I really want to take my 7 year old son to both Pompeii and Rome this October/November. Have a week to spend. Is it possible to see key sites of both places in time we have? Is it generally safe? Any recommendations for family friendly hotels?

I took my 9 yr old (and 21 yo) to Pompeii and Rome in March 2005 for a week (including both weekends). It was enough time to see an incredible amount of both. With a 7 yr old you will probably go a little slower than we did and walk less but you will still have an amazing time.

In Rome we rented Palazzo Olivia Roma and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them but it is an apartment, not a hotel. It was in a perfect location with wonderful furnishings.

We stayed in Sorrento a couple of nights to go Pompeii, Herculaneum & Naples. I cannot recommend where we stayed in Sorrento because it was too far from everything (Hotel Villa Maria). It was a long, dark walk down desserted (sp?) streets each night.

Good luck with your planning!

I travel with my young child frequently to Italy (she is now 6 years old). I took her to Pompeii 2 years ago, as well as Herculaneum (Ercolano Scavi) and she loved them both. Since then we have been to Paestum, Agrigento, Syracuse, etc and seen even more Roman and Greek ruins. I have created the perfect child-traveler - she has as much enthusiasm as I do seeing these places!

Dependent on where you are staying (if in Rome, there are organized tours/excursions down to Pompeii for a full day). Alternatively, you could split your time and see Rome, then go down south and stay in Sorrento, for example, and take the local Circumvesuviana train to the Pompeii Scavi stop, walk across the street and explore on your own. There are a lot of nice hotels in Sorrento, I was just there last week and stayed in the Hotel Pensione Mara (only 50 euros a night for a double room). Nine months ago, I stayed in the Hotel Lorelei e Londres, overlooking the Gulf of Naples (95 euros for a double room with breakfast incl). They love kids in Italy so you will not have any problems. Buon viaggio!

Thanks to both of the respondents - your positive comments have made my mind up and I shall be taking my son to Rome and Pompeii this Autumn. He really loves travelling, historical sites, history etc so I am sure that we will both enjoy the trip. Just wondered if you might be able to recommend your Top 5 Must Sees in Rome plse - museums, galleries, historical sites etc. This will help me to decide how long to stay in Rome and how long in Sorrento. I do think that Sorrento would be a great base for visiting Pompeii. We will be able to spend a week in Italy, of which we will have just one weekend there.

Again, thanks for your replies and advice which is appreciated.

Check our website for photos of our 7 year old (and her 10 year old sister) in Rome. The 7 year old had shorter attention span and it was HOT when they were there. Ice cream helped. www.brunsberg.com

On our trip we only had one rule - gelato anytime they wanted. We walked miles and miles every day so we didn't have to worry about calories. It was a great rule! (We also never really got in sync with meal times so we missed lunch many days.)

We also used the Circumvesuviana train (that Huitres mentioned) to get to Pompeii and Herculaneum. It was a great way to get around. We also rode it to Naples to catch the train to Rome. I was totally lost in the train station in Naples but my oldest daughter has a great sense of direction and managed to find our way.

With a child, you really definitely want to see the Pantheon, with it's hole in the ceiling! It's even fun on a rainy day. And of course the Colliseum.

I think the Vatican has so much "wow" factor, it's worth a trip.

Hi CharleyC: I would definitely plan to stay in Rome. Since you indicated having 1 week, maybe staying 4 days in Rome and then 3 days (weekend) down in Sorrento would work?

