Venice or Rome? In April with teens.

[Icystars]

Could you give me your opinions please. We’ve never done a city break before so wondering which would be best for 13 and 15 year olds. What did you do and see with yours and what was a hit?

thanks.

I'd say Rome - more interesting things to do, very easy to get around.

The Pantheon, Colosseum/Forum, and Castle Sant Angelo were all fantastic.

It rather depends on their interests imo. Venice is magical and beautiful with wonderful churches and art. ( I think the Biennale should have started by then) Rome has a wider historical and political range of attractions having been the centre of an empire and the seat of the Catholic Church for centuries. It is more of a working city with the glamour and slight scruffiness that that brings whereas Venice is almost completely a tourist attraction now with few locals present who are not working in the tourist trade.I can't imagine not being bowled over by either.

I would say Rome - it's pretty special, so much to see.

We've opted for Rome for ours. We've been to both without the kids, love Venice but the crowds are on another level, suffocating. Not that Rome isn't busy, it is, but not quite as tightly packed. Also a lot more sights that are they are familiar with and have learned about.

I adore Venice but with teens I’d say Rome.

Yes to both but if you want to go to Venice, go at a quieter time eg Christmas as it is horrendously busy at all other times

Rome is jaw dropping

Do they like art or history? Rome probably has best combination and wider range of restaurants.

Rome as lots to do from multiple different time periods - Romans, early Christians, Renaissance, Baroque, even the fascist stuff is interesting.

Venice is stunning but a lot of wandering about looking at how pretty it is, plus visiting galleries and churches,

In April, Rome definitely. Good temperature as it can be unbearable in the summer. We have been waiting kids/teens to both. If you get the opportunity to go in July to Venice, stay in the Lido do Jesolo and do the day trips to Venice. Jesolo has amazing beach and the strip comes alive at night with restaurants. Amazing waterpark there too. We have been multiple times.

Thanks. I think we will look at Rome. Any recommendations on where to stay?

https://numastays.com/locations/italy/rome/trevi/vici/deluxe-living

Brilliant location and had a little kitchen.

Oh I’ve been looking into it today and think the kids would love the canals and gondolas in Venice so now I can’t decide! I hate being indecisive!

Have you seen the price of a gondola trip? It's daylight robbery.

Depends on their interests, your funds and your food preferences. Venice is gorgeous but it's a lot more enjoyable when it's less busy (like November or February). As an Italian, I never stayed overnight as it's just extortionate, now they're also introducing a day trip tax, not sure if it's active yet.
But if you need any food recommendations for either let me know! :D

I would go to Rome (Venice is gorgeous but so packed). That said my friend and I went to Rome at Easter when we were 18 thinking it would be less busy, and let me tell you, going there in the most important Catholic holiday of the year was not what we were expecting. It was great though!

Wherever you do, I highly recommend sitting down with the teens and getting them to look for things they want to do, set an itinerary, and then book in advance for timeslots! It can be impossible to get into things of not booked, or you have to wait for hours in a queue to get on the day tickets.

I took my 16 year old last summer and we just met a rep there, were given a piece of A4 and headed straight into the coliseum. Similar with the Vatican. On the last free day we tried to go to a couple of art galleries but all the tickets had gone and we just ended up mooching around the shops.

Also I can recommend Sonder apartment hotel. Not cheap but really lovely and we could do our own thing as we had a kitchen.

Agree with @Knickersinatwist36. Although I will say that on a day when they're both equally packed and you haven't planned anything, you can just wander aimlessly around Venice and you'll still have a nice time cause it's so pretty everywhere you look (if you can mive through the crowds / find decent places to eat / have a nice Bellini).

We went to Rome in February with a 13 year old and a 15 year old. It was their first city break and they both really enjoyed it.

There's so much to see. They were also very happy with the food options as pizza and ice cream are favourites.

I've not been to Venice recently but did go there for a day trip about 15 years ago. Again, it's a lovely place but much smaller with less variety of things to see. Food and drink is A LOT more expensive than Rome too.

My recommendation would be Rome.

Rome. So much more to do and see with teens. Ours really enjoyed it. Venice is special, but I wouldn't rush there with a teen, except maybe a day trip from somewhere else.

I’ve done both with kids, each fabulous in their own way.

Ok I’m hearing back towards Rome. Where is good to stay that’s kind of central to things. I’m not sure what the kids will want to do. I think the colosseum and the Spanish steps are a definite. Can you book tours that take you to see the main attractions?

For most things you don't need a tour but the Colosseum is definitely better with a tour or you end up like DH and I going 'um, it's big and round, spose that's where the animals were' and you are in and out in 10 minutes. Big mistake on our part.

Love them both. Couldn’t possibly decide.

Rome is populated by Italians and has some wonderful neighborhoods, especially when you move away from the highly tourists areas.
Venice is populated by tourists. Italians can't afford to live there and the majority use water taxes to get to work, so it is physically beautiful but much more negatively affected by the millions of tourists than Rome.

How many days do you have? If you have 5 or so you could spend 2 days in Venice take the 3.5 hr train to Rome and spend 3 days there.

April is a good time to go to Venice. Less crowds and reasonable temperatures.
I personally vastly prefer Venice to Rome. I find Venice a lot less stressful than Rome even in peak tourist season.
I'd suggest staying on the Lido rather than main Venice. It's only a short boat ride to San Marco still. But its ALOT cheaper for food and drink, and alot more relaxed. There's also a beach.
Venice is honestly so beautiful, there's nowhere in the world like it, it hardly even feels real. I think everyone should see Venice at least once in their life.
There's loads to do. The islands are all fascinating, Murano, Burano, Torchello.. there's some of the best art galleries in the world. The Doges Palace is great... just walking around looking at the architecture is amazing on its own.
I first went as an adult alone when I was 18 and I was penniless basically.. I just ate bread from a supermarket and had no money to do anything or go in anywhere... but I had a wonderful time just walking the streets and I got a boat/bus pass and went round and round on the boat route.
I've been back since several times and done all the tourist stuff now, and yeah it's expensive.. eating on mainland Venice in any restaurant or cafe is extortionate.. but you certainly can enjoy it on a lower budget too