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
(27 Ratings)
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1 star
Elizabeth_e
Jun 22, 2025
This tour wasn’t... - This tour wasn’t specifically for kids but our children loved it. I have been to Rome many times and have always wanted to go to Nero’s palace, and it is worth it. My children really enjoyed the experience.
Review provided by Viator
Cynthia_f
Jun 16, 2025
Fascinating trip into Ancient Rome - Tour was fascinating - a mini Pompei right inside Rome. Incredibly well preserved frescos and such an interesting story. Tour guide was knowledgeable. Although brief, the VR tour was worth it. Best part though, might have been the fact that, being underground, it was a cool 65 degrees F on a 90 degree F day in Rome.
Review provided by Viator
Brigida_i
May 12, 2025
Great experience specially the VR - The place is huge so wear comfy walking shoes. It was so incredible how it was built and the beauty.
Review provided by Viator
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
Lisa_b
Apr 25, 2025
Great Tour - VR Amazing, Even if Short - Overall, it was a really good experience and very unique. We loved the VR part of the tour the best. It was amazing to see Nero's palace come alive and see how the site looked throughout time with the short video. The site itself was beautiful and full of history. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars: while the tour guide at the start for the history part was lovely, I felt one had to know a lot of the history before the tour to really appreciate it. I studied art history in college; my partner did not. I came to the tour knowing a lot about Rome, Nero, and the Great Fire, but my partner said he left the history part still feeling confused about the timeline and Nero. The other reason it didn't get 5 stars was because, while amazing, the VR section was too short, and my googles wouldn't totally focus, so part of the experience felt "blurry." I would do the tour again, but I would recommend people unfamiliar with Nero read up on him and the Great Fire first to have a deeper appreciation of the site.
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
Kate_b
Jun 20, 2025
Only Buy Official Ticket - Important to know that the tour we paid for includes only a 20 minute lecture (done beautifully). Then, the guide/lecturer hands you off to the Domus Aurea's internal tour guides. No outside guides are allowed in and you can't just walk around on your own. You have to be part of the official tour. We paid for a "small tour" and the first 20 minutes outside was 4 of us (4 didn't show up), but the internal tour was more like 30 people with a very nice guide who spoke very broken English so it was hard to follow. I would recommend JUST buying the official ticket and NOT getting a tour from an outside vendor as they are not allowed in the facility. The internal ticket includes the tour and amazing virtual reality experience. For probably a LOT less money.
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
From $83
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).