We're taking our children to Italy. 10 years ago when my husband and I went, we took some walking or 1/2 day tours of a few cities - some were better than others. Any suggestions for Day Tours in Rome, Florence or Venice? Thanks.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11362 posts
For a do-it-yourself experience, I like the books "24 Great Walks in Rome" and "24 Great Walks in Venice." You can see some of the classic and famous sites, but also get off the beaten path. We also did the Pristine Sistine tour with Walks of Italy. I'd take any of their tours in a heartbeat. Also loved Francesca Caruso in Rome. Not sure what all of her options are, but we used her for 4 hours of Ancient Rome.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
I like to do walking tours with audio guides. Some of my favorite are from pocketvox.it. The two for the Dorsoduro area of Venice are wonderful and take you past a gondola shop among other things. Their walking tours of the forum in Rome is incredible and very informative. With audio guides you can go at your own pace, stopping whenever you wish or bypassing things that may not hold your interest. Donna
Posted by
OP
Omaha, NE, US
31 posts
Donna, That sounds like a great way to do it, but I'm not sure how it would work for our family of 6. Do you rent audio devices for the tours, or download them onto your own device? Don't think all 6 of us are taking iPods, etc.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
We take our own. My husband and I usually share, we get a splitter for the headphones, and the kids (young adults) have their own ipods. It has worked out well for us and we prefer to tour with audio guides over an organized tour for the freedom factor. You don't say how old your kids are but if they have MP3 players I would let them bring them. Donna