Our round up of the top 5 free things to do in Rome as a family.
Rome is a wonderful city to visit with kids but her beauty comes at a price. Accommodation, tours, attractions, tourist restaurants all pay hefty entrance prices and if you are not careful you can easily find yourself out of pocket. However, it is possible to visit Rome without breaking the bank: in this post, I have listed some of the free attractions in Rome while in this article today, I will focus on the 5 free things that I believe are the easiest to enjoy with kids.
Going to Rome with kids? Find here my top tips for visiting Rome with children
5 free things kids will love about Rome
Rome’s stunning piazzas
Rome’s is famous for having glorious piazzas, beautiful urban spaces framing human interactions in a sometimes grand, sometimes unassuming and always evocative way.
Adults love piazzas for the quintessential Italian character they evoke and kids are usually quick at picking up the playground quality of these often unexpected openings in the urban jungle.
No matter how big or small they are, when Rome’s narrow streets open up into one of these spaces, ‘oooohhhs’ and ‘aaahhhhs’ abound: they usually also host small cafes, which act a reward to tired little and not so little legs.
Some of Rome’s most famous piazzas are Piazza Navona, Piazza del Popolo and of course Piazza San Pietro (St Peter’s square), but the true jewels are often hidden in the medieval heart of the eternal city – if you are near the Capitolium, head to Piazza Margana for a taste of a smaller and oh so Roman square adults and children will love.
Piazza del Popolo is one of better knows squares in Rome. It hosts no less than 4 stunning churches, the Leonardo da Vinci museum and it’s closed to cars, making it a gorgeous spot for a quick rest
Top tip for families: never assume that piazzas are car free. Especially in the city centre, piazzas can seem like safe, enclosed spaces, but in most cases they are just a feature of the road and cars and scooters do cross them at sometimes ridiculous speed. Piazza del Popolo, in the picture, is partially closed to traffic and Piazza San Pietro is car free.
Rome’s unique fountains
Rome is the city in the world with the highest number of fountains.
Fountains, monumental or not, are a peculiarity or Rome and their fresh running water is great for playing and to cool you down on hot summer days. Let the kids splash about freely and do let them drink from the ones called ‘nasoni’ (big noses, in the photo below): the water is clean and delicious. Just make sure you have a change of clothes as a getting wet in them is irresistible!
One of my favourite corners of Rome and a very ‘Roman’ one too. The cobbled streets, the outdoor cafes (this one is a gelateria) and the fountain are quintessentially Roman. A unique corner in a unique city
Top tip for families: instead of buying bottled water, carry a bottle with you and fill it up at one Rome’s ubiquitous fountains. On a sunny day, challenge the kids to see who can splash further without getting their clothes wet (hint: use your hand to block the main nose of the fountain: this will force water to come out from the smaller passage and it will form a neat arch kids will love!)
It’s quirky monuments
Rome is one of the most generous cities in the world when it comes to peculiar stories and anecdotes: the Colosseum and the Roman forum are world famous and keep vestiges of the most glorious Roman past, but what is a pyramid doing in Rome? How come there’s an elephant in one of its more central squares? Every corner of Rome tells a story that is sure to entertain and entice little explorers and curious adults.
One more shot from #Rome: this is one of the most peculiar buildings in the city – a pyramid, now standing between a busy junction and the most tranquil of all green corners of the city: the so-called protestant cemetery. #culturegram #ttot #italy
Top tip for families: go church hopping! Some of Rome’s most beautiful art is not in museum but in the city’s many churches Entrance is free, they can be visited in few minutes, minimising the risk of temper tantrums, and their shady interiors offer refuge from the outside heat in the summer. Votive candles and side crypts are always a hit with the kids.
Roman ancient ruins
Ancient Rome is a sight to behold and the moment the Colosseum appears in front of you, when you step out of the dark metro station in front of it, is one of those travel experiences that are hard to forget. Kids love its, literally, colossal size and the presence of actors dressed up as gladiators is the cherry on the cake for anyone under 7 years of age! Access to the colosseum and the forum is not free but a walk along via dei fori imperiali (the street along the ruins) is, and offers beautiful views over the whole area.
