Nero's Domus Aurea: Explore Ancient Opulence

Explore Nero’s opulent palace with a guide, debunk myths, and experience a 3D virtual reconstruction of ancient Rome.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Domus Aurea - Merely four years after the devastating fire that destroyed two-thirds of the city and claimed thousands of lives, Nero seized the opportunity to expand his palace on the Palatine Hill by constructing the Domus Aurea. Despite this, dissatisfaction among the Romans grew, leading to a decline in the emperor’s popularity and ultimately…
What's Included
  • Intimate small-group experience
  • Licensed English-speaking guide expert in history or archaeology
  • Domus Aurea skip-the-line tickets with direct access to the site
What's Not Included
  • Snacks
Additional Information

Join us to explore the intriguing traits of Nero’s personality, preferences, and his keen intellect. Contrary to being mad, the unusual figures in his frescoes highlight his eccentricity while also demonstrating his artistic sensitivity.
Prepare to be amazed as you journey with our engaging guide through the EAST and newly reopened WEST WINGS of the…

Location
Domus Aurea
Viale Serapide
Meet our guide with an "OPEN MIND TOURS" sticker, waiting for you 15 meters before the gates of the Domus Aurea, at the bottom of a staircase. The tour will start with a 20-minute engaging introduction to Nero’s Rome outside the Domus, before entering it.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.2
(24 Ratings)
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1 star
Carla_tralagoemare
Jan 2, 2025
Absolutely not to be missed! - Very interesting visit. Lots of information received before, during and after the visit. Thanks to multimedia technology you can make a truly exciting experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Explorer26563128813
Dec 4, 2024
Wonderful tour - especially with Rosario Gorgone - Any visit to the recently-reopened Domus Aurea is worth your time, but if you are fortunate enough to get Rosario as your guide, you are twice-blessed. His commentary added so much to the basic tour. Our conversation outside of the group was equally enlightening and enjoyable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sanny_w
Dec 4, 2024
Domus Aurea tour - Excellent tour and highly recommend it! Our tour guides were knowledgeable and it was so fascinating to see the site. They did a nice exhibit with the virtual reality portion as well.
Review provided by Viator
Mobile62070847640
Dec 4, 2024
Immaculate and Scintillating - The significance of the guide, Rosario, could not be overstated - his words of great importance and convenience were impeccably useful. I am a college student researching the Domus Aurea and Italian culture, and I couldn't had a better experience as I learned an exponential amount within one morning. Furthermore, the time after our tour I stayed back with him and discussed so much more than what was to be expected. We had as much as hearty and inspirational conversations go. Grazie mille, Rosario! -Chase Leffel
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wendy_j
Dec 3, 2024
Wowza site and brilliant guide - Jaw dropping archaeological site. Wonderful tour guides, inside and out. Our guide had such passion and knowledge, it was an amazing experience. (The meeting spot is the address provided on the street, not the site entrance)
Review provided by Viator
Jennifer_b
Nov 10, 2024
Take this tour. - Excellent tour! Amazing experience! Don't miss this one! New areas discovered each week. Virtual and live experience.
Review provided by Viator
Jane_p
Mar 18, 2025
Pre-tour - This is a pre-tour before you go into the Domus. There is another guide inside who does the official tour. A way to get in if the main site is sold out.
Review provided by Viator
Jan_w
Mar 6, 2025
Amazing place - Very cool location, it feels like you’re stepping back in time. The VR experience helps you get an understanding of what it actually looked like before it was buried. There were two guides for this, one outside that did a quick history of the location and one inside that that actually walked us through the palace. The guide inside was a bit dry and not very personable unfortunately. Otherwise a great tour.
Review provided by Viator
Roylx4222ow
Mar 21, 2025
Couldn’t hear, excavation impressive - Acoustics were awful. No one in group heard a thing. Excavation was impressive and memorable, but experience was overpriced for 2 hrs of unintelligible talk.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Judi
Oct 15, 2024
Poor organization between the tour operator and booking company, along with the tour operator’s attitude. - We had booked the tour for the afternoon, as we were coming back to Rome from Casserta. The tour operator sent us an email, saying the tour was changed to 11:30, AM, so we changed some of our plans. Then I received an email reminder from the booking engine that was back to the afternoon. The tour operator said that he sent “many” messages but they were not email, text, or WhatsApp. I tried to check to see which time was correct, but the emails would not send. We were staying in a place with poor internet service, so I guess that’s why the emails did not go through. We had some car trouble , so when we finally stumbled upon the message from the tour operator, it was too late to change the reservation, and he scolded me that I should have been more attentive, and he had other people he could have replaced me with.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $82
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).