Traveled: August 2015

The Colosseum is an obvious must see when visiting Rome. Not only for the “I’ve been there” factor or the “I can picture Russell Crowe” fun. It is an amazing icon of the rich history that Italy has.
More of it has been restored than I had realized, which of course is a little disappointing. However the work had been done quite well and honestly the construction did not take too much away from the experience.

It was (of course) crowded. We were there in the middle of August, so the middle of August sweltering heat. I believe that helped but even so, there were people everywhere! Luckily the Colosseum is one site in Rome that there is a TON of information about. Everything I read said to pre-book as the wait can be hours (best friend had waited in line for 3 hours). And so we booked the “Skip the Line: Ancient Rome and Colosseum Half-Day Walking Tour” through Viator.com. There were many options, tours, fast pass entry and I believe the Colosseum also offers audio tours.
Our tour guide was great! He was Italian so his accent was pretty thick. If you are like me, that adds to the atmosphere and is welcome. If you are like the loud, obnoxious guy from Nebraska, you start explaining to the guide that he sounds too “Italian”. So be prepared for an accent. Our guide was happy to slow down and repeat when asked so it really wasn’t a problem.
I won’t go into too much detail of the Colosseum tour, you will just have to do if for yourself!
Our tour also included the Roman Forum, next to the Colosseum. This is also a must. See my Wandering the Roman Forum post for more information.