2 day itinerary help with teens in June

I think you're trying to cram too much into day 2. If you take an escorted tour of the Colosseum/Forum, it'll take you well into the noon hour (been there/done that). If you try self-guided, you'll probably either do just fly-bys or you'll go past noon. That leaves little time to get to the Vatican. Then, if you're Vatican tour includes the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, you're looking at very long afternoon. Generally speaking, the afternoon tours begin around 2:00pm so you'd have to have lunch and get across town by then.

If it were me, I would to the Colloseum/Forum one morning and the Vatican the next morning and use the afternoons to do things like bike tours, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, etc.

Good point. We won't arrive early enough on day 1 to be able to get to either Vatican or Colosseum to beat crowds - would have to do an afternoon tour and not sure we want to stand in long lines with so little time. Should we just choose wither doing colosseum/forum or the Vatican/St Peters Basilica/Sistine Chapel? Hate to not see both but don't want to cram too much touring in one day bc we know we also want to see all the other free sights and explore some of the town: Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, explore Trastevere, etc. Since we are there on a Tuesday and Wednesday, I've read that Wednesdays aren't the day to tour the Vatican bc of Pope's possible address so I guess Tuesday would be our Tour day if we chose to tour the Vatican. The bike tour of the Appian Way/Catacombs/Aqueduct is a must for us. Thoughts? Is it possible to just tour St. Peters Basilica and climb the dome without doing the Vatican and would that be recommended? Also, I'm wondering if we should have a private guide for the Colosseum/Forum if that's the route we go vs booking a tour group- thoughts?

Good advice from previous poster. Too much.

Also, you may consider not doing the bike tour and doing the Vatican. You DO NOT want to miss St. Peter's and the amazing Sistine Chapel.

I'll go the opposite direction and recommend skipping the Vatican altogether. Yes, I can hear the howls but you simply don't have time to do everything on your list, and, as you say, the bike tour is top of the heap and a personal must-do. I think that's going to take more time than you think it will but It's probably far preferable to your teenagers than being overrun by the mob at the museums and St Pete's. Go back to Rome on another trip - which you really should do anyway as 1.5 days is an extremely short amount of time for this city - and do the Vatican. It's a real time gobbler.

Your only risk with a bike tour is weather; it can and does rain occasionally in Rome. Last summer was exceptionally dry but we've had days where it rained buckets and hailed besides. Hard to know what this summer will bring. You're more likely to come off the bike tour a sweaty, overheated mess and need to clean up before tackling anything else; more time needed.

Keep the Colosseum and pre-order entry tickets. Do some reading in advance, bring a good guidebook or download Rick's audio guide and you don't really need a tour. For a great view, I might suggest doing the top of the Vittorio Emanuele Monument instead of St Peter's. It's not far from the Colosseum so you can combine it with that. Great view from up there. Do the Pantheon on this day's itinerary as well (which is supposed to have a small entry fee this year).

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/italy

http://www.060608.it/en/cultura-e-svago/beni-culturali/beni-architettonici-e-storici/ascensori-panoramici-e-terrazza-del-complesso-del-vittoriano.html

Walk the freebies (Trevi, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, etc) at night when most of the indoor attractions are closed.

All-in-all, I'd say that you're simply going to have prioritize your A and B list? A's get done; B's get done only if time allows, and don't underestimate the fatigue factor of the summer crowds.

thank you Kathy- we have officially decided to skip the Vatican this time around (I know, GASP!) but I have personally been think my kids will be tired of museums after coming to Rome from Florence and seeing several there. Your're right - the bike tour to the Appian Way/Catacombs/Aqueduct is a high priority as we love nature and want to see a less busy side of Rome with a different vibe than all the touristy sights we are already seeing. I even thought about taking a second bike tour to hit the highlights of Rome but more I think about it- I feel we can accomplish a lot of those sights on our own on Day 2 (we will def make our priority list as you suggested!) Good tip on visiting some of the more popular places in the evening. We definitely want to go to Trastevere and eat and browse, which would be the best day for this? Day 2 after the Colosseum? I also read that when touring the Forum and Colosseum, its best to buy tickets for the Forum and do that FIRST, then go to the Colosseum (where you can skip the line) and do that second. Thoughts? As far as seeing things- I'm thinking Day 1 we will do the bike tour and then get settled into our Airbnb (maybe shower bc you're right- we will be plenty hot and sweaty after biking in the heat) and then use that night to see the spanish steps, Trevi fountain, pantheon? We are staying in Campo de Fiori so think we are pretty central (everything within a walking distance) to where we would want to go. Thoughts?

I also read that when touring the Forum and Colosseum, its best to buy
tickets for the Forum and do that FIRST, then go to the Colosseum
(where you can skip the line) and do that second. Thoughts?

If you are not pre-purchasing tickets online, you definitely do NOT want to stand in line to get them at the Colosseum. As the #1 attraction in Rome, the ticket queue there is immense, especially in high season. I'd actually get them at the Palatine entrance to the Forum/Palatine as lines are probably shortest there.

We definitely want to go to Trastevere and eat and browse, which would
be the best day for this? Day 2 after the Colosseum?

Whatever day you still have energy/time left after crossing your must-dos off the list. If you do your bike tour on Day 1, it'll be with whatever time you have left after getting back to your accommodation and cleaned up. BTW, What are you planning to do with your luggage when you arrive in Rome? I'm guessing you'll be too early to check into your Airbnb.

I even thought about taking a second bike tour to hit the highlights
of Rome

LOL. I see that they do a city-center tour but there's no WAY I'd ride a bike in central Rome (other than in Villa Borghese). While I'm sure they pick some less traveled streets/alleys to get from place to place, nope, I wouldn't do it. I have no interest in an unscheduled visit to a hospital. Shoot, it's enough to keep wits about me on my FEET. You'll probably see what I mean once you experience Roman traffic/crowds.

