagined it full of people cheering on the animals and Gladiators who fought where I was standing. I imagined the women delegated to the top levels of the Colosseum, the people having Roman BBQs, drinking wine and enjoying their day out amongst the bloodshed on the arena floor. The important society close to the arena floor sitting on their marble seats.

Incredible.

From where our tour group was standing, we got a close-up glimpse of what was underneath the arena floor. While it is partial ruin, you can picture what it would have been like full of animals and Gladiators, awaiting their turn to fight. Would they win, or would they lose and possibly die?

Our tour group took us around the perimeter of the Colosseum on the arena floor level, then up some pretty uneven steps (there is a lift for those who can’t do stairs) to the third level. From here you get a bird’s eye view of the arena floor and also the wings of the Colosseum.

From here the tour of the Colosseum finishes but it is off to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum next. It was quite a long wait to get into as we were herded in with the general public.

The day I did this tour was a beautifully warm and sunny day in Rome. It would have been not so much fun if it was raining, so keep an eye on the weather forecast. There is a fair bit of walking involved so be sure to wear comfortable shoes, bring water and use sunscreen.

The tour guide had an exceptional knowledge of the Colosseum, The Forum and Palatine Hill. She really knew her stuff. I found her really engaging and really easy to listen to.

In all the things I saw and did in Rome, this was my favourite. Seeing the Colosseum and walking out onto the arena floor is something I will never forget out all of my travel experiences. It is simply incredible. It was a place where I could really let my imagination run wild. Knowing a small part of what had happened there, how important the Colosseum was to the Roman’s almost made me feel like I was there amongst the crowds of people.

Next time I go to Rome I will definitely be off to see the Colosseum again. That is how much I loved it.

Read my review of The Vatican Museum Tour

4 days in Rome: challenge accepted

February 2, 2020October 28, 2022Europe, Food, Historical sites, History, Hotels & Eateries, Italy, Leisure, Rome, Sightseeing, Solo Adventures, Solo female travel admin

If you’re short on time, 4 days in Rome can be enough to see some of the major sites and also give you some time to relax and people watch.

When planning my stay in Rome while I was mindful that it was the last stop on a busy 3-week European trip, I wasn’t sure when I’d be back so I needed to pack in as much as I could. I only had 4 days in Rome, I know, I know, not nearly enough time! With that in mind I basically hit the ground running after checking in at my Airbnb.

Coming from Florence (Click on the link to find out about my 6 days in Florence experience) via fast train, it was an easy (and safe) 10-minute stroll from Roma Termini to my apartment which was located in the Monti area. I chose this area simply because it was within walking distance to the Colosseum, the Forum & Palatine Hill, the main reason for my stop in Rome.

Also, I’d heard it was filled with great bars, awesome food, cobblestoned streets, vintage stores and a mix of younger and older people. That is what I am always looking for. Immersion into local life is how I like to travel. Monti, is a bit off the tourist path as far as accommodation goes and that is something that really does appeal to me.

My Advice

With planning accommodation in Rome, is that it is really important to get a place that is close enough to the sights you want to see and what you want to do. There are much more touristy places where hotels and apartments tend to be more on the high-price side of accommodation. If you can afford it do it. You’ll save yourself some money from not having to catch taxi’s everywhere.

But if you are like me and conscious of what you’re spending then an area slightly off the tourist path could save you a lot of money AND get you fit at the same time. In saying though, the train system in Rome is really good so base yourself close to a station and you’ll be right.

As a whole, my advice to anyone going to Rome for the first time and if you have a limited amount of time, is:

Plan ahead! Plan your days, plan what you’ll be seeing and how you are getting to and from places.
Book your tours before you go to skip the lines (because they can get quite massive).
Research places to eat and drink too.

Normally I like to not plan as much except for a few tours, I am more of a go with the flow kind of person. But I knew that I would miss out on too much if I didn’t make some serious plans. And there were times where I stuffed up big time and wasted a whole afternoon getting lost. But at least I saw some amazing sites along the way.

For my 4 days in Rome experience, I planned:

Day one

A get myself acquainted with the Monti area kind of day.

Day two

Straight on tour to the magnificent Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The tour took approximately 4 hours so afterwards I took myself out for a drink and meal.

This tour was absolutely brilliant and you can read my review here ***.

Day three

An early start to tour Vatican City (you can read my review here) and a walk back to Monti seeing the following on my way home:

Piazza Navona
Campo de’Fiori
Pantheon
Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps

It was a LONG day! I think I was up at 5.30am to be at the Vatican at 7am. I am calling it my ‘cram in as much of Rome as possible’ day! I was on my feet all day stopping only in Piazza Navona for lunch for a delicious pizza and for Gelati in a piazza not far from Monti on my way home. I think I clocked up over 20,000 steps on my Fitbit that day and slept like a baby once I finally got back to my apartment.

Day four

I just had a day of relaxing, washing clothes, packing & tidying up my Airbnb, strolling around the back streets of Monti, and eating out.

Ideally, I would have liked to have had a week in Rome, and really that wouldn’t be enough to see everything. But honestly, how much time is enough time in a city like Rome?

Unless you live in a city or can afford to spend a lot of time in one, can you ever really see everything? I know there was a lot that I missed, but with only 4 days in Rome, I think what I did was enough and afforded me time to spend strolling around and taking some time out to people watch.

There is a lot to be said about cramming as much in as possible in a holiday, but I am simply not that kind of traveller. Sitting in a bar talking to locals made me happier than some of what I did on day 4 of this trip. I mean, you can’t get that kind of experience ticking historical sights of a list. Yes, I could have done more, but knowing I’d be back some day, I did the basics and made a list of things to see and do next time. Some of which, the colosseum mainly, I will do again.

Hope my itinerary helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments section below.