Colosseum underground

[PaRaDoX3d]

Trying to do an underground tour of the Colosseum. Did a search on the board and didn't see too many options of guides, etc. I hear there is a third tier and would like to be able to get down to see below.

[epixx]

We went with the official small group tour:

 

http://www.coopculture.it/en/ticket.cfm?office=Colosseo%2C%20Sotterranei%20e%20Terzo%20Ordine&id=0&evento=6

 

It was very good.

[bearette]

I don't think any third party does the underground tour, but check trip advisor as they have a lot of info there about the underground tour.

[sippican]

Dark Rome offers one

http://www.darkrome.com/tours/rome-tours/colosseum-coliseum-ancient-rome-tour

Edited November 11, 2015 by sippican

[sippican]

Trying to do an underground tour of the Colosseum. Did a search on the board and didn't see too many options of guides, etc. I hear there is a third tier and would like to be able to get down to see below.

 

I highly recommend the Rick Steves audio tour (free download from his website). It does not cover the underground but is a fantastic option for a self-guided tour of the upper area. We enjoyed it so much, we will repeat it on our next trip, hopefully in conjunction with the additional undergroud tour.

[texancruzer]

We had booked with the official Coliseum tours on a visit a few years back……. just a heads up they cancel quite often. They did to us saying the area was flooded due to some rain the week before :confused: They also cite "security reasons". We did get to go up to the third tier and the views are amazing but were still disappointed to not go underground…… oh and we didn't get a refund or any compensation for missing more than half the tour.

[Trixsea]

I am looking to booked this tour for May 2016. Does anyone know how far in advance bookings can be made? Thanks

[lovemylab]

We also booked through the official site and were very happy with the tour.

 

The ticket for the underground tour (which includes the third level) is an extra 11 euros when booking through the official site. This includes the booking fee.

 

As texancruzer mentioned, they do sometimes have to cancel. For example, when it rains the underground will flood and due to this they can't take people below. IMO, the extra 11 euros we paid still would have been worth it even if we had to skip the underground portion. We really enjoyed the third level and our guide was very knowledgeable.

Edited November 16, 2015 by lovemylab

[lovemylab]

I am looking to booked this tour for May 2016. Does anyone know how far in advance bookings can be made? Thanks

 

From my understanding, they don't have a set schedule. Just keep checking the website to see if more have been added.

 

We were only able to book ours a few weeks before.

[Trixsea]

Thanks!!:)

[jstroose1]

we did it a couple of years ago. I believe there is only an official guide - we bought the tickets online and I don't recall them being terribly expensive. We saw the lower level as well as going up to the top of the building. My husband found it fascinating.

[laughing husky]

Walks with Italy.....they do everything that has anything to do with the Coliseum. Went on a small group tour with Francesco...Best money I spent, lots of walking...Those stairs are steep and there are lots of them. It is an American owned company and the guides are all professional guides with grad and post grad status (at least I believe this to be true)..Our guide was a Roman historian, and the he brought in an Archaeologist along that had done a bit of the excavations. It was amazing what we learned, but far beyond the book knowledge it was the presentation.....that was the best part. He made it come alive....

[illiniwahoo]

We used Dark Rome and were highly satisfied. I was actually dissappointed in the underground portion, as the part you were allowed in is quite small. The highlight was being allowed on the third tier. It was so much less crowded than the areas open to the public, which were so crowded that they looked unpleasant.

 

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[cruisemom42]

We used Dark Rome and were highly satisfied. I was actually dissappointed in the underground portion, as the part you were allowed in is quite small. The highlight was being allowed on the third tier. It was so much less crowded than the areas open to the public, which were so crowded that they looked unpleasant.

 

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I agree -- the underground area of the Colosseum really isn't that well preserved and parts of it are off limits due to concerns with preservation, flooding, etc.

 

The Roman amphitheatre just outside Naples at Pozzuoli actually has a MUCH more impressive underground area -- quite a bit easier to see how things worked "down below" there... It's amusing that so few people visit it.

[epixx]

to see how things worked "down below" there...

 

I found NOVA interesting "to see how things worked 'down below' there," at least in the Colosseum.

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/building-wonders.html

 

I would love to see the amphitheatre outside Naples. Thank you for the tip.

[patrickmoran]

The Roman amphitheatre just outside Naples at Pozzuoli actually has a MUCH more impressive underground area -- quite a bit easier to see how things worked "down below" there... It's amusing that so few people visit it.

 

How did you get there? Easy to do on your own?

[cruisemom42]

How did you get there? Easy to do on your own?

 

Yes, it's quite easy by public transportation, especially now that there's a metro stop closer to the port.

 

You can walk to the metro stop at Municipio from the port exit. Take Line 1 (only line) to the Museo stop (I believe it is 3 stops -- look at the metro map at the station to be sure you are going in the correct direction).

 

At Museo you will get off and without exiting walk (underground) to the interconnected Cavour metro station where you will change to Line 2, running to Pozzuoli (which is the end of the line). It's easy if you just follow the signs for "Linea 2". (Also look for the funny "script" M in a red box, which designates this line.

 

I'm not sure if this is considered a subway or a train, but it runs very frequently and the trip from here to Pozzuoli is about 30 minutes.

 

Once you alight at Pozzuoli, you can walk the few blocks to the Pozzuoli amphitheatre. The entrance is at Via Terracciano, 75 (0.4 miles from metro station). Once you get in the vicinity you will see it pretty easily.

 

The entry ticket is 4 Euro.

 

There are some other ruins in Pozzuoli and nearby Baia worth researching. If you are interested, you can also get to them using public transportation.

 

Greater Naples metro/rail map: http://www.napoliunplugged.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/retemetropolitana.pdf