Europe/Mediterranean with Kids?

I'm going there in June with my 13 year old. I explained to her right off that this trip would be very different from our previous Caribbean cruises. She actually really enjoys history and in school has recently studied some of the sites that we'll be going to such as Pompeii. We're going to Barcelona 3 days early and I've really tried to search for some things I think she'd like to do there to try to balance out a lot of the historical sites so we're doing the soccer stadium visit mentioned above and visiting the aquarium in Barcelona per her request.

I haven't seen a lot of Med trip reports lately so I'm going to try to do one after we get back.

But to get back to your original question, I think it somewhat depends on what you kids are like and what they might enjoy.
You might want to google Cosmo Caixa. We spent a day there in 2015 when DS and DD were 12 and 6. They talk about it all the time. We are planning a cruise from Barcelona in 2019 and we will be there for our son's 16th birthday. I showed him info on Tibidabo and asked if he wanted to spend his birthday there. He said, no, that he wanted to go to Cosmo Caixa for his birthday. :)
 
I am taking my DD11 to the Med. this summer. I specifically chose the Barcelona to Rome cruise instead of the round trip so we could take it easier on both ends. I know what I want to do in Marseille, but not sure if it will be available. I'll find out in 12 days! In Villefranche, we are going to the aquarium in Monte Carlo on our own. She is super excited about this, as she loves aquariums and they have immortal jellyfish (which she has seen on Octonauts). In Genoa we are going to the Galata Museo del Mare which is within walking distance of the ship, not expensive, and has fabulous reviews. In Livorno she wants to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa so hopefully we can make that happen. We will do Pompeii on our own. She does love history, but if we do long excursions every day, she will get worn out and grumpy. We are pretty much just doing half day excursions every day.
 
I am taking my DD11 to the Med. this summer. I specifically chose the Barcelona to Rome cruise instead of the round trip so we could take it easier on both ends. I know what I want to do in Marseille, but not sure if it will be available. I'll find out in 12 days! In Villefranche, we are going to the aquarium in Monte Carlo on our own. She is super excited about this, as she loves aquariums and they have immortal jellyfish (which she has seen on Octonauts). In Genoa we are going to the Galata Museo del Mare which is within walking distance of the ship, not expensive, and has fabulous reviews. In Livorno she wants to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa so hopefully we can make that happen. We will do Pompeii on our own. She does love history, but if we do long excursions every day, she will get worn out and grumpy. We are pretty much just doing half day excursions every day.

I have heard if u want to climb the tower to buy tix in advance- apparently v hard to get as a walk up.
 
We did the Mediterranean last summer with our 3 DS. They were 11, 8, and 5 at the time. They had a blast! I can't even begin to tell you how many memories we made and how much they will talk about this trip with their friends and teachers at school. My oldest is studying Roman history right now and was able to say "Hey, I've been there". We booked our own private tours in Naples, Rome and Livorno ports. I highly recommend this. For example, in Naples we did a "kid friendly tour" and were able to go to an olive oil factory and taste 30 varieties, explore Sorrento, Make our own pizza and visit Pompeii. IN Livorno, we saw Pisa and rode bike through Lucca. IT was a fabulous trip and one I never will regret.
 


We're doing a Baltic cruise next summer, when DS will be 8. I'm confident he'll have a blast. We're holding off on the Med until he discovers Rick Riordan or at least Bullfinch's.
 
I would love it if you could PM me with the names of the some of the tour companies that you are using. I do think private excursions is the way to go, so that we can personalize the experience and keep it close to port. I have personally done the Med cruise, so we are doing this for DH and Disney for the kids. I've also done the Baltics, and we did Alaska last year so DH wants to keep in more southern Europe. But that long excursion to Rome was awful as a 30-some year old. I just don't think my kids would be into it. I do recall a 10 or 12 night Med cruise during which my friend remarked "enough old stuff". Again, in our 30s. So no need to punish myself by forcing on the kids what they may not love. Quite frankly, it's too expensive a trip for that!

I agree with all that you say! We did HAL in the Baltic with a 14 month old; and then DCL Alaska with a 1 and 3 year old. I also have low tolerance for long drawn out tours, lines etc.. I asked a tour guide to limit the Pompeii tour to max 45 minutes :)

So don't do rome- Civitavecchia has some stuff close by. When I looked at it - i think they had thermal baths not so far away.

BTW- i'm finding most private tours to be around 600 Euros for the day. There are other group tours for kids that are probably less costly.

Livorno - Tours by Roberto - i requested a tour within 1 hour of the port.. we're going to a castle, medieval town, making pasta .... I used him for my wedding and this is the first time I'm trying him with the kids.

Marseille - I contacted the following and told them my kids ages and what i was interested in. Such as going to a chocolatier, seeing lavender ...

