Hi all,
My family of 5 (3 young boys included) are traveling to Italy in February. One of my sons is 4 and I want to know what you think about taking a child that age on the guided tour that the Vatican offers? We were thinking the tour that covers the museums, basilica, and Sistine.
I think he will be bored to death and you won't get much out of the tour yourself. No strollers allowed, BTW.
You will need to hold onto him tight, the crowds are unbelievable and everyone is moving a different direction. I am the kind of parent that I just plan what we are doing and the kids come along, with that being said most of these tours are 4 hours long so only you can say if your son can endure 4 hours of walking, stopping hearing someone talk, then walking, keeping up with the tour group (They can move at a brisk pace at times), not a lot of potty stops etc.
Honestly I think the 4 year old will hate that tour, and navigating it with a small child will be miserable - I'm sorry!
I agree. How old are the other children. You might be better off tag teaming - and having one parent take the tour while the other does something. I believe you can still go up to the top of St Peters's and I think that your boys would enjoy that as well as tour the Basilica. Then have the other parent take the tour a different day while the boys do something fun. (The open air bus is fun as is the Boughese park
Thank you! My other boys are 13 and 9. I think we will tag team it!
Tag-teaming is a brilliant idea! Some other places for the non-museum tour: Acqueduct Park, or a bike ride on the Via Appia Antica. There is also a museum of the walls of Rome, you can walk a section of the top of the wall near Porta San Sebastiano.
I think not only will the 4 year old be miserable (as well as the other two), but you will be miserable as well.
I think we will tag team it!
Excellent choice. Besides 3-4 hours being a very long time for a little person, he'll spend most of that looking at grown-ups' backsides as he'll be too short to see over or around the mob.
When we took our then-10yo daughter on her first visit to the Vatican Museums, we bought tickets in advance from the Vatican, so we didn't have to stand in line, then guided ourselves through using a number of books, including Rick Steves. That allowed us to spend more time on the sights that we liked more. The three of us really like art; we spent about 1/2 day there, with most time spent in the museums, then the Sistine chapel, and least time of all in the basilica.
Husband and I had taken the Vatican Museums' two-hour tour (it ended at the entrance to the Sistine Chapel) on a previous trip, and felt that it spent time on things that we didn't care about, and rushed us through other parts of the museum, and didn't go into the Pinocoteca portion at all.
Whether your 13 and 9 year olds will like it depends on them and their personalities.
When we took our then-10yo daughter on her first visit to the Vatican Museums, we bought tickets in advance from the Vatican, so we didn't have to stand in line, then guided ourselves through using a number of books, including Rick Steves. That allowed us to spend more time on the sights that we liked more. The three of us really like art; we spent about 1/2 day there, with most time spent in the museums, then the Sistine chapel, and least time of all in the basilica.
Husband and I had taken the Vatican Museums' two-hour tour (it ended at the entrance to the Sistine Chapel) on a previous trip, and felt that it spent time on things that we didn't care about, and rushed us through other parts of the museum, and didn't go into the Pinocoteca portion at all.
Whether your 13 and 9 year olds will like it depends on them and their personalities.
I recommend a little research. Buy a dvd on the Vatican complex from a company like The Great Courses. Plan your own tour using the RS free podcasts and guidebooks or a guidebook just on the Vatican. I think a self tour will be more manageable. There are a lot of resources on the Vatican. Get your kids involved in the planning. You may just want to do the Basilica, the Square in front, and the Dome. That way, it will be less overwhelming and you have all the flexibility you need. Let the kids shoot pictures with a camera to keep them interested. Bring bottled water. Follow dress codes. "Church behavior" must be observed. Feed the kids before you go.
Whether a self-guided tour or with a guide, will take 3 to 4 hours.
Diane, I love the idea of swapping off parents! We will have to remember it.
We took a self guided tour, but our 7 year old had a say in planning. We had her reading books set in Rome and about Roman history. Plus we had her looking for specific items and paintings and if she found them she was rewarded with extra Gelato! I have never seen a child more interested in a museum. Definitely take kids to the top of St. Peters! They will enjoy it.
Because the term tag-team is variable in meaning, I want to make sure you understand that the massive crowds, long-ago, created the necessity for a LINEAR, one-direction movement, organization for the Vatican Museums. You need to do advance study of the few pivot points that are available for parent switchovers (and snack bar or bathroom stops.) It would be better NOT to be on an organized tour if you plan switchovers.
we did the vatican by ourselves, with pre purchased tickets and arrived early. one area that 'might' be of interest is the area 'downstairs' where the transport items are housed. ie: cars, carriages etc. when we were there we had plenty of space to move around and had the place to ourselves. unlike upstairs which was total chaos, with the number of people. it was not enjoyable even as a couple, let alone with kids.
