My history loving, museum loving, cathedral loving, patient kids want to see/learn in Rome for three days. I am thinking we need tour guides and to prioritize.
Please recommend tour guides/tours for each site or a person/company that can do multiple sites for our family of five?
I am thinking Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's, Colosseum at a minimum ... what would you add, how would you go about it?
Thank you.
You may want to add Hadrian's castle near the Vatican.
We are here now with kids, I'd add Pantheon can go anytime it is free and amazing! Also liked Borghese gardens and Villa which is museum with fabulous Bernini Sculptures. You can see Spanish Steps which are rich in history,as well ! You must book Borghese ahead and suggest you pre book Sistine Chapel as well will save you a lot of time. Also can buy colosseum tickets on palatine hill vs at colosseum,that will save you long lines . Was suggested on a RS show which we did and were very thankful. The Audio,guides were great at Sistine and Borghese.
You can book guided tours at the official websites for each site:
http://biglietteriamusei.vatican.va/musei/tickets/do?weblang=en&do
http://www.coopculture.it/en/colosseo-e-shop.cfm
Personally, with kids I wouldn't do too many tours. They will get burned out after a few. I would let them read the guide books and pick out the sites they are interested in.
Donna
Would they enjoy any of the catacombs? Just an idea...
Not far from the Colosseum is the Basilica di San Clemente, with a 12th century church above ground (great frescoes and ceiling), a 4th century church down the stairs below ground, with the tomb of St. Cyril (who invented the Cyrilic alphabet), and a 1st century, ancient Roman level below that with a temple to Mithras, a Roman god and the remains of Roman houses. You get a church, history, and a pretty cool, dark archaelogical site with one visit. Rick's guidebook has details.
I,forgot to mention Scavi the underground tour at St. Peter's it's cool for kids but there is a minimum age. I just can't recall it. I think 12? You see the crypts and underground tunnels.
Another vote for: "Not far from the Colosseum is the Basilica di San Clemente, with a 12th century church above ground (great frescoes and ceiling), a 4th century church down the stairs below ground..." This was one of my kids favorite sites. You have the chance to go down below the ground 3 levels to see different sites. REally liked it, although I would not recommend with a toddler (not sure if this applies to your family or not).
The other thing they (and I) loved and I would do this first to put everything else in perspective is: a multimedia recreation of a Roman villa, totally fantastic use of sounds, lights, artwork. You must make reservations in advance, make sure you book the English tour. I know this is not an ancient site but an educational one, but it is fabulous for giving a backdrop for the other sites: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187791-d2179620-Reviews-Le_Domus_Romane_di_Palazzo_Valentini-Rome_Lazio.html (one of the top rated sights in Rome).
The other thing my kids loved was the ancient port of Rome, Ostia Antica (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g673275-d292711-Reviews-Ostia_Antica-Ostia_Antica_Province_of_Rome_Lazio.html). You take a train from Rome about 15 minutes (still in Rome), walk across a street, and you are in an enormous outside area of ruins. Rick Steves has a good audio tour but this area is not marked by signs, and although kids loved it because of their sense of freedom (you can run around a bit) I was disappointed that I did not get a sense of what was what, even with Rick's audiotour. I got a bit disoriented, and found it hard to realize where I was in regards to the audio guide. I believe there are tours and if I had to do it again, I would try to get a private tour: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g673275-d2340218-Reviews-Ostia_Tours_Ostia_Antica_Private_Tours-Ostia_Antica_Province_of_Rome_Lazio.html. Rick's books also have terrific info on how to get there, etc..
BTW, Rick's audio tour of St. Peter's (if you go) was enjoyed by my kids too.
Email me if you have any questions.
I'd suggest looking at the website for Context Rome. All experiences I've had with them have been incredibly positive. And they do some family-focused tours. With four children, you could probably book a private tour for the same price as joining a group. They limit their group-tour size to a maximum of six.
Thank you for all of the recommendations! They sound terrific and I am looking into them.
I am with Cyn and would go to San Clemente. Our children loved it, (I think it is closed from 12:00 or 1:00 to 3:00 or 4:00) and have always insisted on returning there. To me it is one of the most interesting sites in Rome. To get in the mood, read Ngaio Marsh's mystery When in Rome.
I forgot to mention Scavi the underground tour at St. Peter's it's cool for kids but there is a minimum age. I just can't recall it. I think 12?
That tour is limited to young persons age 15 and above:
Other than the tours you can book for the Vatican Museums/St Peter's - which I would do to hit the highlights before the kids burn out on 4 miles of art/antiquities - I'd recommend skipping other tours as well. To be honest, if they can live without seeing the Sistine, I'd choose Galleria Borghese instead. The collection is excellent; the building itself is fascinating (the trompe l'oeil in nearly every room is amazing!); and the crowd control allows you really see the works without standing 5 deep. It's easily seen in the 2-hour slot that you sign up for, and will be less likely to throw the kids into overload. IMHO. If you choose to get there on foot, you'll also get to walk through the park, and the kids may enjoy that as well: good spot for a picnic, too.
Churches I would see during your three days - in addition to Basilica di San Clemente - would be:
Santa Maria Maggiore
Santa Maria del Popolo
San Giovanni Laterano
Pantheon (of course)
If you have time, take them up Aventine Hill to look through the keyhole of the Priory of Malta: the dome of St Peter's if perfectly lined up in the opening. Just down the street is very old and very interesting Santa Sabina: the orange garden next door to the church affords a nice view of the city, and is another pleasant spot for bringing a picnic.
Also of interest are the beautiful mosaics at Santa Maria in Trastevere, and (only if it won't give them nightmares) San Stefano Rotondo. The latter is an interesting, round, 5th-century structure plastered with 16th-century frescoes depicting - in lurid detail - the martyrdoms of various saints. LOL, I do not advise one this if they're very young or very sensitive!!!
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.
My kids also liked the Capuchin Crypt, the Time Elevator Rome (cheesy but they had fun), the zoo, and Gladiator School. We didn't make it to Ostia Antica so I can't speak to that.
Whatever you choose, have a great trip!
Thank you for your kind and helpful reply!
Thank you for all of your recommendations. In the end, this is what we did do:
Ancient Rome Small Group Tour with Kiss From Italy - It was a very good tour of the Colosseum/Forum with Alessio.
Vatican & St. Peter's Private Tour with Kiss From Italy - Virginia did a great job of educating all of us.
On our own: San Clemente (quick and interesting), the Pantheon (lovely - there was a baroque concert inside when we visited), the church in Piazza Madallena (can't remember the name but they have a complete skeleton relic!), several piazzas and lots of gelaterias. We only saw the outside of Castel San Angelo (next time). The Trevi Fountain is under repair and the Spanish Steps were swarming with people and not much fun. The kids and I fell in love with Rome.
So nice of you to come back and report what you did, I'm sure people who tried to help you would feel very good about it! ... It's great that you and your kids enjoyed Rome, beautiful city ,isn't it?
HI Veronica! I am always so grateful that people take the time to share here. Sometimes, as we travel, I do not have wifi and can't say thanks right away but it's a pleasure to be able to come back and let other know it.
Rome charmed my kids and me and I know we will be back!
Thanks for your kind comment.
