Visiting Rome with Kids Travel Tips: Where to Stay, Eat, and Get Around

These Rome with kids travel tips will help you plan where to stay, how to get around, and what actually makes a difference when you’re exploring the city as a family.

After an unforgettable vacation exploring Rome’s ancient wonders, our family learned a lot about what makes visiting the Eternal City with kids smooth and stress-free. From finding family-friendly hotels and kid-approved restaurants to navigating the city’s cobblestone streets, these Rome with kids travel tips will help you make the most of your family adventure.

Italy ended up being one of our favorite trips, so I’ve shared all of it here, so you can browse all of my Italy guides in one place as you plan.

Rome with Kids Travel Tips: Where to Stay

Rome Hotel Travel Tips:

European hotel rooms tend to be smaller than American hotel rooms and have strict occupancy rules. Many rooms only allow two, or three people, and you have to show passports at check in. So, it can be a little trickier to find one if you have a larger family traveling. Look for family rooms, two connecting rooms, or even some that are called “apartments.” These family hotels in Rome that sleep four, or more, book up quickly, so try to book early. 

When we’re comparing family-friendly hotels or apartments in Rome, we usually start with Booking.com because it makes it easy to filter for family rooms, apartments, and central locations.

Rome Rental Travel Tips:

If you are looking for a place to accommodate more than a family of four, VRBO rentals can be a great option. We sometimes choose VRBO for the space, and conveniences of home. It saves money having a kitchen and not having to eat out for each meal. Having the ability to do laundry saves space when packing. We also like the experience of “living like a local.” Just make sure to read the house rules carefully before booking,  read reviews, and take note of the location. 

Where We Stayed:

If you are looking for a mid-range hotel in Rome, my family of four enjoyed our time spent at the Hotel Delle Nazioni. This hotel was located right around the block from the Trevi Fountain, and near the Spanish Steps. We loved this lively, historic location because we were able to walk to so many restaurants, shops, and sites. When visiting a city without a car, we like to choose central locations.  It definitely is a busy area, but we didn’t notice noise at night. 

We booked the family room and were surprised when we arrived that it was two identical full size connecting rooms. One had a king sized bed and the other had two singles. Having two bathrooms and a little more space made for a much more comfortable stay. 

We were in Rome in August and it was ninety degrees at the time. If you are there during summer months, I recommend that you look for a place to stay with air conditioning. Hotel Delle Nazioni was cool and comfortable the whole time. 

If you want the full breakdown of our hotel setup and why this location worked so well, you can read more in where we stayed in Rome with kids.

Rome with Kids Travel Tips: How to Get Around

Rome On Foot Tips:

Our family is used to doing a lot of walking and we typically enjoy wandering the streets exploring. Rome was the perfect city for this. Most of the city’s major sights are surprisingly close together, especially in the historic center. To navigate the streets on foot, Apple Maps or Google Maps, data, and comfortable shoes are a must.

After walking miles every day in Rome and Venice, there were definitely a few things we were really glad we packed, which I share in what to pack for Italy with tweens and teens.

For phone data, first check out your provider’s website. We use Verizon and when we travel internationally, I add their international plan for just one of our phone lines for the month to use data. At the hotel and other venues, we use their wifi for our devices. Some families prefer using an international eSIM instead of carrier plans, especially for longer European trips or multi-country itineraries.

Rome Public Transportation Tips:

For longer travel distances, the Metro is quick and affordable, with three main lines connecting key areas like the Colosseum, Vatican, and Termini Station. Buses and trams reach neighborhoods the Metro doesn’t.  I recommend that if you plan to use public transportation often, that you grab a Roma Pass or 48-hour Metro Card for unlimited rides and discounted museum entry.

At each stop, make sure that you scan your ticket through the machine to validate it, even if there isn’t a turnstile that you walk through. Italy is very strict about this. After purchasing our train tickets, we didn’t realize that the tickets also needed to be validated before walking on the train. When we gave the conductor our ticket once onboard and she saw it wasn’t validated, we were given a 50 euro fine per person. It ended up being an expensive mistake that people can easily make.

We were actually on our way to Bracciano for a day trip when that happened. It ended up being a really calm, scenic break from the city, which I share more about in our Bracciano day trip from Rome.

If you’re visiting Rome with kids, guided tours can make major sites much more manageable, especially for the Colosseum, Vatican, and food tours.

Rome Private Transportation Tips:

We also took taxis and Ubers. The Ubers were booked right through our usual Uber app that we use at home. They felt safe and reliable. 

If you have teens fourteen, or older, electric scooters and bikes are a big hit. They can be rented and returned all over the city making it a fun convenient way to see the sights! My kids were dying to try them, but my youngest was only 12, so we will be trying that on a future trip.

For families arriving with luggage or kids in tow, some travelers prefer pre-booking a private airport transfer through Welcome Pickups for a smoother arrival in Rome.

Rome with Kids Travel Tips: Where and What to Eat and Drink

Ah, the food….seriously take us back to this food paradise for more! 

Types of Restaurants:

In Italy, knowing the different types of restaurants helps you find exactly what you’re in the mood for, whether it’s a quick lunch between sights or a family dinner.

