Tips / suggestions when visiting Rome ?

I went to Rome last August with my children. Such a beautiful city. Do not forget a stroller for your 2 year old son. People say that you can walk everywhere in Rome but with children, it is more challenging. Beware of the pickpockets.
Visit the Pizzia di Malta: it is far but check the view from the keyhole, the view you see from there was my children's favorite thing.
Close to the Pantheon, check the Palmas ice cream place: they have 100 ice creams flavors.
Children will be mesmorized by the Colisseum. Take a guided tour. Foro romano is more difficult to understand: I bought them a book in which you could see a picture of the monuments before and after, that helped them better realize what they were seeing.
I also took them to a crypt decorated with skeletons: they were fascinated.
My children adored Rome, my 6 years old keeps talking about going back there.
Email me at travelismorefunwithkids@gmail.com and I can send you a couple of photos.
Lydie

Thanks so much. That surely helps, Lydie !

Hi Lydie,

I am about ready to get accomodations in Rome for May.

Where did you stay ? Any recommendations ? We will be 4 adults and 4 kids - so a B&B or similar ( vacation rental ) is preferred to a hotel - is what i was thinking.

thanks,

Check the www.vrbo.com website. We rented a nice apt by the Vatican but it was just big enough for 6 so I can not give you the contact. I am sure you will find something nice on vrbo. I do not recommend hotels, they are expensive and at least with an apt, you can cook part of your meals and do laundry. Little supermarkets are everywhere in Rome and food is less expensive than the US or France.

Go to this restaurant: Di Cotte e di crude.
P.zza della Pollarola, 32 (campo di fiori) (Closed on Mondays), The food is delicious, exquisite would be a better word. Tiramisu was to die for. The owners are young and dynamic.
For the women of the group, check out the Lala jewelry boutique (there is one close to the Pantheon). The jewlery is made in Venise and everything is glass or metal (no fancy gems or metals there). The price range is 10-30 euros and they look much more expensive. I had a hard time picking pieces, they were all so nice!
Have fun in Rome, it is such a fantastic city.
Beware of the pickpockets. They are supposed to be everywhere. We were lucky, in August, they are working at the beaches...

Lydie

I went to Rome with a newborn and 4 year old and have to say a few things to help you: I don't remeber specific places and things but i have some tips. Because you are there in a warm month Rome can get very hot. Bring a stroller for the 2 year old. It is true you can walk everywhere, but that's a lot of walking. Of course go to the landmarks, but make sure to stop for enjoying the small things too. Try not to buy things off the street. We met someone who bought a camera for 100 dollars only to find that the box was empty. One of the favorite things we did was take a train to the coast of Italy, It's like a 40 min ride, but It's worth it. I hope I was of help for you, have a great trip!

Nice idea about the train trip. With small children, it should be helpful.
Thanks for the tip about buying stuff there too ... i wasn't planning on but you never know and it's best to be aware. Pickpockets always have a (dis)honorable mention too !

Just got back from our Rome holiday.
Rome is a very "accomodating" place - esp those guys adored kids !
We spend 5 days there and using the VRBO site found a 3 bed apartment close to the coleseum.
We got the 7 day public transportation pass and that helped us immensely too. Overall a great trip with the kids !

Glad you had such a great time. We'd love to hear what role Trekaroo played in your vacation planning and experience. We're trying moolah from investors...if you have something quotable to share, we'd be very excited to hear it.

I don't know of any other travel site dedicated to parents with kids that provides as much value as trekaroo, frankly. I am on facebook etc but folks there are not "dedicated" to provide answers or discuss as much as trekaroo, so for travel related info, I'd definitely be on this site in the future too !

I also wanted to share a few thoughts about my trip to Rome :
1. All travel books repeatedly talk about being careful with pickpockets - we were as cautious as can be - BUT - my wife got her purse picked in a crowded bus on the last night of our stay. We got the cards promptly cancelled and she has a trip to the DMV pending to get her ID replaced. So that was a bummer.
2. As most people say, it is not ideal for parents with kids and stollers. Very few parks and not many elevators/escalators. So we had to do some "heavy lifting" with our 2 year old in his stroller.
3. The weather in May was ideal.
4. We loaded up on gelatos - they were around everywhere !
5. Food was amazing - we chose places Rick Stevees suggests in his travel guide and were not disappointed.

Congabeat, thanks for the post trip report! Really appreciate your kind words of Trekaroo! We hope that this continues to be a place were parents are committed to providing answers for each other. We all know that there is a parent out there who has the answer to the question that we have...it's just a matter of finding that person.

Piazza Navona is a nice place and is said to have the best ice cream in Rome, I liked it a lot!!!
Do not get the crazy idea to drive yourself in Rome!!! Use public transportation. Consider that Rome is very hot in summer, get a place with AC. And - a trip to Europe with a toddler is really a challenge because of the time difference.