Under 18 ticket retrieval
Aug 18th, 2019 | 03:48 PM
#1
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Under 18 ticket retrieval
Hello there everyone. In our family of four, my daughter will be just under 18 for our trip to Venice, Rome, Florence and I have questions regarding tickets for under 18’s. I have a ticket for the campanile in Venice and we will be visiting Borghese gallery, Uffizi Gallery and Palatine hill/Roman forum in Rome. I believe all of these offer free under 18 tickets. My question is ,how do I collect those tickets? We will have prepurchased skip the line tickets for everyone else and where possible/necessary a reservation for her, but will I need to then stand in line to collect her ticket? Our time is brief in these cities and I had hoped to avoid lines where possible, but a free ticket is a free ticket,right? Please advise on this process.
Happy travels to all.
Happy travels to all.
Aug 18th, 2019 | 11:50 PM
#4
Joined: Sep 2011
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Was there not an option on the websites you used to book the tickets to also book an under18 ticket, even though it is free?
That is what I have seen on some skip the line websites I have looked at. Some also charge €2 for under 18s. Then all you do is provide proof of age when your ticket is checked.
Note also that some places only offer free under 18 to EU/EEA citizens.
That is what I have seen on some skip the line websites I have looked at. Some also charge €2 for under 18s. Then all you do is provide proof of age when your ticket is checked.
Note also that some places only offer free under 18 to EU/EEA citizens.
Aug 19th, 2019 | 02:49 AM
#5
Joined: Mar 2005
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Uffizi - see their website: https://www.uffizi.it/en/tickets
FREE ADMISSION, (4 Euro to reserve an entry time)
Proof of eligibility for free entry is to be shown when picking up your tickets.
Children under 18 years of any nationality, showing passport or id card. Children younger than 12 must be accompanied by adults;
Booking online (this is the same procedure regardless of how much your ticket cost)
Buying your tickets online. Use the B-ticket platform to book the day and the time you want to visit and then pay for your ticket/s. You will receive a confirmation email that you need to keep.
Go to the museum ticket office. Present your confirmation email, either printed or on your smartphone or tablet, and you will receive your admission ticket/s. For the Uffizi, you will need to go to Door 3 (reservations).
FREE ADMISSION, (4 Euro to reserve an entry time)
Proof of eligibility for free entry is to be shown when picking up your tickets.
Children under 18 years of any nationality, showing passport or id card. Children younger than 12 must be accompanied by adults;
Booking online (this is the same procedure regardless of how much your ticket cost)
Buying your tickets online. Use the B-ticket platform to book the day and the time you want to visit and then pay for your ticket/s. You will receive a confirmation email that you need to keep.
Go to the museum ticket office. Present your confirmation email, either printed or on your smartphone or tablet, and you will receive your admission ticket/s. For the Uffizi, you will need to go to Door 3 (reservations).
Aug 19th, 2019 | 04:44 AM
#6
Joined: Oct 2013
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At the Colosseum /Roman Forum/ Palatine Hill, your daughter can pass through the skip-the-line line with you. They will direct you to a desk where you can get the free ticket.
I imagine it works the same way if you go first to the Palatine Hill or Roman Forum. In fact, if I were going there, I wouldn't bother reserving online. There's usually no line to skip.
I imagine it works the same way if you go first to the Palatine Hill or Roman Forum. In fact, if I were going there, I wouldn't bother reserving online. There's usually no line to skip.
Last edited by bvlenci; Aug 19th, 2019 at 04:47 AM.
Aug 19th, 2019 | 06:21 AM
#7
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Thank you all for the input. I wasn’t sure about statements like “ a desk where you can get the free ticket” and I thought one website even said something along the lines of collecting at a ticket window in order to show proof of eligibility. This seemed to indicate that there would be a line to collect the free ticket and I just wasn’t sure what to expect as that would defeat the purpose of buying tickets in advance in some cases.
Hetismij2- some websites seem to allow you to book for under 18’s or pay the reservation fee €2, but ask you to pick up the ticket on arrival. I guess I just wondered if it is a separate line or the main ticket line.
j62- Thank you for the specifics. It sounds as though there might be a somewhat dedicated line for free tickets.
