Segway Tours in Rome or Florence - kids almost 16

My experience is pretty tight. It is a question of liability and insurance and sometimes government regulation. Why do you want to cheat?

Hi Frank, they will be 2 weeks away from 16 when we are there. It's a shame they are so close to being 16 and we won't be able to do one. If they were only 15 then I wouldn't even consider it.

If you hope that they will be the sort of people not to check the legal requirements for your kids (in many cases you will have to sign a document if they are between 16 and 17) will you be OK if they don't comply with other requirements or health and safety issues? If they look the other way for some things they may for others......

I'm only speaking about the company here - nothing about the example of ignoring rules and laws might have on the kids.

Because Segways are illegal in crowded New York City (where I spend a lot of time) I have chosen not to support Segways in any other large cities. They are unsafe for pedestrians who are not using them, as well as for the riders. (Opinion.)

I was only asking how closely they check. I understand rules but there are some activities that list an age but don't check. I've seen ages requirements from 14-16 for segway tours. I was just curious.

If they were only 15 then I wouldn't even consider it.

Um, but 2 weeks from 16 is still "only" 15.

Should something unfortunate happen and it was found that you were untruthful about their ages, any claims you might otherwise have would likely be negated. These vehicles are not without some risk to begin with so I wouldn't take that on without honest disclosure.

Besides, my guess is that the closer the kids look to the cutoff age, the more likely it'll be that their passports or other IDs will be checked.

In 2014 my husband and I took a marvelous Segway tour in Rome with Rex Tours (rex-tours.com/en/rome-segway-tour/). It was just the 2 of us and our guide was passionate about his city. This was the day before our RS Heart of Italy tour was to start, and he adjusted the tour so as not to duplicate all that we'd be seeing the next few days. The current website indicates that the Rex tours are good for families, and the children's ages are listed as young as 12. The ability to use the Segway depends on weight (must be at least 100 lbs) and maturity rather than just age.

Thank you gailandbob. I have seen different age information even for the same companies. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. My children meet the height and weight requirement and maturity level (most of the time, lol). I will definitely check out Rex tours based on your recommendation, it sounds like they went above and beyond to make your experience a good one.

Are they unable to walk?

"They are unsafe for pedestrians who are not using them, as well as for the riders."

I've taken a number of Segway tours in various places in Europe, and would tend to disagree with the above statement. This included navigating through crowded areas, up and down hills and even up in undeveloped areas above the city. In my experience these are not "unsafe" for either pedestrians or riders, as long as the rules are followed and the riders use some common sense. There was an incident on one of my tours where the rider was showing off and he ended up crashed into the fencing of a sidewalk cafe. He was behaving like an idiot and not following the rules, and he was the only one that sustained an injury.

Are you sure the age limit is 16? In Paris, the Segway tours requirement is 12 years and 100 pounds.

Both cities are easy to get around by walking.
Segway tours are very expensive. Also, not sure that in a place like Rome I would even want to compete with pedestrians on narrow sidewalks.

Florence is even easier to see walking. Get out and burn some calories.

Interesting wonder where do these tours go? Just spent a week in Rome & never saw them once and we were around all the tourist areas. Because of all the hills and steps in Rome I would imagine it is a pretty limited area. Just wondering.

Hi SA, this is a link to one of the larger companies that provide segway tours. https://www.italysegwaytours.com/rome-tours.html

Hi Chani,

The age requirements seen to vary depending on the company. Most seem to be 16 but some like Rex will take riders as young as 12. Before I reserve, I will contact the company directly to verify.