I have been working on an itinerary for a trip my husband and I are taking with our 7 and 10 year old boys in June. I'd appreciate any ideas for adding or subtracting items. I'd especially like tour ideas for Rome. Thanks!

Saturday - London
Morning
Arrive in London
9 a.m. Flight Arrives Gatwick
Southwark area via First Capital Connect
Shower and Rest
Afternoon
Globe Theater? Near Hotel - if not too tired
London Tower Bridge? Near Hotel - if not too tired
Evening
London Eye

Sunday - London
Morning
Windsor Castle
Afternoon
Legoland
Evening - Return to Hotel

Monday - London
Morning
Big Bus Tour Bus
Tower of London
Afternoon
Brass Rubbings: St Martin-in-the-Fields
Evening
Relax - Eat Out

Tuesday - London
Morning
Buckingham Palace Changing of the Guard
Afternoon
Princess of Wales Memorial Playground
Evening
Mary Poppins - Prince Edward Theater

Wednesday - London to Paris
Morning
Eurostar from London to Pari
Afternoon
Paris Story film (for a good video orientation)
Evening
Hot Chocolate at Angélina (on rue de Rivoli)
Cruise the Seine River or Paris Illumination nighttime bus tour

Thursday - Paris
Morning:
Tour the Lourve
Afternoon:
Les Égouts, the Paris sewers
Evening:
Twilight ride up the Eiffel Tower.

Friday - Paris to Rome Overnight Train
Morning:
Follow Historic Paris Walk from Rick's Paris guidebook, featuring Ile de la Cité, Notre-Dame, Latin Quarter, and Sainte-Chapelle.
Afternoon
Visit Versailles
Evening
Overnight train to Rome

Saturday - Rome
Morning
Locate Hotel
Afternoon
Hop On / Hop Off Bus
Evening
FREE Tour of the Pantheon - Angel Tours

Sunday - Rome
Morning
The Roman Forum and Colosseum Tour - Angel Tours
Afternoon
Shop / Relax
Evening
6 p.m. Walking Tour
Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Campo di Fiori, works of Caravaggio and the Tomb of the artist Raphael, ending the tour at the Ancient ruins of Torre Argentina.

Monday - Rome
Morning /Afternoon
Vatican City - Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s
Evening
Relax / Pack

Tuesday - Rome to Home

Hi M

>...taking our 7 and 10 year old boys

London - 4 nights
Paris - 2 nights!!!!????
> Paris to Rome Overnight Train
Rome - 3 nights

You are going to have too really cranky, tired, upset kids.

You and DH aren't going to be in very good shape either.

Two of the three will be quite sufficient.

I suggest dropping Rome.

Fly into London and out of Paris.

I can't believe I'm suggesting that you skip Rome, but I have to agree with Ira. All that moving around with with such short times in each place with two kids is not a good idea! Split the time between London & Paris and have a much more enjoyable trip.

Sunday: I would switch to a weekday to avoid weekend crowds at Legoland.

Friday: Just seems like too much to do, getting out to Versailles in the afternoon and get back for your train to Rome.

Sunday: Lots of walking but just be ready for that!

There are discounted ticket to Mary Poppins at http://www.broadwaybox.com/london/th...s_tickets.aspx £35 instead of £49. Enjoy!

hi, Mary,

tuesday schedule in london won't take you long - changing the guard will take 30 minutes!

you need to find something else to do this day, IMO. [westminster abbey, boat trip to Greenwich or natural history museum?]

a show would be good too.

have to agree that in the time you've got, all three cities look too much. assuming flights into London and out of Rome are booked, I'd consider flying straight from London to Rome, and cutting out Paris which will be there for another time.

regards, ann

The sewers? I'd be inclined to keep the kids above ground and perhaps show them something a bit more educational and cultural.

the Pantheon IMO is a bore for adults let alone kids. The kids would enjoy les Invalides with the military museum. The changing of the guards is busy crowded and a gain a bit of a bore. Whe you arrive on Sat there is the Southwark market..you will be exhausted but if you happen by even for 15mins it is fun. I think your boys would enjoy a Jack the Ripper Walk..avoid the London Dungeon (you will see signs ner the area of your hotel).I would put the Tower of London on Tuesday am..The BB Tour may be enough on Monday am. (I have 3 boys and have spent a lot of time in London. If you have any specifics re child friendly in Paris and London I may be able to help).

