We got a reduced ticket for the Colosseum for our son since he is under 18 yrs. Will our son's passport as proof of age be sufficient and we do not need to get him an International Student Identity Card? We are also taking our daughters, a 26 yr. old and twins who are 23. They have all graduated from college and no longer students, but I see there is an International Youth Travel Card for people under age 30. Are they worth buying for $25.00 each? We are renting a car for the whole trip, only taking a few trains, so the travel passes (which are discounted for under 26) are not quite worth it for us. I have already broken down all the costs. We will spend most of our time in Switzerland, so the Swiss half Pass will be the best for there. So will the passports be good enough to get them any offers of discounts for youth?
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15827 posts
Diane, your son's passport will work just fine for proof of age.
For your adult offspring, I don't think the International Youth Travel Card will be of much benefit. For most reductions, an older 'youth' needs to be a citizen of the E.U. For instance, the coopculture pages states that reduced entry to the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine applies to "european union people between 18 and 25 years old." Same with Galleria Borghese, and that's pretty much the standard at all Italian National Museums.
Discounts only apply to children under age 18 (of any citizenship) at the Vatican.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
A youth discount card won't be of any benefit to you. Anyone under 18 gets free admission to state run sites with proof of age. The under 25 benefit is only for EU citizens with proof of citizenship.
Everyone in your family over 18 will pay full price for entry and tours. Don't waste your money on a discount card.
As for train costs in Italy, book tickets up to 120 days in advance and get deep discounts for the entire family. Always buy point to point tickets. Use only the two official websites:
http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en
Donna