Italy Itinerary with Kids: 10, 14 & 30 Days

Italy is one of the most family-friendly countries on the planet, but you still need to build in the right mix of culture, outdoor time, slower travel days and kid-friendly stops. With world-famous cities like Rome, Florence and Pisa, beautiful coastal villages in Cinque Terre, and beach time on the Island of Elba, this Italy itinerary with kids gave us a trip that felt both memorable and manageable.

We were fortunate to spend one month in Italy with our kids, which gave us time to slow down and really enjoy each destination. But we also know that most families are working with a shorter school break or vacation window, so this guide includes our full one-month route as well as a 14-day Italy with kids itinerary and a shorter 10-day Italy itinerary with kids.

If you’re planning a family trip Italy with kids, this post will help you decide how long to spend in each place, which stops are worth the effort with children, and how to balance sightseeing days with beaches, parks, hikes, gelato stops and downtime. We’ll also share what worked well for our family, what we’d adjust with less time, and all the practical details to make your Italy family vacation the best it can be.

This post contains compensated links.

Planning an Italy Itinerary with Kids

Best Time to Visit Italy with Kids

When planning your family trip to Italy, be prepared to book your accommodation well in advance, especially if you are travelling to Italy with kids in the peak season summer months.

We always find ourselves surprised at how quickly accommodations in Europe get booked for high season. If you are visiting Italy with kids in high season, we recommend you begin planning your accommodations in January to get the best selection of quality and price.

So, the first step in planning a family holiday to Italy with kids is deciding the best time to go. If you are limited to school holidays, you’ll probably be planning your Italy itinerary during summer, which is the most popular time to visit Italy.

If you can visit Italy with kids outside of school holidays, we recommend planning your family trip to Italy in spring. We were lucky enough to visit Italy with kids (a toddler and preschooler) before they started school, so we were able to visit in April, right in the heart of shoulder season.

In spring, temperatures in Italy start to warm up, the snow is usually gone except at the highest peaks, and there are fewer crowds. Spring is also beautiful, with flowers in full bloom.

The benefits of summer travel in Italy are longer days and the warmest temperatures. But everything will be busier and more expensive.

How Many Days Do You Need in Italy with Kids?

Coming up with the best Italy itinerary for families will depend on how much time you have. Italy has so much to see that you could likely spend a year here and not get bored.

You’ll discover that many of the most kid-friendly European cities are in Italy, so we recommend spending as much time as your schedule and budget allows. Try to pick your destinations wisely to limit the amount of time travelling between each.

We were lucky to have one month to visit Italy with kids, so we developed our family trip to Italy itinerary based on our desire for culture and outdoor recreation, along with the best things to do in Italy for kids.

If you’d prefer to spend two weeks in Italy, we offer some suggestions below on how to reduce our four-week Italy itinerary to a two-week Italy itinerary. We also included a modified version for a ten-day Italy itinerary with kids.

Where to Stay in Italy with Kids

Vacation rentals (like Airbnb and VRBO) are your best accommodation option when travelling to Italy with kids. You simply can’t beat the many family-friendly features of a vacation rental, including separate bedrooms, a full kitchen and laundry facilities.

Staying in vacation rentals in Italy allowed us to cook of our own meals occasionally, which helps us travel with kids on a budget.

For our Italy accommodations, we stayed exclusively in vacation rentals during our one-month Italy family vacation. For details of our five different vacation rentals in Italy, check out the links to each destination on our Italy family vacation itinerary below.

If you’d prefer to stay at a kid-friendly hotel in Italy, look for features that make family travel easier, such as a pool, free breakfast, air conditioning, family rooms, luggage storage and a convenient location close to transit or major sights.

The compromise is that you usually won’t have a kitchen or laundry, and families may need to share one room, but for shorter stays, hotels can be a great option when you want something simple, comfortable and easy.

Getting Around Italy with Kids

Travelling Italy by Train with Kids

Travelling by train is one of the best ways to get around Italy with kids. It’s so much more relaxing than renting a car and you can leave your car seats at home. Plus, the Italian countryside and seaside scenery is spectacular.

