Mudpie Fridays >> Italy >> Rome with kids – Top tips for your visit

Rome with kids – Top tips for your visit

This blog post is not intended to be a long list of things to do with kids in Rome. Or even an itinerary that lists all the amazing things to do in the eternal city. Instead, it is designed to accompany a Rome itinerary-style post. In fact I have written one which I have kept separate from this – 3 days in Rome. Instead, this blog post will list the most important things you need to be aware of when you visit Rome with kids or as a family for the first time. It is a must-read if you want to get the most out of your trip.

Rome is such a great place to visit. Especially for kids. Steeped in history many children will study the Roman empire at school. Which is actually the reason we ended up visiting. After Charlie had learnt all about ancient Rome he was keen to visit the Roman forum, Circus Maximus and of course the Colosseum. Having been fortunate to visit the Italian capital a number of times before we knew what to expect. However, if this is your first time visiting the ancient city then this will help you prepare for your Rome family vacation.

Table of Contents

Rome with kids – Top tips for your visit

These are our top ten tips for when you visit Rome with kids:

It is a walking city

There is no getting away from the fact that Rome is a walking city. Although they do have a metro many of the things you will want to see are too close together to benefit from using the public transport of this nature. For this reason, we waited until Charlie was ten before we took him. Even leaving his six-year-old brother at home having fun with his grandparents. A decision which we stand by and even at ten he did struggle a little bit with all the walking and it’s not as if we don’t do a lot of this stuff. Especially as many of the streets are cobbles and can be really uneven. In our opinion to get the most out of your family trip, Rome is much better for older kids when doing a short stay.

If you are planning on visiting with young children then you may want to factor in downtime. Especially if travelling in the hotter Summer months. Factoring a sleep mid-afternoon may help young kids and you may decide to stay longer than a few days in the city centre so that you still manage to see it all.

Traffic

Saying it is a walking city there is still an awful lot of traffic in Rome. I think it must be home to some of the smallest cars I have ever seen! Plus mopeds and of course the dreaded electric scooters which I do not have a very high opinion of.

Although we did find a large number of cars driving along the narrow cobbled streets we did not see too many of the latter. It took Charlie a little while to adjust to the fact that they would get very close. Another reason why visiting Rome with older children would be my preference. Harry is not very aware of his surroundings just like many younger children. Something to be aware of when visiting Rome with family.

Do your research when you visit Rome with kids

Rome tends to be a city where you fly in early and fly out late! Cramming as much as possible into the days you have available in between. Every time we have visited we have seen something different, done something differently or experienced something different. Seeing the main attractions through your children’s eyes is very special. But what Rome is not is a turn-up and see-how-it-goes city. To get the most out of your trip you need to do your research and go with a plan.

I spent three hours the weekend before we travelled planning our route bearing in mind we have visited several times before so I already knew what we wanted to see. Planning allowed me to ensure we picked up the very best things to do in Rome. Having already booked a number of the must-sees via websites and online tickets (see below). I split the city center down into different areas such as Piazza Navona, Campo de’ Fiori, Capitoline Hill, Forum & Palatine Hill, Trastevere and Piazza Della Rotonda. In each area, I worked out the best places to see and the best way to move between them. Trying to keep the walking to a minimum so we were not zig-zagging across from one thing to another. Keeping a short walk between tourist attractions it meant Charlie has a much better chance of staying up later for an evening meal.

Book in advance

Although we travelled out of season during February half term, it is still definitely worth booking certain things in advance. Such as Castel Sant’angelo and the Coloseeum. Which we did. It is also worth looking at booking a guided tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica. Although visiting St. Peter’s Basilica is actually free the queue which is normally 1.5 to 2 hours long is enough to send any child (and adult) over the edge. Charlie was not keen on seeing the Vatican city on our visit so we gave this area a miss this time. Although we did visit before out of season in September and booked an early morning visit to avoid the crowds as much as possible.

Once you have booked the big things you want to do, you can then add in the other things that don’t need booking. If you can not book tickets directly then it is worth looking at the tour websites. Quite often you will be able to pick up tickets via them for the days you want to go. Especially for the archaeological site.

When planning to visit Rome with kids, it is worth booking for first thing in the day and looking at skip-the-line tickets. Especially during peak periods as many of the sites have security gates which can create large delays. Although you will still need to go through these security measures you at least start nearer the front of the queue!

