Inspiration for great day trips from Rome for families. Beach, lake, country or city ideas for a short getaway near Rome. Last updated June 2025 with current resources and recommendations.
Rome is wonderful, and while you can spend a lifetime here and never be done, it also works well as a base for day trips, thanks to its central location and great connection options.
Whether you feel like spending a day in a quieter place or explore a different city, taking day trips out of Rome is easy!
Rome is located close to lakes, the sea and the Italian countryside and you have a vast selection of destinations to choose from, all within a couple of hours from Rome.
Out of the many, these are the day trips from Rome we enjoy the most as a family.
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The best day trips from Rome for families with children: chart
| Destination | Type of trip | Time needed | Mean of transport |
| Pompeii | Archaeological park | Full day | Train / Car |
| Ostia Lido | Beach | Half Day | Train / Car |
| Ostia Antica | Archaeological park | Half day | Train |
| Orvieto | Hilltop Town | Full day | Train |
| Saturnia | Thermal baths | Half day | Car |
| Civita di Bagnoregio | Historic town | One day | Car |
| Sperlonga | Beach | One day | Train+bus |
| Bracciano Lake | Lake | One day | Car |
| Florence | City | One day | Train |
| Tivoli | Historic Houses/ Garden | Half day | Train |
| Bomarzo | Sculpture Park | One day | Car |
| Naples | City | One day | Train |
As you can see even just from the table above, the choice of family day trips from Rome is quite wide when it comes to the type of experiences.
Some of these localities offer small town charm and an opportunity to immerse yourself in Italian history, getting a taste of the same type of vibe you may expect to get in Tuscany.
Other places are perfect for a relaxed day on the water and work well for families especially in good weather, when proximity to water might be important to beat the Roman heat.
This is an overview on what to expect in each of these localities.
Pompeii – best of the day trips from Rome for families who love history
Best for age: kids of school age. With a carrier, it is possible to visit with a baby. Only partially stroller accessible.
Level of effort: it’s a long day out with a good bit of walking in Pompeii itself but nothing strenuous.
Pompeii is one of the most fascinating places for kids and often appears at the top of their wishes for things to see while in Italy.
The thing that tends to attract them the most is the dramatic event of the Vesuvius eruption yet Pompeii is a lot more than its end: as you walk its streets, you truly are immersed in the ancient city and you can see, feel and learn how Romans life used to be, away from its most cinematic moments.
Ancient Pompeii is quite a distance from Rome and it is so vast, you need to factor in several hours to visit: yet, thanks to good train connections, plenty of tour options and availability of nice food in the area, a day in Pompeii is easy, fun and fulfilling.
To make the most of the day, I recommend you book a kid-friendly guide for Pompeii. Excellent ones I can recommend are:
Pompeii Tour for kids by MariaclaudiaTours (TOP GUIDE FOR KIDS)- this is fun, scavenger hunt based tour perfect for kids 6 to 11 especially (younger siblings welcome).
Private family tour of Pompeii with optional car transfer – an excellent high budget, high quality family friendly tour that can be customises to your needs. For me, if budget allows, this is THE way to go since it takes care of transport needs, lunch recommendations and they can even bring you to Vesuvius, which is wonderful and not as easy to reach without a car.
Small Group Pompeii Tour (several languages available) – not a tour for kids as such but a well priced, kid friendly tour with an archaeologist
Ostia Lido: Rome’s beach – best day trip from Rome for families for easy beach time
Ostia Lido or Lido di Ostia is Rome’s beach.
Easy to reach from Rome city center by car or urban train, Ostia is a pleasant beach for a day on the sand or a meal on the shore – several restaurants and beach clubs make it a good option for families, who can find changing cabins, rental of loungers, umbrellas etc.
Ostia doesn’t compare with the stunning beaches of Sardinia or Puglia so don’t expect a ‘best beach’ type of place: it is pleasant and there is nothing wrong with it, but the main thing about Ostia is that is easy to reach and has all you need for a break for the city for a few hours.
Top tip! Bring a magnet: the sand in Ostia is rich in iron and kids can collect it with a small magnet – almost magic!
You can find more info about Ostia Lido and why we consider it one of the best beaches near Rome here.
Ostia Antica
Ages: all, little kids experience is as if it was just a park to run around. Bumpy terrain so it is best without a stroller.
Level of effort: low, but if the kids run around a lot they’ll be tired by the end of the visit!
Ostia Antica is one of my favorite places in the Rome area and a real pleasure to visit with kids (and without!).
