Are you planning a weekend in the eternal city? These are the five things to do with children in Rome

Rome is the Eternal City, rich in culture and history, with many things to see both for adults and children.

Here are five things to see and do absolutely in Rome with children that can fascinate the whole family!

1- Villa Borghese

Villa Borghese is worth a visit with the children a short walk from the centre of Rome is a beautiful green lung.
Part of the garden is in the Italian style, but, for the most part, it is an English park, like Hyde Park in London, where you can take walks and admire the fountains and ponds.
With children, it’s great fun to discover Villa Borghese by bicycle. The internal roads are almost all paved and without the traffic of cars. The park is very large and, with a bicycle, you can visit it all.

At the entrance of the Villa, you can rent bicycles, rickshaws or a comfortable golf car perfect for those who prefer a more relaxing visit.
After a nice ride, enjoy a picnic in the gardens of Villa Borghese. Equip yourself with towels, balls or other games to spend a few hours of fun.

Furthermore, the famous Bioparco di Roma is located in Villa Borgese. It is a zoo where you can admire animals from all over the world in a quiet natural environment.

Villa Borghese is famous worldwide for the Galleria Borghese, one of the most important art museums in the world, which houses masterpieces by Bernini, Canova and Caravaggio.

2) Walk in the heart of Rome with children

You can’t visit the capital without planning a walk in the heart of Rome with children.
It is difficult to indicate an itinerary because every corner of the centre of Rome is truly enchanting.

In the morning, take a walk to the market in “Campo Dei Fiori”, maybe, then pay a visit to Piazza Navona to look at Bernini’s magnificent “Fontana Dei Fiumi“, so beautiful and imposing that even children will be enchanted.

Continue to the Pantheon, pass by palace Montecitorio, and look at the magnificent column of Marcus Aurelius. Admire the windows of Via Condotti in the beautiful Piazza di Spagna at the foot of the Spanish steps; Continue to the Pantheon, pass by palace Montecitorio, and look at the magnificent column of Marcus Aurelius. Admire the windows of Via Condotti in the beautiful Piazza di Spagna at the foot of the Spanish steps; end the tour at the Trevi Fountain.

Rome is art under the open sky, where every corner has something to discover; the walks offer suggestive views – the children will be fascinated by the beauty of the fountains, the grandeur of the palaces, and the history of the ancient buildings. Why not even plan some small tours of them to decide your favourite?

If you prefer to take a guided tour, a good choice is the free tour of Civitatis, which has no fixed cost, at the end of the visit you will determine how much to give to the guide.

3) The Colosseum and the Forum

Colosseum – the largest amphitheatre in the world – is one of the most iconical symbols of Rome. You should not visit Rome without see the Colosseum.

The Colosseum is really great and worth a visit inside with kids. We reccomand to visit with a guide or audio guide to help you imagine how the Colosseum during Roman Empire.

It will surely be fascinating for the children to discover that the Colosseum was the Roman stadium. 

After the Colosseum visit, you can take a visit through the Roman Forum between the Palatine Hill and the Campidoglio and the Imperial forums to admire the ruins of ancient Rome. The view is really great, in the silence of the ruins you can imagine the life of ancient Rome, from the forum, the main square of the city, to the palace of Augustus on the Palatine, retrace the streets that have trodden the ancient Romans, and it seems to take a journey through time.

The visit to the Roman Forum and Ancient Rome is suitable for kids, especially primary school children. For toddlers, we recommend the band or the baby carrier, since it is not easy with a stroller. 

The entire visit can be done in two to three hours slowly.

Book online Colosseum tickets to avoid long queue, especially during Spring and Summer.
The under-18s, both European and non-EU citizens, have free access to the site.
The Colosseum is open to the public every day (except December 25th and May 1st)

4) Saint Peter Church, the Vatican

The Vatican Museum can be a bit hard with toddlers, meanwhile is recommended for children from 6 y.o.

For primary school kids, we recommend taking the children’s audio guide to the Vatican Museum; the visit is organized as a treasure hunt in which the children are provided with headphones and a map. They must search along the path of the whole museum.

At the end of the path to the Vatican Museum you get to visit the Sistine Chapel, there may be a bit of a queue to enter, but it is absolutely worth it.

 If the children are tired, before entering the Chapel is a bar. It could be an opportunity to rest and refresh. Then they can enjoy the Sistine Chapel.

Book online the Vatican Museums tickets to avoid long queue and enter immediately, at the time booked. From the Vatican Museums, you can also access the Basilica di San Pietro without having to queue

5) The Catacombs with the children

For the brave ones, consider a visit to the Catacombs with the children.
In the catacombs, the first Christians met in great secret to pray and bury their loved ones. Now many of these catacombs can be visited and you can retrace a tangle, along even several kilometres, of tunnels, tunnels and niches.
The path can last a couple of hours, it is also necessary to bring a sweater in the summer because in the basement the temperature is lower than the external one.

Here you can find Catacombs of St. Callixtus tickets.