Italy’s ancient capital city, UNESCO-listed Rome attracts visitors from around the world eager to explore its fascinating gladiatorial history, breathtaking temples and basilicas, and spectacular Renaissance masterpieces. But parents visiting Rome with children must be careful to avoid overloading the kids with heavy history lessons or in-depth art classes, if they’re to keep the whole family happy.
Rome is a vibrant and buzzing city though – with plenty to offer visitors of all ages. With a little consideration over the kinds of tours and activities you choose, you’ll find plenty of family-friendly ways to explore Rome together and keep the kids entertained.
See the Best of Rome Aboard a Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour
Rome’s public transport system can be crowded, overwhelming, and hard to master in a short space of time. The best way to take the stress out of your exploring, get your bearings quickly, and give the kids an exciting way to see the city easily, is to explore Rome on a hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour.
The route takes in top attractions such as the Colosseum, Vatican City, the Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountain – with audio-guided narration bringing the glory of ancient Rome to life. You can alight and spend as long as you like at each of the stops along the way, and buses run every 15/20 minutes throughout the day.
Bookmark the prettiest piazzas and parks you pass on the circuit, and soak up the sweeping city views from your vantage point on the top deck. For older children keen to explore on foot, guided walking tours are available from selected stops.
Savor the Flavors of Rome on a Guided Food-Tasting Tour
Italy is world-renowned for the quality of its cuisine – with fresh ingredients, bold flavors, and traditional recipes handed down through the generations. Taking a guided food-tasting tour in Rome is a wonderful way to explore the city’s culinary offerings and inspire the children with the mouth-watering flavors of Italy.
From the Jewish ghetto to the Campo de’ Fiori market and beyond, tasting tours take in bustling piazzas and off-the-beaten-trail neighborhoods alike. As you explore with your knowledgable foodie guide, sample popular dishes and delicious ingredients such as pizza bianca with mortadella, buffalo mozzarella, nutty and salty Pecorino cheese, and cured Roman salame, along with freshly-made pasta and frozen gelato.
For kids, Rome food tours also offer an engaging and accessible way to explore local culture, learn how to order food in Italian, and gain insight into the country’s culinary habits and cuisine.
Explore the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel at the Kids’ Pace on a Self-guided Tour
The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel rank among Rome’s most important must-see sites of interest, and the admission queues can be energy-sappingly long. Guided tours can be restrictive for parents too, as you multi-task between paying attention to your guide and keeping the children engaged.
Our self-guided Vatican tours offer reserved access and exclusive fast-track admission to avoid the long queues, and audio-guides to let you dip in and out of the explanations at your leisure. Tour durations are flexible, so parents can admire artworks like Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes at the family’s pace. Inspire the kids with artworks by Da Vinci, Caravaggio, and Raphael, without feeling you have to march to your guide’s beat.
You can read more about the time-saving skip-the-line tickets available at Rome’s top attractions in our blog, See More, Do More: Time-Saving Tips for Tourists Visiting Rome.
Escape the Busy Streets for a Peaceful Park
If the sightseeing gets too much and the kids need a change of scenery, Rome offers a wonderful range of green spaces for families to enjoy time together.
One of the best places to go is the expansive Villa Borghese Gardens, one of Rome’s largest public parks. Here, visitors can lose themselves among landscaped gardens – where elegant fountains hide among manicured flowerbeds – and escape to nature within the city limits.
Nestled within the Villa Borghese Gardens, the Bioparco di Roma – or Rome Biopark – is home to over 1,000 species of mammals, birds, and reptiles. You’ll find leopards, tigers, and bears, rhinoceros, camels, and bison, plus eagles and vultures, turtles, crocodiles, lizards, and snakes. There’s plenty of green space for youngsters to burn off energy, and you can learn about the Bioparco di Roma’s collaborations with other international zoos to safeguard endangered species.
Roll up Your Sleeves for a Cooking Class to Remember in Rome
If you’re visiting Rome and looking for interesting ways to enjoy the city as a family, a cooking class could be the perfect child-friendly activity. Hands-on and engaging, pizza-baking classes in Rome teach kids all they need to know about real Italian pizza.
Learn how to turn out the perfect dough every time; knead it, top it with your ingredients of choice, and then bake it like a true Italian pizzaiolo. The experience turns into a full family meal, when your pizza comes out fresh from the oven to be enjoyed with bruschetta and a delicious dessert. With group sizes limited to 12 people for a more intimate experience, you’ll master the traditional art of Italian pizza-making and create fond memories of your time as a family in Rome.
By adding these ideas into your itinerary, you’ll find a perfect balance between Rome’s world-class art, history, and architecture, and family-friendly activities that the kids will enjoy.