Located a short train ride from Rome, Ostia Antica has two main areas of interest for visitors: the archaeological park, one of the most beautiful in Italy, and the medieval borgo, with its castle and charming square.
You can find detailed info on how to get to Ostia Antica and what to expect here
Ostia Antica is the perfect day trip from Rome for families who want to explore a large and beautiful Roman city but do not want or can stretch all the way Pompeii .
Ostia Antica is great to visit with kids of all ages.
Older kids can enjoy learning about the life that used to make these ancient houses buzz and younger ones can just enjoy the beautiful nature and open spaces of this beautiful archaeological park.
Older kids can enjoy learning about the life that used to make these ancient houses buzz and younger ones can just enjoy the beautiful nature and open spaces of this beautiful archaeological park.
You can visit Ostia Antica on your own or book a guided tour like this one, which allow you to learn about the place under the expert guidance of an archaeologist.
Orvieto: best family day trip from Rome for hilltop village charm (by train)
Ages: all.
Level of effort: low
Italy is famous for charming hilltop villages and many associate that type of landscape with Tuscany.
Indeed, Tuscany is generous of this type of locations but you can also see a wonderful example of this type of destination catching a train from Rome and heading to gorgeous Orvieto (Umbria).
Orvieto is a small town with a unique characteristic: it is perched on the tops of a rock of tufo, a type of rock that is typical of this area and has a long history that gave this town a gorgeous duomo, an impressive well and stunning medieval streets.
Oriveto is a pleasure to visit at all ages. Children usually like the cable car ride to the top, the Well and a visit to the underground city, and the artisan shops where you often catch artists at work. Parents are usually blown away but the town’s outstanding duomo and the amazing Umbrian food!
Read all you need to know about spending a day in Orvieto here.
Saturnia thermal baths
Age: primary school age and up, as the terrain is tricky for toddlers (doable, but tricky!)
Photos of the ‘Cascate del Mulino’, the free thermal baths of Saturnia, have taken the web by storm lately but have been a family favorite for me (and many other Romans) for decades.
The thermal area is about 2 hours from Rome and is great fun to visit with kids. The baths are free and the area is equipped with a basic but functional parking area and a cafe selling drinks, sandwiches, crisps and that type of snack.
The cascate (Lit. waterfalls) fall over a series of steps that form small pools of hot water. The temperature is high but pleasant, especially in winter, and varies slightly depending where exactly on the falls you are.
No special equipment is needed to visit Saturnia but I do recommend you bring water shoes for the kids as it is pretty slippery and of course bathing suits and towels.
The best time to go is outside of summer when you can still enjoy the falls but might find the whole experience too hot (you don’t get relief from the heat in that water!)
Read how to visit Saturnia here.
Civita di Bagnoregio: best family day trip from Rome for hilltop village charm (by car)
Age: all
Level of effort: a bit of walking is necessary to cross the bridge into the town, but the bridge is stroller friendly.
Civita di Bagnoregio is a very special place and one of the best day trips from Rome for families and one of the most charming, fascinating and pretty towns in Lazio.
Located about 2 hours north of Rome, Civita di Bagnoregio is an ancient village perched on top of a tufa rock, in the middle of a wild valley.
The town is accessible by a long and scene footbridge, and it is a little gem of small piazzas, flowery balconies and pretty alleys.
This is a fantastic place to visit with kids: the bridge is safe, yet scenic enough leave quite an impression on kids of all ages and the town is car free and full of hidden corners children can explore.
There is also an interesting museum that explains the peculiar story of this city and the challenges posed but its crumbling location, which older kids can find fascinating.
You can read all about Civita here >>> practical guide to visiting Civita di Bagnoregio
Sperlonga: best beach day trip from Rome
Age: all
For a day at the beach while in Rome, my top pick is the gorgeous whitewashed town of Sperlonga.
Located to the South of the city, Sperlonga is a village perched on top of a rock overlooking the Mediterranean and at its bottom it is blessed by a large sandy beach.
Sperlonga is amazing with kids and the best beach day trip from Rome you can hope for.
Here the water is shallow and safe, the beach vast and sandy and there are several cafes, restaurants and shops catering for all you needs.
The village is a little gem too although if you are traveling with toddlers, make sure you bring a carrier: the climb up the stairs is not stroller friendly.