Don’t be nervous about taking the train in Italy with kids. In our experience, Italians love kids, and our kids were made to feel welcome on every journey.

The easiest way to buy Italy train tickets for your family is to use Trenitalia. As Italy’s main national train operator, you’ll have no trouble purchasing all the train tickets you need for your family trip to Italy.

Kids under 4 can travel free on Trenitalia trains when accompanied by an adult, as long as they do not occupy their own seat. We chose to buy inexpensive child tickets for our 1- and 3-year-old kids so they would have their own seats.

The Italian train officials went out of their way to tell us we didn’t need to buy tickets for the kids, but given how cheap train tickets are in Italy, we felt comfortable with our strategy.

Should You Rent a Car in Italy with Kids?

Given how cheap and easy it is to travel by train in Italy with kids, we recommend getting an Italian rental car only if you have a specific need or are heading to a rare Italian destination not served by the Italian train network.

Our One-Month Italy Itinerary with Kids

Once we decided to become full-time family travel bloggers, we sat down with our bucket list of destinations for our first big family trip. We were looking for a mix of world-class culture with excellent outdoor recreation options, such as hiking and biking. A family trip to Italy was the clear choice!

Here is our one-month Italy family vacation itinerary. We tried hard to create a good mix of things to do in Italy for kids, along with adult-focused activities such as hiking, outdoor activities, castles and museums. With a good balance of activities, we tried to make sure everyone would be happy with our family trip to Italy.

Our One-Month Italy Itinerary Overview

• Days 1-8: Rome
  
• Days 9-15: Island of Elba
  
• Days 16-22: Cinque Terre
  
• Day 23: Pisa
  
• Day 24: Lucca
  
• Days 25-30: Florence

We loved our family vacation to Italy and couldn’t be happier with how we spent our 4 weeks Italy with kids itinerary. Our Italy itinerary gave us sufficient time to explore each area and find some of the best things to do in Italy with kids.

Days 1-8: Rome with Kids

Arrival Day in Rome

After a long flight to Italy from Canada, we arrived in Rome. We checked into our Rome apartment, had pizza in a nearby piazza and went to bed.

Rome’s main airport is outside the city centre, so it’s worth planning your transfer before you arrive. The Leonardo Express train is the most common way to get from the Rome airport to the historic centre. But, if you’d like an affordable luxury after a long day traveling with kids, check out a Welcome Pickups private transfer. We use them often on our family trips to Europe; it’s such a treat after a long travel day.

For more information on your options, check out our post on how to get from the Rome airport to central Rome.

Day 1: Piazza Navona, Pantheon and Villa Borghese

We hit the ground running on our first full day in Rome with kids. We woke early due to jet lag, so we enjoyed seeing many top Rome attractions early, before the crowds arrived. We started with a visit to a nearly empty Piazza Navona, followed by a visit to the Pantheon right at opening time.

UPDATE: When we visited the Pantheon on our family trip to Rome, it was free to enter. Today you need to prebook your tickets with a designated entry time. You can buy tickets on the official site or on GetYourGuide.

Walking the streets of Rome with kids provides endless surprises and discoveries. Our first example of this was our accidental discovery of Largo di Torre Argentina, an archaeological area with the remains of four temples and with a cat sanctuary (which our daughter loved!).

We ended our morning with excellent pizza at the vibrant, colourful Campo de’ Fiori street market.

We spent our first afternoon in Rome with kids with a visit to the very crowded Spanish Steps.

We left quickly due to the crowds and went to Villa Borghese Gardens where we rented a 4-seater bike. We laughed so hard it turned out to be one of our favourite things to do in Rome with kids!

Day 2: Colosseum and Janiculum Hill

In the morning, we walked to the Roman Colosseum from our apartment. Again, we passed some incredible antiquities and monuments on our way. The Colosseum itself was incredible and is a must-do activity in Rome with children.

To visit the Roman Colosseum, you must buy an official timed entry ticket. Alternately, this small group family tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum is great for kids!

By the afternoon, we were already craving a little time in nature away from the crowds, so we went for a family walk on Janiculum Hill. We enjoyed the shady, tree-lined paths and the amazing views of Rome.