BARCELONA:

http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/page/40/with-the-family.html
https://www.barcelonayellow.com/bcn-tourist/519-what-to-see-in-barcelona-with-kids
http://www.barcelonaforkids.com
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/jan/29/barcelona-city-breaks-with-kids-family-holidays-spain
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/6-things-to-see-and-do-in-barcelona-with-children/
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/...children/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d27752a9
https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/activities/barcelona-family-activities.html
http://www.kidsinbarcelona.com
http://spanishsabores.com/2017/08/28/barcelona-with-kids-top-things-to-do-in-barcelona-as-a-family/
https://www.enchantingbarcelonatours.com/family-experiences-barcelona.html
https://realbarcelonatours.com/kids-tours?page=2&per_page=6
https://www.viator.com/tours/Barcel...ark-Guell-for-Kids-and-Families/d562-51738P52
https://www.viator.com/Barcelona-tours/Kid-Friendly-Tours-and-Activities/d562-g21-c78


Hope this helps.
 


I agree with all that you say! We did HAL in the Baltic with a 14 month old; and then DCL Alaska with a 1 and 3 year old. I also have low tolerance for long drawn out tours, lines etc.. I asked a tour guide to limit the Pompeii tour to max 45 minutes :)

So don't do rome- Civitavecchia has some stuff close by. When I looked at it - i think they had thermal baths not so far away.

BTW- i'm finding most private tours to be around 600 Euros for the day. There are other group tours for kids that are probably less costly.

Livorno - Tours by Roberto - i requested a tour within 1 hour of the port.. we're going to a castle, medieval town, making pasta .... I used him for my wedding and this is the first time I'm trying him with the kids.

Marseille - I contacted the following and told them my kids ages and what i was interested in. Such as going to a chocolatier, seeing lavender ...

BARCELONA:

http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/page/40/with-the-family.html
https://www.barcelonayellow.com/bcn-tourist/519-what-to-see-in-barcelona-with-kids
http://www.barcelonaforkids.com
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/jan/29/barcelona-city-breaks-with-kids-family-holidays-spain
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/6-things-to-see-and-do-in-barcelona-with-children/
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/...children/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d27752a9
https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/activities/barcelona-family-activities.html
http://www.kidsinbarcelona.com
http://spanishsabores.com/2017/08/28/barcelona-with-kids-top-things-to-do-in-barcelona-as-a-family/
https://www.enchantingbarcelonatours.com/family-experiences-barcelona.html
https://realbarcelonatours.com/kids-tours?page=2&per_page=6
https://www.viator.com/tours/Barcel...ark-Guell-for-Kids-and-Families/d562-51738P52
https://www.viator.com/Barcelona-tours/Kid-Friendly-Tours-and-Activities/d562-g21-c78


Hope this helps.
very helpful...thanks!!
 
very helpful...thanks!!

Here is who we used.

In Barcelona we used: Barcelona Day Tours. They provided our transport to hotel, from hotel to port, and from port back to airport after the cruise. They did a 1/2 day tour of Barcelona and we did Skip the Line tickets to Park Guell. Our guide was fantastic. He took us to Olympic Stadium and all around Barcelona. It kept the kids entertained after a long flight.

In Naples: We booked Jo Banana Limo Kid Friendly Tour. Again....AMAZING experience. My kids still discuss this today.

Rome/Livorno we used the same guide: Tuscan Heart Tours: Again, will cater to your delight. Yes, Rome was a long ride but the kids kept entertained, we were in an private air conditioned vehicle and they could whip in and out of Rome and the sites easily. They even took us back early when the kids got restless...It was perfect.
 
We did a Disney Mediterranean cruise when my son was 14 and my daughter was 10.

In Villefranche, we took a train to the Marc Chagall museum in Nice. My son enjoyed it, but my daughter was a bit bored.

In Florence, we did the Florence on your Own excursion (as a precaution against arriving back late to the ship). We went to the Galileo museum, which we all enjoyed, and the Uffizi, which was underehelming. The Uffizi was under renovation, so we might enjoy it more now. The drive from the port was long, but I really wanted to see Florence. Pisa would be closer.

In Civitavecchia we did a private tour with Rome in Limo. That was definitely the right choice, since we were able to hit many highlights of the city, including the Colisium, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s, and a spot with a clear view of 3 countries. Our guide was able to keep the kids interested even on the drive into Rome. (They fell asleep on the way back.)

In Naples, we did a Disney excursion to Herculaneum that included a scavenger hunt for kids. Unfortunately, our guide wasn’t as good as the other guides we heard talking, so my daughter didn’t feel engaged. The site itself was very interesting.

As others have said, a Baltic Cruise (which we did 2 years later) typically requires less time to get to excursions or interesting places, so it might be a better choice for younger kids. We don’t regret doing the Med, though.
 
I did the Med with my son when he was 8 and we loved it! Researched a lot ahead of time and did all excursions on our own. It was an incredible trip but very busy.
 
