7 Days in Rome With Kids

You will love a week in Rome with kids! Rome is one of the world’s most iconic cities and is literally bursting at the seams with world class cultural attractions.

Rome isn’t all just museums and churches… there are tons of great things to do in Rome with kids. You’ll have no problems creating a fun & balanced Rome itinerary for your family vacation.

It's easy to find things to do with kids in Rome

The secret to a happy family vacation in Rome is to make sure everyone has something they enjoy each day. It’s easy to overlook the needs of children while traveling, but even a small effort goes a long way. Kids are more likely to behave at the Vatican if there is a promise of a visit to a Rome playground or gelato afterwards.

Frigidarium has the best gelato in Rome - they make special gelato for the kids

Still working on your Italy Itinerary with kids? Here is our 4 week itinerary for Italy with some suggestions for a 2 week Italy Itinerary and a 10-day Italy Itinerary with kids.

This post contains compensated links.

How to Get into Rome with Kids

The Rome Airport is a 30-minute drive outside of central Rome. When traveling with kids, it’s often difficult to find a way to get your kids safely from the airport to the Old Town without car seats. Taxis and Ubers will not have car seats and taking an airport bus with kids is often a pain in the butt.

We are big fans of private transfers when traveling with kids. Your driver meets you at the gate with your family name on a sign. He’ll walk you to your private car with your pre-reserved child seats already in place. It’s an affordable luxury after a long day of flying with kids.

The best way to get to Rome from the Rome airport

If you’d prefer to take the Rome airport train or the airport bus to central Rome, read our post on Getting from the Rome Airport to Your Hotel.

Where to Stay in Rome with Kids

The best area to stay in Rome with family is undoubtably in central Rome. Old Town Rome is where the best restaurants, shopping and the majority of the things to do in Rome with kids are located. The downside is that accommodation in central Rome can get very expensive, but it is large enough that you’ll be able to find some Rome accommodations which meet your needs and budget.

During our 7 days in Rome with kids, we tried to find open spaces for our children to walk

We rented a two-bedroom Airbnb in Rome just a few minutes walk from Piazza Navona. Our Rome Airbnb was close enough to walk to the main Rome attractions, but also far enough away to be quiet. It had tons of great Rome restaurants, multiple grocery stores and shopping within easy walking distance.

We chose to stay at a Rome Airbnb as we enjoy the family-friendly amenities like separate bedrooms, a kitchen and laundry facilities.

There are plenty of Rome Airbnb rentals for your family vacation. If you are new to Airbnb, you can sign up with our link and get a discount towards your first stay.

If you would prefer a kid-friendly Rome hotel for your Italian family vacation, we personally use and recommend using Booking.com as their Top Picks for Families search filter makes it easy to find good family-friendly accommodation.

Here is what we did on our 7 days in Rome with kids. We hope you find some things to do in Rome with your kids!

Rome with Kids – Day 1

Piazza Navona

We woke early on our first day in Rome with kids as we were a little jet lagged after our long flight to Rome from Canada. In our experience, this is an excellent opportunity to get out early and see popular sights before the crowds arrive.

With our 20-month old son in his backpack carrier and our 4-year old daughter on foot, we set out to see Rome for the first time.

We love walking on the first day somewhere new as it allows us to get the lay of the land. We give some of our tips on walking around Rome with toddlers below.

Our first stop was Piazza Navona, one of Rome’s most beautiful and popular piazzas.

When visiting Rome with children, you can just feel them learning new things about the world

We arrived at Piazza Navona with our kids around 8am and we seemed to be the only tourists around. With the early morning sun illuminating the fountains, it was a magical first experience in Rome. We spent time soaking in the beauty of Piazza Navona while our kids chased pigeons.

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

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

The Pantheon

We got to the Pantheon with our kids a few minutes before it opened. One of the things which makes Rome with kids so much fun, is there’s no shortage of stuff for kids to climb on (no antiquities please). What kid doesn’t love walking on top of a wall?

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

Visiting the Pantheon with kids at opening time was great as it was not very crowded. We let our kids out of their backpacks as we walked around and admired the beautiful domed ceiling, columns and sculptures within the Pantheon.

While we soaked in the culture at the Pantheon, our kids had fun doing down dogs on the marble floor. It also didn’t take them long to figure out the place had great acoustics, so they started to make loud noises and laughed at the echoes they made.

