Roman holiday advice

[Anonymous]

So we are planning to go to Rome and Venice august 5 to 13. The Vatican colleiseum and forum are on my top 3 list . Most guide books recommend buying tickets in advance etc and I know google is my friend . However wanted to check with those who have done it with 2 young kids. Can you recommend any tours or tour companies that would make it easier ? We are willing to pay a premium for a relatively hassle free tour with our 2 little boys !

[Anonymous]

First of all, Rome is incredibly hot and humid in August. So be prepared for that. The form and colosseum would be good for kids I think because they are relatively open. I think you can buy advance tickets. As for the Vatican, everything there requires really long, really slow moving lines. If you are trying to see the Sistene chapel and the Vatican museum, it is literally wall to wall people throughout the entire interior. I went a few years ago the second week of August without kids.

[Anonymous]

There are private and semi-private tours that will let you skip the lines-- look on tripadvisor for reviews (both under attractions and in their chat forums).

FYI, the forum is mostly ruins with very little shade, so esp. with small children I would consider either skipping it or covering it very quickly--my guess is you don't want to be on a long tour of it. Also there are some tickets that cover multiple attractions, which may allow you to skip the ticket line once you buy it, but you should check for the latest on that.

Note that the Colisseum and maybe other attractions have instituted strict bag limits, so you can't enter with a backpack or maybe even a purse. On the bright side there are public fountains with drinkable water all over the place (there's even one by the Colisseum with carbonated water).

We tried to have gelato or other snack stops woven into the itinerary (there's a famous gelato place around the corner from the Trevi fountain, for example).

BTW my thought when I saw your post title was "definitely watch it!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First of all, Rome is incredibly hot and humid in August. So be prepared for that. The form and colosseum would be good for kids I think because they are relatively open. I think you can buy advance tickets. As for the Vatican, everything there requires really long, really slow moving lines. If you are trying to see the Sistene chapel and the Vatican museum, it is literally wall to wall people throughout the entire interior. I went a few years ago the second week of August without kids.

Yes, we were there last August on a private "kid friendly" tour with a guide and it was still wall to wall people and so hot inside the Vatican and Sistene Chapel. My 8 year old son was MISERABLE. Not trying to dissuade you, but be prepared. Most of the tours are long - I think ours was 2-2.5 hours. Agree what the PP said about the Forum - it is all open and can get very hot. We bought the Roma pass and used it to skip the lines at the Colosseum - that worked well. We rented a great apartment with good a/c when we were there - necessary in August. It is crowded and hot - be prepared to take lots of breaks and not plan too much in a day.

[Anonymous]

How young? My kids were 6 and 10 when we went to Rome last year. I would recommend doing the Colosseum on your own - tour can be long, slow, crowded and boring for kids. Bring a guide book and conduct your own tour at your own pace. Book advance tickets online for as early as you can bear and you will get in and out before it gets crowded. You can pick up the tickets at the Forum on your way so you don't even have to wait in line at all. Go back to the Forum after you see the Colosseum or return a separate day. It's a lot to see and mine were really tired after seeing the Colosseum. We stopped and got pizza in between (at like 11 am!) but it was also really hot and there are hills and it's a large area.

I actually do not recommend seeing the Vatican Museum with small kids. It is very crazy and overcrowded. My kids were flat out pushed and knocked around by adults in tour groups. There are hundreds of tour groups - doesn't seem to be any sort of capacity limit - and it's not fair to people who go on their own and especially not fair to small children. Consider yourself warned. If you still want to go, book the tickets in advance and go as early as humanly possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are private and semi-private tours that will let you skip the lines-- look on tripadvisor for reviews (both under attractions and in their chat forums).

FYI, the forum is mostly ruins with very little shade, so esp. with small children I would consider either skipping it or covering it very quickly--my guess is you don't want to be on a long tour of it. Also there are some tickets that cover multiple attractions, which may allow you to skip the ticket line once you buy it, but you should check for the latest on that.