You might want to google Cosmo Caixa. We spent a day there in 2015 when DS and DD were 12 and 6. They talk about it all the time. We are planning a cruise from Barcelona in 2019 and we will be there for our son's 16th birthday. I showed him info on Tibidabo and asked if he wanted to spend his birthday there. He said, no, that he wanted to go to Cosmo Caixa for his birthday. :)

What is this? I tried to look it up, but don't see an English translation and my Spanish is too rusty to really make sense of it....
 
are either of your children soccer players/fans?
in barcelona there is a good soccer stadium tour called the camp nou experience.....
https://www.fcbarcelona.com/tour/buy-tickets

that was the only thing DD and DSIL liked in barcelona...

Thank you for this! I've added it to our itinerary for my two soccer playing teens....I'm sure we are going to see enough "random old stuff" for them already.....
 
What is this? I tried to look it up, but don't see an English translation and my Spanish is too rusty to really make sense of it....
It looks like they updated their website, but not in a good way. There used to be a British flag in the upper corner where you could see it in English. When you google it you can scroll down a bit to a tourism page which is in English and has a lttle info. You can also read reviews on trip advisor and my favorite is to check out "images" from the top menu when you first google it. It is an interactive science museum with lots of hands-on activities, a rain forest and accompanying aquarium. It is layed out really beautifully and we all really enjoyed our time there. So much so that we will be returning before our cruise in 2019 and our son wants to spend his 16th birthday there. :) We cannot wait!
 
I agree with all that you say! We did HAL in the Baltic with a 14 month old; and then DCL Alaska with a 1 and 3 year old. I also have low tolerance for long drawn out tours, lines etc.. I asked a tour guide to limit the Pompeii tour to max 45 minutes :)

So don't do rome- Civitavecchia has some stuff close by. When I looked at it - i think they had thermal baths not so far away.

BTW- i'm finding most private tours to be around 600 Euros for the day. There are other group tours for kids that are probably less costly.

Livorno - Tours by Roberto - i requested a tour within 1 hour of the port.. we're going to a castle, medieval town, making pasta .... I used him for my wedding and this is the first time I'm trying him with the kids.

Marseille - I contacted the following and told them my kids ages and what i was interested in. Such as going to a chocolatier, seeing lavender ...

BARCELONA:

http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/page/40/with-the-family.html
https://www.barcelonayellow.com/bcn-tourist/519-what-to-see-in-barcelona-with-kids
http://www.barcelonaforkids.com
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/jan/29/barcelona-city-breaks-with-kids-family-holidays-spain
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/6-things-to-see-and-do-in-barcelona-with-children/
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/...children/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d27752a9
https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/activities/barcelona-family-activities.html
http://www.kidsinbarcelona.com
http://spanishsabores.com/2017/08/28/barcelona-with-kids-top-things-to-do-in-barcelona-as-a-family/
https://www.enchantingbarcelonatours.com/family-experiences-barcelona.html
https://realbarcelonatours.com/kids-tours?page=2&per_page=6
https://www.viator.com/tours/Barcel...ark-Guell-for-Kids-and-Families/d562-51738P52
https://www.viator.com/Barcelona-tours/Kid-Friendly-Tours-and-Activities/d562-g21-c78


Hope this helps.



this is a great list for barcelona! thanks!

i just booked us for 2019, so now i'm busy looking for things to do and what hotel to stay in.

.
 
Here is who we used.

In Barcelona we used: Barcelona Day Tours. They provided our transport to hotel, from hotel to port, and from port back to airport after the cruise. They did a 1/2 day tour of Barcelona and we did Skip the Line tickets to Park Guell. Our guide was fantastic. He took us to Olympic Stadium and all around Barcelona. It kept the kids entertained after a long flight.

In Naples: We booked Jo Banana Limo Kid Friendly Tour. Again....AMAZING experience. My kids still discuss this today.

Rome/Livorno we used the same guide: Tuscan Heart Tours: Again, will cater to your delight. Yes, Rome was a long ride but the kids kept entertained, we were in an private air conditioned vehicle and they could whip in and out of Rome and the sites easily. They even took us back early when the kids got restless...It was perfect.


so barcelona day tours took your from the airport to the hotel, from the hotel to the port etc..
that sounds really good!
which hotel did you stay in?

.
 
so barcelona day tours took your from the airport to the hotel, from the hotel to the port etc..
that sounds really good!
which hotel did you stay in?

.
Yes, they picked us up and we did a 1/2 day tour directly from the airport. Then we used them for services throughout as we would have had to get two taxis as a family of 5. We stayed at the Renaissance Barcelona. I know it is a Disney preferred hotel but we booked via Marriott and used points.
 
Yes, they picked us up and we did a 1/2 day tour directly from the airport. Then we used them for services throughout as we would have had to get two taxis as a family of 5. We stayed at the Renaissance Barcelona. I know it is a Disney preferred hotel but we booked via Marriott and used points.

we'll be a group of 9, so taxis won't work for us...i think we'd need 3 taxis for that group..
so prearranged transport makes sense
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!







Top