Rome with a 4 year old: my tried and tested itinerary with the best kids’ tours of Rome for young kids, child friendly attractions, playground breaks and family friendly restaurant for a great family stay in Rome.
Visiting Rome with a young child can be a lot of fun.
However, there is not doubt that the needs and interests of a 4 year old will make a trip to Rome very different from a trip to Rome with a baby or a school age child.
At 4, they are too old to just tag along, but not old enough to take tour for kids, usually for children 6 and up.
So, how do yo see Rome with a four year old and make it fun and interesting for them and you? I can help!
I am a mama of two and I am from Rome, so I know very well what it means to have a preschooler in the city.
I hope my tips can help you make the absolute most of your time in my beautiful city with your little one in tow!
In this guide, I share my top tips for visiting Rome with a four year old, best tickets to Rome main attractions for families with kids and some special resources I made for this age.
I hope you enjoy it!
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Rome with a 4 year old – my top tips
When it comes to planning time in Rome with a preschooler, I believe three things are the most important.
The first one is: don’t overplan
I know that traveling with a small child requires some planning, and I am not suggesting to wing it entirely (that’s why I have an itinerary for you!).
However, I see over and over again itineraries for Rome that pack in several tours in a day and have you move from landmark to landmark at supersonic speed, so you can ‘do’ Rome in as little time as possible.
I recommend against those type of itineraries anyway (I feel there are only few instances when they may be worth it) but I urge you not to experience Rome that way if you have a little one.
Especially in a big city, which comes with a lot of stimulation, you want to make sure to have time for your child to go slow, stay at the park, take time chasing pigeons and savor that gelato without having to rush somewhere.
With the right tips (on this page) you will still be able to see the Rome must-see sites but I promise you’ll also enjoy the slower pace.
Rome is a lot more than the sum of its landmarks and taking time to savor it what’s in between main sites will go a long way to make the city truly come to life for you.
Good to know: for times when you want something JUST FOR KIDS, you can find my list of kids’ attractions here
Tip 2: don’t take tours for everything
Tours can have a lot of merit as they give great insight to the landmarks you are seeing and the history of the city. However, you don’t need tours for everything.
For instance, you don’t need a food tour to enjoy Roman food, and you don’t need a tour of the city centre to see Trevi, the Spanish Steps or the Pantheon.
I’ll go as far as saying you don’t need a tour for the Colosseum (you do, however, need one for the Vatican Museums).
Unless you like tours, you do not need to commit to them and you can use online resources to make each visit fun for you and your child.
For instance, you can use my Colosseum Scavenger Hunt for kids on Etsy and my Free Roman Forum scavenger Hunt to keep your child entertained while you explore the colosseum and forum with the free My Colosseum app.
Or you can use my ebook with scavenger hunts for kids by city center area to keep them walking and learn about what they see as they go!
Only get tours if you want them, not because you think you cannot do without.
Tip 3: If touring, go for child friendly tours instead of tours for kids
The distinction between a child friendly tour and a tour for kids is a lot more significant than it may seem.
A child friendly tour is a tour aimed at adult but that can make provisions for small kids (for instance, they can adapt the pace or they can accommodate bathroom stops).
A tour for kids is a tour that talks to the child and presents facts in a way that is suitable to their age.
These tours are usually more expensive and due to the nature of Rome, are aimed at kids age 6 and up, who have the attention span and the interest to learn historical facts.
Each child is different so it is possible your 4 year old is able for such tours.
But based on my kids and chats with many many kids’ tours guides, I feel child friendly tours are better suited for little ones that tours for kids.
Child friendly tours like those recommended on this page are, for me, the best of both world as parents get a guide that talks to them but kids are catered to thanks to special attention and a pace they can take.
My recommended child friendly tours of Rome for a family with a preschooler are:
Rome Golf Cart Tour by LivTours – this is a fun, easy to enjoy tour that zooms you around Rome on a golf cart tour with a guide.
It is an excellent way to cover a lot of ground without having to walk and if you take it on your first day, it gives you a great idea of the lay of the land and what you may wan to see again.
Kids love the little vehicle and it is nice to be in the fresh air!
