Med cruise with kids and tours-tuscany bus

[maui07]

We are taling our kids this summer on a 11 night Med cruise and flying in 4 days early and staying in Rome in August. We are looking for interesing tours or places/sights to take our 9 and 12 year old boys. We dont plan on taking ship excursions and will be doing independent tours and talking the train many ports. My first question is has anyne used tuscany bus tours? Their prices are 1/4 of the price of ship excursions and seem to fit the bill of what we are looking for. Thanks in advance.

[edinburgher]

looking for interesing tours or places/sights to take our 9 and 12 year old boys

 

Sorry, but I Can tell you nothing about Tuscany Bus, but as far as interesting places/sights for your boys are concerned,try internet searching something along the lines of "Rome for children" or similar.  Same search criteria for your other destinations.

Edited January 23, 2023 by edinburgher

[GreenFamily]

If you stop in Florence, there is a small Leonardo DiVinci museum near the Academia gallery (David sculpture). This museum is made up of replicas of DiVinci’s inventions and its interactive. Your boys will enjoy it. 
 

They will like Pompeii as well, especially the plaster bodies and funny frescoes. 

[cruisemom42]

Since several of your questions are Italy-focused, you might want to cross-post this on the Italy forum...

 

In Rome there is a 'gladiator school' that your boys might like. I've never done it but it seems like a good way to introduce them to the history, maybe combined with a visit to the Colosseum.

 

One big tip -- do your planning and get advance tickets anywhere you can. August is probably the most crowded month in the the Med as not only are there tourists from overseas but it is also the time when most Europeans also go on holiday.

 

[edinburgher]

It is also the hottest month, so between crowds and expected heat, do not over plan your sightseeing days.

 

We avoid August trips to S. Europe but if expecting high temps, we would plan more walkabout in the morning before temps peak, and maybe plan  museum or other inside visits for the afternoons, especially if they have a/c.   Even without a/c, being inside out of the worst heat is more bearable.

 

If you plan to shop, remember that, at the height of summer and especially in S. Europe, many of the stores will close for a few hours, often from around 1pm to 4pm as folks go home to rest in the cool and enjoy a little siesta.

[maui07]

Thank you everyone, gosh I thought I was posting on the Italy boards. Will check out the gladiator school, how cool. Appreciate the feedback!