Rome Tour Strategy

From what recent Vatican Museums visitors have reported, I think the #1 best use of discretionary funds in Italy is the purchase of an early-access tour to the Museums.

But I much prefer art to Roman antiquities, so take that into consideration.

My 2 cents....

My husband and I used the RS audio guide through the Forum, Colosseum, and Vatican one year and felt that the information was fine !

BUT, when we returned with friends, we opted to take the Walks of Italy tours for all of the above.

1. As much of a "well-traveled" person I think I am, the congestion around the sites made me feel better about letting someone else be in charge. I wasn't dragging our friends from one end of the colosseum to the other searching for the correct gate for tours versus underground tours, etc. We got to meet at a specific location and be guided in. With a group, it just made sense for me.

2. Walks of Italy told delightful stories and gave us so much more information, without becoming lengthy, than we gained attempting to listen to an audioguide. And there was that social interaction when you have more than 2 people leaning in to listen to a device.

Those were the only formal tours needed. We did the RS walk of Trastavere, the night stroll, and I developed other walks to visit certain churches, sites, and gelato locations !

Thank you both,

The interest in some form of tour for the Coliseum is access to the underground and third tier that basic entrance doesnt provide. Im trying to anticipate for the possibility that we don't manage to get a coop culture tour on that 3rd-Monday-of-previous-month and then might want to have used discretionary funds on a tour there rather than the Vatican. The appeal of a tour at the Vatican are the reasons above. Currently Im thinking of getting a fancy tour of the Vatican and gambling/hoping that we get a coop culture tour...
I know; among life decisions, this is pretty silly, but I appreciate the feedback nevertheless

Ciao,
Jessica

Use The Roman Guys tour for the Colosseum, think he calls it dungeons or something similar.

Use your Friday night to see the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Admission is limited by time slot.

https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking&codiceLivelloVisita=17&step=1

Note: your family qualifies for the guided family tour. I'm not sure, but think it's an additional 5E p/p. Cost would be 105 E total.

We were also in Rome for 3 days and with that limited of time I really felt tours were the best use of our time. We used Walks of Italy for both the Colosseum and Vatican and we enjoyed the pace and the knowledge of the guides. Skipping the long lines was also a plus. Because the Vatican started we had the rest of the day to explore other areas. You can get a nice discount when you book multiple tours and use the RS Discount code (I found mine in the 2016 Italy book). Both Tours provide entry with the tour, so no pass needed (that might save money?).

Something your kids might like, that I don't know if you have considered is the Forums of Augusts light show. It is a really cool multi -media display on the ruins that bring them back to life, with audio (headphones you wear in your language). I think it was 10€ each? The show is about 30 min, you sit outside in bleachers.

If you do decide to go with Walks of Italy book ASAP, they sell out fast due to the small group size.

Thank you both!

I think I would like to do the Vatican in the morning, one reason being that we want to climb St. Peter's Dome (especially as this would be done our first morning there and serve as a good orientation view of Rome for the kids), but you have given me food for thought. I have never done a tour of anything in my life - well, unless it was mandatory, so the prospect of paying for two tours is probably too much. Which is why I appreciate the input on which place would be the better to spend the money on a fancy tour (Coliseum or Vatican tour)

Thanks again,
Jessica

Jessica, if you can't nail tickets for the daytime coopculture tour of the Colosseum underground, you might try the nighttime tour? It doesn't do 3rd ring but it does do the underground:

http://www.coopculture.it/events.cfm?id=177

Thanks Kathy. Im thinking if I can't get tickets Ill try another language and read up on it before we go. My husband and I will both be up at 1am trying to get tickets...

Jessica,
If you are up at the proper time and be persistent (I suggest more than one device) you should get your tickets. I was working with my travel partner on 3 computers and a phone. It took 2 hours but . . . success. It is a fantastic tour. I did the Pristine Sistine with Walks of Italy - that is the only way I would do the Vatican. But I did see that the Vatican does offer an early tour. Looks like you have everything else in Rome covered. Have a great trip.

Thanks warlock,
That is the plan (multiple devices). Funnily enough, we will be in an airport hotel room at 1am that Sunday, when my husband and I attempt this, with a 7am departure for the whole trip. The last piece of planning happening in the middle of the night, hours before we leave :p

Jessica

My girlfriend and I did a whirlwind tour of Rome in about 10 hours, not for the faint of heart. Perfect for me.
Train to Rome, arrive 10am. Cab to Vatican.
Vatican museum self guided, shorter route.
St Peters, than did the dome climb (holy crap that was intense)
Walked across bridge into Rome proper, stopped for pizza.
Then walked to Pantheon.
Then walked to Trevi Fountain.
Then walked to the Coliseum (stopped for gelato on the way)

Was amazing, but my actual point to your question was in the evening the Coliseum was pretty empty (late April on a Wednesday) and there were a couple tour groups, when I wanted to know more I just casually listened in to a random tour guide.

After the Coliseum we walked the forum and paletine hill a bit, then caught the subway/metro/underground/train to station, at which point we grabbed cheap eats, I got my phone stolen and we went on our way back to Florence :)

Jessica, I personally liked the Vatican tour but as you have kids, they probably prefer the Coliseum one.

Hi Jessica,
We just returned from Italy with our 9 yr old and 12 yr old kids. I was able to get the underground/3rd ring tour of the Coliseum, and it was our son's favorite sight. I agree that being there is more important than the actual information. If you don't get tickets just go with another language and your kids will still love being at the very bottom and very top. And those tickets were really cheap, 26E for the guided portion for our fam of 4. So definitely get that tour, whatever language.
For the Vatican Museums we went in the early morning and did the Vatican guided tour, 2 hrs. Our 12 yr old handled it great but our 9 yr old was done halfway through. Still not too awful, I would do it again because it was also affordable, I think $100 total. The Pristine Sistine sounds amazing, but we couldn't afford $90 tickets per person, for our family. And I think several other tours I checked were quite a bit more than the Vatican. But I think some kind of guided tour for the VM is essential, because it is so crowded there, and there are so many groups. We would pass individual families and it seemed like they were being swallowed up in the mass of tour groups. I felt bad for them.
We were there on a Wed so the afternoon crowds were very large (due to Papal address earlier), so we had to come back to see the Basilica the next day and didn't have time for the dome. I agree, it sounds like a fun idea for kids.
One thing we did decide to go all in for was the Gladiator School. It was informative and very interactive. My kids loved battling each other, their parents and the other kids in the school. It was a great experience.
Have fun, be careful crossing the street!

We took our daughter to Italy when she was in 6th grade and without any prompting, she said she really enjoyed the guided tour of the Vatican Museums.

Thank you all.

I did get the Vatican tour tickets, and will try for the coop culture tickets, even if in another language. I really appreciate the time you all took to help me think it through

Jessica