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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 family trip. We were looking for a mix of world-class culture with excellent outdoor recreation options, such as hiking and biking.

Offering cultural heavyweights like Rome, Florence and Pisa, and the incredible natural beauty of Cinque Terre and the Island of Elba, a family trip to Italy was an excellent choice!

There is lots of interesting art in Pisa. Kids will like this fallen angel statue in the Square of Miracles

Below, we share our Italy itinerary with kids. We were fortunate enough to spend one month in Italy with our kids, but we also share our insights on a 14-day Italy itinerary with kids as well as a 10-day Italy itinerary with kids.

This post contains compensated links.

Planning a Family Trip to Italy

Best Time to Visit Italy with Kids

When planning your family trip to Italy, be prepared to book your Italian accommodation well in advance, especially if you are traveling to Italywith 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, begin planning your accommodations in January to get the best selection of quality and price.

when you travel to Rome with kids, don't miss the Frigidarium for the best gelato in Rome - they make special gelato for the kids

So, the first step in planning a family holiday to Italy 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 – the most popular time to visit Italy.

If you can visit Italy with kids at other times, then we recommend looking a family trip to Italy in the 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 – in the heart of shoulder season.

In spring, the temperature in Italy will start to warm up, the snow should be all gone except maybe at the highest peaks and there should be less crowds. In addition, spring is a beautiful time in Italywith many flowers in full bloom.

family friendly trips to italy in spring -
the beautiful countryside on Elba Island has thousands of wildflowers

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

If you are traveling to Italy with a toddler (or a baby), one solution is to travel with a Slumberpod. This ingenious product will create a dark sleeping area for your toddler and it even works with the popular toddler travel beds like the Shrunks Junior.

You can buy a Slumberpod on Amazon or use code BABYCANTRAVEL10 to get $10USD off the SlumberPod when you buy direct from Slumberpod!

How Long to Travel in Italy with Children

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 literally spend a year and not get bored.

So, we recommend spending as much time in Italy as your schedule allows. Pick your destinations wisely to limit the amount of time traveling between each.

Things to do in Italy for kids - The Roman Colosseum was a fun Rome activity

We were lucky to have one month to travel 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.

Getting Around Italy with Children

Traveling 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.

Taking the train in Italy with kids was a lot of fun - goofing around at the Campiglia Marittima train station

Don’t be shy taking the train in Italy with kids – Italians LOVE kids and they will be made to feel welcome on every journey.

Learn more about traveling by train in Italy with kids.

How to Buy Train Tickets in Italy

The easiest way to buy Italy train tickets for your family is to use ItaliaRail. They are a one-stop shop for purchasing Italy train tickets and sightseeing products. A big advantage to using ItaliaRail is that you can use English station names and buy tickets in your local currency.

The kids loved taking the train in Italy from Rome to Elba

Kids aged 3 and under travel on trains in Italy for free. Despite this, we still bought reasonably cheap youth train tickets for our 1 & 3 year old kids to ensure they wouldn’t have to sit on our laps.

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.

See below for our entire Italy by train itinerary.

We entertained our kids on the train in Italy with the Epic! digital library for kids. Italy was the first time we traveled with the Epic reading app, but it was such a hit with our kids that we still subscribe to it four years later! Get a free Basic account with Epic for your trip to Italy or read our Epic review for more details.

Entertaining kids on a train--Epic-Digital-Library-for-Travel-Books on a Train

What about a Road Trip 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.

If you are traveling to Italy with a toddler or small children and wish to rent a car, be sure to read this post about travel with car seats on our Baby Can Travel blog to get a full rundown of traveling with kids and car seats.

best family vacations to italy
- Spiaggia Seccione Beach, Elba, Italy

We traveled exclusively by train and ferry on our family trip to Italy, but when we rent cars for our family vacations, we prefer to use RentalCars.com.

In addition to the wide variety of options at each airport, we appreciate how clearly the ‘fine print’ is spelled out for you, such as insurance requirements, credit card deposits, etc.

Looking for European Road Trip ideas? Check out our road trip itineraries: Scotland Road Trip Itinerary with Kids and Ireland Road Trip Itinerary with Kids.

