So I asked earlier about Positano or Sorrento with my teenage son and you guys were amazing. Now I’m wondering if you can help me with ideas for 4 days in Rome.
What tours, if we should do a tour, are good with teens? What places do I have to have tickets ahead of time?
And what area is best to stay? And what areas to totally avoid.
And finally I would love suggestions on a great food tour where he can learn to cook.
Thanks for all your help.
Things may well change in the immediate future due to COVID-related capacity controls. They might make timed tickets necessary at sights where they previously were not mandatory. But pre-pandemic, these are places for which advance arrangements were necessary if you were interested in the sights. I'm not suggesting you necessarily should go to these places, only that you will need to plan ahead if you choose to do so.
Rick's guidebook usually provides excellent guidance about entry procedures, though the current editions will have been printed pre-COVID. I believe Rick has at least one or two walking tours laid out in his "Italy" and "Rome" books. You can also download his app for your smartphones/tablets and probably find Rome content there as well, probably including at least one walking tour.
Ostia Antica is a short local-train ride from Rome and gives a good view of a Roman settlement. It can be a spur-of-the-moment decision; just verify that it's open on the day you want to go.
I'm afraid I can't address your specific questions.
I haven't been on a tour with Walks of Italy, but they have been recommended by others on this forum. Seems like several possibilities for you and son.
I'd suggest staying in the area of the Piazza Navona, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain. Very central and walkable, lots of street life and restaurants. Trastevere would be another option, a little quieter and more "residential" in character without being too far from the main sights.
I'd assume a teenager is less interested in museums (like the Borghese or Capitoline) and maybe more in where things actually happened (like the Colosseum and Forum). Ostia would be worth visiting if he likes ruins (a whole city). I expect the Appian Way might also appeal (I haven't been there). You can bike along it.
The one thing I wouldn't miss is St. Peter's Basilica. Even if he's not into churches or art or museums, this building has by far the world's largest masonry dome, and he will see pictures of it for the rest of his life. Not to be missed, even if you don't spend time in the Vatican Museum.
I’ve taken food tours in many cities, and there are often families with teens in the group. Food tours are really fun, a yummy way to try some specialties and learn about a neighborhood. In Rome I took a tour with Eating Europe: https://www.eatingeurope.com/rome/ This is not a cooking tour, just strolling and eating!
This would be if you and he are into Dan Brown and the Knights Templar as my teens were when we went years ago- they loved looking for various hidden pyramids but mostly, after touring the Colosseum, the walk up and up Aventine Hill to the Knights of Malta and the keyhole in the door with the view of St. Peter's- totally epic even if you aren't into all the history.
We’ve loved every EatingEurope tour we’ve done so I second that
The Trastevere am tour was great, good food, fun walk, any teen would enjoy
Does he really want to learn to cook in Italy?
Stay in the historic center, near Pantheon, Campo d’Fiori, etc- you can walk anywhere from there
Visit the Forum, Colosseum absolutely. We’ve done both with a guide and by ourselves. Either works, whatever suits your style
RS guide has excellent info
Capuchin Crypt is super cool/ creepy. We visited while on Walks of Italy tour but you can easily see on your own.
Do a search here on forum, I think there was a similar question to yours before the pandemic ... “activities in Rome for teens” ...
Check Alta Obscura as well
https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/rome-italy
I haven't been on a tour with Walks of Italy, but they have been recommended by others on this forum. Seems like several possibilities for you and son.
I'd suggest staying in the area of the Piazza Navona, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain. Very central and walkable, lots of street life and restaurants.
The first time I was in Rome was when I was 15. If your son likes history, especially Roman history, there's plenty to see that will interest him. I suggest you and your son read up before going. You'll appreciate what you see a lot more. Also the TV series Nova did a fascinating documentary on the Rome Coliseum that explains how they made it work.
We have taken Walks of Italy Tours and I highly recommend them. Although we haven't taken the tour, the next time we're in Rome we plan to take the VIP tour of the Coliseum.
I also agree somewhere around the Piazza Navona would be a great place to stay for all the reasons mentioned above.
Happy travels!
Many good ideas posted already.
Don't miss the amazing Sistine Chapel and St.Peter's Basilica.
Also, the Capitoline museum, Trajan's Forum and the Pantheon.
You might want to look into Hotel Smeraldo, 3 minutes' walk from Campo Fiori (wonderful morning market; great place to hang out with cafes and coffee shops around the perimeter in afternoon and evening); 10 minutes' walk to Pantheon and Piazza Navona. I love the bustling location; it's situated on a pedestrian walking street with shops, gelato, cafes, right out the front door. There is a rooftop bar where you can sit and watch Roma in the evening. The hotel itself is very clean, fresh, friendly, very well-appointed, rooms are quiet, though some of the rooms are a bit small (inquire about getting a larger room, if it matters to you). I've stayed in a number of hotels and apartments in Rome, over the years, and Smeraldo is very much my favorite. Read reviews on booking dot com, etc. If your teen wanted to go wandering around without you in the afternoon or evening, this would be a great location from which he could walk up and down the street with lots of other folks and you could knowl that he might feel adventurous and yet would be quite safe. (Google maps, street view can show you more.)
Contact Sophie Minchilli. She does food tours in Rome. I understand that her mother's food tours are more expensive.
Booking tickets for in advance for museums during this time would most likely not be necessary
Perhaps enquiring with tour companies would be a good idea as many have mot been running tours recently
This is a useful article regarding ideas for things to do in Rome with children
https://www.romewise.com/rome-for-kids.html
The Roman Food Tour offers a variety of food tours in neighborhoods throughout Rome, as well as cooking classes .. enquire for family prices