Agree with Ann about cutting out Paris.

IMO, Rome is one of the European cities that kids can relate better to, much more than Paris. What kid hasn't heard about the Colosseum? And any time they get cranky, just give them a gelato and problem solved!

We took our 6 and 8 year old boys to London and Paris for 8 days at Easter and it all went extremely well. My advice, for what it's worth:

London: do the double decker bus tour on the first day. It's a good excuse for a two hour rest and orientation. Our guys loved being upstairs and driving past Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Horseguards etc. Ours ended in Trafalgar Sq and we walked up Regent Street to Hamleys Toy Store: huge hit. Next day we spend the morning at the Tower of London and afternoon at a matinee of Mary Poppins: both great choices and not too much for one day. Day 3 was the Natural History Museum in Kensington (fantastic dinosaur skeletons, bugs, reptiles etc) and general strolling.

Paris: Batobus along Seine to Eiffel Tower great. Tower itself doesn't need to be climbed (huge crowds and queues at Easter, we were just happy to look at it and take pictures). Louvre was a highlight as reported by our boys but I urge you to pre-select things to see rather than just wander. We made a bee line for the Egyptian Antiquities (mummies etc), sculpture courts, Winged Victory, Mona Lisa and Napolean's Apartments and everyone was happy. Angelina's for hot chocolate sounds great in theory but every time we turned up there was a queue out the door and the kids were scratchy and hungry so it just didn't work. One day we went to Napolean's tomb and the Army Museum: huge hits. They were NOT interested in the Rodin Museum.

Hope this is helpful.

Rome is a great city for kids but it can't be a long, forced march between historical sights and museums, especially for a seven year old. I've taken my daughters to Rome several times; they are now almost 13 and 10. They still haven't been to the Vatican Museums because, in my opinion, it's too big and crowded. The tomb of Raphael is in the Pantheon, so you don't need to go there twice. I think this is a very ambitious itinerary in light of your sons' ages. Instead of all these tours in Rome that are geared to adult interests, you may want to play that city a little more by ear. See my travel note:
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/rome/chills_thrills.htm which has some ideas on kid friendly activities in Rome.

I know people suggest the wax rubbings but I just don't get it and neither did my kids. Anyway, it's a 30 minute stop at the most.

I have to agree with others who suggest you limit the trip to only two cities. Since it sounds like you already have your plane tickets booked, I would stick with London and Rome - two of our favorites anyway.

Please look up the link Grinisa gave you for her guide of the "Chills and Thrills in the Eternal City". We used it extensively on our first trip to Rome and loved all her ideas. Particularly recommend the Criminologico Museum. We had it to ourselves when we were there and I think your boys would really love it!

If you do Rome, the Time Elevator is an interactive introduction to the history of Rome (I'm guessing similar to Paris Story). You might do that as an introduction. For ideas we did with our kids 11, 9, and 6, see our trip report: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34735492

What about the wax museums for the kids? My kids want to see the Grevin Wax Museum next month in Paris since we didn't have time for Madame Tousseaud's in London.

I agree with the Legoland switch. We went on a Wednesday last year and crowds were very reasonable. Very little waiting for rides.

A few comments on your Saturday evening schedule:
You talk about going to the Area Sacra dell'Argentina at the end of the walk. There is a cat sanctuary there at one end (near Via Florida) which your sons might like to visit. I am not sure of the hours but definitely not evening. WE visited on Sunday afternoon and stopped by many times during the rest of the week to count the number of cats we could see among the ruins.
You also talk about works of Caravaggio on a 6 pm tour of various sites. I assume you mean the 3 at san Luigi dei Francesci. It is only open until 7 p.m.

You may want to reverse the order of the walk. Also,near the Pantheon, your sons might enjoy seeing the Pie di Marmo, the foot of a large statue and the Bernini elephant obelisk. When my kids were this age they liked trying to follow maps and find various fountains, buildings, etc.

When you are wandering around you may see street performers and artists who will interest the boys.

You are taking the HOHO bus one day. AT stop #4, the Bocca dell Verita and Santa Maria in Cosmedian, your kids might want to put their hands in the mouth (There are often long lines waiting to do this, though)

If the Museo delle Mura at the Porta San Sebastiano is open you might enjoy visiting it/the Aurelian Wall. But check with the tourist office because I think I read somewhere that it is closed for a while