A curated selection of the best things to do with kids in Rome this July, including special events, kid-friendly pools and interactive museums to escape the weather.
July is a peculiar time to visit Rome.
On one hand, summer is hot and busy in Rome, this month being very much a high season time for tourism.
On the other, it is the time when Rome fills with summer events and outdoor concerts, which are great fun and one of the highlights of Rome summer evenings, for grown ups and children alike!
I am from Rome, and despite suffering the July heat as much as the next person, I love summer in Rome. As the sun goes down, the city wakes up with evening events and special night opening of attractions that are easy to enjoy at any age.
To escape the heat, locals keep the kids up until rather late so even evening events are family friendly and often among the most fun of all!
If you have littles, I recommend to entertain the idea of resting at your accommodation during the hottest hours of the day and make the most of evenings in Rome with them.
On this page, I share my selection of the best things to do in Rome with kids this July.
If you want an overview of this time in Rome in general, read here >>> Rome in July
if you want more ideas of kid friendly things to do, read here >>> my guide with 70 (!) best things to do Rome with kids
Special night opening of the Colosseum (Thursdays)
This July the Colosseum has some extraordinary evening openings that allow to see it after dark.
The experience is unique and truly atmospheric: the Colosseum is lit up inside, with small lights that showcase its architecture, and admission is to a limited number of people and by guided tour only, so you see it without any of the crowds.
Even better: the experience allows access to the coveted underground area, which is usually incredibly hard to secure entrance for during the day!
This year, the event takes place on Thursdays only: secure your ticket as soon as available from the official website: https://ticketing.colosseo.it Tickets come out 7 days before only.
If you want to see how we got on last year, you can find our full review here >> Our visit to the Colosseum at night
This is Wonderland, Pinocchio (light show / immersive experience)
This is Wonderland is an immersive light experience for kids and adults running in summer only.
The experience takes place in the lovely ‘giaridno delle cascade’ (waterfalls garden) in the EUR district and consists of a series of light installations scattered around a green and secluded area, with music and food trucks.
The event this year has the theme of Pinocchio and is great for kids and adults alike. The event starts at 6pm (18.00h) and comes into its own especially around 8-9pm when darkness truly makes the installation shine.
Despite the late time, this is a super popular event for families and you’ll see parents with kids of all ages out here until really late, making the most of the lovely summer milder temperatures.
The garden is stroller friendly in most parts (but not all, be prepared to lift it occasionally), has some nice food spots and a play area for kids.
I was there last year for their Alice in Wonderland theme and it was fabulous, albeit busy.
This is, for me, one of the best things to do with kids in Rome this July, perfect for littles and teens alike.
Book from the official site >> https://thisiswonderland.world/biglietti-pinocchio/
Lungo il Severe – along the Tiber summer festival
Lungo il Tevere (literally translating into: Along the Tiber) is a classic summer Roman event which sees the banks of the river Tiber transform into an open air village with food joints, stalls, live music, cultural events and more.
The festival takes place between Ponte Sublicio bridge and Ponte Sisto bridge, in the city centre.
The event is not for kids as such but it is very popular with families as it has informal and cheap food options, a family friendly atmosphere and stalls with entertainment such as fuss ball and table tennis.
No booking required, this is an open summer festival. The festival runs in July from 7.30 / 19.30 to about midnight each evening.
This is also a fun thing to do if you are in Rome with teens.
Viaggio nei Fori – Journey Through Ancient Rome (light show)
Viaggio nei Fori is a fantastic evening event taking place during July in Rome that sees the Forum of Caesar and the Forum of caesar come back to life at night with a lightship that showed how they used to be!
The event is spectacular and kid friendly. The show consists of light projections that show how the ancient ruins used to look like and a narration in several languages (via headphones) explaining the story of the forum and how they fit into the wider history of Rome.
The event is not for kids as such but is enjoyable for them too as the atmosphere is informal and the light show stunning even just to look at.
The show happens nightly in July from 9pm to 11.00pm.
Pools and water parks
Ok, this one is not specifically to this July yet is a good tip for when you need to escape the heat in Rome.
Rome has lovely outdoors pools that are great for kids and two water parks, one best suites to kids up to age 11 and close to the center (Luneur Splash Park) and one bigger and also suited to older kids further out the city (Hydromania).
Both parks are open in summer only.
You can find here >>> our selection of kid-friendly swimming pools and water parks in Rome
More things you can do in Rome this July
As well as these month-specific ideas, there are of course many other things you can do in Rome with kids in July!
Some we recommend are:
Visit the Capitoline Museums, lovely in summer especially as they have good air conditioning (as well as the outstanding ancient art of course!) – no need for a tour as you can get a kids’ audioguide and scavenger hunt at the ticket desk. Read here >> how to visit the Capitoline Museums with kids
Visit the Domus Aurea, Emperor’s Nero ancient Palace, now completely underground!
This is one of the most fascinating attractions in Rome and a fantastic place for kids of upper primary school age and teens as it comes with a virtual reality headset that makes you feel like you are inside the old palace (the VR experience is only part of the your, at the end; the rest of the time is a standard guided tour but I promise: it is amazing!
The special reason to do it this July is that the palace is underfund and therefore much cooler, temperature wise, than outside. Get tickets form the official site: ticketing.colosseo.it
Take an class – indoor classes with air conditioning are a great resource for July in Rome!
My absolutely favorites on a summer day are these two cooking experiences:
Lucilla pasta making class, great specially for primary school kids as it takes place in a private home and a small group of people. You can find all info here >>> Lucilla Cooking Class Our Review
City Experiences / Devour Food pasta class in Trastevere, which is super fun as it happens in a cooking school, with a largely bigger group (ideal if you have social teens). You can read here >> our review with contact info and booking link
I hope you enjoyed this selection of the. best things to do in Rome this July and helped you add even more fun to your stay. Happy travels to Rome!