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Itinerary of 4 days in Rome with kids

Posted by (South Surrey, B.C., Canada) on

We are arriving in Rome in the later afternoon Aug 30th. Will be traveling with family which includes three children (10, 8, 5) and parents. Here's the itinerary that I have so far..

Day 1 - arrive mid afternoon in Rome. Check in to hotel, wonder the streets, find a restaurant and soak it all in.

Day 2 - take the hop on hop off bus for the day, maybe book a skip the line Vatican Tour for myself, husband and 10 yr old son in the later afternoon. Think this will be lost on the younger kids and my parents have already been before.

Day 3 - 8:20am Kid Tour of the Colosseum and Forums, rest of the day to walk around, maybe climb the cupola.

Day 4 - Tour of the Catacombs and crypts in the morning. Has anyone done this? Would it be too long for a 5 year old? My kids don't scare easy, so I think it would be an interesting tour for all of us.

Any other suggestions of attractions or places to see?

Thank you in advance!

Posted by
1970 posts

I would skip the hop-on/hop off bus.
Maybe visit the Victor Emmanuel Savoy monument (massive white structure) and take elevator to the top. Pantheon and Piazza Navona for the fountains. Sopra Di Minerva Church is excellent and doable with kids. Gelato breaks - San Crispino and Monte Fiore (I have to check the spelling on that one.). Trevi Fountain and bring a few coins for kids to toss. Largo Argentina is an interesting cat sanctuary for a walk around.

Posted by
12043 posts

maybe climb the cupola

You mean the dome at St Peters?

If you are planning a Vatican Museum tour on day 2, why not do the dome climb that day?

Posted by
15 posts

Why do you suggest to skip the hop on hop off bus?

Yes, I am referring to St. Peters and doing that before or after the Vatican is a great idea. Thank you.

Posted by
1230 posts

I was going to say skip the bus too. For me its because you het to see so much walking from place to place. Visiting a city isn't just about ticking sites off, but being immersed in streets, and discovering hidden gems around a corner that were not on your itinerary. On a more practical level, the one time we took a bus in Rome, the wait for it was longer than the walk to the Colosseum, so we walked back and had a lovely random lunch in a hole-in-the-wall where the elderly owner couple didn't speak English at all and we were the only people in the restaurant. I realize you have a 5 yr old (my youngest was 9, so thats a big difference with all the walking), and that you have your parents with you, and maybe you are trying to make it easier on them (and yourself ;), but I stick by my opinion. I would piggy-back the 5 yr old as needed...
As for activities, Borghese park is a nice escape from the tourist crush. We spent some time there after visiting the Borghese museum. Ate a picnic lunch, rented bikes, walked around the lake, etc etc. We tried a different gelato place every day (Fatamorgana is the best but not always nearby ;) ), so they had that to look forward to.
I didn't visit the Catacombs in Rome but did in Paris and my kids loved it! I second or third the Pantheon - not necessarily for the kids...

Posted by
186 posts

Ditto on Borghese Park--great place for kids, you can rent bikes, sight see, picnic, stroll, have great city views. There are playgrounds, too.

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