Where to Stay in Italy with Kids

Vacation rentals (like Airbnb and VRBO) are your best accommodation option when traveling 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 our own meals occasionally, which helped us travel to Italy on a budget.

best kid-friendly places in italy
- Climbing the Torre della Ore was one of our top things to do in Lucca for kids

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 on our Italy family vacation itinerary below. Learn from our experiences and read our tips on finding a great Airbnb for families.

best italy itinerary for families
- so many discoveries in Lucca, Italy for kids

If you’d prefer to stay at a kid-friendly hotel in Italy, we recommend using Booking.com. We use Booking.com almost exclusively when looking for kid-friendly hotels as they have an excellent Top Picks for Families search filter.

Best Italy Itinerary for Families

Here is our one-month Italy family vacation itinerary. As mentioned previously, this was an Italy by train itinerary and we didn’t join any family-friendly tours to Italy.

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.

things to do with kids in Italy - visiting florence with toddlers means that pigeons are no longer safe

One Month in Italy Itinerary with Kids 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
Italy Itinerary with Kids - 7 days in Rome with kids

One Month Italy Itinerary with Kids

We loved family vacation to Italy and couldn’t be happier with how we spent our 4-weeks in Italy with kids. 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

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 airport is way outside of town. We didn’t travel to Italy with car seats, so we couldn’t safely take a taxi with our kids. We took the Rome Airport Bus to get from the airport to central Rome, followed by a local bus to our apartment.

We chose the Rome airport bus as we had lots of time to kill before check-in, but there are many other faster, more convenient options to get from the Rome airport to your hotel to consider. For example, a private transfer is one of our favorite affordable luxuries when traveling with kids.

Day 1 in Rome with Kids

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.

Visiting Rome with children makes you want to dance like no one is watching

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, the ruins of four temples which are ‘owned’ by a large colony of cute stray cats (which our daughter loved!).

7 days in Rome with kids - cute stray cats from the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary

A walking tour like we did in Rome or this Venice walking tour is one of the best ways to experience the city!

When taking a family trip to Rome, be sure to visit Campo de Fiori with kids

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

Best of Rome Walking Tour: Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and Trevi Fountain

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

family holidays to Rome - Our first visit to the Rome Spanish Steps with kids was in the afternoon - it was very busy

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 favorite things to do with kids in Rome!

things to do in Rome with kids - Villa Borghese kids activities include renting Surrey Bikes (a fun 4-seater bike which has a steering wheel for the kids)

Day 2 in Rome with Children

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.

A visit to the Rome Coloseum is an integral part of any Rome family vacation

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.

Our Rome with kids itinerary included some physical activities to keep the kids happy, such as the Janiculum Walk

Day 3 in Rome with Kids

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

Visiting Rome with a toddler - Palantine Hill, next to the Roman Forum, is a good place for an easy walk in Rome

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

A 7 day Rome itinerary with kids needs to include a visit to the Roman Forum, but kids likely won't enjoy it. Take them to Palatine Hill after for some fun

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

Day 4 in Rome with Children

We were lucky enough to bump into Jake and Dannie – two very talented family travel photographers in line at the Colosseum. They were generous enough to offer us a family photo shoot!

Getting professional photos taken of your family vacation to Rome Italy is an excellent souvenir - photo by Jake and Dannie

The our family photos in Rome are some of our favorite 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.

family holidays in Rome - Cycling the Appian Way was a fun part of our Rome with kids itinerary

Want to take better pictures of your kids? Check out Jake’s 5 Essential Tips for Family Photos.

Day 5 in Rome with Family

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.

One week in Rome with kids - Even our kids noticed how beautiful the Trevi Fountain is

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.

things to do in Rome with kids - If you arrive early, the Spanish Steps can be a fun family thing to do in Rome Italy

Day 5 was a Sunday, so we joined the locals with a visit to the most beautiful park in central Rome, the Villa Borghese Gardens. We enjoyed a few amazing Italian cappuccinos and pastries before meandering through the beautiful grounds. While there, we treated the kids to a visit to one of Rome’s best playgrounds.

Day 6 in Rome with Children

When traveling in Italy with our kids, we loved to find activities which mix culture and outdoor activities. A visit to the Rome Aqueduct Park was a perfect blend of the two and ended up being our favorite thing to do in Rome with kids!

