Rome by train with a young child

[The Macpac]

Hi

 

I am calling on the knowledge of families who have cruised the Med and visited Rome. We do not want to book the ship's Rome tours as I think they will bee too long and not appropriate for my three year old son. We are planning to transfer into Rome and pinpoint one or two areas of interest and not try to fit too much in. I have looked into a car transfer which will cost us about 230 Euros but many people on the forum say the train is a simple and cost effective DIY option. Has anyone with a young child / children taken the train from port into Rome - what was your experience?

 

Many thanks:)

[6rugrats]

It's very easy to take the train into Rome. I know my children love the train. If you go to the Ports of Call section of this webpage to the Rome forum, you will find many, many threads about taking the train into Rome, including detailed instructions. There is no way I would pay 230 Euros for a ride into Rome!

 

I would just give you a tip that you're going to need coins to use the restrooms in the train stations, and at some stations you may have to walk up and down some stairs, but it's very doable.

[Kerry's Girls]

I had planned to do it with my twins and as mentioned above found excellent, detailed instructions (including pictures) on the ports of call board. It ended up pouring the morning we pulled into port, so a couple other families and I negotiated a taxi van for the day. It ended up being pretty reasonable, but only because we were some of the last passengers standing around, so it was easier to get a good price (I don't remember what it was). I wouldn't hesitate to do the train next time though.

 

Best,

Mia

[Essiesmom]

A couple of caveats: You can buy the ticket to Rome right at the gate where the free shuttle from the port drops you. This is the BIRG ticket, good only on the regional trains (locals). they start at Civitavecchia and end in Rome Termini. cost is 9 euros roundtrip. The same ticket is good on the buses and metro in Rome. However, it is a looong walk from the port gate to the train station. And once in Rome, it is a looong walk from where you get off the train to the metro. I thought we had walked halfway across Rom,e underground. But it was only a few stops from there to the Colosseum. EM

[queenL]

I did! She was 3 at the time too, I think. I wrote a detailed review about my experience. We were on MSC Splendida. I'm fairly certain we didn't do any ship tours the entire time. They were way to pricey. I would caution you to be aware of the time though. We nearly missed the ship.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=75045

[*source*]

Yes - we did it... We didn't do it as an excursion from the ship but we took the train from Rome to join the ship.

 

The train was easy but VERY busy so please be aware of this. We did eventually find a seat (there were 8 of us including my 3 year old nephew).

 

It is definitely worth it to not pay the ship's price or for a private taxi.

 

Have fun :D

[rebeccalouiseagain]

We did a cruise to Italy back in 2007 and all of us had been to Rome on previous trips and made it a pool day. Loved it. My son was 6 at the time and I didn't even think he'd appreciate Rome then-especially a day trip with swarms of people

 

If you want to see Rome and have never been- then by all means go. Take my word for it- a 3 year old will not really like Rome- with the exception of the Colluseum perhaps. It is full of art and history but the only place I'd take a child would be the Borghese Park- so they can run around. I think Rome will be no fun for a 3 year. You can't let them walk- they would get lost or get hit by a car. So it will be train- to taxi- taxi to stroller- my boys at age 3 would not have had fun sightseeing. If you can leave the 3 year old onboard in the Fun Factory or with Grandparents- that's another option.

[Twolittleboys]

Last year we took the ship's excursion which only included the transfer. Kids were 8 and 6 and I was sure they wouldn't enjoy an all-day tour in Rome. It was fine but quite expensive.

 

However, this year we took the train from Rome to Civitavecchia to join the ship (and back at the end of the cruise). It was really easy and I am kind of upset with myself that we paid so much last time. I wouldn't have said that the walk from the port gate to the train terminal is long (maybe 10 minutes?) Of course my boys are quite a bit older but we also had our luggage along AND it was raining. It probably is a bit far for a three year old but I assume you will have a stroller along for the day anyway.

 

Train was very crowded on the way to Civitavecchia, less so on the way back. I thought the train was a bit difficult to find in Rome but it was easy from Civ. Just make sure you leave yourself plenty of time on the return trip so you won't miss the ship even if something goes wrong with the train.

 

As far as Rome itself is concerned, the Colosseum and the Forum could definitely work even with a small child. We also had a great time at the Borghese Gardens.

[cb at sea]

I'm not sure any child will be all into the historical stuff anywhere! But, it's totally doable...after all...kids live there, too!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Of course the train is doable. Of course it is humanly possible to take a 3 year old to Rome. I was making suggestions.

 

I have two boys and did take my then 2 almost 3 year old to Switzerland and Venice. He did absolutely great. Did I have to make decisions that were right for him instead of me- yes. We did child appropriate things and I let the other adults do their thing. We spent days at the park, feeding ducks and short train rides. He did great.

 

Would I expect him to see the Vatican, the Pantheon and stand in lines for the Colluseum? Nah. Too much in one day for a three year old. That's all I'm saying. BTW I love Rome. I was there for five nights and it was great but we did a tremendous amount of walking and my then 14 year old son got cranky!

 

Three year olds aren't hard to please- they like to run and explore. It's best to gear whatever excursions you plan to take to their needs into consideration. And there are usually parks in every city, playgrounds, fountains that they can wade in to cool off, etc. You can have great fun with your kids- just stop and smell the roses.

[klauer]

I totally understand your point about young children and sightseeing, but it seems like such an expensive vacation to choose to hang out at the ship's pool while you're in port.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

After touring on a 9 hour tour of the Cinque Terre the previous day- our family of 4 decided to bag Rome.

 

Now all of the adults had already been to Rome. Probably I would have felt differently had I never been to Rome.

 

However, you are talking to someone who as been to Pireus twice and didn't get off the ship to see Athens. Yep- I like a day off to just hang by the pool. Especially when it's 100 degrees.