dendleju

We arrive late afternoon on July 4 with 2 kids aged 10 & 12 who are experienced travelers.
We have rented an apartment near Piazza Navona
We have 5 days

In what order would it make most sense to do things, please. I want to book ahead where I can but do not want to try to pack too much in on this first trip.
SITES ON OUR LIST:

Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel (planning on line booking which is just starting to be available for dates of our trip)

Palatine Hill, Forum, Colesseum (& possibly include Gladiator School for kids

Stroll Piazzas to Ponte Sisto & Trastevere

Janiculum

Pantheon

Borghese (since we will visit museums elsewhere in Italy, this may need to be for another trip, given the age of our children!)

Spanish Steps
Trevi Fountains

Gelato & strolling in the evenings!

What order would you do the major sights please?
THANKS!!

jgg

The first time we traveled to Rome our kids were 9 and 12. If you are planning on booking tours for the Vatican and Colosseum/etc. I would do those with more of a free day in between. Also, keep in mind that many good Vatican tours will start early in the morning, often about 8:00am in order to avoid the long lines so consider that when booking it - not sure if this is your first city in Rome but just consider jetlag. We too skipped Borghese on our first trip due to the exact same reason - there would be more art museums in other cities and I didn't want to overload them.

Most of the other things you have listed just enjoy exploring on your own and can be done on the days in between. So I would do:
Day 1 - free day
Day 2 - tour of Vatican
Day 3 - free day
Day 4 - Colosseum
Day 5 - free day

I would also recommend going to Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini - you won't see anything like it anyplace else. Google it to get an idea of what you will see.

Something else we did that our kids really enjoyed was the Criminologico Museum. Exhibits of medieval torture as well as information on Italian crime. Not all signage was in English but the exhibits were still quite interesting.

I also suggest you go see the catacombs - again very interesting.

Here is a link to my trip report along with pictures:
http://www.fromhometoroam.com/2012/05/rome-2005/

tuscanlifeedit

This isn't a rushed itinerary and I don't think it's going to be hard to arrange.

You're already on the right track.

Your Pantheon visit can be included in your day of strolling piazzas to the Ponte Sisto and Trastevere. This day could begin with a visit to the Campo Fiori, too.

A visit to the Borghese is reasonable for the children of those ages. Stick to the ground floor level and I predict that they will be happy; it's not too big. While there, take in the parts of the Borghese Gardens. If you are in Rome over a Sunday, this is a very nice way to spend the day.

You have your ancient sites grouped well. I suggest you do them and the Vatican on the second and third days.

Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain could be nice for your arrival day.

These are just my thoughts on organizing your time. I think you already have a good plan.

indy_dad

We went with kids of a similar age (12 &9), albeit in cooler weather. We aren't fast travelers so you can perhaps get an idea of pacing from my trip report/blog:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...log-photos.cfm

We did enjoy a trip out to Ostia Antica in the middle of the week to stretch our legs outside the city.

Do see the Borghese. It is impressive and not too big (and you have a fixed time limit as well).

My experience was to do St. Peter's first thing in the morning and the Vatican in the afternoon without pre-booking and that worked really well. Other's prefer to book and do the Vatican in the morning.

Good luck.

dendleju

Thanks so much -- of course St Peter's should be on the list and I agree, working that into the Vatican day makes a lot of sense

Anyone recommend a guide for any of these indy_dad, I believe it is on your blog I noted a young lady did a guided tour of Forum/Colesseum etc?
Any suggestions please -- as it is July and will be hot & busy am happy to spend extra bucks to simplify

Jean

I would pick the Borghese Gallery over the Vatican Museums in your case. Definitely see the Sistine Chapel but just walk through the other rooms rather than spend time and the kids' limited attention on the other treasures.

Borghese Bonus: The Borghese Gardens are a nice respite from the city below. You can walk between the Gallery and Piazza del Popolo (or near the top of the Spanish Steps), enjoy the shaded paths, get some gelato, etc.

I don't know if there are age restrictions, but, if you can, take the elevator to the dome of St. Peter's and then climb to the roof. Your kids will get a kick out of walking on top of the basilica, and the views are amazing.