Family-Can-Travel---Aqueduct-Park-Rome-Italy-Toddler-Itinerary-Header

Day 7 in Rome with Kids

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 skip-the-line Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel tickets 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.

When visiting Rome with a toddler, get places early so they can walk without it being too crowded

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 Rome playground.

A 7 Day Rome with kids itinerary needs to include some time at Rome playgrounds, like this one at Castle Sant' Angelo

Read more on our time in Rome with Kids in this post.

Browse Rome apartment rentals and the top kid-friendly hotels in Rome.

Days 9-15: Isla d’Elba with Kids

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

family friendly trips to italy
- Playing on the beach near Portoferraio, Italy

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 Isla d’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.

With one month in Italy, find some time to visit Portoferraio, Elba, Italy

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!

Family trip to Italy - We enjoyed the views after the Campo d'Enfola hike

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.

cycling Italy with kids - With Portoferraio rental bikes, we cycled to Bagnaia, Italy with kids

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 favorite 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.

a family trip to Italy should include the beaches of Elba Island

Our visit to the Island of Elba with kids was over the Easter holiday. Visiting Italy over Easter is known to be super busy and expensive, but visiting the Island of Elba with kids is a place to visit Italy over Easter as it avoids the craziness of the mainland.

Get even more details on our time in The Island of Elba with kids in this post.

Browse Isla d’Elba VRBO vacation rentals and the top kid-friendly Elba hotels.

How to Get to the Island of Elba with Children

Elba ferries depart at a dock adjacent to the Piombino Marittima train station. The easiest way to get to Elba is to buy train tickets to Piombino Marittima coupled with ferry tickets to Portoferraio.

visiting Elba, Italy with kids - About to board our Moby ferry to Elba at the Piombino Marittima ferry terminal

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.

Panoramic photograph of the view from the Vernazza to Corniglia hike in Cinque Terre

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 5 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 in Italy with kids - Cinque Terre Italy

The Cinque Terre hiking is simply incredible. Each morning, we would hop on the regional Cinque Terre train and explored 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 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.

The hiking in Cinque Terre is some of the most scenic hiking we’ve done in the world – rivaling the hiking scenery we enjoyed in Nepal, Utah and Banff National Park.

italy with family - Hiking Cinque Terre with a toddler is easier with a backpack carrier

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.

When hiking Cinque Terre with kids look for flat sections of trail where the kids can walk, such as this one from the Corniglia to Manarola hike

Some of the most kid-friendly Cinque Terre hikes are currently closed for repairs, so if your kids are too big for backpack carriers, but too small for moderate hikes, browse the list of Cinque Terre hikes on AllTrails to find the best hiking options for your family.

Enjoy map downloads and many more premium features with a 7-day free trial of AllTrails+!

Cycling in Italy with kids - Cinque Terre with kids from Levanto to Framura

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. Get full details, including where to rent bikes, in our post on this fun Cinque Terre bike ride.

cycling in italy with kids - The Cinque Terre bike path from Levanto to Framura has some amazing views of the spectacular Italian coastline

How to Get to Cinque Terre with Children

Cinque Terre is one of Italy’s top destinations, so it’s no surprise getting to Cinque Terre by train is easy. Monterosso al Mare is the biggest Cinque Terre village and has the best train connections. Once you arrive at Monterosso al Mare, it’s easy to use the regional Cinque Terre train to get from village-to-village.

If your time is limited, you can also take visit Cinque Terre with your family as a day trip from Pisa, Florence, La Spezia and Milan.

family vacation to Cinque Terre - View of Vernazza Cinque Terre from the Corniglia to Vernazza hike

Read more about our visit to Cinque Terre with kids, including the specifics for each of the Cinque Terre hikes we did with our kids.

Browse Cinque Terre VRBO vacation rentals and the top kid-friendly Cinque Terre hotels.

Day 23: Pisa with Children

We decided there wasn’t enough things to do to 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.

Can you go in the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Kids must be 8 years old to enter

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.

Things to do in Pisa, Italy with kids - Pisa Cathedral and the Leaning Tower of Pisa

After lunch we found an excellent Pisa playground, located along the track of 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.

