Day Trips from Rome Appealing to Teens?

[SelectSys]

We'll be spending 5 days pre-cruise in Rome next summer. In addition to seeing the normal major sights, does anybody have ideas for some day trips that my older teens (16 & 18) might like?

[boulders]

I was going to be on that cruise! But, my school doesn't get out till June 30th and RCI only has that fabulous itinerary in June. So, we're going on a similar cruise on Celebrity's Silhouette in August. Have fun!

 

We were on a Med cruise in May. We didn't stay over in Rome, but just had one day stops in Rome, Naples and La Spezia. One thing that I wished we had seen and will see on our Celebrity cruise is Venice. I think it's a must see. Other places that I wish I had seen, but my kids are too young for, are Pisa and Florence.

 

While in Rome, we did see the catacombs, which were interesting.

[SelectSys]

I was going to be on that cruise! But, my school doesn't get out till June 30th and RCI only has that fabulous itinerary in June. So, we're going on a similar cruise on Celebrity's Silhouette in August. Have fun!

 

We were on a Med cruise in May. We didn't stay over in Rome, but just had one day stops in Rome, Naples and La Spezia. One thing that I wished we had seen and will see on our Celebrity cruise is Venice. I think it's a must see. Other places that I wish I had seen, but my kids are too young for, are Pisa and Florence.

 

While in Rome, we did see the catacombs, which were interesting.

 

I agree with you about Venice. We have never been in Venice and I'm sure it would be fun. I was really trying to minimize the travel logistics. Maybe I'll think twice on this one. I just looked on line and saw that the high-speed train to Rome from Venice is a pretty good deal and only takes about 4 hours.

 

Too bad you'll miss this cruise. I think the itinerary is really good. I let the family decide between this one and a Celebrity cruise that goes to Istanbul. The picked the Egypt trip unanimously. My only fear is that our stop in Egypt will be incredibly hot. Oh well, this is the only time when I'll be able to get everyone together to pull this off and I'm sure it is going to be a great trip.

[onthelake]

Get your teens involved in the planning. Are they artsy? athletic? enjoy historic sites? shoppers? There are many choices. Go to the library and get some of the Italy/Rome travel DVDs. I like the Rick Steves travel books because he is very specific about which bus/train to take, etc. He also has a website with downloadable info that you can take with you.

 

Certainly, Venice is a highlight of any trip. It is one of my 'I have to go back!' cities.

 

Just a heads-up about Egypt, I had wanted to go there since I was about 5 years old. We were going to go there for a delayed (since it would be so hot in the summer) honeymoon when I discovered I was pregnant. So, we went a couple of years ago via a cruise. I was in tears by day 2 with all the begging (fairly forceful), dead animals, etc. My bad, it is not the land of Cleopatra anymore. I had an idealized vision of what it would be like and was sadly disappointed. We have been to many poor countries and I have seen poverty before but I somehow had an idealized vision of Egpyt. Pyramids, sphinx, etc. grand - just saying, the overall situation can be hard on the heart. Also, have hats, sun block and a white, long-sleeved top to protect you.