Rome in March?

[hillview]

I found Pompeii to be super hard to see. There is so much in Rome to enjoy I’d skip Pompeii personally.

[citymama]

Looks like we’re heading to Rome in March!! I’m wondering if a day trip to Pompeii would be doable with a 10 yr old and an 8 yo. It looks like the drive is 2.5 hrs. Will I completely regret booking a trip out and back in the same day? My boys would love to see it but I would hate to pack up and stay somewhere else for the night. Thoughts? Thanks for your help!

We did it by train and it was easy. Because we were then in summer when it's both crowded and very hot, we chose to go in the afternoon by train, stay there till closing (around 7) and then stayed the night in Naples as we were on our way south. But had we left earlier in the day, we could have easily done as a day trip. It completely blew our minds! We went with our 11 and 7 year olds and they both loved it.

But sure, there's plenty to see in Rome itself, or you could go to the ruins closer to the airport (Ostia Antica) which is definitely doable on public transport as a day trip. The whole car rental thing is complicated if doing it just for Pompeii as you have to go to the airport to rent the car - more complicated than necessary.

[TwinFoxes]

I've only been to Rome once, and it was in March/April. The weather was gorgeous, not too hot. It was super crowded because it was when Pope John Paul II died and Pope Benedict XVI was elected. But even with the crowds it never felt uncomfortable. It's a very walkable city, and I felt like I discovered something whenever I turned a corner. Literally stumbled upon the Trevi Fountain that way.

[essnce629]

We spent 3.5 days in Rome three years ago in July when my boys were 10 and 5. We squeezed in as much as we could in our short amount of time, but could have easily spread it out over a week! This was our itinerary:

First night

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

Day one

St. Peter's Square

St. Peter's Basilica (climb the dome)

Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel

Day two

Priscilla Catacombs http://www.catacombepriscilla.com/

Capuchin Crypt http://ciaobambino.com/capuchin-crypt-rome-italy/

Villa Borghese gardens (rode around in the pedal bikes)

Day three

Colosseum

Forum

Capitoline Museum

I HIGHLY recommend the Rick Steve's Rome book (I think there's an app now too?) It helped us immensely when navigating the Vatican and everything else.

https://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-R...dp/1631214497/

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[HannaAddict]

You should go, Rome is amazing. March will be nice and possibly warm even. Pleasant and not horribly crowded. Do some behind the scenes or small group tours. Best money we spent was private tour of the Sistine Chapel
after everyone was gone except the cleaning staff. It was amazing, truly worth it though when my husband first booked it I thought he was crazy. Rome is n amazing city!


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[HannaAddict]

Take a guided trip to Pompeii, don’t drive yourself! Terrible traffic (and we drive in Europe all over). There is a train I believe and tours that make it doable in one day and you will get more out of it.


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[California]

Happy for you and slightly jealous!!

If you are going towards the end of March, be aware that Easter (which is April 1st) is a huge deal in Italy. It's just as big, if not bigger, than Christmas. We were there last year in March and April and loved all the Easter decorations, giant eggs, chocolate, window displays- wonderful time of year to be there! If you are in March you'll miss Easter itself, which is probably a good thing as it's a major travel day for Italians to head home and see their families. Easter itself is spent at church and the Monday everyone takes off work and gets together.

We didn't go to Pompeii. We had a longer stay and took a fast train to Florence (1 1/2 hours.) Florence is incredible. But, with six days, you'll find plenty to do in Rome.

Rick Steve's free podcast tours are fantastic.

Book your Vatican Museum tickets in advance and you'll be able to skip the very long lines. A private tour is even better.

The gelato outside the Vatican had us swooning. We went back three times. I'll try to find the name of the place. The espresso over gelato is also incredible. It's a good challenge for a family to try to find the best gelato flavors. Who can turn that down? And you'll be walking so much it's pretty guilt free.

The public transit system may bring you in close body contact with other people, but it is dependable and inexpensive, and we found it to be safe. Rick Steves has lots of good info. We followed all the suggestions we found on travel guides and didn't have any issues.

