amamax2

Hi all,

For those of you with children who have taken Ancient Rome tours (ie with Context, ICON, etc).....

How did the guide deal with/address/keep your kids interested for 2-3 hours?

I would love to do one of these tours, but would really like it focused in a way that would interest my kids (boys, they will be 9 and almost 11 at the time). We have studied Ancient Rome and will review before our trip, so they don't need tons of dates/facts.

Any specifics would be appreciated!

Thanks!!!

J62

When are you going? I plan to do this tour with Icon in early July as a private tour (4 adults/4kids 7-13) and will give my passdown afterwards.

kerouac

I may not have been a normal child, but the moment I saw any kind of ruins, whether they be Roman, Greek or WW2 damage, it excited my imagination no end and my parents generally had to drag me away.

djman102

Can't speak for anything but the Colliseum, but we toured it using Roman Promenades when our boys were 11 and 9. They loved all the historical blood-and-gore stories, so they were engrossed the entire time with no problem. If you're interested in anything else we did with the kids, here's the link to my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34735492

amamax2

J62,

We are going in Oct, so would love to hear back from you after your trip in July!

kerouac - hopefully it will be that way for my kids! They do keep asking when are we going? And are super excited to see all these things we've studied.

djman 102 - I remember reading your report when I first started researching but had forgotten about it. "Blood and gore" stories is probably their speed. Do you remember how much your guide charged?

Maybe all the guides are great with the kids?

amamax2

Oops, just re-read the bottom of your report and see where you listed the cost.

Thanks!

djman102

Glad to hear that it was in the report-I couldn't remember! I didn't mention that the tickets included a tour of the Forum the next day, though we had already planned to see the Catacombs.

Enjoy the planning and the trip! Everyone will have a great time.

wliwl

I've been on that tour with Context Rome, and while we loved it, my "kids" were 16 and 18. But frankly, I'm not sure they would have loved it at 9 and 11. Of course that's certainly old enough to be polite and endure it.)It's long, hot, and pretty complicated historically.

keymom

We went with Angel Tours (kids 10, 13 and 48 - - - my husband counts as a kid when it comes to tours). The kids were completely engaged most of the time - and managed to clamber around when they needed a break. Our guide had the flip book that showed "before" and "after" in the ruins. That helped all of us picture it much better.
I hope you get a chance to watch Gladiator before the trip. That really made the Coleseum fun.

Melissa5

We booked a great private tour just for our family with Francesca Caruso for Ancient Rome. She was listed in Rick Steves guidebook. She related very well with our teens, and because it was a private tour, it could be geared just for your family. The price in 2004 was very reasonable, I thought.

Vttraveler

I don't have any insights on the formal tours you are asking about. We have done self-guided tours of the Forum, Palatine and Colosseum which worked well for us.

for getting to other ancient Roman sights outside the center city area, we used and enjoyed the hop on-hop off Archeobus which goes to the Baths of Caracalla, out through Porta San sebastiano to the Catacombs,sections of the Via Appia Antica and aqueducts on the Viale appio Claudio. There is some audio commentary on the bus. all visits to the catacombs are via guided tours

I know you said you have already studied Ancient Rome with your kids. I would recommend watching David Macaulay's Roman City if you haven't already. My 16 year old son who watched some of the HBO series Rome before we went to rome says it is too violent for your boys (as is Gladiator IMO)

dawnnoelm

Amamax - I am doing a tour with Context in July - private with our two daughters 10 and 13 and will be happy to let you know what we think.