You can red all about visiting Sperlonga and why I recommend it to families here
Bracciano, Anguillara, Martignano: best day trip from Rome for a day on the lake
Rome is close to several lakes that are perfect for a quick escape from the city.
The biggest and best equipped for visitors is beautiful Lake Bracciano.
Depending on what you are looking for, you can choose between several localities, all in the same area and within easy reach from Rome.
If you are looking for a day on the lake and a visit to a beautiful castle, head to Bracciano.
This is a lovely village with the impressive Odescalchi castle and the lake offers many opportunities to bathe, paddle and use pedal boats, making it a fun place for kids.
In Trevignano Romano, one of the lake side villages, in summer you even find a water park with inflatables and water games – at the time of writing entrance costs 8 Euro for 2 hours.
If going to the area, make sure you also check out the small town of Anguillara Sabazia, which is gorgeous and has a nice lungolago too.
If you want to escape from it all, I recommend instead you go a little off the beaten track and head to the nearby lake of Martignano.
Depending on location on this small lake you can wither go to an agriturismo for lunch and access the lake from their shores or bring a picnic and enjoy the uber local vibe of this corner of Lazio.
Florence: best day trip from Rome for families who want to see Italy’s highlights
Florence doesn’t need introductions but I still want to talk about it here as many may not realize how incredibly easy it is to enjoy Florence as a day trip from Rome.
Rome and Florence are connected by high speed train and you get from one to the other in less than two hours.
The train station in Florence is right in the city center and you can walk everywhere from there, making the city manageable even with young kids.
Florence has world class art, parks and several museums that are of interest to children too.
You can find here >> how to plan a day trip from Rome to Florence with kids, based on my last trip there with my son
Our you can find my favorite itinerary for a day in Florence with little children here.
Tivoli
Tivoli is a pretty hilltop town immediately outside of Rome famous for being home to stunning villas, namely villa d’esme, Villa Adriana and Villa Gregoriana.
The villas can all be visited in day and are very different from one another, which adds variety to your trip out.
Villa D’este is a wonderful manor house with stunning Italian gardens.
The Villa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the highlight of the visit for children are usually the beautiful fountains of the Villa and the incredible water organ that plays at regular intervals during the day.
Villa Adriana, on the other hand, a was the villa of ancient Roman Emperor Hadrian, the wise Roman Emperor that ruled over Rome in the II century AD (if you have seen Castel Sant’Angelo, you may have already learned a lot about him!) and is now an archaeological site.
With kids, the appeal of the villa is similar to that of Ostia Antica, a mix of outdoor space and beautiful ruins among which they can run free.
Last but not least, Villa Gregoriana is a vast, green park with marvellous trees and waterfalls, perfect to immerse yourself in nature without straying too far from the city.
The easiest ways to visit these villas is by reaching Tivoli by car, but there are other solutions such as this train + bus transport to Villa d’Este or Villa Adriana that helps negotiating the distance on a budget or this full tour that come with the option of transport as well
Sacro Bosco di Bomarzo
Sacro Bosco in Bomarzo is a unique, magical place for kids: a park created to evoke the atmosphere of an enchanted forests with nooks, crannies, hiding places and has unusual sculptures, including a massive one of a monster!
The park is great to visit with kids who can walk (it is not stroller friendly) and love magical creatures as imagination here can run wild. You can find photos, info and tickets here
The park is easiest to reach by car.
Naples, for families who love a bustling city scene and food
Naples is a stunning city and a place with a culture, vibrancy and feel like nowhere else in Italy.
It is a city of contradictions, and a place with such a strong personality, it elicits polar opposite reactions: profound love and strong rejection are both common reactions to it!
It is however, in either case, very much worth seeing: its art and architecture is out of this world beautiful, its food is world famous and while the city has a gritty aspects, it is not a dangerous place and you can have a great day here strolling the center at leisure.
My favorite way to visit Naples is to go with my teens: while with young kids Naples is chaotic and a lot to take (I don’t recommend it with a stroller or of you like a mellow town), with teens we had a lot of fun as the city is very much a window to the variety of humanity out there!
Of all the day trips from Rome for families on this page, this is the only one I recommend for older kids specifically – not impossible with younger ones, just harder especially if not used to a big city
You can find photos and how we go about this day trip exactly on my guide to taking a day trip from Rome to Naples here
I hope you enjoyed this selection of family friendly day trips from Rome for families and it helped you answer the question: what area easy gateways from Rome suitable for families? Safe travels!
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This list of my best day trips from Rome for families has now been updates with current resources – June 2025