10 Best Things to Do in Rome with Kids

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At first glance, Rome might not seem like the most kid-friendly city—all those espressos, aperitivos, and talk of amore....

Welcome To RomeWelcome to Rome is a new multimedia museum with a fully immersive 3D time machine that takes kids through Rome’s history, from inception to today, through invasions, battles, buildings, and fires, all with flourishes and a great sense of drama.

Capuchin CryptSet beneath the 17th-century church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, this is a series of six small chapels decorated with the skulls, pelvises, and bones of around 4,000 monks, some mummified in their original habitat.

Rome Gladiator School - 'Gruppo Storico Romano'This place is big, with a proper gladiatorial fighting arena that seats 250 people, so ask your driver to drop you at the Gladiator Museum, which is where you meet to start the tour. After a brief introduction and walk around the museum, tourists head to the arena—and what's where the fun really begins.

Get your guideIt’s not hard to see why this class sells out regularly; it’s part cooking class and part theatrical production. Guests start by making their own pizza from dough made by the instructor, Giuseppe, a few days before. They'll pluck tomatoes and basil from the garden, scatter fresh mozzarella over the top, and watch as their masterpieces cook in a huge wood-fired oven.

Rome4KidsToursRome4Kids’ Vatican Tour is a fun way to show little ones around The Vatican. Groups meet outside the Vatican Museum, where kids are given a purple-colored backpack containing goodies needed for their scavenger hunt, including an illustrated map, a 40-page activity booklet, and a little souvenir prize for participating (ours was a Colosseum snow globe).

Villa BorgheseLeafy, genteel Villa Borghese is Rome’s biggest and most beautiful public garden—and it also happens to be home to a ton of kid-friendly activities. Start with a visit to the Bioparco di Roma zoo, where kids can spot peacocks, penguins, and zebras.

Technotown - Hub della Scienza creativaTechnotown at Villa Torlonia is basically a series of gussied-up classrooms outfitted with impressive technology (LED light painting; LEGO robot engineering; coding). Villa Torlonia is a little out of the way, so we’d recommend taking a taxi from Termini station.

Explora - Il Museo dei Bambini di RomaExplora Museum makes science and history fun through games, workshops, puzzles, and hands-on exhibitions; plus, it’s suitable for toddlers all the way up to 12-year-olds. The modern glass-and-steel structure keeps it pleasingly light inside, and the open-plan design means kids can race from the well-stocked mini supermarket, for example, complete with a working cashier, to the open water area.

Catacombs of DomitillaHome to more than 15,000 graves and spanning more than 10 miles, the Catacombs of St. Domitilla is one of ancient Rome’s biggest and best-preserved underground cemeteries. If facing a cemetery this big is a little daunting, fear not: the tour guide (included in the ticket fee) will run you through the best spots during the walk-through.

National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary ArtRome’s Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna (GNAM) showcases the city’s art scene through thousands of sculptures, paintings, and drawings from the 19th and 20th centuries. They’re also cultivating art appreciation in little ones by running family tours and creative workshops alongside temporary exhibitions with the help of a non-profit called Art and Seek.