Audio guides- RS vs ones through the site?

Hi Jas, can you clarify what “actual site” means?

I reworded my question. I mean the audio guide you can buy/rent from the site or RS audio guide from his app.

We used Rick Steve's free audio guides in Rome and Pompeii. You download them directly to your device before you leave. They were great, esp in Pompeii and the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. Both my DH and I use them separately. I especially enjoyed the Sistine Chapel as I watched others with their tour guides struggling to hear exactly the sort of info Rick gives for free. We sat on the benches and just followed along to his clear and organized commentary. We also used the audio in the Colisseum.

In Pompeii, we discovered the map given to us at the site was too complicated. I had both the audio and also the torn out pages of the guide from the RS Rome book. I guided our group of four around with no trouble.

We opted for using Rick’s audio at the Vatican Museums and asistente Chapel, along with his guidebook, rather than the audio device available at the front desk. Like dgawell, it was useful, sitting on the benches in the Chapel while Rick provided commentary. at his was December 2012, so your kids were really little then, but Rome’s been around a while.

We had less time at Pompeii, as they were closing early on New Year’s Day, so used Rick a little, but no the whole time, trying to cover the site faster than Rick was describing on the audio. You can pause, replay the audio, or skip ahead as needed.

Edit: I corrected initial typos above, although Christina, below, had figured out what I’d intended to post. Shouldn’t post anything early in the morning, before coffee, LOL !

You can i on a use, rei way, or skip ahead as needed.

???????

And why posters should re-read what they wrote.

I’m pretty sure they meant “you can pause, rewind, or skip ahead” it really isn’t hard to decipher the autocorrects/typos

Hi there, Jas -
Regarding Pompeii... Oof, the thing is just massive, and it's complicated besides! If you haven't yet found the official website yet, here it is:

http://pompeiisites.org/en/pompeii-map/

It furnishes an interactive map that breaks down the more notable antiquities by site areas (Regio) plus shows where water, bathrooms (keep your expectations sort of low there), entry/exit points, cafe, etc. are located. It also shows which of the structures are closed to visitors for one reason or another. There is a TON of info on this website, and I'll recommend spending some quality time with it to start getting your head around just how vast the excavation is.

This, like the Forum and Palatine in Rome, greatly benefits from a shepherding about with a good human guide. We''ve done it on our own (with a book purchased there + prior reading) and were fine with it BUT we also gave it the lion's share of the day in October when the heat wasn't as brutal as it will be for you in July.

I'm not sure if or when this operation might be starting up again but the RS-endorsed Mondo shared tours have seen very positive reviews from RS forum posters who've taken them. You might keep an eye on the site to see if they start posting upcoming tour dates? Oh, and you wouldn't have to leave the excavation when the tour is finished, if you'd like to do some further exploring. You would meet your guide at Pompeii where indicated in the text. This would be the 2-hour "Pompeii Walk" which would give you a 'scratch the surface' overview - enough for some visitors - at a very reasonable price. If you want a deeper dive, I'm sure some of the folks here can make some recommendations. :O)

https://www.sharedtours.com

I like Rick's audioguides but I don't think you can generalize about their quality vs. what you can get at a particular site. Some sites may have great audioguides, others poor ones. The RS guidebooks sometimes give you an idea about that, but not always. Also, many art museums offer "a la carte" audio commentary on particular works that interest you enough to turn it on. The RS audioguides can't do that.

A few years ago I had a frustrating experience with the RS audioguide in the Louvre because many items had been moved since it was recorded. Had a similar problem at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem. It's hard to keep an audioguide current if it's not produced by the actual museum or whatever.

"It's hard to keep an audioguide current if it's not produced by the actual museum or whatever. "

True, but I've also encountered audioguides produced by the actual site that had not been updated. This was a particular frustration at the otherwise fantastic Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey. And there's no way to know if a auidoguide is up to date until you've used it.

If I am planning a long visit somewhere, I more often take their guide. If a walking tour, I'll use RS.
If I had kids with me, I would use RS as he tends to keep to highlights and instills humor. Some guides are dull translations to English.

I have used the RS audioguides to Grand Canal in Venice and Rhine River in Germany -- the sights there do NOT get moved by museum staff. Nice to have the "look left", "look right" instructions on a relaxing boat ride.

One new trend I enjoyed in a couple of places in France-not sure if some Italian sites offer it yet, are Tablet audio/video guides. You point the tablet at a spot within a site and video comes up as well as audio. For example, at Palais de Papes in Avignon, the tablet would show photos of what the spot would have looked like back in the day, as well as providing commentary. I thought this would be a fantastic use in paces like the Roman Forum and Pompeii.

Its a worthy option if it's available anywhere you're visiting.

I have used his audio guides in the places you mention as well as several others. As a retired teacher, I would recommend them for your boys. He speaks clearly, concisely and with a sense of humor I think your boys (and you) will appreciate. He doesn’t go into details any more than necessary to explain and “teach” information.

"For example, at Palais de Papes in Avignon, the tablet would show photos of what the spot would have looked like back in the day, as well as providing commentary."

Oh, if only this had existed when I visited! The place itself is bare stone walls with nothing else inside (except, during my visit, a special historic photo exhibit on the Avignon Festival). And that audio-only audioguide was very memorable - as the absolute worst I've ever encountered. Droning on and on about how many pounds of apples were used in a desert, or how many grams of silver were in each fork, but hardly a word about the intrigues of popes and antipopes that make the place interesting.

I'm so glad to hear that it now shows visuals of what the place would have looked like, and can only hope they've made the commentary more interesting.