The Colosseum & Forum
Book a family tour with skip-the-line tickets, and let the gladiator stories do the work.
Rome
Ancient stones and the evening passeggiata
Best time
April – June & October
Gentle pace
4–6 slow days
Ideal for
City-break families · History lovers · Food lovers
Rome is a city where twenty centuries lie on top of one another — a Baroque piazza on a medieval lane on an ancient ruin, all of it lived in, noisy and impossibly beautiful. It is a marvellous city for children: ruins to climb, fountains to marvel at, pizza at every corner, and a culture that treats ice cream as one of the major food groups.
With children, visit the Colosseum early, throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, cross to Trastevere for an evening wander, and let the days fill with gelato stops and the unexpected — a cat sanctuary among the ruins, a talking statue, a puppet show in a park.
Worth lingering over
The Pantheon & piazza Navona
Two of Rome’s greatest free sights — a perfect morning wander with a gelato in hand.
Trastevere at dusk
Cross the river to the old quarter for the prettiest lanes and the best evening passeggiata in Rome.
Hidden gem
The Aventine keyhole and the orange garden
On the quiet Aventine hill, far from the crowds, lies a small green door in the Priory of the Knights of Malta. Peer through the keyhole and a perfect, framed view of St Peter’s dome appears down an avenue of trees — one of Rome’s most magical sights, and almost no one queues for it. A few steps away, the Giardino degli Aranci offers a shaded terrace of orange trees with the whole city spread below, a peaceful hour away from the bustle.