We had to try and shush them, but man they thought it was funny, and no one really seemed to mind… Italians love kids!

Afterwards, we sat on the steps of the Fontana del Pantheona, a fountain in the piazza in front of the Pantheon, and had a little snack.

A happy child putting on a show in front of Rome's Pantheon building

Spanish Steps, Trevi, Pantheon & Piazza Navona Private Tour for Kids & Families

Largo di Torre Argentina

One of the great things about exploring Rome on foot is the unexpected discoveries along the way. On our way from the Pantheon to Campo de’ Fiori, we stumbled across Largo di Torre Argentina, a large archaeological site with the ruins of four temples.

Our kids loved the cute stray cats from the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary

In any other city in the world, this would be a main attraction, but in Rome, it is largely overlooked.

A visit to Largo di Torre Argentine is a fun thing to do in Rome with kids who love animals. These extensive Rome ruins are home to many cute stray cats, thanks to the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary. And of course, more pigeons to chase…

There are millions of pigeons in Rome - kids will chase every one

Campo de’ Fiori

Campo de’ Fiori is a great thing to do in Rome with kids; it has everything you’d expect in a Roman street market; fresh fruits and veggies, pasta, flowers, wine and souvenirs. Italians take their food quality very seriously and it shows – I’ve never seen tomatoes that were so red!

Italians love kids! The vendors at Campo de’ Fiori love interacting with your kids, making this a special Rome activity for them.

Unless you are a big-time shopper, Campo di’ Fiori is a reasonably quick attraction. Campo di’ Fiori is surrounded by cafés and restaurants, so it’s a good place to come for lunch or a cappuccino.

Family food tip: Try the pizza at Forno Campo de’ Fiori in the NW corner of the market. Some say it’s the best pizza bianca (a very popular street food) in Rome.

Our morning walk around Rome took 3.5 hours and we walked 3.7 miles / 6km.

Rome: Guided Street Food Tasting Tour

Spanish Steps

Kids need time to play even while traveling, so after nap time we decided to take them to the Villa Borghese Gardens park. The famous Spanish Steps were on our way, so we decided to stop there first.

We arrived at the Spanish Steps at 3PM and it was very crowded. From the Barcaccia Fountain at the bottom to the very top of the Spanish Steps, people were everywhere.

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

We’re not really into crowds, nor just sitting around, so we slowly climbed the Spanish Steps, took some pictures, enjoyed the views and then left to go to the Villa Borghese Gardens park.

Rome Highlights Private Tour for Kids & Families

Villa Borghese Gardens

All families should find time to visit Villa Borghese Gardens when in Rome with kids. It’s the the only major park within walking distance of Rome’s historic town center. Villa Borghese Gardens is well-treed, making it a great activity on a hot day in Rome.

We entered Villa Borghese Gardens in the southwest corner and immediately started seeing lots of families riding four-wheel bikes. This looked like such a fun thing to do in Rome with kids, that we tracked down the bike rental shop and got one of our own.

a Rome family holiday should include a day at the beautiful Villa Borghese Gardens

Talk about a cheap kids activity in Rome – a four-seater family bike rental only cost 12€ per hour. The kids sat up front where they had their own “steering wheel”. Our bike had safety buckles for the kids, but we noticed that some of the other rental bikes didn’t, so be careful if you rent one.

Riding a four seat Surrey bike in Villa Borghese Gardens was a super fun activity for kids in Rome

The kids absolutely loved our four-seater bike rental in Villa Borghese Gardens! They laughed so hard and had a great time ‘steering’ the bike. They waved at everyone, who always waved back, making the experience that much more special for them.

As for us, we enjoyed finding such a fun thing to do in Rome with our kids. Plus it was a great way to explore the huge Villa Borghese Gardens in a short time.

Along the way, we stopped at a playground near Casina di Raffaello to let the kids play. Casina di Raffaello is a recreation center for kids and they were kind enough to let us use their bathroom.

Enjoying a fun Rome playground in Villa Borghese Gardens

Other fun stuff for kids to do in Villa Borghese Gardens includes a train, a zoo, several playgrounds and tons of pigeons to chase.

Our afternoon outing took approximately 2.5 hours and we walked 3.5 miles / 5.6km.

