Rome. good places for kids aged 5 & 8

[ihatethecold]

staying about 10kms away on a holiday park, the last time we went to rome the only place we fitted in was the zoo
i would love to go to the vatican but i hear there are long queues.
we will do the usual (trevi, colloseum) but i wonder if anyone has any other personal views on good places.
TMI

Hi,

There is a park and I think its near the zoo with a small boating area, these little pedal bike car things and a fountain you seem to be able to swim in. You can also hie bikes and stuff. I think its called borghese park or something to that effect.

The line to get into the vatican was 5 hours long! Not worth it as there were soooooo many people in there you could not enjoy it. The trevi fountain is amazing, however there are lots of men wandering around trying to sell tacky stuff aimed at kids your age. It is also very bust there.

The colloseum is fantastic, only waited about an hour for that. You can get these guides that tell a story as you go round which may help.

Open top bus may be good for you?

Its an amazing place, have fun!

thanks, have seen too much of the park as we got trapped by a deluge at the zoo, with no coats. hence missing all of rome except the spanish steps, i think i have read some where that i can buy tickets in advance online for the vatican.. anyone heard of that ?

If you really want to see the Vatican and you are sure it won't bore your children then I'd say get there before it opens and wait in line. The lines are massive by the time you get through security etc. It is also horrendously busy there too as is any of the tourist places in Rome.

My only concern would be that the crowds may frighten your children because they are so vast. Mind you first time I went was September and second time was June so both summer holiday times.

We went to rome last august on a day trip and at lunchtime the queue for St Peters only took about 10 mins and my 5 year old loved it - especially good if you do the vaults first with the tombs of popes and then you come up into st peters right in the middle - it actually got an 'ooooh' from 5 year old ds normally reserved only for ben-10 etc.

They loved the fountains in St Peters Square as well. And posting a postcard with the vatican stamp on it.

The queue for the Vatican museum on the other hand is often ridiculous so we didnt bother...

Theres also the equivalent of the science museum which is really handson but dont see the point really cos you could do that here.

My ds was really underwhelmed otoh by the Colisseum because it was just far too hot and the queue was ridiculous and the facilities are rubbish - he did love the actors outside though so maybe just looking round the outside and seeing them would be enough? Or maybe timing it to get there really early and prebooking the tour which enables you to jump the queue.

thanks guys for your brill tips

Puppet Show in Villa Borghese park? www.sancarlino.it/
Children's Museum?
www.mdbr.it/inglese/
Water park? (there is a bus service there)
www.hydromania.it/
Amusement park? - Luna Park-based in EUR area of Rome, reachable on public transport
Boat tour? www.rexervation.com/tutte_crociere_bt.asp?pagina=0
Trip to the beach? Easy on public transport.
Also in the summer there tends to be seasonal entertainment. There are usually temporary "beaches" put up in different locations around the city, some with swimming pools. Having said that there were a lot less last year as we have had public funding cuts by our new mayor so we are waiting to see if will happen this year or not.
Where is the holiday park you are staying in?
If you go to the Vatican definitely go early before it opens to beat the rush.
Have a look on the What's On guide here rome.angloinfo.com/default.asp as tends to list what's happening, it's updated weekly. Good to see any particular festivals etc happening.
If you need any more info then just ask, I can normally be found on the Little Italy site.
Enjoy your trip!

gio17 thank you so much for all your tips, i really appreciate the effort.
going on sat to florence first for a week , im so excited and cant wait for some sun

sorry i meant gio71

Ihatethecold I was there last year with my dcs, they loved the Castle before you get to St Peters Square and its free, with brilliant views of Rome at the top!

My InLaws prebooked their tickets for tour of the Vatican, and only had to wait in the security queue

Mine also loved counting the spanish steps (dd favourite), just asked ds he said his favourite bit was the Colloseum,

Be careful crossing the roads though, also what girlylala said about the people selling stuff at Trevi fountain they will try and put it into your childrens hands to get you to buy it!

thanks pbm, we have taken the kids before and saw the spanish steps and the zoo. love the idea of the castle. good idea.