Another question / slash pickle I’ve gotten myself into. Because as I begin to approach our trip date I get antsy, I start to try to book things. So not having the benefit of bvlenci’s input about Roman Forum/ Palatine Hill not really needing advance purchase, I purchased the new super tickets. Since I couldn’t find a date while we are in Rome that had colosseum availability for four, I booked super tickets for just Palatine/ Forum. These also give you admission to other sights like House of Augustus and House of Livia as well as a couple of others and don’t include the colosseum. I ended up booking a night tour with another company for that. My problem is that I booked super tickets now because times for reservations, which seem to be required, for House of Augustus were extremely limited and in some cases completely unavailable. I booked these last night and as I hit purchase I thought “ hey aren’t these only valid for one month from purchase”? Well when I went back to look at the coopculture website , that is what it says. We won’t be there until October. I don’t understand why it would allow reservations for Augustus in October if the tickets won’t be good that long. Any thoughts? I think I’ve just donated that ticket money to coopculture and will need to repurchase them. Grr.
On our last trip to Italy it was Trenitalia giving me trouble. This time it’s my own neurosis.
Hetismij2- some websites seem to allow you to book for under 18’s or pay the reservation fee €2, but ask you to pick up the ticket on arrival. I guess I just wondered if it is a separate line or the main ticket line.
j62- Thank you for the specifics. It sounds as though there might be a somewhat dedicated line for free tickets.
Another question / slash pickle I’ve gotten myself into. Because as I begin to approach our trip date I get antsy, I start to try to book things. So not having the benefit of bvlenci’s input about Roman Forum/ Palatine Hill not really needing advance purchase, I purchased the new super tickets. Since I couldn’t find a date while we are in Rome that had colosseum availability for four, I booked super tickets for just Palatine/ Forum. These also give you admission to other sights like House of Augustus and House of Livia as well as a couple of others and don’t include the colosseum. I ended up booking a night tour with another company for that. My problem is that I booked super tickets now because times for reservations, which seem to be required, for House of Augustus were extremely limited and in some cases completely unavailable. I booked these last night and as I hit purchase I thought “ hey aren’t these only valid for one month from purchase”? Well when I went back to look at the coopculture website , that is what it says. We won’t be there until October. I don’t understand why it would allow reservations for Augustus in October if the tickets won’t be good that long. Any thoughts? I think I’ve just donated that ticket money to coopculture and will need to repurchase them. Grr.
On our last trip to Italy it was Trenitalia giving me trouble. This time it’s my own neurosis.
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Aug 19th, 2019 | 03:13 PM
#10
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Thanks again. It very well may be that we will need to wait in a long line to pick up any free tickets.
I have emailed coopculture regarding the date hiccough. We’ll see what happens.
Has anyone used the s.u.p.e.r. tickets? Did you enjoy house of Augustus and the other extras or would your time have been better spent elsewhere?
I have emailed coopculture regarding the date hiccough. We’ll see what happens.
Has anyone used the s.u.p.e.r. tickets? Did you enjoy house of Augustus and the other extras or would your time have been better spent elsewhere?
Aug 20th, 2019 | 01:38 AM
#12
Joined: Oct 2013
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The House of Augustus is worth it if you're very interested in ancient history. When we went, maybe because it had just opened and there had been news coverage, there was quite a wait to get in, because they allowed entrances only in limited numbers.
There is always a possibility that you'll have to wait to get into the Colosseum, even if you have reserved tickets, because they allow only 3000 people to be inside at one time. The last time I was there, with some American cousins, we had to wait for over an hour under the broiling sun. Again, they had just instituted a security check, and things may have been a little confused. Anyway, since it's almost always very crowded, and often very hot as well, I think the night visit is a good idea. If I were to go again (unlikely) in high season, I would do the night visit.
To me, the Roman Forum is much more interesting than the Colosseum, which is, after all, just a sports stadium. I think it's much more impressive from the outside than the inside. The Palatine Hill is very beautiful, with great views of the Colosseum and over the Roman Forum. There is a small museum with statues excavated on the site, and an interesting exhibit about the early settlement of Rome.
There is always a possibility that you'll have to wait to get into the Colosseum, even if you have reserved tickets, because they allow only 3000 people to be inside at one time. The last time I was there, with some American cousins, we had to wait for over an hour under the broiling sun. Again, they had just instituted a security check, and things may have been a little confused. Anyway, since it's almost always very crowded, and often very hot as well, I think the night visit is a good idea. If I were to go again (unlikely) in high season, I would do the night visit.