Crowds

One piece of advice we were given when visiting Rome with children is to travel out of season. Although this may mean you have the odd rainy day. Many of the ancient ruins become just too busy to enjoy when you visit Rome with kids. When you build your itinerary make sure famous landmarks such as the Trevi fountain and Spanish steps are done first thing in the morning.

As this is when they are likely to be less busy. We stayed overlooking the Trevi fountain and it was heaving even well into the evening. Of course the more crowded, the more you have to watch your kids like a hawk in case they become separated. I wouldn’t even attempt to take a buggy despite travelling all over with one when the boys were small.

There is unfortunately no getting away from the crowds although we did manage to find quieter areas by moving out of the really touristy areas as the day progresses. We found areas on the other side of River Tiber quieter.

Stay central

Each time we visited Rome we stayed in the central area. On our last visit, we had a view of the Trevi fountain from our apartment. Being central will help with planning your visit giving you a chance to explore different areas on different days. The best family hotels will offer family rooms but we have struggled to find these in the past. Since they get booked up so far in advance. Instead, consider staying in an apartment which, to be honest, I prefer with kids anyway. Plus it gives you the chance to do some self-catering if they get too worn out.

Go inside

If you are visiting Rome for the first time then I challenge you to go inside. Inside the churches and inside Plazzas when you can. In order to visit the palaces you may need to book in advance. Walking down the tall narrow and shaded streets you can easily miss some amazing sights.

Food – Rome with kids

One of the best things about Rome and to be honest Italy, in general, is that it is totally set up for children on the food front. Even our fussy six-year-old would be at home eating pizza and pasta. Not to mention all the different flavours of ice cream. We found in Febuary that we did not need to book restaurants in advance. Easily walking everywhere we ate. We did not see any children’s menus as Charlie will now eat off the normal adult menu. Expect to pay 15-20€ for pasta or pizza in the tourist areas.

Being a bit of a foodie Charlie really wanted to try out some of the different types of street food avaliable. I can especially recommend the fired artichokes which the Jewish Ghetto area is well known for. If you keep an eye out then you can also pick up lots of delicious fresh fruits from the market stalls. There are also sandwich shops on almost every corner.

Tours

If your time is limited when you visit Rome with kids then you may want to consider a private tour. A family guide will help to ensure you see everything you want. A tour guide will likely know the best way to navigate the city. Although it will add extra cost to your trip. We did not use a tour guide although I can see the merit in having a family tour of the Colosseum. There are specific tours set up for children where you can whizz around Rome in a golf cart. This is another alternative you may wish to consider when visiting Rome with family.

Souvenir Shops

Once you have been in one you have been in them all. I really would not be surprised if there are hundreds of souvenir shops in and around Rome. They all sell the same things and most seemingly sell for the same price(ish). In my experience, most kids are like magpies and on our first day, Charlie could not help himself from wanting to go in with everyone we saw. Thankfully after the novelty wore off he realised they were all pretty similar, brought a keyring and we were done. They are set up to lure children in though so they may want to bring their pocket money.

Specific Rome with kids’ attractions

Try and see Rome from up high so that you get panoramic views of the city. We went to the Alter of the Fatherhood Monumento Vittorio Emanuelle which was free for children to go up in the glass elevator. You can not book tickets in advance so you may need to queue during peak times.
Down by the River Tiber, you are likely to see street performers and the chance to wander along the many stalls selling posters, books and souvenirs.
Head to the food market at Campo de’ Fiori, a great way to pick up healthy snacks while sightseeing.
Both boys love an amusement park and if you have a car then there are several on the outskirts of the city including Luneur Park which also has a small splash area. Oasi park which is a theme park and Hydromania which is a huge water park. Many of them will also have a soft play area for younger children. Those parks with large roller coasters are located a long way out of Rome.
Another one you will need a car for is the EurPark Energy & Adventure which has high ropes among other things.
If you are looking for something that is in the center then the Explora children’s museum is a good place to start. With interactive games and exhibit about science, technology and the environment.
One of our favorite things to do when visiting a city is to see the wild animals at a zoo. Rome has its own zoo located in the large park area of Villa Borghese gardens. And so could be combined with the villa and the museum mentioned above for a kid-centric day out.

We had a great time in Rome, finding things for the whole family to enjoy. Have you visited Rome Italy with kids? I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.