jpetrocine

We are arriving in Rome on Aug 26 at 8:15am after an overnight flight. We have to be in Florence at the end of the day. (We are renting a large van to do the drive)
We (my husband and I) are traveling with our 3 young children (ages 6 - 6months) and our niece and her friend for babysitting help. (We are a group of 7)
I know this sounds impossible, but we would like to
see just a couple of highlights of Rome before driving.
My question is, can anyone suggest the best way to do this with this large, tired group?
Should we drive our rental van into Rome and park at a parking garage (do they exist?) Would our luggage be safe?
Should we hire a guide to drive in our van with us and guard our luggage? Should we hire a guide to pick us up at the airport and forget the rental van til the end of the day.
I am looking for some help to make this as easy as possible.
Thank you
Joanne

nessundorma

Do you mind my being honest?

I think you are being foolish. If you must be in Florence at the end of the day, go there. If you have wiggle room, book yourselves a Rome hotel and take a nap!

While you are in Florence, Rome is only 90 minutes away if some of you want to pay a visit when you are rested.

jgg

I agree with nessundorma, just make your way to Florence.

victoria_reynolds

Rome is wonderful, but you will not enjoy it if you are jet lagged after an overnight flight. With the little ones (and possibly some of the older ones), one or more of you are bound to be in dire need of a rest or even a bit under the weather. I wouldn't have planned the drive to Florence, but you are probably made of tougher stuff.

jabez

Rome is my favorite city, but logistically what you want to do is not the way to go. If you must,and you've got the money,don't pick your car up until later. Have a tour guide driver pick you up and give you a "drive around" with a couple quick stops. You're really only talking some 3 hours at most.
If you were training,I'd say it was more possible.
In reality, don't do it.
Enjoy the drive. Have lunch in Montepulciano or Orvieto.

Betsy

Here's my two cents worth: I'd avoid the hassle of transferring your group from the train to a large van in Rome. Instead, consider taking the train from Rome to to Florence and pick up your van <i>after</i> you see the sights of Florence.

At any rate, I agree with those above. Don't even think about taking your group into Rome for the highlights at this point in your trip. You will thank us for this advice!

missypie

Have you taken overnight flights with kids before? When we took our kids to Paris, they were 13, 11 and 8. The day of arrival was a total waste - they COULD NOT STAY AWAKE!!! Since everyone was so tired, I came up with the &quot;brilliant&quot; idea of taking a boat ride on the Seine. I have pictures of every member of the family fast asleep on the boat, in the most uncomfortable looking positions. The other folks on the boat must have thought they'd been drugged.

I think that the minute you hit the van, your party will be sound asleep - only the driver will have to find a way to stay awake. Just go to Florence!