The best things to do in Rome with kids

With its mighty monuments, creepy catacombs and glorious food, the Italian capital is a magical place for families. The best things to do in Rome with kids will take you on a journey into history, culture and cuisine.

If this is your first time visiting Rome as a family, you're in for a treat. Citizens of the capital, like Italians everywhere, love children, and sharing la cena (dinner) together is a beloved family tradition, both at home and in Rome's restaurants. This is definitely not a city where children are expected to be seen and not heard.

With a little imagination, you’ll find there’s plenty to keep your little ones entertained in the city’s tumbledown ruins and ancient streets. Fire up imaginations before you travel with some scene-setting reading and viewing material, such as The Thieves of Ostia, Madeleine and the Cats of Rome and the Diary of Dorkius Maximus, or for over-15s, Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000).

To help you plan the perfect family trip, here are the best things to do in Rome with kids, with tips on eating, accommodation, transport and how to get the best out of the sights when traveling as a family.

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When is the best time to visit Rome with kids?

Most of the best things to do in Rome are just as much fun for kids as for adults, but it pays to consider the climate and tourist seasons. Children rarely have the same tolerance for heat and crowds as grown-ups, and July and August in particular can see temperatures hit 30ºC (86ºF) with big queues at the sights.

Come during the quieter, cheaper shoulder seasons in the spring and fall for a more relaxing family vacation. Rome is much quieter in winter, but the outdoor sights can be chilly; on the plus side, there are seasonal attractions such as Christmas World at Villa Borghese.

Is Rome good for kids?

Your children will love roaming around Rome. The family experience here is centered on museums and historic sights, but tales of gladiators and heroic deeds can transform even the dustiest ruins into a fantastical playground. Technology helps – several sites provide smartphone apps, interactive displays and even VR headsets to help bring history to life. 

Away from the headline attractions, there are parks to explore and underground treasures to discover. And then there’s the food; gelato and pizza make perfect snacks, while restaurants are pretty relaxed about accommodating young diners. High chairs are easy to find if you're visiting Rome with toddlers; few restaurants have dedicated kids' menus, but most will happily serve a mezza porzione (child’s portion). 

But traveling to Rome with kids is not always so easy. Crowds, cobbled streets and out-of-order metro lifts can make life tough with a stroller. When navigating crowds, a backpack carrier for toddlers or a sling for babies will make your trip less stressful. Similarly, there are few dedicated facilities for nappy-changing and breastfeeding, and public toilets are scarce; use the facilities at restaurants and tourist attractions. 

If you visit Rome with teenagers, getting connected is easy in Italy, but getting teens off their devices can be harder. Encourage older kids to record the trip using a camera or smartphone, and look for activities with a bit of physical activity or adventure, such as Vespa sidecar tours or cycling trips along the Via Appia Antica.

This is one of the most popular stops in Italy for families, and hotels are often able to provide an extra bed or cot, or provide adjoining rooms for families. Car rental companies can provide child seats, but with the difficulty of finding parking, the complex road rules, and the stresses of driving in the city, most visiting families prefer to stick to public transport. 

Where is best in Rome for kids

Rome's historic heart – the Centro Storico – hosts many of the top sights, as well as countless gelatero shops and takeaway pizza joints, but it's worth looking at other Rome neighborhoods, too. Getting around Rome is easy by bus, tram or the Metro, and kids aged 10 years or younger travel free on services run by ATAC, the city's public transportation company.  

The area around the Villa Borghese is a top spot for families, home to the city zoo, a small boating lake and plenty of picnic spots. In the Vatican, the climb up the dome of St Peter’s will thrill kids as much as adults, while the Via Appia Antica is the place for bike rides and catacomb chills for teens and more adventurous youngsters. 

When looking for accommodation for a Rome family holiday, staying in the Centro Storico will make it easier to reach downtown sights, but hotels can be expensive here. For cheaper accommodations, try the Monti and Prati neighborhoods – close to the Colosseum and Vatican, respectively – which offer a quieter experience and easy access to local playgrounds and parks.

