Guided Imperial Tour, Rome

Last Updated: Dec. 02, 2008

Tags: europe, italy, optional excursions, rome

roman forum

by – loulou, Tour Manager, Europe

The first time I came to Rome, I was astounded by the ancient ruins of the birthplace of civilisation itself. However, to me, walking through the ancient Roman Forum, the heart of life itself for an astounding 1,000years, all I saw was a pile of rocks – The stories, the intrigues, the assassination attempts and the gossip that passed across this ancient landscape was completely lost to me, and I missed the experience of walking back in time.

The tour brings these to life, from the horrendous stories erupting from the Colosseum’s glory days, the reason it is called the Flavian amphitheater, the house of the Vestal Virgins (and how one naughty vestal virgin started the birth of Rome, with Romulus and Remus). It is so important to understand the Roman Empire in this way, as this is where most of civilisation across the world originated from. The tour lasts for approximately 1hr 15mins, and its a perfect way to explain the history of all the other places we visit – most of which were started by the Roman Empire.

guided tour, rome

Tour Manager Opinions

“The wonder of Rome is being able to walk amongst old and new…here is a city layered in ancient civilisation. The Imperial Forum was once the heart of ancient Rome where the people and the Senate gathered and worked. This experience allows you to travel beneath todays world and travel back to the time of the Caesars. Travelling with a local guide demystifies the past as meaningless ruins come to life allowing you to picture ancient roman civilisation…I recommend this to those with an interest in history and these are the people who attend.”

by – Vicki, Tour Manager, Europe

The Guided Imperial Tour is an optional excursion offered to most Contiki Europe Tours visiting Rome, Italy.

Add a Comment Comments (4)

  1. I thought the Imperial Tour was really informative!! Our guide was really nice, answered all our questions and told us more than I would want to read out of a travel guide! I definitely suggest doing the Guided Imperial Tour in Rome whether your Colosseum ticket is included or not, AND you HAVE to see Ancient Rome…like they say: “When in Rome”!!! ALSO what made that optional excursion better was when our Tour Manager gave us the secret to skipping the line…Down the street there is a ticket booth, where you can buy your ticket (and if you have a student card from Australia, you get a discount), then you get to skip the line and walk right in. The lineup at the Colosseum is for buying tickets, so if you already have a ticket you don’t have to wait, which we were so lucky for, because it was a hot and beautiful day in August, and there were TONS of people!!!! So Tour Managers have so many tips and tricks for making your trip that much easier and FUN!

    Default_avatarExplorer1113956 posted on Nov. 02, 2008 Flag as Inappropriate

  2. We were on the European Discovery Tour and got the walking tour….for us, this did include entrance to the colisseum. This was well worth it – our tour guide was great and seeing the Forum and Colisseum was awesome.

    Default_avatarExplorer1106390 posted on Aug. 21, 2008 Flag as Inappropriate

  3. FYI - the tour doesnt include admission into the Colosseum

    We did a walking tour with our TM of these sites the day before we did the (professional) guided tour.

    I decided to opt out of this optional and hit the Colosseum right away. Since it was early in the morning, there was virtually no line we were able to get in and out and then have the rest of the day to explore Roma!

    SteftacularSteftacular posted on Nov. 27, 2007 Flag as Inappropriate

  4. Definitely worth doing if you are in any way interested in Ancient Rome – the guide is a wealth of knowledge.

    Default_avatarMike Contiki posted on Nov. 23, 2007 Flag as Inappropriate

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