Visiting the Colosseum with a Kid
Touring the Colosseum was a fantastic and educational experience. For most people, it is truly a once in a lifetime experience. And it 100% lives up to the hype. A magnificent structure that defines Rome, a tour of the Colosseum is something you’ll want to plan your trip to Italy around.
We booked our tour through Viator.com and our tour guide was amazing. She hit us with a lot of facts, impressive knowledge, and interesting historical stories. I knew visiting the Colosseum was going to be impressive, but standing inside it, hearing about its history, and simply taking in all the detail is something else entirely. Our tour guide did a great job keeping all of us entertained and her stories really brought the Colosseum to life.
I learned a lot not only about the Colosseum on the tour, but about Rome itself. This definitely checked off the “educational” portion of our trip. I won’t bore you with too many facts about the Colosseum, but it was built between 70 and 80 AD and is the largest amphitheater ever constructed in the ancient world, capable of holding 80,000 spectators! That’s huge. It has 80 entrances, each numbered, so people knew where to enter to easily get to their seat. There is an entire network of underground tunnels beneath the arena floor where gladiators and animals were staged before being sent up through trap doors–ancient elevators–into the arena above. And you’ll notice holes dug into the Colosseum. Lots and lots of holes. This is where, after the fall of Rome, other cultures stole marble and other valuable building materials.
The above paragraph highlights only a fraction of the knowledge our tour guide dropped on us. The best part, not only did I really enjoy the tour, but so did my son. For me, it was awesome being able to step back in time and hear about all the rich history of the place. For my kid, he was entertained by all of the stories. Some were funny and made us all laugh, others were a bit dark but certainly kept us listening. And we had enough time, and enough space, that he could explore and touch what he wanted.
My advice: book your Colosseum tour through Viator. Their “skip-the-line” access alone is worth it. We were able to walk right up to our tour guide, at our designated time, and after a quick headcount, walk right in. We bypassed long lines and huge crowds of waiting tourists. And a guided tour, as opposed to a self-guided tour or audio tour, really turned a sightseeing stop, even a magnificent one like the Colosseum, into something truly memorable.
Where to Stay in Rome
Rome is best navigated on foot, which means where you stay matters a lot. Being well-positioned can mean the difference between walking 10 minutes to the Colosseum and spending 45 minutes on a bus. I have pulled together accommodation options below across a range of budgets so you can find what works for your trip.
The Arch of Constantine
It is worth mentioning that, as a bonus, you’ll also get to see and learn about the Arch of Constantine on your tour of the Colosseum. Afterwards, you can get up and close to the Arch and marvel at all the detailed stonework. They really knew how to build things back then. Their craftsmanship is really second to none.
