Viva Italy with a 4 and 1/2 year old

[mollygeorge]

We are thinking about taking the Viva Italy tour next year with our 4 1/2 year old son. He is a good traveler and loves vacations. We have traveled around the US with him with minimal problems. Any one have ideas on if he would be too young for this tour? We were planning on bringing a travel stroller too. MG

 

[abbyjt]

Will your son be 4 1/2 or 5 1/2 next year? It makes a big difference. I havent been on that tour, but we went on the London/Paris trip last summer. Our youngest had just turned 8. There was a 6 year old in our group and she did just fine. There is a lot of walking and it is not always stroller friendly. We have 3 kids and they are well travelled, but unless he is done with naps and can stay up fairly late (10pm) you are probably better off waiting one year (to 5 1/2). Good luck in your decision.

 

[mollygeorge]

He is 3 yrs 9 months now. We were thinking about going next year in May or June, when he would be closer to 5 years. He travels well so far, if we have a stroller. We may need to wait until he is closer to 6. How were the activities for the kids on the London/Paris trip? MG

 

[wdwsos]

He is 3 yrs 9 months now. We were thinking about going next year in May or June, when he would be closer to 5 years. He travels well so far, if we have a stroller. We may need to wait until he is closer to 6. How were the activities for the kids on the London/Paris trip? MG

I did the Viva Italia last year and asked loads of questions of the Adventure Guides for my clients. They said that this trip is wonderful for kids, but they said also that children under 6 would likely find the days long and exhausting.

Just from personal experience, I'd say you'd want your son to be a good walker before considering this trip. There aren't many streets where pushing a stroller would be close to easy -- most are very crowded, some have sidewalks so small that we were literally hugging the walls, and some are very steep cobblestoned paths. Add to that the running across roads in order to not be hit by crazy Italian drivers... lol!

I'm not trying to discourage you, and of course you know how much your son can handle. I just wanted to let you know the possible drawbacks!

I think there are two or three kids on our Imperial Cities trip next week who are 6 and under. I'll let you know how they hold up!

Dotti

 

[jrj130]

I'd second the caution about strollers. We took our son to Italy when he was just a little tot, and discovered how stroller-unfriendly Italy is -- lots of hills, cobblestones, narrow sidewalks along busy roads. In addition, normally child-friendly restaurants turned hostile when we showed up with our stroller, protesting that there was no room for it. If your son's a good walker, I'd leave the stoller at home; if not, I'd recommend you consider waiting.

 

[the who #3]

our viva italia tour was in 2006 and i seem to remember that the age limit was 8. all 9 days are very long walking days. several miles every day and at a pace that will maintain the scheduals necessary for the tour.

if your child hikes with you every day until time to leave he may be ok. if not he may not enjoy the trip as much as you would like him to.

personally i would wait until he/she is older.

 

[msec]

HI -

We just got back from 'Viva Italia' and it is ALOT of walking!! It was an amazing trip and I would highly reccomend it but I personally think it would not be a good fit for such a young child - we walked a few miles just about each day and at a fairly quick pace. Our children are 9 and 11 and at the end of the day they were tired (us too - haha!). It would be just about impossible to bring a stroller as the streets are very narow, uneven, etc. and in Venice you have to cross numerous bridges (which are all steps) just to get from one point to another... The youngerst child on out tour was 6 1/2 and she held up pretty good but you could tell all the kids were getting tired toward the end of the tour... It is a great trip, the tour guides were amazing and the service was fantastic, the things we saw and did were wonderful but I would recommend to wait until your son is a little older so you all can enjoy all this trip has to offer!! Just my opinion!!

 

[ronny1]

MSEC, could you do a trip report or at least some highlights? I'm going in September and would love to hear about your trip.

 

[wdwsos]

MSEC, could you do a trip report or at least some highlights? I'm going in September and would love to hear about your trip.

I'm not MSEC, but I have a really loooong trip report online somewhere -- probably on both the Passporter site and the LaughingPlace site. The trip has changed somewhat since last September when we went (different hotels, and some of the events have been eliminated) but it gives you a good idea of what the trip entails!

Just do a Google search on Dotti and Viva Italia.

Are you doing the adult-only trip?

Dotti

 

[ronny1]

Dotti, I read your trip report and it was really, really great. I might just go back and read it again. I was just interested in reading one from this year - their view on the hotels and stuff. No, not going on an adult's only trip. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing some kids and their reactions to some of the things we are going to see. My husband and I don't have children but we love watching kids at Disney. It makes it even more magical.

 

[mlahowin]

We just completed our viva italia trip with a 10 year old son and at the time I was thinking to myself that I was glad he wasn't much younger.
The trip requires ALOT of walking, long days of sight seeing, parading through museums and occasionally waiting on long lines. I don't mean to discourage you as I'm sure younger children have taken this trip but there is very little opportunity for play time and rest as the group always seem to be on the go.

 

[Disneyfreaknjw]

We just got back from Italy as well and thing you have to remember is these are guided tours with close to 40 people. Even if your children travel well, there are many situations where meals last one to two hours and there just isn't the opportunity to leave if your child is tired or bored. In addition, as the other posters stated, Italy is not at all stroller friendly. A child would really have to be able to do the walking on their own.

When you are with the group it is great because you get to know everyone and all the travel details are taken care of. On the other hand, if you are in a museum your child thinks is boring, a long meal, or the end of a long walking tour, you just can't opt out. It is a different kind of experience than traveling as a family and having more flexibility. I do not think my kids could have enjoyed the experience much younger than 10 and they are great travelers, but they are used to vacations centered around them. In others words, you usually go to restaurants your kids like, attractions your kids like, and stop and get them treats and snacks when and where you want. We you are with a group you go on their schedule and you just can't get a soda whenever you are hot or even go to the bathroom whenever you want. Although, the kids on our trip were great you could tell that they were really tired and bored alot. Our guide told us the trips were all designed for children nine and over and that most of the time the younger children are just along because they have older siblings.