I wouldn't go out of my way to go to the top of Janiculum. But I would make a stop at the Vittorio Emanuele Monument (aka The Typewriter or The Wedding Cake) and take the elevator on the back side to the roof for great views of the Forum, Colosseum and the rest of Rome. There's a small cafeteria if you want to have lunch or stop for gelato, etc. On the front side of the Monument, you might get lucky and catch the Changing of the Guard at the Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but I wouldn't wait around if you miss it.

amamax2

We went when our kids were 9 & 11 (sounds like a popular age for taking kids to Rome!) and they loved it!

We used Francesca Caruso for a private guide to see the Ancient sites (Colosseum, Forum, Palantine) and added in the Basilica San Clemente. She was FANTASTIC with the kids and I highly recommend her.

Definitely climb to the top of St Peter's - a highlight for all - and I would add in, time permittng - Castel Sant'Angelo, which is close to St Peter's. I agree with indy_dad that you all would like a visit to Ostica Antica, if you have the time.

Will you be arriving to Rome from the United States? And about what time?

annhig

I was going to add Ostia Antica too, plus a day trip to Tivoli to see the Villa D'este - wonderful fountains.

our kids, though a bit older, loved Rome too. THey particularly liked being about to go out and buy breakfast from the same bakery, going to the same gelateria, people recognising and saying hello to them..kids love that sort of familiarity.

get them to learn a bit of italian before you go and they will be able to say please and thank you which will make them a hit with shopkeepers and waiters.

Indogirl1

Hello, we will be in Rome around that time as well, my kids are 9 and 11 y old. I am thinking of skipping Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel altogether due to fear sardine like crowds /hot weather.
We were there(pre kids) in 1998 in March and it was wall to wall people. I want the kids to see the Sistine Chapel but wondering if it's worth it fighting the hot/crowds. on the other hand,we took the kids to Paris nad they enjoyed The Louvre. But the Louvre is much more space/less crowds. My experience with the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel is you go through a series of rooms,cattle herding style with people moving in one direction. i am afraid the kids woun't be able to see anything but people's back.
I am thinking of taking them to Palazzo Dorria Pamphilj instead . We are visiting St Peters and have tickets reserved for Papal Audience on Wednesday July 3.

amamax2

Just realized I forgot to put Francesca's contact info; it looks like she has a web page now:

http://francescacaruso.com/

hollywoodsc

Yes, book a tour of the Forum otherwise it's a jumble of ruins. A good tour guide will put it in perspective and make it come alive for you.

There are free evening walking tours of Rome (Spanish Steps/Trevi fountain/Pantheon/Piazza Navona) that meet at the Keats Shelley house, at the bottom of the Spanish Steps.
You can also download a city walking tour to an Ipod and the kids could be 'in charge' of reading the street signs and following the audio tour.
Rome Walks does good tours of Forum/Colosseum and Vatican museum/Sistine Chapel. Small groups of 12.

annhig

I am thinking of taking them to Palazzo Dorria Pamphilj instead .>>

good idea. the audio guide is excellent, the paintings are superb, and there are far fewer people. i've been twice now and enjoyed it as much the 2nd time as the first when I was there with my kids, who liked it too, especially the rooms that are laid out as they would have been when the palazzo was first occupied about 400 years ago.

bardo1

I would take a (super quick) taxi from Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere UP to the park at Janiculum Hill after wandering the Trastevere area. Bring a picnic, a football/soccer ball/frisbee for the kids and books/scrabble/a bottle of wine for the adults. BRING YOUR OWN PICNIC - the concession stand snacks on offer there are as horrendous as the views are gorgeous. Either go for the 10 minute taxi back to apartment or walk downhill toward St. Peter's.

Consider the (super air conditioned) Archeobus for touring the Appian Way and the catacombs. Another good bet for kids your childen's ages. http://www.trambusopen.com/it/archeobus.cfm

AnnSanders

I personally have been to Rome last year, but a friend of mine is starting a service for designing personalized trip itineraries based on your personal requests, interests and concerns.

Now she's on the pilot and is giving away personalized itineraries for free, so I think you can try it.

Here's a link: http://goo.gl/nFTlX

No intention to advertise, just a free help on itinerary.

Hope you enjoy it.

bardo1

<I>"No intention to advertise,...</I>

That might have some credulity were this not a first post...