Fantastic indoor attractions in Rome for kids perfect to escape the weather. Kids attractions and cultural sights you can visit in Rome with kids.
Rome doesn’t usually get extreme weather and you can visit Rome with kids, sightsee and be in Rome parks pretty mush all year round.
However, there are a couple of instances when you want to be indoors, may this be in summer, to escape the worst of the heat, or when it pours with rain!
I am a Rome mama of two and have experiences Rome in all possible conditions.
I know how hard it can be to entertain kids when it is too hot or too wet outsides. So, today, I share some fun and interesting indoor attractions in Rome for kids that will help you keep them busy and happy while in Rome!
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Good to know: going in summer? You may also want to consider time at an outdoor pool. Find here >>> my list of family friendly swimming pools is Rome.
Explora Children Museum – young kids (up to about age 12)
Explora children museum is the children museum of Rome. Its setup is similar to those of other kids’ museums around the world and doesn’t have anything specific to Rome: however, it is great fun for kids as there are interactive installations, machines to operate, games to plan, role play areas and, of course, other kids!
The museum is a good refuge for rainy days or hot summer days and you can spend here part of the morning or afternoon. If going during Italian school holidays (Summer, Easter) or in the afternoon, it is often best to book.
Address: Via Flaminia, 80/86, 00196 Roma RM, Italy official site >> https://mdbr.it
You can read here >> our Explora Review
The Museum of Illusion – good also for teens
The Museum of Illusions is one of the best places in Rome for teens when they need something that is not sightseeing and indoors.
In the city centre, not far from Termini station, the Museum of Illusions is part of the same family as museums of illusions elsewhere and has installations that trick the eye and perception. This it a fun place for kids with plenty of photo ops for cute and fun photos teens also will enjoy.
Address: Via Merulana 17, Rome Official website >>> https://www.museoillusioni.it Booking strongly recommended
Lego Exhibition NEW!
Rome finally has its own Lego Exhibition and it is not only fun and cool for kids, but also located in the city center, which means you can easily add it to your itinerary without strain!
The exhibition has large installation, smaller ones and a play area, and it lovely for kids and lego lovers of all ages. Info, address and tickets from the official site https://mostramattoncini.it/roma/
Color Hotel
The Color hotel is a fun, immersive and interactive space kids and teens will love. The place is though out to represent a hotel, with different rooms and area, but it is not a hotel at all but rather, a series of colourful and fun spaces for kids to interact with and take photos of.
The Color Hotel is outside of the center so it takes a bit of planning (or a cab ride) but it is perfect for a rainy day. Info, photos and tickets on the official site https://colorhotel.world
GAMM Game Museum
The GAMM is a peculiar museum dedicated to video games and specifically to their history!
The museum is small but fun for older kids (and adult gamers) especially as it has a fun collection of vintage games that showcase how incredibly fast they evolved and changed and it of course also offers the opportunity to play to some of them. Located close to the station, is an easy place to fit into an itinerary to give the kids a small break from sightseeing. I particularly recommend it for parents who may want to indulge in gaming nostalgia: the place is more about the vintage feel than playing as such. https://www.gammuseum.com
Bowling, Escape Room ideas
If your kids are into bowling or escape rooms. Rome of course has some.
You may like this one https://tribescaperoom.it which is suitable for kids (many others are not), Brunswick for bowling (a classic!). Since these experiences are more for locals, you will see they are not as centrally located but still easy to reach by bus, metro or cab.
Ikono Rome (currently closed)
Ikono Romę is a newly opened interactive space that is super fun for kids, teens and adult alike!
They present it as an ‘interactive experience’ and indeed, this is a good word for it! Ikono is basically a series of rooms, each with a sensory element to explore.
The first rooms has a pool of translucent balls you can (and should!) dive into, another room has a snow cannon that covers you in paper snowflakes, another room again is dark but with Japanese inspired yellow lanterns…
The whole operation is very instagram and tick-tock friendly so teens will adore it; however, you don’t have to take photos of it to have fun and it is a very cool place to explore.
It is just beside the Pantheon which also makes it especially handy.
Address >> Via del Seminario, 111, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
The Domus Aurea – Nero’s underground palace (sightseeing)
The Domus Aurea is Emperor’s Nero ancient palace, now fully underground.
The Domus is an archaeological site and not an attraction for kids as such.
However, it is absolutely brilliant for kids who a like history or want a bit of an adventure as the palace is now several meters under the city, so you find yourself walking in spaces that used to be corridors and rooms but are not tunnels and underground chambers!
The Palace is mostly suited to upper primary school kids, tweens and teens.
If you can, I highly recommend you get the tour with the virtual reality experience included: the experience lasts a few minuted only but it is wonderful as you are given a headset that immerse you in the palace as it used to be!
The Domus is significantly colder than outside so it is a fantastic refuge for a hot day.
Address: Via della Domus Aurea, 00184 Roma RM, Italy Official site (booking mandatory) >>> https://ticketing.colosseo.it/en/?s=domus+aurea
Good to know: the Domus Aurea is in a park with a small playground. If you go in summer, in the afternoon, you can then get a drink and let the kids play there for a while!
Rome Catacombs (sightseeing)
Another one of the best indoor attractions in Rome are the catacombs.
Rome Catacombs area ancient underground Christian cemeteries, still existing under the modern city.
The catacombs develop as kilometres of underground tunnels and are partially open to visitors, strictly by guided tour only. They are a fascinating site, they are indoors and, in summer in particular, are one of the best places to visit in Rome since they have much cooler temperatures than anywhere else, the tunnels naturally keeping at a chi
Museo Mostra di Leonardo Rome (Interactive exhibition)
Museo Mostra di Leonardo is a cool, interactive museum showcasing machines by Leonardo da Vinci.
The museum is small, fascinating and allows children to touch and operate the machines, which makes the whole experience rather cool for them.
Little children are likely to enjoy the levers and the 360 degrees mirror room (worth entering it!) and older kids are likely to be taken by the option to try their hand at building Leonardo self-supporting bridge, and activity that is not quite as easy as it may seem!
The museum is nice to see and also comes with the option of booking a scavenger hunt around the city which is also great fun.
They don’t allow photos inside but you can find photos and prices here
Address >>> Piazza della Cancelleria, 1, 00186 Roma RM, Italy