Express Vatican Tour by LivTours – an excellent, short private tour that allows to see the highlights of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel without having to drag your child on a 3h+ tour
Express Colosseum Tour by LivTours – a great short tour to understand the ins and outs of the Colosseum. The private tour allows to keep the pace slow enough for a four year old and still give the parents a good insight about the amphitheater and its history
If you prefer to explore These attractions on your own, the good news is that kids are free both in the colosseum and the Vatican!
You can read here:
How to book tickets to the colosseum (good to know: standard entry to the Colosseum if free for kids!)
How to book tickets to the Vatican (good to know: 4 year old don’t need a ticket to the Vatican, they can just come in with you!)
Rome with a four year old – my 3 day itinerary
There are many ways to plan a 3 day itinerary around Rome (I chose this length of time as I know it is a popular one)
Among the many, I believe the one below works particularly well with a 4 year old.
In the following paragraphs, I’ll elaborate on why I recommend this itinerary and possible alternatives to suit all budgets/travel styles.
| Day | Activity |
| Day 1 | Golf cart tour to see Rome’s highlights and decide what to see again in own time |
| Lunch at Cafe Cafe (light) or Naumachie (full lunch) | |
| Colosseum visit | |
| Park / playground stop in Colle Oppio | |
| Dinner at Emma | |
| Day 2 | Vatican Express Tour |
| Lunch in Pastificio Borghiciana or Il Sorpasso | |
| Playground in Castel Sant’angelo (you can also visit the castle getting tickets there and then) | |
| Piazza Navona and Pantheon area / Leonardo Museum | |
| Dinner in Mimi e Coco or Grappolo d’Oro | |
| Day 3 | Borghese Gallery |
| Lunch at gallery cafe or short walk to ‘Casa Mia’ | |
| Borghese Park and Zoo | |
| Spanish Steps / Trevi / Shopping | |
| Dinner in Tonnarello in Trastevere |
Day 1 itinerary in detail: Rome’s highlights and Colosseum
As you can see, I recommend starting your first day in Rome with a child friendly Golf Cart Tour.
I don’t believe taking a tour to get to know Rome is a must; however, I believe there is great merit in them, especially with little kids who may not take well to walking long (and may love a vehicle! My kids always loved anything on wheels!)
What I like about fold cart tours is that they allow to get a great sense of what is where and get a first impression of what you may want to go see again.
As well as this, they can be a fun way to get to further afield areas like Gianicolo and its view over the city, which you may not otherwise get to see as a little detached from the center.
The golf cart tour I recommend is this one by LivTours, which is great for families with young kids as it can provide kids’ car seats and adapt stops to the needs of little ones, for instance stopping for longer at a park to stretch little legs and similar. I recommend a private one for maximum flexibility.
Should a golf cart tour be out of budget, you can also consider a hop on hop off bus tour: just be advised that buses cannot get as close to many of the landmarks as a small golf cart so the bus option may require some additional walking.
When it comes to visiting the Colosseum, I recommend opting for one of these two alternatives.
The official website to buy Colosseum tickets is https://ticketing.colosseo.it If you opt for general entrance, you only need to book tickets for adults: check the official site for details.
To make the visit fun and engaging, you can use with a scavenger hunt for kids like the one in the photo, which I make doe kids kids! You can get it on Etsy >>> here <<<
If you prefer a tour, then I recommend you take this one with LivTours: they express Colosseum tour is short enough to be manageable for a little one and very informative for adults. It also comes with the big advantage of the company buying tickets for you, which means you don’t have to deal with the Colosseum website, ticket release schedule etc.
In front of the Colosseum, there is is a lovely hill with park and playground: Colle Oppio.
See also: great playgrounds near Rome top attractions
Have dinner in town in family friendly Emma: Via del Monte della Farina, 28, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Day 2 itinerary Vatican and Historical Center
Day two is devoted to the other major landmark most visitors want to see while in Rome: The Vatican.
Whether visiting the Vatican Museum with kids is or isn’t a good idea is one of the most frequent questions I get asked and it’s easy to see why.
On one hand, you have one of the most significant museums in the world, something you may regret not visiting.
On the other, you have a museum that is so busy and traditional in layout, it is indeed a big challenge with little kids.
Whether you should go or not is very much down to personal interest but my recommendation is this: if you go, get a tour!
I am usually very much a diy traveler but the Vatican truly is hard on your own.
There is so much to be seen there, the crowds are so intense, the difficulty of keeping a child engaged here so significant (they cannot touch anything), I almost feel you are better off seeing it with a guide or not at all.
