Booking choice: The Domus Aurea VR tour, from $80 per person. Check dates Tour details
After the great fire of 64 AD, Nero built a palace so large that its artificial lake filled the hollow where the Colosseum now stands. His successors stripped it and buried it under baths. In the Renaissance, Pinturicchio, Ghirlandaio and Raphael lowered themselves into the dark rooms to copy the paintings, and the word grotesque comes from those grottoes (official area page).
What survives is on the Oppian Hill, under the Colle Oppio park. It is a separate site with its own ticket, not part of the Forum or the Colosseum ticket.
The quick answer
The Domus Aurea is on the Oppian Hill, inside the Colle Oppio park, with its entrance off Via Labicana a few minutes' walk from the Colosseum. It opens Friday to Sunday, with visits every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. and last admission at 3.30 p.m. The official ticket is €26 with a guide and a VR headset, on ticketing.colosseo.it; the two Viator tours cost $80 and $86 and are non-refundable. Bring a jacket: it is about 10°C inside all year.
Where is the Domus Aurea, and is it in the Roman Forum?
No. It is on the Oppian Hill, across Via Labicana from the Colosseum, at Viale della Domus Aurea 1 inside the Colle Oppio park.
From Colosseo metro, cross towards Via Labicana and walk up into the Colle Oppio park; the Park's directions say the entrance is reached from Via Labicana (how to get here). Branden, who went in through the park from the Colosseum side: “The entry was a bit hard to find from where we entered (By the colosseum) helpful tip… it’s the 2nd entrance on the left.”
The rooms you visit were part of the palace's Oppian wing, designed by the architects Severus and Celer and painted by Fabullus. They are underground today only because Trajan built his baths on top. No Forum, Palatine or Colosseum ticket gets you in, and the free first Sundays don't include it.
When is the Domus Aurea open in 2026?
Friday, Saturday and Sunday only, with visits every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. and last admission at 3.30 p.m. It is closed on the first Sunday of the month.
The Park runs it as booked, timed visits (official ticket page). It closes on the free-entry days, which takes out Sunday 1 November and Sunday 6 December 2026, then 3 January 2027; the whole Park is closed on Friday 25 December. Monday to Thursday there are no regular visits.
The exception is Domus Aurea Highlights: themed visits on the third Thursday of the month at 4 p.m., capped at 23 people, with tickets out 30 days ahead. The two left this year are 19 November, on light, and 17 December 2026, on ancient games.
How much are official Domus Aurea tickets?
€26 for the standard visit with a guide and virtual reality; €18 for a ticket-only visit at 12 noon or 5 p.m., with no guide and no VR. EU citizens aged 18 to 24 pay €2 on the €18 ticket.
Official and Viator side by side:
| Option | Price (2026) | Guide | VR | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official visit, ticketing.colosseo.it | €26 | Yes | Yes | Every 15 min, Fri to Sun |
| Official ticket only | €18 (€2 EU 18 to 24) | No | No | 12 noon and 5 p.m. slots |
| Domus Aurea VR tour (C.I.S. Tours) | $80 | Yes | Yes | Rated 4.7 (13); non-refundable; max 20 |
| Domus Aurea guided tour | $86 | Yes | Yes | Rated 3.7 (89); non-refundable; ages 13+ |
Both Viator tours are, in substance, the Park's guided VR visit with the ticket bought for you. Branden again: “This is the same tour you book from the website directly.” Guests who later saw an €18 face value on their e-ticket weren't pleased; the price gap is the booking service, nothing more. Free and reduced fares apply only to the €18 ticket, so the €26 visit costs the same for everyone.
The better rated of the two Viator options: the guided VR visit, tickets handed over at Colosseo metro, groups of up to 20.
Explore the Domus Aurea VR tour Tour detailsWhat are the two Viator Domus Aurea tours like?
Both are guided visits with a VR headset, about 1 to 1.5 hours inside, and both are non-refundable. The C.I.S. Tours one rates 4.7; the other rates 3.7.
The VR tour ($80, C.I.S. Tours) meets at the green kiosk by Colosseo metro, hands over your ticket and caps groups at 20. Nick, in July 2026: “Despite being peak session it wasn’t crowded and wasn’t too hot as we were underground - bonus when it’s 37 degrees outside”.
The guided tour ($86) is coordinated by Once Upon a Time Tours, meets at the corner of Via delle Terme di Tito and Via Nicola Salvi, sends the e-ticket in the two days before, and takes ages 13 and up. Its good reviews are very good. Bridget: “The VR experience was quite moving. You really do experience one room of the Domus as it was. It brought tears to my eyes.”
Neither can be cancelled for a refund. Book them only once your Rome dates are fixed.