A Pisa playground next to the Pisa Aqueduct is a great thing to do in Pisa for the whole family

How to Get to Pisa with Children

Home to one of the world’s most famous buildings, Pisa is easy to visit. There are lots of flights to Pisa, which is home to the largest airport in Tuscany. Unless your Italy family vacation begins or ends in Pisa, you’ll probably want to visit Pisa by train.

If, like us, you don’t feel like spending more than a few hours in Pisa, you can also take a family day trip to Pisa from Rome and Florence.

find some time in your family trip to italy itinerary to visit Pisa - our kids still talk about the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Get all the details of our day trip to Pisa with Kids in this post.

Browse Pisa vacation rentals and the top kid-friendly Pisa hotels.

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. They are so big and in such good shape that you can walk or ride your bikes around the top. Ever since riding our bikes around the Xi’an city walls (pre-kids) we’ve been hooked. We couldn’t pass up this opportunity for a unique family bike ride in Tuscany.

cycling in Italy with kids - Our Lucca biking trip around the city walls was the best thing to do in Lucca with kids

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.

Afterwards, we took our rental bikes outside Lucca’s city walls to ride a short trail along Lucca’s aqueduct, but to be honest, it wasn’t really worth the effort. We should have signed up for a self-guided bike tour of Lucca instead.

Where to stay in lucca with kids

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

family vacations in italy must include lots of gelato

How to Get to Lucca with Children

Lucca has a very convenient location, tucked away in-between Pisa and Florence. Traveling by train to Lucca from Florence or Pisa is very fast, with each leg taking about 20 minutes.

If you’d rather not spend the night in Lucca, you can also ta

ke a Lucca day trip with your family from Florence.

italy family vacation - Giving a toddler an old iPhone camera in Lucca. Kids love taking pictures

Read more about our time in Lucca with Kids to get all the details.

Browse Lucca VRBO vacation rentals and the top kid-friendly Lucca hotels.

Days 25-30: Florence

Arrival Day

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, get the lay of the land with great views of Florence. The Michelangelo’s David replica was pretty cool as well.

family friendly trips to Florence Italy with Kids

Day 1 in Florence with Kids

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 Cupola of Brunelleschi must be the best of anywhere in Florence!

Visiting Florence with kids - Great view of Cupola del Brunelleschi (Brunelleschi's dome) from Giottos Campanile in Firenze, Italy

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. If a visit to the Florence Duomo is on your must-do list, buy your Duomo tickets ahead of time or book an organized tour.

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.

4-day florence itinerary with kids

Day 2 in Florence with Children

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).

4 days in Florence with kids - When visiting Ponte Vecchio in florence with toddler, try to arrive early

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.

what to do with kids in florence? Let them run around one of Florence's beautiful gardens

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.

Some of the best things to do with kids kid in florence include time outdoors to run around and burn off energy

Day 3 in Florence with Kids

Fiesole is a picturesque town high above the outskirts of Florence. After a few easy public bus rides, 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.

If you are looking for outdoor things to do in florence with kids, try the easy hikes in Fiesole

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

wondering what to do in florence with kids? Try a day trip to Fiesole for some easy hikes

Day 4 in Florence with Children

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 (home of Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus“) and the Accademia Gallery (home of the authentic 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 to 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.

A 4-day florence itinerary with kids

Get even more details about our time in Florence with Kids in this post.

Browse Florence VRBO vacation rentals and the top kid-friendly Florence hotels.

Italy 2-Week 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.

Get to the Trevi Fountain with kids early for a chance at a good family photo

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.

Wear water shoes to the Elba Island beaches as the pebbles are hard on your feet

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.

Cinque Terre hiking always rewards you with great views, such as this one of Corniglia, Italy

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.

Museums can be fun while in Florence with toddlers

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 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 Florence Uffuzi and L’Acadamia museums.
  • Day 14: Florence – Enjoy a day trip to the beautiful suburb of Fiesole.
When visiting Rome with a toddler, get places early so they can walk without it being too crowded

Italy 10-Day 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 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.
You don't need to look far to find things for kids to do in Rome, Italy

Want to spend 8-days in Italy with kids the easy way? Try the 8-day Northern Italy Family Holiday from Intrepid Travel.

Visiting Italy with a Baby or Toddler

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Italy Itinerary with Kids