Day 3: Palatine Hill, Roman Forum and Piazza Navona

We began Day 3 of our family trip to Rome with a peaceful walk through Palatine Hill, one of the Seven Hills of Rome and one of the most ancient parts of the city.

Afterwards, we checked off another must-do attraction in Rome, the Roman Forum.  

UPDATE: Entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are now included with the purchase of an official Colosseum ticket. Alternately, this kid-friendly tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum includes skip-the-line tickets and has an option for a private family tour.

The kids were pretty tired of the more adult-focused sights in Rome, so we treated them to an afternoon doing their favourite thing to do in Rome, chasing pigeons at Piazza Navona. I love how the best things to do with kids while travelling are often so simple, and free!

Day 4: Family Photos and Cycling the Appian Way

While we were in line at the Colosseum, we were lucky enough to bump into Jake and Dannie, two very talented family travel photographers we knew from Instagram. They were generous enough to offer us a family photo shoot!

Our family photos in Rome are some of our favourite family pictures we’ve ever had. Rome is such a photogenic city; we highly recommend getting some professional photos taken of your family trip to Rome.

Our new friends joined us for a fun afternoon of cycling the Appian Way, another super fun thing to do with kids in Rome, especially if you enjoy outdoor recreation with your kids.

Day 5: Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese

We explored the streets of Rome again on Day 5. We began our day with an early morning visit to Trevi Fountain, one of the most beautiful sights in Rome.

It was early enough in the day that we snuck in a second visit to the Spanish Steps, which were much more pleasant without the massive crowds.

Day 5 was a Sunday, so we joined the locals with a visit to Villa Borghese Gardens, one of the most beautiful green spaces in central Rome. We enjoyed a few amazing Italian cappuccinos and pastries before meandering through the beautiful grounds.

While in the Villa Borghese Gardens we let the kids play at a playground. It’s important to let kids play on family trips. We recommend you stop at one of these Rome playgrounds for tourists during your family trip.

Day 6: Rome Aqueduct Park

When travelling in Italy with our kids, we loved to find activities that mix culture with time outdoors. A visit to the Rome Aqueduct Park was a perfect blend of the two and ended up being our favourite thing to do in Rome with kids!

Day 7: Vatican City and Castel Sant’Angelo

We tried to visit the Sistine Chapel on our final day in Rome, but we balked at the massive lineups to get in. In hindsight, we should have purchased Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel tickets in advance like everyone else!

Although we were really disappointed to miss the Sistine Chapel, we still had a great visit to the Vatican with kids. We visited St. Peter’s Basilica and climbed to the top of the Dome, where we enjoyed great views of St. Peter’s Square and beyond.

Our final activity in Rome was a visit to the park at Castel Sant’ Angelo. The moat of this former Rome castle has been converted into a park, complete with a fun playground.

Days 9-15: Island of Elba with Kids

We visited the beautiful Island of Elba with kids after our week in Rome. Isola d’Elba’s natural beauty and laid back vibe was the perfect destination to follow the super-hectic pace of Rome.

Exploring Elba by Bike

Our original plan for our week in Elba with kids was to rent bikes with child seats and use them to explore the entire island during our week. We hadn’t counted on Elba being so hilly! We still got around with rental bikes from Portoferraio, but our range wasn’t as far as we’d hoped.

We found lots of fun things to do with kids in Elba. We went on several great bike rides and hikes, played on countless beautiful beaches and explored the Old Town.

We enjoyed two scenic Elba bike rides with our kids during our stay. The first was a bike & hike to the top of a short peak on a peninsula near the tuna fishing port town of Capo d’Enfola. The views of the Ligurian Sea from the top were amazing!

The second was a pleasant bike ride through the Elba countryside to the charming seaside town of Bagnaia. You can relax and let your kids run free on the pedestrian-only streets of this cute little town.

Our Favourite Elba Beaches

It doesn’t take long for the relaxed vibe of Elba to seep into your bones. Despite our natural inclination to be on-the-go all the time, we found ourselves relaxing and playing with our kids on the beautiful Elba beaches every day. The pebbles on the beaches of Elba can be a bit hard on tender city feet, so having water shoes for everyone is a good idea.

