How long in Rome with kids 7 & 9?
 

I am trying to figure out how long my family (2 adults 2 kids 7 & 9) should plan on staying in Rome. We will be going there in mid October. It looks like 4 days should cover it. Here is my tenative itinerary:

Day 1 Vatican tour
Day 2 Time elevator, Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Gladiator training
Day 3 Forum & Colliseum
Day 4 Borghese Gallery

Does this should right? Should I add or remove anything? Other general comments?

Thanks

We were there with three older kids - 10, 14 and 16 - and found five days about right. Just walking around, especially in the evening, was the highlight.

Are you sure you want to take kids that young to the Borghese Gallery? Or a Vatican tour?

Piazza Navona would be on my list with kids that young.

I'd try an open air bus tour the first day and see what caught the kids fancy.

I've taken my daughters to Rome quite a few times, starting when they were four and seven. They did not go to the Vatican Museum until their last trip, when they were 10 and 13. They enjoyed it well enough, but it wasn't a highlight for them. The Borghese is OK for kids as it's relatively small and children do seem to appreciate the Bernini sculptures. Be sure to stop at the small amusement area in the Borghese gardens, near the movie theater, that has some fun rides and games the seven year old particularly may enjoy. If you have a rainiy day, take them to the Explora Children's Museum north of Piazza del Popolo. Brave kids might be interested in the Capuchin Crypt on Via Veneto. For other ideas, check out my travel note titled "Chills and Thrills in the Eternal City" which is on the Slowtravel website.

Well the borghese may be "ok" for kids but it is hardly fair to those art lovers for who go to considerable effort and expense to get to Rome's premier art gallery and find kids there who seem to appreciate a few things.

Kids who need thrills and chills when traveling -- and 99.9 percent certainly do, it's normal -- shouldn't be booked into serious art museums designed for adults. There are plenty of Berninis on public view in Rome at the fountains in the Piazza Navona. Take the kids there! (And to the Piazza Barberini for more Bernini and more fountains).