Athens or Rome

[nothingoldcanstay]

DS wants to see some history that he's done in school. Is keen to see both. I have heard Athens is cheap due to euro situation and Rome is expensive. Has anybody got a view on which is better for an 8 year old though?

We are planning a 3 day city break not a full on holiday so so some scope to do it outside of school hols although this summer would work well too. Is it too hot in the school hols? He is used to travel/traipsing round stuff.

I think they would both be really good trips. I took my children to Rome last summer and it was hot but not unbearable. July is a bit warmer than August which is when we went. My brother went to Athens last summer and said it was boiling but absolutely amazing.
Just a thought for a future holiday- have you ever considered a cruise? We did one last year and managed to take the children to Pisa, Pompeii, Rome and Barcelona.

Both fabulous. Some risk of instability, demonstrations etc. in Athens but should be relatively free of crowds and cheap

Thanks although both of think what I already know - both are worth a visit!

I have done cruising with DS and would do it again but haven't the money this year (hence a shorter city break). Also the routes often have places we have done loads before Barcelona/Pisa/ Venice etc so it feels less and less good value. however I agree it's a perfect way for children to see the good stuff without getting bogged down.

Rome

Definitely Rome and Pompei, I would say.

Rome is one of my favourite cities in the whole World. Loved Pisa, Milan and Pompei too.

Athens may be cheaper but DW was not impressed at all on several visits.

Istanbul is very interesting if you want to go that far.

Mmm thinking Rome might have it then.

Any heads up on a good location moreBeta et al? I will do Tripadvisor but need a place to start asking questions.

Is being near the Vatican city good or bad? We will only be there a short while and it's mainly for DS benefit.

Vote for Rome as well.

Rome, without a shadow of a doubt. I've visited both on lots of occassions, and Rome wins. Athens is a bit unstable at the moment anyway, with lots going on politically.
Vatican is good, you have Castel San Angelo nearby. But you need to cross the river to get more action like the Colleseum, and there are lots of ruins there, and nearby.

Thanks Longdistance. Will do more map inspection.

Lovely B&B near Colleseum in Sunday Times Travel mag - £1,200!!! Cheap places all mention Vatican city.

I think we stayed in a Best Western but don't know exactly where - it was pretty close to city centre though.

If you are near the castel sant'angelo then everything is walkable, you just need to cross the bridge. Colosseum is good as near to monti which is good at night but depends what area near colosseum, some can be a bit out on a limb. Feel free to pm me or post re any hotel links as live in rome and will be able to say re area.

Thanks BananaGio. That will be very helpful.

Just one more thing...is the river pretty? Thought it might be nice to stay near water as you usually get nice buildings etc built along side. Is this the case with Rome too?

Rome

River is lovely and in the summer there are stalls, bars,restaurants along the banks near the castel and trastevere. Bit prone to mozzies though so if you stay near there make sure you have aircon so you can keep windows closed.infact make sure you have aircon full stop as very hot here in summer and is usually around 28/30 at night when the hot weather really kicks in.

We went to Rome last year with DSS who was almost 8 at the time - he loved it! We warned him beforehand that there would be a lot of walking about, but I was very surprised that when we were there he walked all over every day (for 4 days) with hardly a complaint!

His favourite thing was the colosseum, but he was also completely fascinated by the Vatican.

Rome, but don't go in August. It'll be far too hot and also most Italians take that month off, so lots of shops etc will be closed while they're all at the beach!

Yes, everything closed in August

If i had a choice of july and aug i think i would choose aug, even though we depart every aug with the rest of the Romans. I love Rome but loathe July here.From mid July it tends to be as hot and humid as aug but because the city is still at work the traffic and fumes make it hideous. Although over recent years there are fewer Italians taking the whole month off due to the crisis so some shops, bars etc in the centre will still be open

We went to Rome in late August and it was fine. Nothing was closed. DC loved it, especially the Coliseum and the forum where Caesar got killed. If you can, go up to Tivoli too. Best day of our trip. Stunning!