To me, the Roman Forum is much more interesting than the Colosseum, which is, after all, just a sports stadium. I think it's much more impressive from the outside than the inside. The Palatine Hill is very beautiful, with great views of the Colosseum and over the Roman Forum. There is a small museum with statues excavated on the site, and an interesting exhibit about the early settlement of Rome.
Aug 22nd, 2019 | 04:03 AM
#14
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A quick update. I have emailed coopculture through their email and have not received a response as of yet. Strangely, the email they provide in case you don’t receive your tickets comes back as undeliverable. I even tried pasting it in instead of typing it,thinking that maybe I had made a typo, but no. It just doesn’t work.
Deniseoliver86- If I could solve the “waiting in line thing” , I would have to keep it to myself in order for it to remain solved or have some sort of secret club. : )
Deniseoliver86- If I could solve the “waiting in line thing” , I would have to keep it to myself in order for it to remain solved or have some sort of secret club. : )
Aug 23rd, 2019 | 05:04 AM
#16
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Only a few places in Rome have long waits. The Vatican Museums has advance purchase tickets that are very effective. If you buy your ticket online, you will have little or no wait to get in. There can be a short wait inside to pick up the actual ticket. The big problem at the Vatican Museums is not the ticket line, but the horrendous crowds inside. My American cousin (the one with whom I waited for an hour outside the Colosseum) had booked an expensive private tour of the Vatican Museums for her family of three and two friends of her adolescent son. When they got inside, the three kids absolutely rebelled when they saw the crowd. Her husband sided with the kids, so she capitulated and left without taking the tour.
At the Colosseum, you can easily avoid the ticket line by buying your tickets in advance, either online or at the Palatine Hill or Roman Forum entrance. However, as I said above, if there are already 3000 people inside, you'll still have to wait. You can avoid this by arriving before they open, preferably mid- week.
St. Peter's Basilica has no ticket line, as it's free to enter, but the line for the security check can be very long. Again, try to go at off hours. You can also avoid it by taking a tour of the Vatican Museums, which allows you to use a door reserved for tour group, which takes you directly to the Basilica without going through security again. I've several times tagged along through this door with a tour group, but maybe I was just lucky. You can also go directly to the Basilica if you take the tour of the necropolis under the Basilica, or the tour of the Vatican Gardens.
At the Colosseum, you can easily avoid the ticket line by buying your tickets in advance, either online or at the Palatine Hill or Roman Forum entrance. However, as I said above, if there are already 3000 people inside, you'll still have to wait. You can avoid this by arriving before they open, preferably mid- week.
St. Peter's Basilica has no ticket line, as it's free to enter, but the line for the security check can be very long. Again, try to go at off hours. You can also avoid it by taking a tour of the Vatican Museums, which allows you to use a door reserved for tour group, which takes you directly to the Basilica without going through security again. I've several times tagged along through this door with a tour group, but maybe I was just lucky. You can also go directly to the Basilica if you take the tour of the necropolis under the Basilica, or the tour of the Vatican Gardens.
Aug 23rd, 2019 | 07:59 AM
#17
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Speaking of St.Peter’s Basilica and going through the special door from the Vatican, I have a question about that too. We have booked breakfast at the Vatican with audio guide. Do you think that is considered a tour? Do you have to return to some previous point to return the audio guides, like the entry? I am also unclear where we are supposed to go in the morning. Has anyone done this breakfast thing? The confirmation has a map of the museum and grounds,but no x marks the spot for meeting. It says to present the voucher outside. I wonder if they mean outside the entry marked on the map? That appears to be the general entrance, not sure if that is the entry for the pinecone court. As you can probably tell, I have real trouble with overthinking things. Anyway feel free to share your experience.
Aug 23rd, 2019 | 01:40 PM
#18
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Unfortunately, you have to go back to the entrance to return the audio guide, so you won't be able to use the direct exit to the Basilica.
You would present your ticket at the entrance to the museums. If there's a line waiting for the ticket office to open, just go to the head of the line and show your reservation to the guard.
You would present your ticket at the entrance to the museums. If there's a line waiting for the ticket office to open, just go to the head of the line and show your reservation to the guard.
