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Old 07-16-2019, 07:41 PM   #21
malcolmk14
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We booked two tours run by CityWonders in/around Rome. You can book right on their website or through one of the third parties. GetYourGuide, Viator, etc., are all third-party booking apps, kind of like Expedia.

We did the Vatican express skip-the-line early morning and showed up at 7:20. It was a great way to get into the Sistine Chapel before the crowds & not be so hot and uncomfortable. You can stay in the whole day after that and explore the museums.

We also did a day trip to Pompeii/Vesuvius. It was pretty good - you leave around 7:30 am and climb Vesuvius, have lunch near Naples, then head to Pompeii for about a 2-hour guided tour. Get back to Rome around 7:30 PM. It's a lot of driving for what it is, but we wanted to go, so we did!

For the Colosseum we didn't book ahead but there are tons of guides & groups outside who have pre-purchased group tickets and are just re-selling them at a bit of a markup. I think we paid 35 euros each and walked right past the line + got a guided tour. Some are more reputable than others. Haha. We went with Crown Tours.

In Paris, we bought the timed entry for the Louvre on a Friday for 4:30. They are open until 9:30 on Wednesdays and Fridays so that gave us plenty of time to explore. I highly recommend downloading the "Rick Steves Audio Europe" app and getting the Louvre tour podcast. He takes you through the Louvre and hits the highlights of the Denon wing in 2 1/2 hours. Then you can spend the rest of the time quickly checking out the other two wings. We didn't even get to the Richelieu wing. The Rick Steves tour is really great and you don't even have to bother with the audio guide for 5 euros from the Louvre. I highly recommend buying the timed entry and doing an evening. The crowds were not bad at all.

We also went out to Versailles. Rick Steves also has a great 2-hour tour of the palace on the app that we used & it was awesome. If you can, get your timed-entry tickets in advance. If it's too late and you can't do that, you have a couple of options.

Send one member of your party to line up in the huge line in the courtyard and someone else to go buy tickets as soon as you arrive.

When you go into the ticket building, look for the signs for the automated ticket machines. There are 8 of them in a small back room that, for some reason, no one goes to. Get your tickets from the machines.

Head back to the courtyard & join your friend in line. Pack a lunch and picnic in the gardens. They are massive and amazing.
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Old 07-16-2019, 08:10 PM   #22
troutman
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We took our boys when they were 5 and 7 to Euro Disney. It was just like Disneyland except everyone was smoking like there was no tomorrow.
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Old 07-16-2019, 08:23 PM   #23
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We did a night time tour of the Colosseum. We met at dusk and toured some of the ruins in and around the Forum and Palatine Hill and we went into the Colosseum around midnight. It was awesome as there was only a couple dozen people in it at that time. You get to see a bit more as the take you down under the floor to see the mechanisms used to change the sets and all the cages where the animals were kept.

Definitely worth doing it at night to avoid the crowds.
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Old 07-16-2019, 08:37 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman View Post
We took our boys when they were 5 and 7 to Euro Disney. It was just like Disneyland except everyone was smoking like there was no tomorrow.
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