Guided Walking Tour of Rome with Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

Short on time but still want to capture the true essence of the Eternal City? Well, you've chosen the right tour! Your tour begins at the magnificent structure that has become synonymous with Ancient Rome, the Colosseum. Skip the long ticket lines and gain access with your professional English guide regaling you with tales of the glory days of room as well as pointing out architectural facts and tidbits about how the Colosseum came to be and survived the ravages of time. You will then make your way to the Roman Forum. Once upon a time, the Forum as it was then known, was the social, economic and political epicenter of the city. When you walk on the smooth, worn out flagstones of the Via Sacra, the Sacred Road, which was traditionally the route which triumphant Roman military generals took along with their armies to be celebrated as heroes and saviors, you can almost imagine the remains of the temples and homes, banks and squares in their true glory. Head over to the Palatine Hill, once the most popular place to build a home on the outskirts of the city, not only because it towers over the Roman Forum but because the view from the incredible hill is probably unparalleled and no other part of the city can boast the same.

After having traipsed around Ancient Roman sited for half a day, stop for a quick break and a meal. Though lunch is not part of your tour price, you're more than welcome to nip in to a spot that offers exceptional Roman fare since pizzerias and trattorias are a dime a dozen and probably will still serve up a world class meal. Enjoy some free time in this part of the city before taking the metro to the next meeting point where your tour guide will meet you with your headsets.

The next part of your day will be spent taking a walk through time as well as space as you saunter through the bustling streets and vibrant piazzas that make up the city, while admiring sights that are essentially markers of time in the history of Rome, like the the Spanish Steps, at the base of which lays the Fontana della Barcaccia, the Fountain of the Longboat, built by one Pietro Bernini. He himself was a little known artist but one of the other stops on your tour is a far more famous fountain built by his son near the iconic Piazza Navona: the Fountain of the Four Rivers, Gian Lorenzo Bernini's tribute to the four main rivers of the ancient world, the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube and Rio de la Plata, built in 1651.

Make your way to the Pantheon, the oldest temple and now church in Rome, once made to honor all of the ancient gods. It is a remarkably well preserved structure, the architecture of which is still a marvel and a mystery to the modern world. It also happens to be the resting place of the famed artist, Raphael Santi, his body having been moved here from his hometown of Urbano. You will also be visiting the beautiful Trevi Fountain, the largest baroque fountain in Rome and easily one of the most famous fountains in the world, having been featured in numerous feature length films. Legend has it that if you a toss a coin into the fountain over your left shoulder with your right hand, then you will surely return to Rome one day. After all, who wouldn't wish for that? Your guide will accompany you through everything, telling you the great stories of Rome that the outside world never knew.

You will even get to stop on the way for a gelato or an espresso to truly cap off your Roman holiday!