What to see in Rome

Any good guidebook especially Steves' Rome book will lay it out for you better we can given the limit space here to respond.

wow huge question as there is so much to do in Rome. Plan half day for vatican then take your children to Trevi fn , Spanish steps, in between go gelato tasting and Borghese Museum (adv reservations necessary). if you still have energy take a general city tour. The gelato tasting will be a fun thing for your children, I am sure. it is a very busy city, pace yourselves.

Wow.... so much to see in Rome, and so little time (no matter how much time you have!). If you can walk a fair amount, Rick's "night walk across Rome" tour (self guided) is great for hitting some highlights. My friend and I did the night walk, then did it again the next day in the daylight. We also were able to see the inside of the Pantheon in daytime. Coloseum is spectacular; photos don't show the immensity of it! Sistine Chapel is awesome as well; there is a LOT of walking and seeing in the Vatican museum which you can cut as short as you want while working your way to the Sistine Chapel. My friend and I mosied around the Vatican museums for about 2 1/2 hours before bypassing many rooms to get to the chapel. Super things to see along the way, tho! St Peter's basilica and plaza: amazing and huge. There's just so much to see and do, it's hard to narrow it down to just a couple things!
Good luck, and have fun!

See the Basilica of San Clemente http://www.basilicasanclemente.com/, a church in layers. Really interesting for your kids to see era upon era, and a little off the beaten path so not as frantic, no lines especially early. It's on a bus line, past the Colosseum. If you can pop for a guided tour of ancient Rome, your kids will find it more engaging than wandering around on a self-guided tour. A good guide will tailor the event to your kids' level of understanding. Private guides run 50-55 euros per hour. For 4 people, a 3 hour private tour is probably less expensive than a group tour where you pay for 4 tickets. Try Francesca Caruso, [email protected]. End your tour (Colosseo, Palatino, Foro Romano) at the Vittorio Emanuele Monument and take the Elevator in the Sky for a magnificent view of Rome. Your guide can drop you off there. Hang out in a piazza like Campo dei Fiori or Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere (especially good neigborhood) in early evening to see the locals go about their business, kids playing, etc. Eat pizza at Dar Poeta in Trastevere at night, like Italian families do. Make a reservation though! Go to the Trevi Fountain in early AM before the crowds. Really early AM, 0730 or 0800. There is almost no one there and you can actually see the darned thing and do your lucky coin toss for a photo op. If it's summer and hot, eat a grattachecca (shaved ice treat) like a local.

Do you have the RS Rome 2011 book? It will be the smartest money you spend on your trip.

Our son who was twelve at the time we were there loved Rome. His favorite day? Just wandering. We started at the Spanish Steps and just followed our feet. Gelato, a toy store, Cappuchin Crypt (this might be too creepy). He wasn't as impressed with the ruins as we thought he would be, so instead of going to Ostia Antica, we spent the day just wandering. It was a blast! He still says the Pantheon was amazing. We made a quick jaunt through the Vatican museum and he thought the guards saying, "Silence!" in the Sistine Chapel were hysterical.