Staying in a rental apartment in the suburbs (booked through Airbnb or another rental service) can be a good option for families. It can work out cheaper than staying in a hotel, with the added perk of a kitchen to reduce the costs of dining out for every meal. 

The top 5 things to do in Rome with kids

Here are the top things to do in Rome with kids of all ages. 

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• Dive into history at the Colosseum

• Get interactive at Explora – Museo dei Bambini di Roma

• View the Terme di Caracalla baths through a VR headset

• Climb the dome of St Peter's Basilica

• Go cycling on the Via Appia Antica

Best things to do in Rome with babies and toddlers

We've grouped the best things to do in Rome with kids into age ranges to help you plan your trip, but many activities and sights work for travelers of all ages. 

Enjoy the green spaces of Villa Borghese

Surrounding the neoclassical Villa Borghese Pinciana, the sprawling park known as Villa Borghese is great for tots, with several open-air playgrounds and a miniature train. Older kids can row on the Giardino del Lago and peddle around Villa Borghese's calm green spaces on bikes (available to hire in the park). Rome’s zoo, the Bioparco, is also here; with around 1200 animals kept in well-maintained enclosures, it’s a reliable kid-pleaser.

Take an urban animal safari

For more animal fun, look out for the colony of cats that lives among the Republican-era temple ruins at Largo di Torre Argentina (they're looked after by a local charity). Elsewhere, you’ll find a veritable menagerie of animal sculptures dotted around the city, including a stone elephant near the Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, and lions on the Cordonata staircase.

Then there's the famous statue of a wolf suckling Romulus and Remus in the Capitoline Museums, with an outdoor copy on Via di San Pietro in Carcere, beside the nearby Palazzo Senatorio. Other memorable destinations for animal spotters include the Fontana delle Tartarughe, with its bronze tortoises, and the Hall of Animals at the Vatican Museums.

Spend a rainy day at Rome's kids' museum

Rome’s only dedicated kids’ museum, Explora – Museo dei Bambini di Roma is aimed at under-12s. It’s a colorful, hands-on, feet-on kind of place, with interactive displays organized into fun themes, a fire engine to clamber over, and a free play park. Your nippers will love it!

Best things to do in Rome with older kids

With bigger kids in your party, there's plenty in Rome to fire up developing imaginations. Many primary school kids will have been introduced to the Romans at school, so it can be fun introducing them to real Roman history. 

Relive Rome's ancient glories at the Colosseum

Everyone wants to see the Colosseum, and it doesn’t disappoint, especially if you warm up kids for the experience with tales of mortal combat and ferocious lions. To see where the lions were caged, consider a tour of the Hypogeum, the network of underground corridors that extends beneath the main arena. Buy tickets online ahead of time (up to a month in advance for busy times) to avoid queuing for same-day tickets on arrival.

Try to visit early in the morning or later in the afternoon when it’s cooler, the crowds are smaller, and the light is better for photos; allow about 1.5 hours to explore. The Forum is within walking distance of the Colosseum, and visiting this ancient site with a guide will help bring the scattered ruins alive for kids. Combination tickets for the Forum and Colosseum are available. 

Take the truth test at the Bocca della Verità

It’s said that if you tell a lie with your hand in the Bocca della Verità – an ancient marble disc with a face carved into it – the mouth will slam shut and try to bite off your fingers. Nobody has lost their fingers yet, but kids will love the thrill of testing this spooky legend. Afterward, decamp to the nearby Circo Massimo for a run-around and picnic.

Toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is the one place where you’ll actively want to encourage your kids to throw their money away. Tradition dictates that if you toss a coin into the fountain, you are guaranteed to return to the Eternal City. To secure your comeback, join the crowds – which shrink once night falls – and chuck in some unwanted pennies.

