You asked: I’m going to Rome with my family, and I’m looking for child-friendly recommendations. What would you suggest?

Navigating Italy’s largest city with children can be overwhelming. With the right guide and a reservation at the perfect hotel, however, Rome can be a wonderful destination for families. Here are our recommendations for making the most of your time.

WHERE TO STAY

Check in to the Portrait Suites to get a home-away-from-home feel. Although this Ferragamo hotel lacks a lobby or a restaurant, the suites feel like private apartments and boast kitchenettes plus pretty views. For more of a resort experience, try the Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria, located on fifteen acres of landscaped grounds at the northwestern end of the city. Children will love the large pool while parents will appreciate the Michelin-starred restaurant. Hotel Forty Seven, just adjacent to the Forum, is another popular choice. Rooms don’t connect, but the staff is incredibly welcoming to families and can help arrange babysitters and child-friendly outings.

GUIDE TO GET

Context Rome offers affordable tours with knowledgeable guides (including architects, archaeologists, historians and art historians), who know how to keep children of all ages, as well as the parents, entertained. Popular choices include their Vatican tour and the Underground Rome tour, which focuses on the subterranean ruins still being excavated today.

TEEN TIP

Young and old shoppers will enjoy a day with Key To Town, a personal shopping agency started by three of Rome’s most stylish women. Their outings, which can be done on foot, by bike or with a car and driver, include some of the city’s best boutiques plus an option of lunch at a trendy café or a hammam visit.

TOP TABLES

A stylish and fun lunch option is TAD Café, set in a hip concept store that carries a bit of everything, from clothing and accessories to plates, vases and fabrics. Meals are served in a wonderful courtyard. For great views and a quick lunch, there’s Terrazza Caffarelli at the Capitoline Museum (Piazza del Campidoglio; 39-06-6919-0564; www.museicapitolini.org), which has stunning views of church domes and rooftops and is a marvelous place to relax over coffee or a sandwich for lunch. There’s a separate outside stairway that leads directly to the café so you don’t have to pay the museum entrance fee. For dinner, try Osteria del Pesce, a popular fish restaurant near the Campo de’ Fiori. A favorite of fashion designer Soledad Twombly, it serves fresh seafood and draws a chic crowd. If it’s a nice balmy Rome night, book a table at Ar Galletto on the corner of Piazza Farnese. The restaurant faces a stately façade designed by Michelangelo (it now houses the French Embassy). Specialties include the restaurant’s namesake dish, a perfectly grilled chicken fragrant with rosemary. To catch a glimpse of local and visiting film stars, book a table at Dal Bolognese (Piazza del Popolo 2; 39-06-361-1426), rumored to be a favorite when George Clooney comes to town. For an easy, no-frills lunch or dinner with younger children, Popi Popi has wonderful pizzas and is located in the historic Trastevere neighborhood. Grab a spot on the terrace. For the city’s best gelato, stop by San Crispino.

SIGHTS TO VISIT

The wonderful gardens at the Galleria Borghese should be part of any visit. To get a better understanding of the city’s history and architecture, tour the Forum (Largo Romolo e Remo), Colosseum (Piazzale del Colosseo, Via dei Fori Imperiali; +39-06-3996-7600) and Pantheon (Piazza della Rotonda; +39-06-6830-0230) with one of the guides mentioned above.

COUNTRY ESCAPE

To combine time in the city with a few days in Umbria or on the Amalfi Coast, contact Marjorie Shaw of Insiders Italy. She can assist with finding the perfect villa, scoring a hard-to-get dinner reservation and arranging babysitters, biking tours or transportation. Her services are equally valuable in Rome.