Day 2, do the Colosseum first, as early as possible, even if you purchase your tickets at the Forum it's a short walk back. Or as Kathy suggested online.
Your itinerary would look like this.
Colosseum, Forum, walk to Circus Maximus turn right, halfway cross the street through the Rose Garden to the Gardini Arancia and to the Aventine overlook. From there head north on Clovis di Rocco and turn left on Lungotevere Aventino to either Ponte Palitino or head north along the river to Ponte Sisto Crossing the bridge into Trastevere.

I think your plans are fine, but do heed the advice to prioritize, because Rome is seductive and you may be led astray by picturesque streets and gelato breaks. It's never a mistake to do what feels right at the moment and to plan things that align with your personal interests. Three trips to Rome and I've never been inside the Colosseum. It bothers me not at all.

I agree that central Rome is not where I would want to be on a bicycle.

Santa Maria de Trastevere is a very pretty church. Absolutely stop in if it's open when you're in the area. I wouldn't make a special trip to Trastevere just to see it, simply because your time in Rome is so limited and you will find yourself walking past lots of churches--many not as grand, but most with interiors the likes of which we don't see in the US/Canada. I think you'll find your kids don't object to a short visit to an extravagant church you happen to be passing by as opposed to one that requires two cross-town treks to get there and back.

Now, about that dinner in Trastevere (or anywhere else in Rome): I stayed in Trastevere on my only recent trip to Rome (2015), and I tried to do what you're apparently planning--wandering around, looking at menus, sitting down and having a nice Italian dinner. The reality: You will probably be turned away repeatedly because the restaurants are booked up, though they will look very empty if you're seeking food early in the evening.

This subject has come up several times in the last couple of years, and our experienced Roman hands have explained that Italian restaurants do not plan to turn their tables during the evening. If someone makes a reservation for 9 or 9:30, that table is not going to be available to you at 7 PM. It seems odd to us Americans, but that's the way it usually works in Italy. The only way to be sure you'll be able to have dinner at a good restaurant (and by "good" I don't mean "fancy/expensive", I mean "not-a-touristy-clip-joint") is to make a reservation. Earlier the same day will be fine in many places. If you opt not to do this (and I can understand why you might prefer flexibility over certainty), you'll eventually find something to eat, somewhere. You might get lucky; it might be a really fine and fun meal, but it would be sort of a shame not to be sure of one good meal, wouldn't it?

There was a very recent thread seeking suggestions for places to eat in Rome, and I know Trastevere was mentioned. You may have luck with the Search function. If you're up for an extremely simple-looking place (think "hole-in-the-wall"), I can recommend Da Enzo in Trastevere. It's known for Roman-style food and is said to be popular with off-duty chefs. I was very fortunate to simply walk in and grab a tiny table at lunchtime; I was probably early, and they don't take reservations for lunch. I returned for dinner a couple of days later and was not so lucky. Do take to heart my description of Da Enzo's appearance; many people would prefer a place that looks a bit less down-at-the-heels.

I can just tell you what my two 17 year olds enjoyed the most during our trip in 2016? Applian way /aqueducts was the least favorite, just not interested compared to what else they had seen, of course this was our last of 4 full days in Rome. They loved the underground tour at the Colosseum, in fact there were adults that were chatting during the tour and my kids both kept moving closer to the speaker (even though we had earpieces in) to learn more. We did the forum after lunch, was very hot and they lost interest when they got too hot. Teens-feed them constantly with pizza and gelato and they are much happier to be in the heat (It was close to 100 our time in Rome) We also did the crypt tour under St. Peters Basilica, they loved it, climbed to the top of the dome, one kid was just talking about this the other day. We powered through the museums (they loved some areas, others we just quickly moved on) to the Sistine Chapel, worth it to us. They loved the ruins where there are cats running all over. Putting the hand in the mouth of truth, got a total kick out of. Trastevere, didn't seem to care. Parthenon, Trevi fountain went back more than once on way to other things, kids requested to see again. We saw the Spanish steps, still blocked off at the time, we saw at the boat fountain and had a wonderful time people watching and just absorbing. Plan what you think will work for your family, you know them best and just enjoy your time.

Kids can tire of museums, but when I took my 7 and 12 year old to St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel, they loved them.

My 7 year son Son was in awe of the Sistine Chapel. We sat on the floor and went through the guide book for me to explain the frescoes to him. He didn't want to leave. He talked about that experience for a long time.

You you skip the Vatican, you must go back to Rome.

I'd agree. At the same time, this family will have just come from Florence and the ridiculously beautiful museums there!

Thanks for clarifying the reservations acraven- very helpful! As for the biking northwestern, we are an outdoor family who loves hiking, biking and scenery so think this will be good for us. I've been to Rome before and my best description is that it felt like "New York City on steroids"- I welcome the chance to get off the beaten path a little bit. It's really hard to decide (narrow) down what to do and theres no guarantees our agenda will please everyone but hey!....at the end of the day, a day in Rome is always going to be a great day because we are on vacation! :). We definitely plan on pizza (and gelato- it will be hot after all!!) as often as we can. I think we are leaning on doing a Colosseum tour with What a life on Tuesday- does anyone have any experience with them? They are not the cheapest but get great reviews.

We did our first Segway tour in Rome. Think it was Rex tours. We did monuments by night and it was great. A Segway would give you the outside experience in less time if it is offered where you want to see. Very easy to operate. Could you share your airbnb info? I'm looking now for the fall