English_lady

Hi
We will visit Rome for 6 days in August this year. I have a few questions. Where is the best/safest place to stay? We have a 8yr old child, so I don't want to walk too much. Is it possible to do a day trip to Florence and Pisa from Rome? Is it possible to do a day trip to Pompeii from Rome? Many thanks in advance.

gard

Hi

My wife and I went to Rome last year and I have posted a trip report with some pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm . Maybe you can find some useful info there to start with

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

ira

Hi EL,

>...I don't want to walk too much. Is it possible to do a day trip to Florence and Pisa from Rome? Is it possible to do a day trip to Pompeii from Rome?<

This does not compute.

How do you expect to do daytrips and not walk a lot?

All of your trips are possible, but not necessarily advisable.

To get to Pompeii, you train to Naples and take the Circumvesuviana to Pompei Scavi.

See www.trenitalia.com for train schedules.

OneWanderingJew

We walked EVERYWHERE while in Rome and that definitely added to our experience. I guess we could've gotten a cab or two but didn't feel the need.

We stayed across from the Pantheon and thought it was a great location!

I suggest you pull up some posts on Rome. Lots has been said about it.

peppermintpatti

Hi English Lady, I can relate to the travelling with a child! Cabs are comparatively inexpensive in Rome. We would often take a cab to a site, and then walk back. We usually paid around 5 euro to things within the old city. It might be easier to keep an eight year old's interest in something if they aren't too worn out after walking to it. We were there about 3 weeks ago. The cab starts off with 2.33 or so on the meter,(can't remember the exact amount) and goes up from there. Have a great trip! pp

nessundorma

You should stay in the historic center (not near the train station) and you should get air conditioning. Taxis are a good idea in August.

It is not possible to do a day trip to both Florence and Pisa from Rome, and I would advise against a day trip to either because it is so hot, but were I to pick one, I'd pick Pisa with a child and perhaps try to include an afternoon at the beach as part of the trip.

As for Pompeii, it would be easiest if you were willing to hire a car, but that is quite expensive. Also consider that it can be boiling hot in Pompeii (there is no shade) and that it is a vast site that requires a lot of walking over uneven, tiring streets. Play that one by ear. If your 8 year old loves the Forum, he or she might like Pompeii. But a much easier trip would be Ostia Antica, topped off by a visit to the seaside, even if it isn't Rome's best beach.

HowardR

Since your trip is next month, I would suggest that you focus your immediate attention on getting a place to stay! Before anyone can give real advice on where to stay, you'll have to let us know how much you want to spend.

missypie

Are talking August as in next month? You will really need air conditioning and the places with A/C book quickly. You may end up staying somewhere that is not ideal, just to get A/C.

We stayed in a VRBO flat off the Campo dei Fiori; that is a very central location.

Before you consider Pisa, go on their webiste and check to see if reservations are even available for the date(s) you are considering. If you want to see Florence, you might want to stay two nights there. Get up early one morning and go to Pisa; make Academia reservations for late that afternoon.

I will say that the taxis in Rome were quite affordable. We are a family of 5; we mostly walked, but when something was a long haul, we found that taking a cab didn't cost much more than buying 5 bus tickets.

You should also book at least a Forum/Colleseum tour in advance. We used Icon; the group size is limited to 15 and the guide was full of fun stories that brought it all to life.

europa

Do stay in the central part of Rome near Pantheon or Piazza Navona to avoid alot of walking. Taxi's are a good idea.
I also take some kind of transportation to the site and walk back. I had good luck with taking the little city buses around town. I was able to see alot more than I would have if I walked.

An 8 year old will be able to walk alot farther than you think.

I agree with nessundorma that Pompeii requires alot of walking with little shade. I was there in Oct and was very hot. I know August will be really hot.
I guess it depends on how you tolerate the heat.

Do get your hotel/apt booked pronto.
Apartments are a great value and gives you so much more room. Just type in Apartment in Rome on this forum or your search engine and a ton of them will come up.

Colin

Rome is my all-time favourite city and I would personally focus all my time on the eternal cita. (and its immediate vicinity). Don't try and do too much. You don't want your 8 year old to be over-tired.