Our four favourite beaches were all within easy walking distance of our Portoferraio apartment.

We enjoyed taking our kids to the towering beach cliffs of Spiaggia Di Sottobomba Beach, the beautiful blue and white pebbles found at Spiaggia Capo Bianco Beach, the seclusion of Spiaggia Seccione Beach and the action at the ever-popular Spiaggia della Padulella.

Our visit to Elba with kids was over the Easter holiday. Visiting Italy over Easter can be busy and expensive, but the Island of Elba felt like a great Easter destination with kids because it avoided much of the mainland craziness.

Days 16-22: Cinque Terre with Kids

If you enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and biking with your kids, visiting Cinque Terre with kids is a must. The five incredibly charming seaside villages which comprise the Cinque Terre are nestled in some of Italy’s most incredible scenery.

Where we Stayed in Cinque Terre with Kids

We based ourselves in Monterosso al Mare for our 6 days in Cinque Terre with kids. It’s the biggest (and admittedly least charming) of the five villages, but it is the most kid-friendly village in Cinque Terre.

Monterosso al Mare has a great playground, a large beach and several grocery stores. We rented a 2-bedroom apartment in the most family-friendly Cinque Terre village and used the easy train connections to explore the other villages.

Hiking Cinque Terre with Kids

The hiking around Cinque Terre is simply incredible. Each morning, we would hop on the regional Cinque Terre train and explore one of the five villages.

Getting to the Cinque Terre villages early in the morning with our kids was very enjoyable as we beat the crowds. Walking the nearly deserted streets was such a peaceful experience, allowing us to fully soak in the charm of each town and its unique seaside setting.

The Cinque Terre villages are all pretty small, so they don’t take long to see. After fully exploring each village we’d put our toddlers in their backpack carriers and hit the hiking trails.

Hiking Cinque Terre with our kids in backpack carriers meant we were not limited to easy, kid-friendly hikes. There are Cinque Terre hiking trails for all skill levels, although the majority of the trails are a moderate difficulty level.

Cycling Cinque Terre Bike with Kids

Given the mountainous terrain of the region, we were pleasantly surprised to find a kid-friendly bike ride in Cinque Terre. A former rail line between Levanto and Framura has been converted into a hiking and biking path.

This flat, seaside bike path alternates between stunning ocean-front scenery and long, well-lit train tunnels. It’s a ton of fun for a family-friendly Cinque Terre bike ride.

Day 23: Pisa with Kids

We decided there weren’t enough things to do in Pisa with kids to justify spending the night, but given we had to go through Pisa on our train ride from Cinque Terre to Lucca, we decided to spend a half-day in Pisa.

After storing our luggage at the Pisa train station, we immediately walked to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the town’s star attraction. We love climbing towers, but our kids didn’t meet the minimum age of 7 to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa, so we were content to walk around, take pictures and enjoy the views of this iconic landmark.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is just one of four historic buildings in the Campo dei Miracoli (the Square of Miracles). After soaking in Pisa’s Leaning Tower, we wandered around the Square of Miracles before grabbing some lunch on one of Pisa’s kid-friendly pedestrian-only streets.

After lunch we found an excellent Pisa playground, located next to yet another aqueduct (can you tell we love aqueducts?!?). This playground was a great place to kill the rest of our time before hopping on our train from Pisa to Lucca.

Day 24: Lucca with Kids

We took advantage of easy train connections and spent two nights in Lucca on our way from Cinque Terre to Florence.

Lucca is famous for its well-preserved city walls. The walls are wide, making it easy to walk or bike along the top. Ever since riding our bikes around the Xi’an city walls in China (pre-kids) we’ve been hooked. We couldn’t pass up this opportunity for a unique family bike ride in Tuscany, Italy.

We found great Lucca bike rentals with child seats a few blocks from our Lucca vacation rental apartment. Biking Lucca’s city walls with our kids was great fun! There are even parks and playgrounds along the way for kids to play at.