Note that the Colisseum and maybe other attractions have instituted strict bag limits, so you can't enter with a backpack or maybe even a purse. On the bright side there are public fountains with drinkable water all over the place (there's even one by the Colisseum with carbonated water).

We tried to have gelato or other snack stops woven into the itinerary (there's a famous gelato place around the corner from the Trevi fountain, for example).

BTW my thought when I saw your post title was "definitely watch it!"

Definitely bring a hat and drinking water for the Forum.

I was able to enter the Colosseum with a purse but my husband had to check his backpack.

[Anonymous]

August is high tourist season in Italy. Extremely crowded, and as a PP noted, can be really hot. So, be prepared. I recommend getting gelatos at every tourist spot Your kids will love that.

[Anonymous]

And the Vatican museums and interiors have no air conditioning. So there's also that.

[Anonymous]

We used Rome Tours with Kids for a Vatican tour; their Forum/Colosseum tour was sold out when we went. Very highly recommended if you want a private tour.

However, it was almost unbearably hot touring the Forum in June, so I can't imagine will be like in August.

[Anonymous]

I agree with others' recommendations. I don't think a tour is needed for the colosseum. We did an audio tour for the forum, but it was actually difficult to follow the directions so I'd be inclined to get a private tour there.

We got a private guide for the Vatican but as the others said it gets so hot and crowded that I'm not sure the kids would enjoy it. If I recall there are occasionally evening tours, that might be worth looking into. Or literally first thing in the morning- you could consider alternating with your spouse to avoid taking the kids.

I'd recommend checking out the catacombs south of town- it was really interesting and will be relatively cooler.

Are you dead set on doing both Rome and Venice? That time of year I'd consider getting out of the city for a bit for a mountain or seaside destination.

[Anonymous]

There was another recent thread on this. My advice was at 06:10, but you might also find other info useful.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/567846.page#9163693

[Anonymous]

You have two young boys and you're planning on visiting Rome and Venice during the absolute peak season and when the cities, especially Rome, will be very hot and humid?

May I suggest that you slightly change your expectations and itinerary and spend a few days on the Amalfi Coast outside Naples? It's gorgeous, the Mediterranean is wonderful, the water is a magical temperature in August and the boys will have so much more fun swimming and then chowing down on pasta and pizzas and seafood in pretty villages or staying in hotels and villas that ramble alongside the sheer cliffs of the coast.

Just a thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have two young boys and you're planning on visiting Rome and Venice during the absolute peak season and when the cities, especially Rome, will be very hot and humid?

May I suggest that you slightly change your expectations and itinerary and spend a few days on the Amalfi Coast outside Naples? It's gorgeous, the Mediterranean is wonderful, the water is a magical temperature in August and the boys will have so much more fun swimming and then chowing down on pasta and pizzas and seafood in pretty villages or staying in hotels and villas that ramble alongside the sheer cliffs of the coast.

Just a thought.

+1. However, given that OP is going in two weeks, she probably has flights and accommodations already booked (although it wouldn't be difficult to get the Amalfi from Rome). I'm not sure how feasible it is to find good accommodations on the Amalfi coast at this point, given it is also peak season. However, if this is doable, I'd seriously consider this option OP. Rome will always be there.

If you move forward with Rome, I echo the suggestions to NOT take the kids to the Vatican. We went pre-kids and it was stuffy and claustrophobic in October, I can't even imagine what August is like. Book yourself a spot on one of those "early entry" tours and leave the kids with DH (hopefully you are staying in an air conditioned hotel!). The next day, switch. The wonderful thing is, just like Italy is waaaaay more than Rome/Florence/Venice, Rome is much more than the Colosseum/Forum/Vatican. There are so many wonderful churches with world-class art, beautiful fountains and piazzas where kids can run around, and back streets and alleys to get lost and find delicious pizza and gelato. The public drinking fountains are a godsend.

[Anonymous]

Would April be a good time to visit Rome?

[Anonymous]

In Venice, go on the Walks of Italy after hours tour of St Mark's--incredible tour, you're basically in there alone, and can take pictures!