Meal tip: Sometimes you just don’t want to take your kids to a restaurant. Some of the best takeaway Italian food we had in Rome was near Villa Borghese Gardens. It’s a little hole in the wall called Pastificio Guerra. It was affordable Italian takeout and very good.

Barefoot in the Park: Organic Picnics in Rome

Rome with Kids – Day 2

Roman Colosseum

We were so excited to visit the Roman Colosseum with kids.

Backpacks are not allowed inside the Roman Colosseum, so we guessed this meant that backpack carriers would not be allowed either. So we set out on foot with our daughter walking and our son in the Ergo carrier.

Again, walking the streets of Rome with kids is so fun – you will be rewarded with endless discoveries. The stretch of road from the Altar of the Fatherland to the Colosseum is especially fun for everyone. There are Roman ruins all along the road, fun street art and even ‘scraps’ of marble columns the kids will love to climb on.

Family vacations in Rome should include plenty of easy walks, such as this one on the way to the Rome Colosseum

Wow! Despite being one of those iconic buildings that we’ve all seen in pictures a million times, the Roman Colosseum doesn’t disappoint in person.

When visiting the Roman Colosseum with kids, watch them closely. The walkways are quite narrow and are often filled with tour groups who are not paying much attention to where they are going. Everything inside the Roman Colosseum must look so much fun for kids to climb, but not surprisingly there are lots of “Do Not Climb” signs throughout.

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

Our kids had a lot of fun exploring the Roman Colosseum, climbing everything they were allowed to. The importance and beauty of the Rome Colosseum was lost on our kids, but it’s fair to say they were really impressed and had a fun visit here.

The Roman Colosseum was a fun Rome activity for kids

Rome with Kids Tip: There is a free water bottle filling and cell phone charging station just outside the Colosseo Metro Station.

Our daughter did great walking from our Airbnb to the Roman Colosseum. By the time we left the Colosseum, we had already walked 4.6 miles / 7.4km, so we decided to take a local Rome bus back to our apartment.

The bus was VERY crowded, but was a nice treat after so much walking. From door-to-door, it took us about three hours to do this outing.

Colosseum and Ancient Rome Family Tour for Kids

Janiculum Hill

After 36 very busy hours in Rome with kids, we were already itching for a little peace and quiet in nature, so we set out to walk Janiculum Hill.

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

The Janiculum Hill walk is across the river, just south of the Vatican. This easy walk in Rome starts here and ends here at the beautiful Fontana dell’Acqua Paola in the trendy Trastevere neighborhood.

Traveling with toddlers requires fun activities for them, such as the easy Janiculum walk

Janiculum Hill is a pleasant kid-friendly walk which follows a tree-lined path through some parks and plazas. The views of Rome below are worth the climb alone, but there are also some interesting sights along the way including a beautiful large fountain, a carousel, statues and a park full of white marble busts.

The easy Janiculum Walk in Rome was a great place to get arial views of central Rome

The Janiculum walk is approximately 1.5 miles / 2.4 km long and has an elevation gain of 200 feet. The walk took us about 45 minutes from end-to-end.

Rome with Kids – Day 3

Palatine Hill

We arrived at the Roman Forum with our kids before it opened, so we explored the nearby Palatine Hill. One of the Seven Hills of Rome, Palatine Hill is one of the most ancient parts of the city.

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

Visiting Palatine Hill early in the morning is a great thing to do with kids in Rome as they can run around this well-treed natural area without worrying about the usual hordes of tourists.

Our son loved watching the green parakeets eating flowers off the trees and our daughter enjoyed running through a garden maze. The views of the Roman Forum are excellent from the various viewpoints on the hill.

Our kids loved the green parakeets living in the trees on Palantine Hill

Roman Forum

Next, we walked back down the hill to explore the ancient government buildings of the Roman Forum. This area was much busier than Palatine Hill, especially along the Sacra Via.

We were impressed by the ruins at the Roman Forum, but the kids were less impressed. They had more fun running around on Palatine Hill.

If we were to do it again, we’d visit the Roman Forum with kids first as it’d be less busy and gets the ‘boring’ stuff out of the way. Then we’d ‘reward’ the kids with some playtime up on Palatine Hill.

Skip-the-lines Colosseum and Roman Forum Tour for Kids and Families