We spent our remaining time wandering the charming cobblestone streets of Lucca. We climbed to the top of Torre delle Ore and enjoyed views of Torre Guinigi and the tiled roofs of Lucca’s Old Town, before stopping to enjoy some Italian gelato.

Days 25-30: Florence with Kids

Arrival Day in Florence

Our train from Lucca to Florence arrived early afternoon. We checked into our Florence vacation rental apartment and walked to the nearby Piazzale Michelangelo to let the kids burn off steam and get the lay of the land with great views over Florence. The replica of Michelangelo’s David was pretty cool as well.

Day 1: Palazzo Vecchio, Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Cathedral

As you may have noticed, we love climbing bell towers, so on our first full day in Florence, we set off to climb the Tower of Palazzo Vecchio, but found out kids must be 6 years old to climb.

The replica of Michelangelo’s David in front of Palazzo Vecchio was worth the visit, it’s much better than the one we saw in Piazzale Michelangelo the day before.

Not easily defeated, we walked to Giotto’s Bell Tower (Giotto’s Campanile), one of the four monuments on the Piazza del Duomo. The 414 steps to the top were well worth it as the views of Brunelleschi’s Dome must be some of the best in Florence.

We finished our first day with a visit to the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. Despite a very extravagant exterior, the interior of the Florence Cathedral is surprisingly plain.

As with all the great Italian churches, it’s still quite impressive and worth a visit. We really enjoyed exploring the excavations under the Florence Cathedral.

We wanted to visit Florence’s Duomo, but were turned away. We didn’t know that Duomo tickets sell out well in advance, so we missed out on this iconic thing to do in Florence with kids.

Day 2: Ponte Vecchio, Boboli Gardens and Bardini Gardens

Ponte Vecchio, or “Old Bridge”, is one of the most famous things to do in Florence. We enjoyed our relaxed walk across Ponte Vecchio early in the morning on our way to Giardino di Boboli (Boboli Gardens).

After a hectic day of seeing some of the top things to do in Florence, we were craving some peace and quiet in nature. Our visit to Giardino di Boboli was a wonderful antidote to the busy day of Florence sightseeing we had on Day 1. Filled with fountains and statues, the Boboli Gardens are a great place to visit on a hot day in Florence with kids.

Afterwards, we enjoyed the roses, irises and amazing views of Florence at the nearby Giardino Bardini, which was included in our ticket to Giardino di Boboli.

Day 3: Fiesole Day Trip

Fiesole is a picturesque town high above the outskirts of Florence. After an easy trip by public transit, we enjoyed a wonderful nature-filled day trip from Florence.

In addition to wandering around the charming town center, we enjoyed two easy hikes around Fiesole. Our easy hikes took us past convents, graveyards, Roman amphitheaters and playgrounds.

Much of the Fiesole hiking trails were through lush forest, but the non-treed parts provided excellent views of Florence.

Day 4: Palazzo Vecchio with Kids

Perhaps because our family vacation to Italy was winding down, we decided to skip two of the top things to do in Florence: The Uffizi Gallery, home to Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, and the Accademia Gallery, home of Michelangelo’s David.

I’m sure the authentic version of Michelangelo’s David is incredible, but on our last day in Italy, the thought of taking our toddler and preschooler through two super-busy museums was not appealing.

So, we spent our last day in Florence with kids at Palazzo Vecchio. It was a decent museum, but it wasn’t the best museum in Italy by any stretch. We visited Palazzo Vecchio as they had some great activities for the kids, which were a big hit.

14-Day Italy Itinerary with Kids

Based on the knowledge we gained during our month in Italy with kids, here is our recommended 14-day Italy Itinerary for your family.

Days 1-4: Rome

There are so many amazing things to do in Rome with kids that it may be hard to squeeze them all in over four days. You could save time by skipping the visits to the Appian Way or the Roman Aqueduct Park as they are a bit out of the way.

Days 5-7: Isla d’Elba

Reward yourself for surviving the craziness of Rome with a few days relaxing on the beautiful Island of Elba beaches.