Our round up of the top 5 kids friendly activities in Rome your family can enjoy for free. Piazzas, ruins, parks and fountains: our family guide to visiting Rome on a budget
Top tips for families: If you have small children in need to stretch their legs, from the colosseum make your way to Circo Massimo (it’s a short walk in the direction of Mount Aventino). This is a large area just at the bottom of the palaces of emperors, with no cars and huge room to run around. The green space itself is nothing special but there is plenty of safe space to play and the view towards the Palatine is unique in the world.
It’s public parks and villas
Rome has many green areas and most of them have an impressive past: originally the private backyards of Rome’s most influential families, the parks are now open to the public and offer fantastic spaces with playgrounds, monuments, and open air cafes
Villa Borghese, Rome. An afternoon in the style of a couple of centuries ago: coffee, neoclassical architecture, and rowing boats! #familytime #family #familytravel
Top tip for families: head to Villa Borghese and spend the afternoon in the area called ‘giardino del lago’. Here, you have a small playground, a cafe and a small pond with rowing boats that seem out of a Victorian novel! Renting the boats is not free but spotting the turtles lounging in the sun is!
I hope you enjoyed this list of free and child-friendly activity in Rome and I helped you save money you can now spend on gelato (and pizza!). Have you been to Rome? Is there anything in particular you’d like to do or see there?
I’ve been to Rome several times but not with the kids. I’ve been waiting for the kids to get older so it’s more walkable with them. I really want to sign them up for that gladiator-for-kids training at the colosseum – I think they’d have a blast and enjoy doing some of the stuff they read about at school.
I think you are right about the walking thing: when you have small children, ‘charming’ is not the word that comes to mind to describe Rome’s cobblestone 😉 The gladiator things sounds like a lot of fun, if you go and do it I’d love to hear how they get on!
I loved everything about Rome on my visit. It seemed like around every corner was another priceless piece of art by one of my favourite artists. I’m not a big museum guy, but the great thing about Rome is like the best parts of a museum but with fresh air and gelato 🙂
That is very much what I love about the city too: art is even more enjoyable if part of a living and breathing place, it becomes so much more real!
Wow Marta… you made me go and look for air tickets! It’s been 3 years since my last time in Rome with kids, I guess it’s time to book again 😉
It is!! Make sure you tell me when you go, I might very well be there 😉
The architecture and food look amazing! These are great tips for those wanting to travel to Rome with a family.
I agree that Rome is a fantastic place to travel as a family. Reading this list makes me want to go back!! Right now!! 🙂 I write travel guides for kids so they can learn and enjoy fun activities about all the sights. The one on Rome is the most popular. Love your post!!
I love travel guides for kids and I think yours are great! Travelling with kids is certainly different from any other sort of travel and these resources are so important to give ideas and reassure parents that yes, it can be done and it can be a lot of fun too!
I haven’t taken the kids to Rome but I can tell you their favourite thing would definitely be the gelato! and the pizza… and the pasta… My 5 year-old is desperate to go to Italy for exactly these reasons!!
Hehe, food in Italy is a great resource: amazing how much longer kids accept to walk if the reward is gelato 😉
My kids love the “granita” and they loved the spanish steps. We had a great time in Rome. They were fascinated by so many things. We were in Rome this summer and we had almost 40 degrees…
We visited and loved Rome for all these reasons and a hundred more. Thanks for sharing.
I don’t have children and I’ve never been to Rome but I’d love these things about Rome never mind children! ☺I visited Tuscany on a school tour over 10 years ago and fell in love with Italy! One thing I regret is not trying gelato. That’s a great tip in picking gelaterie to pick places that sell gelato artigianale. I’ll keep this in mind when I return.
I love seeing all these photos. I agree, adults would like these places too. Filling water bottles in the fountains is a super good tip!
never been to rome but certainly would love to visit… i’ve heard nothing but lovely things and it’s pretty cool that europe has so many places that are kid friendly. i’m sure my nieces would freak out on all the gelato at their disposal!
I love all the quirky monuments, it allows kids to have their imagination run wild! Totally love Rome!
I love these photos! Beautifully captured Rome 😀 such a great place to take your kids 😀