Things to do with kids in Rome
The eternal city has so much to see and do for all the family. Mix up ancient sites with loads of things to do with kids in Rome using our handy guide.
Best things to do with kids in Rome
Kids love stories of gladiators and ferocious lions, which is why a trip to Rome’s famous amphitheater should be top of your list. Be warned – it’s a popular spot and there are always crowds. Best time to go is first thing in the morning or mid-afternoon. Avoid visiting between mid-morning and around 2pm. If you want to skip the queues altogether, you can reserve a skip-the-line tour. If that isn’t an option, you can always buy tickets at the ticket office in Palatino near the Colosseum. No matter where you get your tickets, the good news is that they cover admission to 3 locations – the Colosseum as well as the the Palatino, and Roman Forum.
2. Climb St Peter’s Dome
The Vatican isn’t an easy place to visit if you’re with small kids. Best plan is to skip visiting the museums altogether as well as many of the churches. But the older ones will enjoy climbing St Peter’s dome. It’s not an easy climb up the 551 stairs to the top (tickets cost €5), but you can take the lift halfway up if you prefer (that costs €7). If the kids are still toddlers, don’t even attempt this, unless you’re prepared to carry them up and down. Back down on the ground, you can let them have their picture taken with the Swiss Guards on duty near the basilica.
3. Throw Money into the Trevi Fountain
There’s no doubt about it, everybody wants a chance to toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain. There’s a legend that if you toss a coin into the fountain, you will return to Rome one day. Interestingly enough, about €3,000 on average gets tossed into the fountain on a daily basis. Until recently, a homeless guy used to collect the cash and use it. But now the coins are collected by the authorities and given to a local Catholic charity.
Things to do with kids in Rome must include the Trevi Fountain where children can can throw a coin in the famous water and make a wish.
4. Enjoy Rome’s Best Views
To impress the kids, take them to see the Vittoriano on Piazza Venezia, a huge white structure that honors Italy’s first king, Vittorio Emanuele II. Take the lift to the top for a great view of the city below – tickets cost €7 for adults and €3.50 for 10 to 18 year-olds; under-10s go free. There are also some museums and galleries here.
5. Run Wild in the Park
If you need time out, take the kids to Villa Borghese, Rome’s 80-hectare park and let them run free. There are some great attractions here for them to enjoy including the zoo, the Bioparco and the Giardino del Lago, a small lake where you can hire rowing boats and paddle around. If they are old enough, you can rent bicycles at a number of spots in the park. And when they get tired, why not take in a movie at the smallest cinema in the world the Cinema dei Piccoli – you’ll find it near the park entrance on Piazzale San Paolo del Brasile.
For things to do with kids in Rome that includes a bit of spooky fun (for kids over the age of 7), head for Rome’s creepy catacombs. These subterranean tunnels were used by the early Christians used to bury their dead. Of the 300km of catacombs in Rome, there are 2 you can visit – those underneath the Appian Way, the 2nd-century Catacombe di San Callisto, official cemetery of the early Roman Church, and the Catacombe di San Sebastiano, a long network underneath the basilica of the same name. Take the kids on a special guided tour – let’s face it, you wouldn’t want to get lost down there!
7. Hit the Road on the Appian Way
If you want a fun family outing, why not go cycling along the famous Appian Way? There are some traffic-free sections of the road, including the stretch near the Basilica di San Sebastiano. Bikes are available for rent at the Appia Antica Regional Park Information Point. They cost around €3 per hour or €15 per day. Best way to get there: Take bus 660 from Colli Albani metro station (line A) or bus 118 from Circo Massimo station (line B).
8. Take a Day Trip to Rome’s Pompeii
Take the kids to Pompei to see what an ancient Roman city used to look like. Kids will love discovering the meticulusly preserved theater and the Terme di Nettuno, a baths complex that is decorated with mosaics. There are also some fun spots to visit, including an ancient café with its menu frescoed on the wall and a public toilet set in a stone bench. It’s not hard to get there from Rome – take the Ostia Lido train from Stazione Porta San Paolo, located next to Piramide metro station. Get off the train at Ostia Scavi.
If your kids enjoyed visiting the Colosseum, they will love training to be gladiators! Let them do just that at Rome’s Gladiator School, where instructors from the Gruppo Storico Romano (Historic Group of Rome) spend 2 hours teaching them a series of basic combat techniques. Best of all, they get kitted out with tunics and training swords the lesson, and earn a certificate of participation at the end. Courses can be booked through the school’s website. Ideal for kids 8 years old and over. There’s also a small museum at the school that displays replicas of ancient uniforms, armor and lethal-looking weapons.
10. Tour an Underground House
It’s often hard for children to visualize what ancient ruins once looked like – but that won’t be the case when you take them to the Domus Romane, a series of excavated houses that lie beneath Palazzo Valentini. They love screens, right? Well, they’ll watch video projections and hear sound side effects that bring these ancient dwellings to life. It’s a great interactive way of seeing what these buildings once looked like. You need to book in advance, either online or by phoning ahead. Best for older kids and teens.
11. Feast on Fast Food
If you’re looking for the Roman version of fast food, try the city’s iconic pizza and gelato. Sliced pizza, called ‘pizza al taglio’, is a popular local dish – you’ll find hundreds of takeaways across town that serve it. Another favourite Roman street food is supplì, a fried croquette stuffed with rice and mozzarella. For something sweet, nothing beats Italian gelato. Romans are very serious about their ice cream and the city is full of excellent gelaterie. We recommend Venchi (Via degli Orfani 87) for its decadent chocolate creations and Fatamorgana (Via Laurina 10), which serves unusual flavours as well as more classic offerings.
12. Take a Lie Detector Test
You can’t tell a lie when you’re in Rome, because you may just get caught out! Legend has it that if you put your hand in the Bocca della Verità (the Mouth of Truth) and tell a lie, the mouth will slam shut and bite your hand off. The mouth we’re talking about belongs to an old man whose image is carved into a round marble disc in the entrance of the Chiesa di Santa Maria in Cosmedin. It is probably part of an ancient fountain.
13. On safari in Rome
When you think of things to do with kids in Rome your mind wanders to thoughts of gladiators and Ancient Rome themed activities but there are some super cool alternatives that are wholesome and full of fun. Visit Largo di Torre Argentina, a sunken area of ancient temple ruins where Julius Caesar was murdered. It’s home to a thriving community of stray cats that are cared for by volunteers from the cat sanctuary located there. You can take the kids on safari to find other animals on Rome’s streets, even if they are all carved in stone. Look for lions, horses, bees and wolves and see how many you can find.
14. Go Toy Shopping
Toy time is great fun at Bartolucci (via dei Pastini 96-99) near the Pantheon, an old-fashioned toy shop full of colorful wooden toys. If the kids want to see more toys, head for Piazza Navona and Al Sogno (Piazza Navona 53), a shop with a vast selection of irresistible cuddly animals.
15. Explore a Museum
Sadly, Rome has few museums that cater specifically to children. But there is one - Explora, a specialized kids’ museum near Flaminio that caters to kids under-12. It’s full of fun interactive displays, water features and other exhibits such as the very popular life-sized model of a train-driver’s cabin. The museum also offers workshops for kids to make stuff. Visits are in 2-hour time slots, so make sure to book ahead and fix a time.