• Ristorante – Full-service, often more formal and higher-end.
• Trattoria – Casual, family-run restaurant serving traditional home-style dishes.
• Osteria – Rustic and cozy, with a focus on local food and wine.
• Pizzeria – Specializes in pizza; often open only for dinner.
• Tavola Calda – Quick, cafeteria-style eatery for affordable lunches.
• Bar / Caffè – Serves coffee, pastries, snacks, and light drinks all day.
• Enoteca – Wine bar offering small plates like cheese and bruschetta.

Food:

 I would avoid restaurants with huge tourist menus or photos outside. We found that the best meals often come from tucked-away trattorias filled with locals. Romans eat later than we are used to in the United States. Many restaurants will be most crowded around eight’o’clock. Gelato makes a great mid-day snack for the whole family!

Like many kids, my two aren’t the most adventurous eaters, but Rome’s specialties are foods that most kids will recognize and definitely enjoy and eat again and again. Some of our family favorites were Cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper pasta), bolognese, spicy pasta, lasagna, carbonara, and of course pizzas! Seriously, the carbonara was so delicious that my son wanted it for every meal!

Allergies:

I have gluten issues and have avoided even a morsel of it for over a decade now. If I accidentally eat any, I become quite sick. During the early years of my gluten intolerance diagnosis (not Celiac), I had thought that a trip to Italy would never happen for me because I didn’t expect to be able to eat much, or what I could eat would disappoint my craving for all of the Italian dishes that I once loved. Eating in Rome was a completely unexpected surprise with how accommodating and how amazing the gluten free dishes were. I expected to mostly eat dishes that are usually naturally gluten free like seafood, but it was so easy to find amazing gluten free pizza and pasta too!

If food restrictions are part of your trip, I share what that actually looked like for us in our gluten free experience in Rome and Venice.

Most of the restaurants had a menu posted outside and often a host that spoke English. Many menus were labeled with gluten free items, and if not, most workers were almost always more than happy to answer questions before coming into the restaurant. 

Desserts and Snacks:

Dessert can’t be missed! We ate gelatos every day, each time a new place and a new flavor, in search of our favorites! A tip from our tour guide was to avoid the places with the more fluffy looking gelato due to it being not as authentic. You will also want to taste the Tiramisù. A very Roman treat that we kept seeing all of the city was Maritozzo. This is a lightly sweet bun filled with whipped cream. Yum!

Drinks:

Wines:

Obviously the Italians are world famous for their amazing Tuscan wineries! You won’t be disappointed here. 🍷 We found that ordering the house wine was usually from a nearby vineyard in Lazio, or Tuscany and were really delicious. Some of our favorites were:

• Chianti (Tuscany) – The classic Italian red. Smooth, slightly dry, and a perfect match for pasta, pizza, or any tomato-based dish.
• Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Abruzzo) – Easy-drinking, fruity, and great value. This red is one of the most popular everyday wines enjoyed throughout Rome.
• Frascati (Lazio) – A crisp white wine produced in the hills just outside the city. It’s light, refreshing, and the perfect pairing for cacio e pepe or seafood.
• Prosecco (Veneto) – Italy’s favorite sparkling wine. Light, bubbly, and perfect for aperitivo hour — or paired with an Aperol Spritz.

Other Alcoholic Favorites:

Some other popular drinks in Rome that my husband and I enjoyed were:

• Aperol Spritz – Bright orange, bubbly, and perfect before dinner.
• Negroni – Equal parts gin, Campari, and vermouth; invented in Florence.
• Limoncello – Sweet and tangy lemon liqueur from the Amalfi Coast — a must-try after dinner.

Drinks Your Kids Will Love:

• Aranciata & Aranciata Rossa – Orange and blood-orange sodas made by San Pellegrino. They’re bubbly, fruity, and taste like sunshine in a can.
• Limonata – A tart, sparkling lemonade that’s super refreshing after sightseeing in the summer heat.
• Chinotto – A slightly bitter, cola-like drink made from myrtle-orange. Kids who like root beer or cola often love trying this uniquely Italian flavor.

Water:

Rome gets super hot in the summer. Luckily, you’ll find free water-filling stations (called nasoni) all around the city. There are more than 2,500 across Rome! This tradition dates back to the 1870s. These small cast-iron fountains flow continuously with cold, clean drinking water, so bring reusable bottles and refill as you explore! It sure saved us money!

Our future vacation locations will have a hard time topping how well we ate in Rome! 

Rome with Kids Travel Tips: Final Thoughts

Once you’ve figured out where to stay, eat, and how to get around, it’s time to start exploring. If you want a simple day-by-day plan, I break it down in our 3 day Rome itinerary.

If you’re still deciding on a home base, I also share exactly what worked for our family in where we stayed in Rome with kids.

One of the most talked-about places in Rome is the Vatican, and visiting it with older kids feels very different than with younger ones. I share what actually worked for us in our Vatican visit with tweens and teens, along with how we handled transportation in how to get around Rome with kids.

If you’re debating taking kids out of school for an international trip, here’s my teacher + mom breakdown of when it’s okay.

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Our family and attraction photos were captured during our adventures in Rome, highlighting top family experiences, local culture, and iconic sights. Select scenic and landmark images courtesy of trusted stock sources and tourism archives.

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