ROME - Got two and half days . What to see with children (8 and 11)

Check out Ostia Antica. I think your kids and you would really enjoy exploring it. It's easy to take the Metro/Train to it. We planned to be there a couple of hours and stayed for the entire morning.

Directions:
The best way to reach Ostia is by using the metro. Trains leave at station Piramide. Get off the regular metro at Piramide, go up the escalator, turn immediately left and down the steps into the Roma-Lido station. A normal metro ticket will suffice for the entire journey. Get out at the stop Ostia Antica. Next cross the highway using the pedestrian bridge. To reach the site from the pedestrian bridge, keep walking straight ahead, cross the road and after 100 metres turn left to get to the entrance.

The Colosseum and Forum should be the big hits for kids. At the Vatican going into St Peter's and the square should be impressive enough on scale to keep kids interested. The Vatican Museum depends on your kids, if they are even somewhat interested in artsy or religious stuff they will probably like it, if not you may want to skip it. If you do decide to do the museum you MUST get tickets in advance or waste HOURS on line.

So much of Rome is about savoring the "dolce vita" and just strolling down narrow streets and finding a giant temple or fountain pops out of nowhere. I think this should be doable in a kid friendly way as long as you schedule in pizza, suppli and gelato stops. We did a lot of Rick's walks there and I think they could be enjoyed by kids. Have dinner near Campo di'Fiori; maybe pizza and fried zucchini flowers at Da Baffetto 2? Walk over to Piazza Navona, it usually will have various kid friendly street performers in the evening. You can continue on to the Pantheon, the piazza it's on is beautiful at night (though I think the inside closes a bit early). At some point get some gelato. If you're feeling ambitious you can continue on to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. Another good walk could be starting at Piazza del Popolo and walking Via del Corso down to Altare della Patria. It's commercial with a lot of chain stores but some are fun for kids like the baci candy store, Ferrari store and Disney store and Piazza del Popolo and Altare della Patria should be hits with kids and you're not far from the Spanish Steps. Finally, beginning again at Piazza del Popolo you're on the door step of Villa Borghese, a huge park that has a good zoo, bikes, go carts, a mini train and more.

There's a street-cat rescue organization set up near the Forum, in an area you can reach without paying the Forum entry fee.

Perhaps one of the large street markets would appeal to the kids. I enjoyed wandering around the Campo de' Fiori, but I'd just keep my eyes open as I wandered.

I would second Ostia Antica for kids. They will love it as they will be able to go into most of the buildings without restriction. It's a large site with lots to see. I also think the Colosseum will be a hit with them. You might also want to consider the Apian Way, the ancient Roman road. You can walk it, or rent bikes and ride down it. There are catcombs you can tour, and an ancient circus and some other interesting ruins. It is also easy to get to by transit (train/bus).

The cat rescue area is in Largo Argentina. The fountains of the main piazze might be fun for the kids (no dunking). Also, there is part of the wall that borders the ancient city that can be walked (Museo della Mura, at Porta San Sebastiano).

Be sure to watch the PBS show "Travel with Kids". They have an episode on Rome and the kids are close to your kids age. I know you can access their episodes on YouTube and probably on their website. My kids are grown, but I still watch their shows on PBS. This maybe blasphemy, but some times they are as good or better than Rick Steve's episodes especially if you are taking kids along. They have many shows on the major cities in Europe. If you watch their Venice episode, you will want to add Venice to your trip. The kids had a ball in Venice.

We took our son to Rome when he was 8 and he LOVED the Capuchin Crypt. It's a crypt (obviously) that is lavishly decorated with bones of the deceased monks who have lived in the monastery for hundreds of years. It's meant to be a reminder that you should live your life with the end in mind! At the end of your visit there is a saying posted that goes something like, "As you are now so once were we; as we are now you too shall be."

Go to TripAdvisor, type in "Le Domas Romane di Palazzo Valentini". It is ranked #16 of things to do in Rome with an average 5 star review. I recommend it to everyone, the earlier in your trip the better so that other sites can be more easily "imagined". The site is a reproduction of a Roman villa. It is the best educational multi-media presentation that I have seen anywhere. It doesn't beat Disneyland but it uses a variety of mediums to help you visualize/imagine what it was like to live in Ancient Rome. It is a terrific attraction for adults and kids, as long as you do not have mobility problems. Really spectacular visuals, sound effects, and narration. Read the reviews, they are 100% excellent on trip advisor. My kids loved it and so did I. Make sure you make reservations well in advance for the English tours. It is a bit tricky to find, tucked away in an alley, so allow extra time to locate it as your tour starts at a precise time.