Enjoy a high-tech experience at the Terme di Caracalla

If your kids love technology, get them into augmented-reality headsets at the Terme di Caracalla. These VR guides allow kids (and grown-ups) to explore this vast bathing complex and visualize the site as it looked in its 3rd-century heyday. Multimedia displays are also used to good effect at Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini, bringing life to several underground Roman villas.

Summit St Peter’s in the Vatican

You’ll almost certainly pass through the Vatican at some point on your trip, and while the queues and focus on art and architecture may be tiring for less patient kids, toddlers will enjoy chasing pigeons around St Peter’s Square and staring at the Swiss Guards’ snazzy uniforms.

Their older siblings will enjoy climbing the iconic dome of St Peter’s Basilica and admiring the stunning rooftop views, but queues are common and they'll need a head for heights. Similarly dramatic panoramas await at the nearby Castel Sant’Angelo.

Best things to do in Rome with teenagers and tweenagers

Older kids are trickier to keep entertained in Rome, for the same reasons they're tricky to keep entertained anywhere, but activities with a bit of physical exertion or adventure will appeal. 

Take in the views from the Vittoriano

Teens might be hard to please, but even they’ll be impressed by the Vittoriano. This colossal white monument, also known as the Altare della Patria, boasts some of the capital’s most spectacular views, including a breathtaking panorama from the 80m-high Terrazza delle Quadrighe. To get there, take the lift on the structure’s western flank.

Take a Vespa sidecar tour

You probably don't want to let your teens loose in Rome's traffic on a scooter, but tour company Vespa Sidecar offers the next-best thing. Their tours zip visitors around the sights in an old-fashioned Vespa sidecar, and you get a scooter and driver each, so the thrill comes with just a hint of independence.  

Go to gladiator school

Teens can give free rein to their inner Spartacus at Rome’s gladiator school. Here you and your team of young warriors can dress up in traditional garb and learn the ins and outs of gladiatorial combat under the watchful eyes of instructors from the Gruppo Storico Romano.

Cycle and peer into catacombs on the Appian Way

The ancient Via Appia Antica is one of Italy's best-preserved Roman roads, and it's home to Rome’s best-known catacombs, including the extensive Catacombe di San Callisto. These eerie underground tunnels are where the city's early Christians buried their dead. It's a wonderfully creepy experience to poke around their hidden depths, but younger kids may find it a bit too spooky. Wear closed shoes to avoid stubbing toes in the dark.

On returning to the land of the living, clear your head – and escape the fumes of central Rome – with a bike ride along Via Appia. Ecobike and other agencies in the area rent out bikes, including bikes for kids. 

See the football at the Stadio Olimpico

For an unforgettable sporting experience, take your teens to a match at the Stadio Olimpico. Hardcore fans fill the Curva Nord (Lazio) or Curva Sud (Roma) but for a more family-friendly experience, try getting seats in the central tribune sections. If you can’t make a game, stadium tours are also available.

Buy tickets ahead – they usually go on sale three to four weeks in advance. Getting to the stadium typically involves a journey by Metro, then a tram or bus ride. It may be easier to take a taxi to and from matches. 

Planning tips

Here are a few extra planning tips. 

• Rome's hotels tend to have small rooms, but many have at least one set up for families. Book early to secure a family room or adjoining rooms.

• Public transport is free for under-10s, but you’ll still be walking a lot. A sling or backpack carrier will help if you’re traveling with a baby or a younger toddler. If you bring a stroller, make sure it's robust enough to deal with Rome's cobbled streets. 

• Bring sunscreen and a portable battery-powered hand fan for trips in summer; many parents set one up on their strollers, alongside an umbrella attachment, to keep toddlers cool. 

• For long days out, a reusable water bottle is useful for filling up at the public drinking water fountains known in Rome as nasoni or "big noses."

• Gelato is always refreshing in the heat, as is granita – crushed, fruit- or nut-flavored ice. Escape the sun in indoor museums and covered shopping spaces such as the Galleria Alberto Sordi.