We ended up in Rome for a quick two day layover. This was a bit of a spur of the moment plan so we hadn’t really looked into much for sites, but just knew the Colosseum needed to be on the list.

We landed at the airport, grabbed our bags, and hopped on the Leonardo Express for $14 Euros each (kids free). This was a quick 30 min, nonstop ride to the main station.

From here we took a very overpriced taxi to where we were staying, Colosseoinn B&B. It was $15 Euros for the whopping 900 metre drive. We got settled into our place and Tyson went out to find something for us to eat. Both girls were incredibly overtired and it was a struggle for bedtime. Finally, both the girls passed out and we followed shortly after.

We woke up at our leisure in the hotel hopping everyone could benefit from a good night sleep. Located approximately 500 metres from the colosseum, after breakfast we walked on down. As the ancient stone structure came into view we were all in awe, We just stood back and stared for a while followed by the usual touristy pictures.

The place was overpopulated with people, quite the sight really. We figured we better go inquire about tickets to get in. As we got closer and closer we were approached by someone wearing a badge stating “information”. He asked us what time our pre-purchased online entry tickets were for. When we looked at him blankly he stated that only a certain amount of single entry tickets are sold per day and if we hadn’t purchased ours online weeks ago we wouldn’t be getting in that route. We were kind of bummed. He then stated we could potentially get tickets if we went through a guided tour. I know we said we would never do a guided tour with the kids in tow, but this seemed like our only chance. He walked us over to someone who then chatted with us about price and signed us up to go within the walls in the next 10 minutes. The cost was 45 Euros and kids under 18 were free. We figured this was a must see, so we jumped on it.

Everyone in the group was given an ear piece to listen to the guide. It was very well organized and the guide was a wealth of knowledge with a splash of humour to boot. Surprisingly, even our girls thoroughly enjoyed it all. They listened to the guide and took in the sites. This was the first time this trip we noticed they took a real interest as well, and it was a good one at that.

The tour took about 75 minutes and then we had 25 mins to go explore on our own. After this we would meet the group at a meeting spot just outside the exit where we would all go to the Roman Forum (this was included in the 45 Euros).

The Roman Forum was spectacular. The views of the Colosseum were amazing from this standpoint. With the Roman forum being laid out the way it was, it didn’t feel quite as crowded as the opposing structure. Our girls were able to run ahead of us and enjoying hopping up and down the steps and stones while also taking in all the ruins.

A we rushed to get tickets and then right into the guided tour, we hadn’t yet made plans for eating lunch. By now it was 4:00 pm and all of us were starving. We made our way back towards where we were staying as any place to eat near the Colosseum had quite expensive menus. A block back from where we accommodation we found a cute little pizza joint and all ate for $12 Euros. We stopped in at the grocery store on our way back for the evening and picked up some breakfast stuff of fresh fruit, yogurt and a bit of snack food too.

The next morning Shannon snuck out for a jog before the rest of us woke. She ran around all the touristy sites to check out how far away they were and if the girls would be able to walk to them.

Once back she reassured me our girls could do it so we packed some snacks and away we went. We walked, again past the Colosseum over to the Trevi fountain and wandered through the cobblestone streets making our way to the Spanish Steps.

The Trevi fountain was mayhem. So many “influencers” trying to get the perfect shot, while security constantly blew their whistle shouting for people to get off the walls and structures around the surrounding fountain. We were able to fill our water bottles from the fountain beside, take a quick picture or two and get out of there.

The Spanish Steps were no better. Although at the bottom of the steps was a beautiful sculpture fountain which we sat around and watched people come and go. The girls again enjoyed filling up their water bottles here.

Rome is amazing for having unlimited fountains to drink from. There is just one catch… the lack of public washrooms. We ended up stopping at a little bistro down a narrow alley for lunch as well as bathroom break. The food was just okay and the bill seemed drastically overpriced howeverhe laneway setting was much more desirable.

We started making our way back to where we were staying and ended up finding a wonderful playground for the girls We sat down on the surrounding bench resting our feet and watched them burn off what little energy they had left after the 10 km day of walking the pavement.

Grabbing another pizza feast we returning to our accommodations and settled in for an early dinner. As the sun started to set out our window we figured we better whip back out to the Colosseum to take it in. Plus, it’s illuminated at night and is quite the sight to see. Put this on your list when you go. One of the perks of staying close by is you can come and go without the expense of a taxi.

Final morning, we woke up, packed, ate what food we had left and headed out the door. This time we were determined not to pay the outrageous taxi fare so walked the 900 metres with extra heavy packs to the Leonardo Express station. A few breaks from our heavy bags and we were there. Within moments of buying our tickets we were boarding the train. It was packed. We each had to sit separately with kids on our laps. But it got us to the airport in record time with no issues.

Rome for us happened to only be an extended layover on our way back home but we were extremely pleased with our experience. With all of Italy’s history and modern touches that we experienced in just a couple days in one city it would be a great opportunity to return and explore more that this country has to offer.