This is a question that we are asked all the time: what can we do when in Rome with our little ones? While at first glance Rome can look chaotic, and stressful if you are on the road with kids, there are actually quite a lot of things you can do together with your little humans that you can both enjoy 😊

To write this article I also took inspiration from my most reliable source of children information: my childhood memories in Rome 😊 And if something sticked to my mind until today from childhood, it probably means it was something that I really enjoyed as a child!

Here’s a list of ideas that will have your kids to enjoy and do things together when in Rome.

Things to do in Rome with kids – some ideas!

Botanical Garden in Trastevere

The Botanical Garden of Rome, not only is one of the most beautiful hidden gems in Trastevere, but also one of the most loved places by the kids!

This is literally a jungle in the city, you would never expect to find such an extensive garden in the heart of Trastevere. This garden belongs to the Sapienza university, and it includes endless species of plants, trees, flowers, and also a butterfly house with activities for kids. It’s a dream place to visit, especially in the spring. Also for the adults 😉

📍Largo Cristina di Svezia, 23 A

Bioparco in Villa Borghese – the Zoo of Rome

The Bioparco is the Zoo of Rome and it is located in the park of Villa Borghese. It is 17 hectares wide and features over 200 species of animals!

More info: https://www.bioparco.it/en

📍Piazzale del Giardino Zoologico n. 1

Explora – Museo dei Bambini

Explora a museum which is entirely dedicated to children. As well as being a fun place where to play, the institution aims to stimulate and challenge kids with age-oriented interactive exhibits and workshops based around themes such as nature, food, transport, science, and much more.

More info: www.mdbr.it

📍via Flaminia 82

See the Cannon on the Janiculum hill at midday

Is there anything cooler than seeing a REAL cannon shooting?? No worries, it shoots blanks so there’s no danger at all. Every day, since the 1847 this cannon has been shooting in the heart of Rome.

Why? Because in 1847 Pope Pius IX was fed up with all the church bells of Rome ringing at different times (after all, time in Rome has been a relative concept since forever 😄). Therefore he decided to set up a cannon that would shoot every single day at midday to signal the correct time when to ring the bells, so that all the churches would be synchronized!

📍Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi

Keyhole on the Aventine hill

This is a keyhole your kids will love looking through! There’s endless options when you want to enjoy a Roman panoramic view and this is definitely one of the most original ones! Few steps away from Circo Massimo, walk uphill to enjoy the terrace of the Giardino degli Aranci (Orange Garden). Then keep walking towards piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta. Here you’ll find a door. This is the only place where looking through the keyhole is not going to be rude! The door you’re looking at belongs to the Gran Priory of the Knights of Malta. Be ready to long queues to look through the keyhole, unless you go very early in the morning.

This is one of my dearest childhood memories of when our teacher took us sightseeing in the center of Rome 🧡

📍Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta

Casina delle Civette in Villa Torlonia

Want to take your kids into a fairytale place? Then head to villa Torlonia, one of the most beautiful parks of Rome. Not only your kids will be free to roam around nature, but you’ll also get the chance to explore some beautiful palaces built by the noble family of the Torlonia’s, as well as the beautiful Casina delle Civette (House of the little owls). Colorful window glasses, twirled decorations. They will love it!

📍Villa Torlonia, Via Nomentana, 70

Stroll in the various parks of Rome

We already mentioned Villa Borghese (where the Zoo is) and Villa Torlonia. But another park you should really miss is Villa Pamphilj. This is the biggest park of Rome and this is where you can totally forget you are in the middle of the city. It feature a lake with swans and turtles, and if you are lucky you’ll spot also some foxes!

📍Villa Pamphilj, enter from the gate in piazza San Pancrazio, or via Donna Olimpia

Welcome to Rome cinema

What did Ancient Rome look like? What kind of city Raphael walked into? And what did it look like to Bernini, 100 years later? Sometimes it takes a lot of imagination to picture in our mind what the ruins looked like originally. Not that kids lack of imagination.. But wouldn’t they just love reconstructions?

This place is called “Welcome to Rome” and it is located between Campo de’ Fiori and Piazza Navona. Inside you can find a lot of reconstructions that show you the incredible transitions of buildings like Castel Sant’Angelo, St Peter in the Vatican and the Imperial Forums through the centuries. After the reconstructions you enter a special cinema. This cinema has four screens (one in front of you, two on the sides and one below), and this makes it super immersive!

Included in the ticket you also have headphones with an audioguide, which in a very simple and easy way describes more than 2700 years of history of Rome. I loved this experience and recommend it to anyone, whether you’ve never been to Rome or you know the city by heart

Read: What did Ancient Rome look like?

📍Corso Vittorio Emanuele II

Live a guided experience with us that your kids will love

If you want to make your Rome trip special and looking for something fun, unique, personal to share with your kids… you’re in the right place!

Our most popular tours that are booked with families with kids are: Best of Historical Center of Rome and Hidden Gems of Trastevere, Tiber island and Jewish district.

These two tours are great for kids because we look for statues of animals and their fun stories, we walk underground, we see optical illusions (kids love this so much!) and we learn so many legends of the city.

On both tours we don’t stay for too long on each stop, so kids won’t get bored by standing in one single place. If you have any questions about it, just ask through the video chat on the bottom right corner!

Do you have any more questions about visiting Rome with kids? Ask it in the Piazza, our online community! 😊