Sights and Fun Activities for Kids

This guide starts at the legendary "Mouth of Truth," an image of a man's face carved in marble that can be easily spotted by the large crowds gathered in front of it, waiting for their turn to prove that they are not lying.

Legend from the Middle Ages has it that if someone tells a lie after sticking a hand into the sculpture's mouth, the statue will bite it off. Challenge your kids to put their hand in there and ask all the questions that cross your mind.

Due to the crowds, you can spend only a couple of minutes in front of the "Mouth," so go prepared. After trying your kids' courage, head out and turn right on a slightly uphill street that will walk you to Piazza Venezia, a bustling square with an imposing monument.
---
Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm
The statue is accessible through a gate

Coming from the Bocca della Verità, a 15-minute pleasant stroll, you'll reach this busy crossing from the left side of an imposing white marble monument known to locals as the "typewriter" for its unmistakable shape. Wonder with your kids at its majesty before continuing your way through the Roman Forum and the Coliseum.

Perhaps Rome's most famous attraction, no trip to the Eternal City can skip a visit to the Coliseum. Large crowds of tourists and street vendors constantly populate the area around the monument, which can get very busy.

Originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, the Coliseum was commissioned in A.D. 72 by Emperor Vespasian and completed by his son, Titus, in A.D. 80. Vespasian ordered the Coliseum to be built on the site of Nero's palace, to dissociate himself from the hated tyrant. His aim was to gain popularity by staging deadly gladiator combats and wild animal fights for public viewing.

The arena was used for gladiator fights until about 435 and for animal hunts until the early sixth century. On opening day, 9,000 wild animals were killed.

Kids may be intrigued by the newest feature of the Coliseum open to tourists: the underground tunnels and galleries that were such a big part of the blockbuster movie "Gladiator" starring Russell Crowe. If that doesn't excite them, letting your kids pose for a photo with the masked gladiators who entertain the crowds on the outside might do the trick. You may have to negotiate a fee for the picture or at least a tip.

After your feast of ancient Roman history, crowds and traffic, it's time to hop in a cab and head to Villa Borghese, a lush park in the heart of the city. (The cab fare should be approximately 15 euros.)
---
Coliseum (Colosseo)
Piazza del Colosseo
Phone: +39 060608
---
Admission
15.50 euros with discounts for EU residents
You also can buy a ticket at the ticket window on Palatine Hill, normally less crowded, or buy it in advance at www.ticketclic.it/html/musei/colosseo.cfm
---
Hours
Winter
Daily 9am-4pm
Mid-March through August
Daily 9am-7pm

Check out the nearly 1,000 animals, including reptiles, mammals, birds and even endangered species such as the Asiatic lion, in one of Europe's oldest zoos.

Rome's Bioparco, founded in 1911, resides in the idyllic setting of the Villa Borghese public park, where animals rest in their enclaves rather than behind cages or fences.

The zoo underwent major renovations through the years and today is a great spot to entertain your kids. It offers birthday parties, face paintings games or animal feeding sessions on weekends, which come at no extra cost and do not require advance booking. Pigs, cows and geese are among the animals that can be fed at the zoo.

Make sure you stop for a snack and a refreshing drink at the zoo café, past the main entrance on the right, and use the bathrooms here before heading off on the second half of the tour.
---
Bioparco
Viale del Giardino Zoologico
Phone: 06 3608211
---
Admission
Adults 12.50 euros
Children 10.50 euros
---
Hours
Oct. 24-March 25
Daily 9:30am-5pm
March 26-Oct. 23
Daily 9:30am-6pm

This is the point in the tour when it's time to separate the teens from the kids.

For children 12 and younger, head to Explora, the city's only children's museum. It offers workshops, craft classes and hands-on experiences for kids from infancy to 12. Projects include teaching children how recycled paper is produced, how to play with colors or draw through light. Animated readings and interactive exhibitions on the environment, new cultures, energy and society are also available.
---
Explora
Via Flaminia 82 00196
Rome, Italy
Phone: 06 3613776
---
Admission
Kids 4-12 7 euros
Kids 1-3 3 euros
---
Hours
Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6:45pm (timed entry at 10am, noon, 3pm and 5pm)
Closed Mondays

If you're traveling with a brave kid older than 12, you may want to surprise him or her with an off-the-beaten-path visit to a creepy crypt.

Walk out from the Bioparco, turn left toward the Museo di Villa Borghese onto via Pinciana and get on bus 52 or choose a 30-minute walk through the park to reach via Veneto, just before it crosses Piazza Barberini. There, on the opposite side of the street, you'll spot a small church, Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini.

Located beneath the church, the creepiest address in Rome vows to keep your teenage kids stuck to their spot in amazement. The crypt contains the skeletal remains of 4,000 bodies--believed to be Capuchin friars--some nailed to the walls, others hanging from the ceiling in chandeliers or piled up in intricate patterns. Rooms include the Crypt of the Skulls, Crypt of the Pelvises, Crypt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones, and more.

Beware: no photos are allowed in the crypt. It's a scary and somewhat macabre sight, suitable only for the bravest school-age kids who want to impress their parents. Or vice versa.
---
Cripta dei Cappuccini
Via Vittorio Veneto 27 00187
Rome, Italy
Phone: 06 06060884
---
Admission Free
Donation is suggested
---
Hours
Friday-Wednesday 9am-noon, 3-6pm
Closed Thursdays

Now it is time to wind down and relax while still keeping your kids entertained. Give your feet a rest while you let fantasy fly and travel back in time with a sit-down journey at the Time Elevator.

This is a 45-minute 3-D ride and time-travel experience covers more than 3,000 years of Roman history, equipped with panoramic screens and moving platforms that will teach your kids about Romulus and Remus, Brutus and Caesar, Michelangelo and the popes, culminating in a simulated flight over today's Rome.
---
The Time Elevator
Via dei Santi Apostoli, 20, 00187
Rome, Italy
Phone: 06 6992 1823
---
Admission
Adults 12-18 euros, depending on activities
Kids younger than 12 9-15 euros
---
Hours
Daily 10:30am-5:30pm