Roman Forum and Colosseum, audio tour?

[misery1001]

Is there audio guided tour for Roman Forum, Colosseum, and Palatine Hill? If so, what are the cost and the length of the tours? Thanks

[cruisemom42]

I believe that you can rent audiophones at the Colosseum, but I don't know whether they also cover the Forum and Palatine Hill.

 

I've often read on these boards and others that if you are outside the Colosseum, local guides will approach groups asking if they would be interested in a tour in English. The going price seems to be about 10 euros (plus the price of tickets for the group, of course). Depending on how many are in your group, this might be more worthwhile than renting audiophones for everyone.

 

As I recall, Rick Steves also has a nice walking tour in his Rome book. However, the Forum and Palatine Hill ruins are so (for lack of a better word) ruined that I believe it's best to see them for the first time with a guide who can put things into perspective. Failing that, have a look at on of the books they sell in the souvenir kiosks that shows how the Forum used to look in ancient days in order to get a better idea of what you're looking at.

[misery1001]

cruisemom, thx for the info.... I guess than we should be fine even if we don't arrange tour guide ahead of time... how much time should I allocate for Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill?

[ecpc1302]

I did a guided tour of the Coloseum, Forum and Palatine Hill with a tour guide I met outside the Coloseum. I think it cost about $20 including all entrance fees. You could take the tours all in a row or take them with breaks in between. They give a schedule of meeting times and then some kind of distinctive adhesive dot (to show you've paid). The guided portions were not more than and hour, however you were free to spend as much time wandering on your own afterwards. I highly recommend the guides, really informative and know their turf.

 

Elsie:cool:

[misery1001]

Would you know how long each tour is? Thx

[ecpc1302]

I think the Coloseum and Forum were about an hour (maybe less) and Palatine hill was under an hour. There are lots of guides outside selling tours, I did not wait in line for tix. These sites did not have long lines when I was there last June, although there were lots of people. I think it's because they are mostly open and very big.

 

Elsie:cool: