Rome itinerary

Is this a first visit to Rome?

For children yes. For adults no, although it was quite a while ago.

Looks like a good itinerary.
You might want to walk up to Capitoline Square, you can see the Square without having to drag the children into the museums/buildings if they are museumed out.

Thanks Kent. that made me think - we can also maybe see Trajans market. My daughter might like see a shopping mall ancient roman style ?!

Well, Trajan's Column is outdoors and always viewable.
But you'll want to research whether you can go get up close to Trajan's Market without being required to visit the Museum of the Imperial Forums. In the past, getting up close to Trajan's Market was only possible after paying the fee for the Museum (might be worth it).

Looks like a good pace to me. Do you have your Domus Romane reservation yet? While you're near San Clemente, you might want to scoot on down to San Giovanni in Laterano (not Laterno). It's a very impressive church, and the cloisters are very pretty.

Definitely check out the Borghese Gardens while you're in the Spanish Steps area. Your kids will love it.

Kent is right: Trajan's Market requires an entrance fee to get in, although one can see it from via Fori Imperiali.

Kids might like to ride on a pedal cart in Villa Borghese. They have 4-person models that are electric motor assisted. It's a fun way to toodle about for an hour an work off some energy!

What a great trip and opportunity! I just have a couple of thoughts. On your way to climb the tone of St. Peter's, take a few minutes before you enter the dome to explore the walkway that's inside the base of the dome and the roof of the Basilica. Inside the dome, they can get a real sense of the magnitude of the church and mosaics. And on the roof, they can get right up to the statues that line the top of the basilica. I found that some kids enjoyed that more than the dome, and it's a lot less crowded. It lets them wander around and explore.

I also wonder if they might enjoy The ruins of Ostia Antica, the ancient sea port of Rome. If you are not going to Pompeii, that might be a nice substitute. It's an easy ride on the subway, within the boundaries of Rome.

Another vote for Capitoline Hill, even without going into the museums. Wander either side of the Palazzo Senatorio for fine panoramic views of the Forum. Then for an even more spectacular view, walk up the stairs from Piazza del Campidoglio, past Ara Coeli, and go up the elevator to the top of the Vittorio Emmanuele monument

You have hit most of the top spots. Have a great trip! We did a similar tour of Rome with our to 12 year olds and we all had a fantastic time. Our kids *loved
1. the Le Domus Romans (get your tickets early and allow plenty of time to find the place it is a little bit hidden). This was by far their favorite thing.
2. Basilica di San Clemente
3. Watching the cats prowl about the open air Largo Argentina
4. 1/2 day easy trip to Ostia Antica--lots of space to run, climb, and be outdoors.
5. Enormity and beauty of the Pantheon.

Both our kids had iPod touches and enjoyed the independence of walking around the Pantheon and St Peter's listening to Rick's audio guide. I had trouble navigating the RS audio guide of Ostia Antics but it exists.

If you are interested in a suggestion about how to make the Vatican more interesting to kids, send me a private message Oh my, don't forget a gelato stop!

SuzieQQ
Great post. But they say not to put your e-mail address on a public forum like this, because the spammers have programs that troll the net and can acquire your e-mail and you end up with lots of spam.
You can edit your post to delete your e-mail address. As an alternative to e-mail, the OP can send you a Private Message.

Thanks everyone for the ideas and extensions on what we have planned. Suzie, would be interested to hear from you re the Vatican. Can you please send me a private message?

Thank you!

Ostia Antica is a great idea. Your daughter will get a much much better idea of what shopping was like (and more) there than at Trajan's Market, which may look to her like just another building.

Are the kids up to climbing all those stairs to St. Peter's Dome? When are you going? I was there in February, went up about 1/2 hour after they opened, without waiting in line, but when I went past the line at noon, it was very long. There is very limited space in the dome, it looked like they were only letting as many people in as came out. The climb is narrow so you can only go as fast as the people ahead of you - in other words, it can be pretty slow and there are only a couple of places where you can stop and rest. You may want to do the climb first, before everyone is tired from walking through the museums even though it means a few minutes' walk from there to the entrance to the museums.

There's really nothing to see at the Spanish Steps except hordes of people and street vendors. The Villa Borghese will take 3 hours and the kids will probably be bored. The park around it is beautiful and maybe some folks will be playing bocci ball.

Hi Chani. We intend to head up the dome early in the morning for the reason you refer to. I have been up before and it will not be an issue for the kIds. They regularly go on family hikes, including overnight ones carrying some gear, and can comfortably walk 7-10 miles in hilly countryside.

I had thought about Ostica Antica but we are going to Pompeii and Paestum. Going to the Trajan market would just be a quick pop in (if we do it) as part of a day with a number of other activities.

We wont go into the Villa Borghese. My original posting was a bit unclear! When I said wander around the Villa Borghese I meant the gardens. As you say the kids would be bored In the gallery.

My 10-year-old goddaughter loved Galleria Borghese, but it can be a crowded environment for kids. The grounds are extensive. If you want a nice stroll, head to the Pincio (well marked directions) and look out over Rome from the terrace. Take the footpath to Piazza del Popolo - they may want to climb the statues at the fountain.

Michael, I just looked over my notes to refresh my memory. I thought Trajan's Market was way over-priced at €11. There's not much left there from Roman times except the bricks. In fact, it looks more like a modern mall than a Roman ruin. Ostia really is cool and can be a 1/2 day trip. It's very different from Pompeii. Before you write it off, take 45 minutes and listen to Rick's free audio guide for it.

The ticket price for Trajan's Markets is high because they almost always have some exhibition going on. Those exhibitions may be of limited interest to you. I agree with Chani, there are more interesting places to spend your time. The church of San Pietro in Vincoli is nearby and has the Michelangelo sculpture of Moses. Santa Prassede has beautiful mosaics, San Giovanni in Laterano has the free-standing baptistery in addition to the Cathedral (the cloister is beautiful), San Clemente has three different levels of sacred architecture (two Christian churches and part of a pagan shrine).