Days 8-10: Cinque Terre

After relaxing with your family on the beaches of Elba, enjoy some family hiking between the world-famous seaside villages of the Cinque Terre. Treat yourself to some of the most scenic hiking in the world by picking a few of the trails within your family’s capabilities.

Day 11: Pisa

You can’t miss an opportunity to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa! Pisa is an easy stop on the train route from Cinque Terre to Florence, so time your train journey to allow a few hours to see Pisa’s most famous attraction.

Days 12-14: Florence

With just a few days in Florence, you can skip the trips to the gardens and the day-trip to Fiesole.

Your 14-Day family trip to Italy itinerary might look something like this:

Day 1: Rome – Arrival.

Day 2: Rome – Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Largo di Torre Argentina, Campo de’ Fiori, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and the Villa Borghese Gardens.

Day 3: Rome – Roman Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.

Day 4: Rome – Vatican and Castel Sant’ Angelo.

Day 5: Island of Elba – Train & ferry ride from Rome to Portoferraio. Spend the afternoon exploring the city.

Day 6: Island of Elba – Rent a bike in the morning and explore the countryside. Play on the beach with your kids in the afternoon.

Day 7: Island of Elba – Relax on the beach with your kids.

Day 8: Cinque Terre – Enjoy a scenic ferry & train ride from Portoferraio to Cinque Terre. Spend the afternoon exploring your home village and try one of the hikes which depart from there.

Day 9: Cinque Terre – Take the local train to Vernazza, the most beautiful of the Cinque Terre villages. Explore and take pictures for a while, then enjoy the hike from Vernazza to Corniglia, considered by many the best hike in Cinque Terre.

Day 10: Cinque Terre – Take a short train ride to Levanto and enjoy a super-fun seaside family bike ride through long tunnels on an abandoned rail line converted to a bike path.

Day 11: Pisa – Stop in Pisa on your way to Florence and visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Kill the remaining time before your train to Florence at the cool Pisa aqueduct playground.

Day 12: Florence – Visit Florence’s Duomo, then visit the other amazing buildings in the area. If you have the energy, climb Giotto’s Bell Tower for amazing, up-close views of the Duomo.

Day 13: Florence – Visit the iconic Uffuzi Gallery and Accademia Gallery.

Day 14: Florence – Enjoy a day trip to the beautiful suburb of Fiesole.

10-Day Italy Itinerary with Kids

To reduce it even further, this is how we would spend 10 days in Italy with kids:

Days 1-4: Rome – We’d keep our Rome itinerary untouched from our suggested 14-day Italy itinerary with kids.

Days 5-7: Cinque Terre – As beautiful as it is, with only 10 days available, we cut the Island of Elba from the 10-day Italy itinerary. Spend three days in Cinque Terre as described above in the 14-day Italy with kids itinerary.

Day 8: Pisa – Visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa as a stopover on your train ride from Cinque Terre to Florence.

Days 9-10: Florence – To cut one day from the 3-day Florence itinerary, we suggest skipping the day trip to Fiesole.

And that’s it! We hope you enjoyed reading about our Italy itinerary with kids, and that it has helped you plan your own amazing family vacation to Italy!

Final Thoughts on Our Italy Itinerary with Kids

What made this Italy itinerary with kids work so well for our family was the balance. We had sightseeing days in Rome and Florence, relaxed beach time on the Island of Elba, beautiful coastal walks in Cinque Terre, and easy day stops in Pisa and Lucca. We didn’t try to spend every day inside museums or rush from one famous landmark to the next.

Instead, we mixed cultural sights with playgrounds, gelato stops, beaches, bike rides, hikes and slower travel days, which made our Italy family vacation more enjoyable for everyone.

If you’re planning a family trip Italy with kids, the best itinerary is the one that works best your family. A full month gives you time to slow down, but you can still plan an amazing Italy with kids itinerary in 10 days or two weeks by choosing fewer stops and building in enough downtime.

For a shorter Italy family vacation, be realistic about how much you can fit in, focus on the places that interest you most, and don’t worry about seeing everything. Italy is full of memorable family experiences, and with the right pace, it can be just as enjoyable for kids as it is for adults.

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