Rome - 5 days

http://www.10cose.it/roma/cosa-vedere-roma.html

Must see are above (use Google Translate, although you can figure out the list without).
IMO 5 days are too long in one city, even if it's Rome, especially because kids get bored easily visiting churches and museums.
You can see all the items in the list above in 2 days (3 in leisure).
Use the extra days to visit one or more of the items below in day trips:
Orvieto (via train)
Ostia Antica (near the Rome airport) or Pompeii (via fast train through Naples)
Adrian's villa in Tivoli
Santa Marinella (beach day) via train
Florence (via fast train)
Colli Albani and Lago di Bracciano (via ACOTRAL bus)

Hi,
We were in Rome for 3 days last month, and here were our favorite things:
-Vatican (free)
-Vatican Museum (not free, and you definitely want to reserve ahead of time to avoid the line.)
-Colosseum/Roman Forum (small fee) and walk around the Circus Maximus
-Pantheon (free) - the Piazza Navona overlooking the Pantheon is also beautiful!)
-Trevi Fountain (free) - and San Crispino Gelato nearby is the best in Rome!
-Spanish Steps (free) - a little over-rated, but if you want to head to all the famous spots, it's worth a try
-La Bocca Verita (put your hand in, and it'll bite your hand off if you tell a lie!) - free, and fun for kids
-Il Parco Gianocolo - near the Trastevere neighborhood, which is my favorite because there aren't as many tourists. This park has beautiful views over the city - probably the best viewpoint! There are lots of great restaurants nearby if you're there in the evening.

We downloaded Rick Steves' podcasts onto our phones (iPhones and Android phones) and they were great, I felt we were able to get a good highlights tour of each destination without having to pay for a tourguide. If your whole family has smart phones or iPods, I'd highly recommend it!

The one place I'd highly recommend a tour is of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. There aren't many signs, so you have no idea what you're looking at - but the history is incredible. On a previous trip I joined a group tour, and it was worth every penny. You can hire tourguides once you get there - lots of them wander around the Colosseum signing people up for tours.

Also, I will add that the Vatican Museum is laid out like an Ikea store - there's only one direction of foot traffic, so you can't skip to certain areas. It took us at least an hour to get to the Sistine Chapel, and we were walking pretty quickly and not making too many stops. You may not want to bring all 4 kids there, unless the Sistine Chapel is an absolute must-see for the whole family.

I'd suggest booking a tour if you plan to visit either the Forum or Ostia Antica. Although RS guidebook does provide a tour route, at Ostia all it took was one wrong turn and I never got back on track. I never figured out where i was/what i was seeing. I've always been really pleased w Context Rome, and w such a big group, you could book a private tour. Avoid the "guides" that cluster near entrances, since there's no assurance of quality.

Something not on lists of must-sees is Castel S Angelo. We did it last trip, going very late in the day. The kids really enjoyed exploring, and the sunset viewed from an upper level was beautiful. The exterior lighting in the evening was also striking.

Thank you everyone for your tips. Can't wait to see Rome.

Thanks, all.

We spent a week in Rome a few years ago with our kids. We used a private guide for our family of five at the Vatican - it was cheaper than doing the group tours and she was able to make it very interesting for my kids. [email protected] is her email, and she can do multiple tours for you. We bought our tickets for the Vatican online ahead of time and met Federica outside the museum entrance. I would definitely recommend getting those tickets in advance! We used Rick Steve's audio tours at the Colosseum and the Forum and that worked well also. My kids (14, 15 and 18 when we went) also liked Basilica San Clemente, the Capuchin Crypt, the Time Elevator Roma (cheesy but they had fun), the zoo, Gladiator School (we booked ahead through Viatours). We did a long day trip to Pompeii and the Naples Archeological Museum - we hired a private driver and guide for this day. We used Romashuttle.com - they picked us up at our lodging with a van (seats 8), and dropped us off 12 hours later, tired but happy:) It was way cheaper than buying individual metro/train tickets for such a big group. My daughter loved having a shopping day - she and I split off from the boys and found some inexpensive boutiques over near the Vatican, we shopped and had a girls day which was great fun. The boys went to the zoo that day with their Dad. Whatever you choose, have a great trip!

If any of the girls are teens, there is a Brandy Melville store on Via de Corso (the posh shopping street) that made my 16-year-old's day when we happened upon it. It is huge compared with their stores in Boston and NYC. We did a strolling and shopping day that was a nice break from ruins and museums. By the way, the Trevi fountain is dry right now as it's being restored, and when I was there in March same for the fountain at the Spanish Steps. View from the top of the Spanish Steps is delightful though.
Have fun,
Cynthia

We just returned from Italy yesterday. We had our teen sons with us throughout the journey. I would highly recommend visiting Le Domus Romane, http://www.palazzovalentini.it/ . It is a museum with a virtual tour of what a home might have looked like along with the ruins of an actual home. It was a great way to spend a very hot afternoon. We also took a night tour of the Colosseum. This was a highlight for all of us.