PS Largo Argentina is a centrally located site in the historic area of Rome where, Julius Caesar is said to have been assassinated. Currently, it is protected by a charming wrought iron fence but many people--young and old---visit the area for a quick peek. The real attraction for my children was watching the many cats and their antics climbing up on the rocks and ruins (The cats didthe climbing not my children!). Very entertaining (close to Pantheon which my kids also enjoyed for its tremendous sense of space...and intrigued by the idea of the "hole" in the ceiling. ). The tourist area in Rome is very compact and kids are good walkers...especially with the thought of a gelato shop. Have fun!

2.Planning to visit Colosseum, Forum & Pantheon in evening around 3pm? - What tickets needs to purchased from http://www.coopculture.it/en/ticket_office.cfm Should I go for
underground tour ?

Nanban, you need to purchase two (assuming you're traveling with a spouse) adult tickets for 14,00 € apiece (COLOSSEUM-ROMAN FORUM/PALATINE > FULL PRICE+RESERVATION) and two 'free' tickets for the kids at 2,00 € apiece (COLOSSEUM-ROMAN FORUM/PALATINE > FREE+RESERVATION ). The 2,00 € is a reservation fee.

The Underground/Third Ring tour would be separate, additional purchase. The three sites (Colosseum/Forum/Palatine) together take a bit of time to do so I think adding the underground/ring tour might be overkill for the kids.

I don't have any personal experience with this company but they're seeing very good reviews for their tours designed specifically for kids:

https://rometourswithkids.com/colosseumtourwithkids.html

A thought, maybe? The forum, especially, is a really confusing site without a good guidebook, and that's the one I'd be concerned about as far as a boredom factor. They do not 'do' the Palatine but as the tour ends in the Forum, you could always walk through that when your guide takes his/her leave: I'd inform them if that's what you wish to do so they can point you to the best way to access it.

Other RS member may have firsthand experience with kid-focused tours that they could recommend as well.

You may need to get out and burn some boot leather.

Pantheon
Piazza Navona
Castel San Angelo
Piazza del Popolo
Spanish Steps
Trevi Fountain
Vittorio Emanuele
Campidoglio
Campo de Fiori

Reaching Rome termini (from Pisa) around 1pm on Saturday. Next day -
Planning to visit Vatican area - What tickets to get from

The basilica will be open but the museums (including the Sistine) are closed on Sunday so you need to rearrange your schedule to do this on Monday if you wish to do the museums.

Tickets from the website:
You'd need to order 2 full-priced tickets and two reduced-price tickets (kids) for the museums. You will also have to choose a specific time slot. Tickets are available for dates no more than about 60 days in advance so they aren't available for June yet. Audioguides for kids and adults are available.

https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking&codiceLivelloVisita=9&step=1
Two options to consider:
The museums are going to be very, very busy, and they're very, very large: your children may tire quickly.
During the warmer months there are special late openings on Friday nights ("Vatican under the Stars") to see the Sistine and other select sections. You might consider doing this on your arrival evening, and shuffling the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine to Sunday or Monday? Audioguides tours for children are available during these hours as well.

https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking&codiceLivelloVisita=17&step=1

As with tickets for regular hours, these become available about 60 days in advance, and you'll be asked to choose a time slot: openings start at 19:00 (7 PM).

Option number two would be to book a 3-hour tour on Monday which combines the museums (including the Sistine) and the basilica. The advantage here is that they'll guide you to the museum highlights, and provide direct access to the church through a stairway reserved only for tours. That eliminates standing in a second security line for the basilica, and a long walk between entrances. Three hours might be just about all your kids can handle of the crowds, and you won't have to figure out what to see at the museums yourselves. You're free to do some extra wandering around in the church when your tour is over. Again, tickets become available about 60 days in advance.

https://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?action=booking&codiceTipoVisita=74&step=2

Just thought I'd mention that we just got back from Italy and my 9 yr old loved doing the Mission Rome: A Scavenger Hunt Adventure book which covers most of the major sites. His 13 yr old brother enjoyed helping him with it, too. It also makes a great souvenir. We also watched the history channel Engineering an Empire episodes on Rome and da Vinci's World, which I think helped them get excited about seeing a lot of the sites (they preferred the Rome episode, although it's twice as long)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/098922676X?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_image_2&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

At Largo Argentina you can also go right down into the Cat sanctuary and see some of the cats that are inside. They sell tee shirts, etc. also to raise funds. It is located under street level at the far end of the piazza. You walk down stairs to the lower level.

Cats aside (I'm not a cat person so would never go here for that reason), Area Sacra (Largo di Torre Argentina) is where Julius Caesar was assassinated. The Senate was temporarily meeting in Pompey's Curia there at the time so he didn't meet his end at the Roman Forum, as many think. The spot where the Curia was believed to be is marked there, and Julius was only cremated in the Forum.

Area Sacra was a small part of the ancient Campus Martius (Field of Mars): a complex of temples (4 can still be seen there), a huge theater, military grounds, villas, circuses, civic structures and baths.

Just thought the mention of why that spot is important was worth a post. There was signage above the excavation to tell us what we were looking at.