If you do, I recommend to opt to for a child friendl tour that doesn’t last long.
For instance, I like this one by LivTours (same provider as before) is ideal for families with young kids as the guide is able to go at a pace that is suitable to little ones, yet the tour guide pitches is to the adults, so you have a proper tour, yet in a family friendly fashion!
Vatican Museums alternatives: if you prefer to skip the museums, I recommend you anyway come to the Vatican to see St Peters’ square and the basilica. See here >> What to see at the Vatican with kids that are NOT the Vatican Museums
After the Vatican I recommend you spend time in the area of Piazza Navona and Pantheon. You can easily explore on your own or you can have a look at our >> Navona neighborhood guide
I then recommend carbonara in lovely Mimi and Coco on Via del Governo Vecchio
Day 3 – Borghese Gallery and Gardens, free time
On day three, I recommend spending time in the Borghese Gardens area for a couple of reasons.
The first is that here is where you find the Borghese Gallery, one of the best museums in Rome but, I believe, in the world too.
The museum is small in size, which means it is also manageable and not overwhelming, has a wonderful collection of both statues and paintings, and it is hosted in a beautiful building, with stunning rooms, painted ceilings and garden views.
It is one of those museums I believe even people who tend not to enjoy art galleries like and that anyone who loves art will adore.
You can learn how to get tickets to the Borghese Gallery here.
You can also have a look at this guide to the Borghese Gallery with kids, which also contains the most important works of art to seek out while there and some stories about them you may consider adapting to little years (a small child may like Aeneas carrying his dad and son away from Troy, even without getting into the details of it)
The second reason why I recommend a day here is that the Borghese Gardens are a wonderful park with lots to do for kids.
The park is the old estate of the Borghese family and now is a public space with playgrounds, family bike rentals, a pond with turtles, carousels and even the zoo! It also has a wonderful panoramic terrace called Pincio Terrace / Terrazza del Pincio with views over Piazza del Popolo and from where you can reach the Spanish Steps from above.
A day at the Borghese Garden is one of the easiest ways to keep little kids happy but also have a fully Roman experience for the adults. After the park, you can easily walk to the Spanish Steps and Trevi, then stay in the center for some shopping.
You can read here: my guide to the Borghese Gardens.
Where to eat in Rome with a 4 year old
Eating out in Rome with a young child is easy. You can bring children with you to all restaurants and in the vast majority of cases they will be able to provide a high chair if needed (not always, but it is very common nowadays).
Restaurants don’t have kids’ menu (they don’t really exist in Italy as a concept) but they are always willing to make something off menu for kids, may it be pasta with tomato sauce or pasta with butter.
Rome food also tends to be quite easy for kids as it has things such as suppli, which are fried rice balls, pizza of course, cacio e pepe which is cheese pasta, plus things like straccetti (thin strips of pan fried beef) which are easy for kids to like.
Restaurants traditionally open at 7.30 pm yet in Rome city center is now normal to have restaurants open all day, since tourism demand is so high. Being open all day is no longer a sign of a touristy place, many places are delicious and have simply adapted to a different custom.
Where to stay in Rome with a four year old
The best places to stay in Rome in Rome with a little one are:
Monti – the area between the Colosseum and the station, great as it is in a central location yet also has access to a lovely park with playground on Colle Oppio. A good hotel here is Mercure Centro Colosseo which is excellent for summer especially as it has a rooftop pool
Pantheon / Navona – not as green as Monti but super central and perfectly located for sightseeing, with absolutely everything on your doorstep
Prati (close to Castel Sant’Angelo) – immediately across the river from the historical centre it is a great place to have a slower pace and more local experience without going too far out
You can find here >> our recommended family hotels in Rome city center
Getting around Rome with a little one
If you stay in the center and the areas mentioned above you’ll be able to walk everywhere.
To avoid tiredness I recommend the use of a stroller, if still using at home, while I’d caution against the use of kids’ scooters due to the bumpy terrain, crowds and the fact that not all streets that look car free are actually car free!
If you need to get a taxi, you can call one with FreeNow or Uber (calls a taxi or Uber black): just be aware that they do not have and do not require car seats.
If you need public transport, you’ll be happy to know four year olds go free! You can find here >> my guide to using Rome public transport
Rome with a 4 year old – pin this!