Okay, I'm definitely jealous! :-)

ETA: If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask- my FIL was born and raised in Italy and he goes back twice every year. Rome is the city he flies into. He and my DH are pretty Rome-savvy.

[frugalmom]

Looks like we’re heading to Rome in March!! I’m wondering if a day trip to Pompeii would be doable with a 10 yr old and an 8 yo. It looks like the drive is 2.5 hrs. Will I completely regret booking a trip out and back in the same day? My boys would love to see it but I would hate to pack up and stay somewhere else for the night. Thoughts? Thanks for your help!

See you there. We are headed there in March too. We were just there in August and Sept and we loved it and wanted to go back. We had a week in Rome and were in Milan, Florence, and Venice. We also were in Finland, England, France, Germany, and Switzerland.

Venice was my favorite overall and Florence was second.

I need to start planning what we are going to do this time.

[frugalmom]

Happy for you and slightly jealous!!

If you are going towards the end of March, be aware that Easter (which is April 1st) is a huge deal in Italy. It's just as big, if not bigger, than Christmas. We were there last year in March and April and loved all the Easter decorations, giant eggs, chocolate, window displays- wonderful time of year to be there! If you are in March you'll miss Easter itself, which is probably a good thing as it's a major travel day for Italians to head home and see their families. Easter itself is spent at church and the Monday everyone takes off work and gets together.

We didn't go to Pompeii. We had a longer stay and took a fast train to Florence (1 1/2 hours.) Florence is incredible. But, with six days, you'll find plenty to do in Rome.

Rick Steve's free podcast tours are fantastic.

Book your Vatican Museum tickets in advance and you'll be able to skip the very long lines. A private tour is even better.

The gelato outside the Vatican had us swooning. We went back three times. I'll try to find the name of the place. The espresso over gelato is also incredible. It's a good challenge for a family to try to find the best gelato flavors. Who can turn that down? And you'll be walking so much it's pretty guilt free.

The public transit system may bring you in close body contact with other people, but it is dependable and inexpensive, and we found it to be safe. Rick Steves has lots of good info. We followed all the suggestions we found on travel guides and didn't have any issues.

Okay, I'm definitely jealous! :-)

ETA: If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask- my FIL was born and raised in Italy and he goes back twice every year. Rome is the city he flies into. He and my DH are pretty Rome-savvy.

Ugh. I made the reservations for this trip and I think I looked at Easter for 2017. Major mistake

[jgenie]

Happy for you and slightly jealous!!

If you are going towards the end of March, be aware that Easter (which is April 1st) is a huge deal in Italy. It's just as big, if not bigger, than Christmas. We were there last year in March and April and loved all the Easter decorations, giant eggs, chocolate, window displays- wonderful time of year to be there! If you are in March you'll miss Easter itself, which is probably a good thing as it's a major travel day for Italians to head home and see their families. Easter itself is spent at church and the Monday everyone takes off work and gets together.

We didn't go to Pompeii. We had a longer stay and took a fast train to Florence (1 1/2 hours.) Florence is incredible. But, with six days, you'll find plenty to do in Rome.

Rick Steve's free podcast tours are fantastic.

Book your Vatican Museum tickets in advance and you'll be able to skip the very long lines. A private tour is even better.

The gelato outside the Vatican had us swooning. We went back three times. I'll try to find the name of the place. The espresso over gelato is also incredible. It's a good challenge for a family to try to find the best gelato flavors. Who can turn that down? And you'll be walking so much it's pretty guilt free.

The public transit system may bring you in close body contact with other people, but it is dependable and inexpensive, and we found it to be safe. Rick Steves has lots of good info. We followed all the suggestions we found on travel guides and didn't have any issues.

Okay, I'm definitely jealous! :-)

ETA: If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask- my FIL was born and raised in Italy and he goes back twice every year. Rome is the city he flies into. He and my DH are pretty Rome-savvy.

Hi - any chance you still have the name of the gelato place? We’re planning to become experts on gelato while we’re in Rome!