Why is the $86 Domus Aurea tour rated only 3.7?
Logistics, not the site. The low scores come from guides who didn't show, a cancelled English slot, vouchers instead of tickets and groups bigger than promised.
- No-show guides: two reviewers, in 2024 and 2025, say their guide never appeared; in one case Park staff let the group join another tour.
- Cancelled language: in May 2026 a guest's English tour was cancelled a week out, and the Italian replacement wasn't passed on to the operator.
- Paperwork: one family was sent vouchers instead of tickets and couldn't get in until the agency sent the real ones; another describes vague directions to a ticket agent sitting out of sight.
- Group size: one guest counted 26 to 28 people against a promised maximum of 20.
The same reviewers mostly loved what they saw. One four-star guest summed it up: top marks for the tour and guide, minus one star for the ticketing. The site isn't the problem; the extra layer between you and the Park is.
Six dollars less and rated 4.7: the C.I.S. Tours VR visit hands over the ticket at Colosseo metro.
Check dates for the Domus Aurea VR tourWhat is a Domus Aurea visit like: cold, hard hats and VR?
Cold and damp: about 10°C and near 100% humidity, all year. Some visits hand out hard hats, and the VR section rebuilds one room near the end.
Bring a jacket even in August. Emily: “It is chilly underground, so make sure you bring a jacket!” The corridors are long and dim, the vaults tall, the floors uneven in places. Hard hats depend on the route that season; one guest noted “No hard hat was required on our tour.”
The guide leads you through painted rooms to the Octagonal Room, where light falls through the oculus. The VR part is short. Amy, in February 2026: “Interactive vr was short but cool.” Don't expect bright frescoes everywhere; expect scale. Dogs aren't allowed in the Domus Aurea, even small ones in carriers.
Should you book the official visit or a Viator tour?
The official €26 visit if a slot in your language is open. A Viator tour only if the official dates are gone, and then the higher-rated one.
Official tickets go on sale 30 days before the date. Book them on ticketing.colosseo.it as soon as your weekend in Rome is fixed and pick an English slot. If the calendar is empty for your dates, a Viator tour is the way in, at roughly three times the price.
If you go through Viator, we would pick the C.I.S. Tours VR visit: it is cheaper, better rated and hands the ticket over in person. Whichever you book, keep the confirmation open on your phone and turn up early, because timed entries run every 15 minutes and late groups get squeezed.
The original listing: the guided VR visit with Once Upon a Time Tours, ages 13 and up. Non-refundable, so book once dates are firm.
Explore the Domus Aurea tour Tour detailsHow do you pair the Domus Aurea with the Roman Forum on the same day?
On a Friday, Saturday or Sunday: Domus Aurea first thing, then walk down to the Colosseum and into the Forum by the Arch of Titus gate.
- 9.00 or 9.15: Domus Aurea visit, about 1 to 1.5 hours. Wear the jacket inside, carry it after.
- 10.45: walk down through the Colle Oppio park and across to the Colosseum, about 10 minutes.
- 11.00: into the Forum and Palatine by the Arch of Titus gate, on a 24h ticket or a Forum Pass SUPER.
- Afternoon: a Colosseum slot if your ticket has one, or the SUPER sites until they close.
Reverse it in summer if you like: the Domus Aurea at 10°C is the best place in Rome to cool off after a hot morning in the Forum, as long as you arrive before the 3.30 p.m. last entry. For the Forum half of the day, the tickets guide explains which ticket to buy.
Add the Forum the same day: 45 minutes in the Forum, then the Palatine and the Domus Tiberiana with a guide.
Check dates for the Forum and Palatine tourFrequently asked questions
Can you visit the Domus Aurea without a guide?
Only on the official €18 ticket-only slots at 12 noon and 5 p.m., with no guide and no VR. Every other visit is guided.
Is the Domus Aurea included in the Colosseum ticket?
No. It is a separate site on the Oppian Hill with its own ticket: €26 with a guide and VR, or €18 ticket only.
Can I cancel a Domus Aurea tour booked on Viator?
No. Both Domus Aurea tours on Viator are non-refundable, so book once your dates are certain.
Is the Domus Aurea open on weekdays?
Not for regular visits: it opens Friday to Sunday. The exception is the Domus Aurea Highlights visit on the third Thursday of some months at 4 p.m.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation on every option here, from 24 hours to 7 days ahead depending on the tour. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Roman Forum, Palatine and Domus Tiberiana Tour
- Roman Forum and Palatine tickets
- Licensed guide with headsets
- Domus Tiberiana stop on the Palatine
Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Guided Tour
- Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine entry (Park ticket worth €18, or €24 with the arena)
- Licensed guide and headsets (guided options)
- Arena floor on Arena options; audio app on app options