The historical centre of Rome is a wonderful "walking" city, but loosely plan your days so that you spend less time walking from one site to another.
(i.e. don't do the Vatican and the Coliseum on the same day.)

Florence, Pisa (and remainder of Tuscany) deserve a weeks visit of their own. As does Pompeii, Herculaneum, Naples and the Amalfi cost.

Take your time a savour the flavour.


_____________________________________
My Travelogues Rome, Florence, Venice
http://www.colin-julie.com/travel.htm

missypie

Yes, I bet your 8 year old can out walk the adults. We visited the Grand Canyon when our kids were about 7, 10 and 12. We hiked down a bit, then up. On the way up, I had to make repeated stops to "admire the view". The kids were able to walk up without ever taking a rest and carried on a conversation (without huffing and puffing).

basingstoke1

You may want to consider Herculanum as an alternative to Pompeii. It is a much smaller site yet conveys much of the same history of the eruption. Should be considerably easier for a child to take in and understand. It can easily be reached by bus from downtown Naples.

Rebecka

I agree with Colin and others. When my friends and I were in Rome for ten days, we didn't even find the time for a daytrip to Ostia Antica as we planned. Between Rome and the Vatican there was just too much to see although we managed to experience almost everything there we had hoped for and enjoy a lot of the city's culinary treasures as well. Rome's historic center is very walkable; the only timeI recall us taking a bus was to the Galleria Borghese.

We stayed in a lovely apartment on the via della Muratte, just around the corner from the Trevi Fountain. A better location could hardly be hoped for. Even with all the people milling about the streets outside, the soothing sounds of the water lulled us to sleep at night. One of my friends even established a rapport with "Il Forno" across the street every time he bought us fresh bread and cheese for our morning repasts and planning sessions. In short, it was one of my most memorable vacations ever and I can't wait to return and maybe add a daytrip or two.

Hope you and yours have a wonderful trip, English lady, and that you find an apartment or hotel with A/C as soon as possible. Ciao!

English_lady

Thanks everyone for your input. I am booking a room in Hotel Julia. I am thinking of staying in Rome for 5 nights and 1 night in Naples to see Pomeii and Vesubius. Does that make more sense? Any idea on Naples hotels?
Is it better to drive down to Naples and Pompeii? Feel free to give any advice or suggestion.

brewlew

Per an earlier post, Ostia Antica is as interesting as Pompeii and you can take the subway from Rome to get there. To avoid lots of walking, you might want to consider booking a bus tour around the city that would drive you to different spots and you'd get on and off the bus to see them. There are nighttime tours of the illuminated ruins and fountains that are very lovely. Have fun!

FauxSteMarie

I concur with the advice to go to Ostia Antica rather than Pompeii. It is far less crowded and easily reachable by subway from downtown Rome. It will be far less stressful for you with an 8 year old child as well.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why Pompeii gets all the publicity and so many people do not know about Ostia Antica. It must be because Mt. Vesuvius erupted.

nessundorma

Another good reason to go to Ostia Antica rather than staying in Naples to visit Pompeii is that pedestrian traffic in Napoli is an incredible nightmare -- and don't get me wrong, I love Napoli. But my husband and I clung to each other (and other Italians) trying to cross the street, and I would have been a nervous wreck if I had a child in tow. You see Neopolitan mothers marching along with children holding their kids' hands or upper arms so tightly the kids are wincing, but you can understand why the mothers are doing it.

I think Pompeii is fantastic, and if you are only going South to see Pompeii and Vesuvius, stay in what is called Modern Pompeii. There was recently a recommendation for a hotel there which I believe was called Giardino. Check out some recent threads on this subject.

(You can also base yourself in Sorrento for nice seaviews and it's a place I think a child would enjoy spending the night.)

nessundorma

PS: The recommendation for beginning your stay in Rome with a double decker bus tour is a very good one. Your 8 year old will have a chance to get excited about what there is to see and that will clue you in about how to make your sightseeing choices.

It's worth doing again at night -- or at least going to the Trevi fountain at night and getting a gelato at nearby San Crispino's.