Rome with ADHD

[LisaClark]

Traveling in June 2022 on the Allure out of Rome with DH, niece, and her boyfriend. This is our first time in Rome. We want to arrive a few days early to see the sights. Problem is DH and niece both have ADHD and social anxiety. I’m looking at a tour of the Vatican in the early morning and the Colosseum at night to avoid the worst of the crowds. I’m stumped what to do during the days though. They need to be able to stop and eat regularly, because that helps them decompress. I also need to keep tours short so their focus doesn’t wander too much, plus avoid the worst of the typical tourist crowds. I don’t have a ton of extra money to funnel into private tours, but smaller groups of 20 or so are okay. Has anybody had experience with this or have thoughts of things we can do that might be more off the beaten path? Maybe patient tour operators willing to work with us? I’m even willing to daytrip out of Rome if there’s something fun that’s not crazy busy. My research is still in the super early phase and any recommendations would be welcome. 😁

 

[dogs4fun]

Rome in June is crazy busy. You may want to reschedule for early spring or fall when tourist hordes are not as intense.

Although not as crowded as during the day, both the  colosseum & Vatican will be very busy regardless of when you go. Really not a great experience for those experiencing anxiety due to ADHD.

Edited February 24, 2021 by dogs4fun

[euro cruiser]

There really is no way to avoid massive crowds at the Vatican museums if you go during regular hours, going on the first tour of the day really doesn't change the situation.   Even the shortest tour is a three hour event, by the time you get in, take the tour and get out, so keep that in mind.  The only way to have a focused visit without crowds is to take one of the very expensive before or after hours tours.

 

As for everywhere else, Rome is incredibly easy to visit on your own without a tour guide.  Yes, you'll learn more with a guide but you'll only get what they decide to tell you.  Since you have a lot of time to prepare, read a variety of guide books and web sites and put together your own tour, at your own pace, focused on your family's interests.

[LisaClark]

Unfortunately we can’t go in the off season because my niece is in college and can’t take a semester off. This was about the best time we could agree on. I am looking at the before and after hours tours of the Vatican and Colosseum. They aren’t so crazy priced I can’t manage it.

[euro cruiser]

Be careful and look at the specifics.  There are early entry tours and there are before opening tours.  The former may be enough for you and they are fall less expensive than the before/after opening tours, just be sure to read through the details.

 

I can tell you that after several visits to the Vatican Museums a friend and I "gave" each other one of the after hours tours as our birthday presents one year.  It was expensive (more than a decade ago it was around $350 each) but we felt it was worth it to have the Sistine Chapel to ourselves (our group of about a dozen with a Vatican archivist as our guide) for a half hour.  

[rdt10]

We did a before hours tour of the Vatican museum with Marisa of Rome with Marisa. We were there almost alone the whole time. Other times I've been there during regular hours it was shoulder to shoulder. Marisa was excellent and very reasonably priced. She does other tours of Rome too.

 

Rome is very easy to see on your own. Many sites are within walking distance which would allow stops along the way.