Orvieto from Rome on day trip concerns

Orvieto can be easily be done as a day trip from Rome. It only takes about 70 minutes and the trains run fairly often. (I actually did the reverse in 2003-day tripped into Rome from Orvieto) A couple of pointers:

There are 2 trains, express and regional. The express train is almost twice as much as a regiional and only saves you about 15-20 minutes.

Get an early start.

When the train pulls into Orvieto, have all your stuff and be in the doorway ready to jump off. It does not stop in Orvieto for long. We weren't as ready as we should have been and when we tried to get off people were blocking our way and wouldn't let us through. We ran up to the other end of the car, but we were too late. (fortunately we were on a regional train so we got off at the next stop about 10 minutes later and caught a train back. If it had been the express train, I think we would have had to go all the way to Florence.) Be standing at the door and jump off.

As for whether you should take a whole day and go to Orvieto...only you can decide. The good news is you don't have to know for sure until you are there. If it comes to a choice between Orvieto and the beach-I think your kids would prefer the beach. Particularly if you have already done a lot of sightseeing. Several families have also said that they enjoyed going out to Ostia Antica (a 1/2 day trip from Rome...transportation is included if you are using a Roma Pass transit ticket.) We enjoyed the trip out there (we doidn't have kids with us) and you actually can walk through all the ruins. I also think your kids are old enough to enjoy a tour of some catacombs. Have a great trip.

Not a lot for younger kids to enjoy in Ovieto.

There is the beautiful Duomo (prettier on the outside than the inside). There are nice quiet streets to just walk down.

The kids will enjoy the funicular ride up to Orvieto. When you get off the train from Rome, walk across the street to the funicular station, purchase your tickets and hop on for a fun ride up the hillside.

Everyone will also enjoy St Patricks Well. The family can walk down to the bottom, then back up, that's fun! Kind of like going into a cave.

The views from the walled city are wonderful, Orvieto would be a nice quiet day trip. You can purchase some pizza, or panini and take it to the park area by the well and sit and enjoy just being in Italy!

All this being said, for the kids...they might enjoy Ostia Antica more...lots of ruins to walk around and through, not much is roped off, it's pretty free run there. And Ostia is only a Metro ticket away, not a train ticket - but to get the most, hire a guide for information about the history of the (once) seaport town.

We made the easy one-day roundtrip to Orvieto from Rome by train. It's a beautiful town and well worth a visit. Orvieto is quite a contrast to the hustle and bustle of Rome. Yes, Orvieto can be a relaxing day -- just wander around the town, shops and of course, the duomo. IMO, Orvieto is not a good rainy day outing -- The sun was glistening on the incredible duomo the day we were there -- it's an image I will never forget. The duomo is worth the trip alone, but there's much more to this quaint place. I give Orvieto very high marks!

Since you are going in June, my advice would be to consider doing Ostia Antica (the ruins) + Ostia Lido area (the beaches) if you have good weather. Both would be great kid activities and the ruins don't take more than about half a day, and they're a lot closer to Rome.

Orvieto would also be a good choice. It's as stressful as you make it to be. If you want to try to hit every museum/sight, it'll be a very long, tiring day. If you simply wander around and enjoy the town (which is what I'd recommend doing), it'll be a pretty laid back day.