In Rome, I stay in the Campo dei Fiori district, it is centrally located to the Roman forum sites of monuments (Colisseum, Constantine's Arch, etc) plus walking distance to Pantheon, etc. You could take the #64 bus from Roma Termini train station to the "Corso Vittorio Emanuele" stop (McDonalds on your R side) and walk towards your L, south of the Vittorio Emanuele Blvd, into the Campo area. Two hotels I've stayed at frequently and like are the Hotel Campo Dei Fiori and Albergo Della Lunetta. Between the 2 accommodations, the Della Lunetta is more economically priced (under 75 euros a night); however, the Hotel Campo Dei Fiori offers a continental breakfast with their rate which is nice for kids and parents alike. In terms of things to see, aside from the Forum area of monuments, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain are great. There is also the Rome Zoo in the Villa Borghese. My child liked that a lot, it is not a spectacular zoo and costs ~8 euros entry, but it is neat to see zoos in Europe (we've been to quite a few in different cities). You could take a day trip out to Ostia Antica, a 45 min Metro ride away to ancient Rome's former port and ancient city remains. It is far less crowded than Pompeii and quite peaceful. If you pick up some sandwiches (panini) and drinks before going, you can have a picnic lunch out there too. Also, another great day trip would be out to the Villa D'Este with its fabulous fountains and whimsical, manicured gardens and also Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana). Both are accessible via public transportation, you can take the Metro to B-Rebibbia station, exit and follow signs to Tivoli through underpass to other side of Via Tiburtina. Then take a blue ACOTRAL bus to Tivoli (25 mins away). It will drop you off in the piazza right in front of Villa D'Este. From there I caught another bus up the road to Hadrian's Villa. Definitely neat places to see.

While based in Sorrento, aside from your day trip to Pompeii, you could take the Circumvesuviana train into Naples and go see the archaeological museum. There is also the aquarium in the Villa Communale that we liked a lot. You can catch a bus from the Piazza Garibaldi to the Villa Communale in the Chaiai district along the waterfront. Within walking distance to that is the Castel Dell'Uovo (old Norman castle), etc. There are ferries you could catch going back to Sorrento from the Molo Beverello if you don't want to take the train back. Another fun day trip from Sorrento is going to Capri for the day. After seeing the Roman villa ruins and Arco Naturale near Capri town, you can catch an orange bus from the marina area to the town on the other side of the island, Anacapri. Once there, after exploring the Axel Munthe museum/house/gardens, we rode the funicular (literally open ski lift type ride) up Monte Solaro. It was exhilarating, fun, and terrifying at the same time as we were floating up the mountainside overlooking the blue Mediterranean! I am sure your 7 year old would love that. In all these places, stopping for a gelato (as the others have said) or fruit-flavored granita is always a favorite with my child (and me!) Have a great time and let me know if I can help out anymore, I would be glad to. Buon viaggio!

We've taken our daughters, now 12 and 9, to Rome several times. You might find my trip reports on Slowtrav.com entitled "Principesse Tour" and "Principesse Pursue Piatti" helpful. They describe many places and activities the girls found interesting, as well as restaurants and gelaterie that they enjoyed. If you son likes spooky things, check out my travel note entitled "Chills and Thrills in the Eternal City" also on Slowtrav.com.

I would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time and trouble to give me such detailed and helpful information (especially Huitres). I am going to print out all the info, trip reports etc etc and will spend the weekend reading it carefully and planning our trip. Once we get back from this holiday in November I will post my experiences on this site so that hopefully I can be of help to others who may want to do something similar.

I brought our two children on an extensive trip to Italy when our daughter was 11 and our boy was 9. One big word of warning about Pompeii. Outside of the entrance there are several souvenir stands. They sell the usual trinkets and photo books of the city. I was not aware of what was happening. the children were given their own spending money and were always ready to shop. It turns out the souvenir stands were proudly displaying the porno that existed in Pompeii. Adults can handle it and understand its place in the history of the city. It was the first time my kids were exposed to these kind of pictures. My daughter is 21 now. A few weeks ago she was telling me how much that experience meant to her. There is a house of prostitution in Pompeii with illustrations on the wall of available services. It is very easy to march right into the house without realizing what it holds. Be careful in Pompeii.

CharleyC

Sorrento is beautiful and if the weather permits, you must visit Capri and Anacapri. We were there in March, and it was just beautiful, especially the water. Because you are going in October/November the Blue Grotto in Capry may be close - I don't know - it was the most incredible experience we had in Capri.

Have a great time in Italy.

"On our trip we only had one rule - gelato anytime they wanted. We walked miles and miles every day so we didn't have to worry about calories. It was a great rule! (We also never really got in sync with meal times so we missed lunch many days.) "
A mother after my own heart...you're very cool, sundowner!

We took our son to Italy for the first time when he was 8. We had a wonderful time...among other reasons, Italians absolutely adore kids, so you never feel anything but extra welcome. Son loved Pompeii, probably more than we did! Absolutely, positively DO take kids with you. Just don't wait too long...by the time our kid was 12, he wanted to travel with us about as much he wanted to clean his room.