Rome with a Baby: A Family-Friendly Guide to the Eternal City
Rome is without a doubt one of the most magical and popular destinations in the world. But does all of that change when you visit Rome with a baby or young kids? We decided to visit with our then-eleven month old and I have to admit that it was (mostly) one of the most family-friendly destinations we’ve been to.
The locals are friendly, chatty and they LOVE babies. The food scene is easy to navigate as most kids adore the Italian triad of foodie heaven: pizza, pasta and gelato and most restaurants have high chairs readily available. Italians are also big on babies not waiting in long lines so at some major attractions, particularly in the Vatican, we were able to walk straight to the front of the queue. Our baby even loved sitting in the pram as we walked across the cobblestones as it lulled her off to sleep!
What to pack to visit Rome with a baby
We don’t like to overpack, but that means being quite ruthless especially now we’re travelling with a baby on board. We researched ahead of time and learned that nappies, wipes and baby food was going to be fairly easy to come by in Rome, so we took just enough to get over there and then went to the Carrefour supermarket on arrival to stock up.
We also opted not to bring a portacot, but this was only after checking with each hotel we stayed at regarding the quality, brand and make of the cot on premises was. If you’re unsure, don’t risk it as nothing is more important than safe sleep!
Our must have items that we packed to visit Rome with a baby are:
- One-piece foldable stroller with a sunshade. We love our Baby Jogger City Tour 2 because it reclines totally flat (perfect for naps on the go), has a decent sized basket underneath, weighs less than 7kg and is able to go in the overhead locker on a plane. The wheels can also be removed to make it even more compact and it comes with an over the shoulder bag for travel.
- A sturdy nappy backpack bag that can carry enough supplies for a day out walking around the city. There are so many good options, but top marks go to nappy bags with lots of compartments that still manage to look aesthetic. We have the Tottie bag in tan, but a couple of other good options are the Fohouse bag or the Minsong bag (looks like Tottie for a fraction of the price) which also features a waterproof compartment for nappy storage when a bin is hard to find.
- A large muslin and stroller clips to cover the pram over when our daughter fell asleep. The lightweight muslin is perfect for the European summer – it is very light and breathable.
- A few emergency pouches of baby food in case we needed them inflight or when we arrived. We were quite minimalist with these, but did bring a few in case. Our kiddo loved the Rafferty’s Garden meal varieties as well as vegetable puffs for snacks. The puffs were a good way to keep her entertained in the pram as we explored Rome with a baby!
- A portable white noise machine. This was something we swore before having a baby we’d never use but it certainly helped keep our daughter asleep overnight sleep when we were sleeping in close quarters in the one room. We never needed it during the day, but get yourself a portable one that runs on batteries in case you need it for naps on the go.
- A good baby carrier for places the stroller can’t go. This is a must for anyone wanting to visit the Vatican with a baby as the hugely crowded Vatican Museum was a nightmare to navigate with the pram and strollers are not allowed in St Peter’s Basilica at all. Our go-to carrier is the Ergobaby 360 which served us well in those tight situations.
Where to stay in Rome with a baby
We loved staying in the BeMate Trastevere II apartments in Rome. We were walking distance from everything which made exploring the city so much easier. The area is full of wonderful food and charming streets which meant dinner was never far away – a great benefit when you have a hangry baby or need to get back quickly for bedtime. Apartments are a great option when travelling with kids – the option of being able to cook for fussy babies or toddlers is such an advantage!
Must-Visit Attractions in Rome
Honestly, there is so much to see and do in Rome that the list is never ending. If you’re a first-timer in the Eternal City, then you’re naturally going to want to visit the main drawcards – the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill and the Vatican. You’ll also likely have the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps on the list, though both of those are horribly crowded so you probably won’t want to spend long at either of those.
Visiting the Colosseum
The Colosseum was surprisingly really easy to do with an eleven month old in a pram. On the first Sunday of every month, the Colosseum offers free entry (as does the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill) so the most difficult part of visiting with a baby is waiting in the long line winding around the incredible amphitheatre. I found the line moved remarkably quickly though and sure enough we were in and ready to explore. In an even more kid-friendly move, I learned that children under 17 get free entry at any time, provided they are accompanied by a paying adult.
It turned out to be quite easy to wander the Colosseum with a baby in a pram. The paths through the amphitheatre are wide enough to accommodate a stroller easily and there’s even an elevator to get to the upper level. On the top level, we needed to do a nappy change and I was even more taken aback to find a large parents room with a feeding chair and change tables.
Despite the huge amounts of people in the Colosseum, it never felt too crowded and we loved wandering the historic structure, particularly looking down at the arena floor from above and imagining what the atmosphere must have been like in the Roman era.
Baby friendly score: 9/10
Visiting the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
It makes sense to visit the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on the same day that you visit the Colosseum as they’re all located in the same area. Luckily, we did this and because we visited on the first Sunday of the month our entry was free. The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are absolutely magical places to wander through and the level of history and beauty here is gobsmacking. However, they are not as baby-friendly as the Colosseum.
The pathways here are uneven and challenging with a stroller, so this may be a good candidate for a baby carrier. We visited in October and the weather was shockingly hot still, so the heat and lack of shade meant our baby had enough pretty early into our visit. We quickly made our way through and then left to find some aircon and cold water to cool her down. Definitely one on the list to come back to when she’s a bit older.
Baby friendly score: 4/10
Visiting the Vatican Museums
Being the disorganised people we are, we hadn’t booked a ticket to the Vatican Museum and so anticipated waiting in a very long line in order to explore the museum’s treasures. However, when we arrived at the back of the line stretching several blocks back, a security guard told us that because we had a baby with us we could go straight to the front of the line. This saved us HOURS of queuing in the hot sun and we were so thankful.
The Vatican Musems allow a stroller to be taken in, however the Museums are so crowded that this is really impractical. This is an attraction in Rome that you definitely want to babywear through if you can. Our bub loved looking at the colourful frescos, sculpture and chapels throughout the museum. For us, it was sure hard to top the splendour of the remarkable Sistine Chapel – I still pinch myself now that I’ve seen it in the flesh.
The Vatican Museums also have plenty of baby change facilities – some are better than others – but at least they are in ample supply.
Baby friendly score: 6/10
Visiting St Peter’s Basilica
St Peter’s Basilica is another place where you do not have to wait in a long line if you have a baby in tow. After our success at the Vatican Museums, we tried our luck and sure enough the security guard allowed us to go straight in rather than wait in a huge line that stretched across the courtyard with limited shade. There are no strollers permitted in St Peter’s Basilica, so you’ll need to babywear or carry your little one here. There’s pram parking just inside the security gate and there’s also a fabulous baby change and feeding area alongside the toilets. Make use of this because there’s no change tables inside the basilica.
Our kiddo was amazed at the grandeur of St Peter’s Basilica. She actually got a bit overwhelmed and excited because there was just so much to see. We spent plenty of time admiring the may artworks and sculptures. We really took our time because it was so hot outside and the Basilica is lovely and cool. It was also very busy but far from crowded. Compared to the claustrophobia of the Vatican Museums, this was a welcome change.
Baby friendly score: 8/10
Visiting the Trevi Fountain
Honestly, I feel really conflicted about the Trevi Fountain. It is beautiful, remarkable, lovely and all those other adjectives but it is literally the most claustrophobic I’ve ever felt as it is ridiculously crowded. Those dreams of sitting by the fountain, tossing a coin in the waters – they’re no longer realistic thanks to the phenomenon of over tourism.
With a baby in a stroller, a visit here seems almost impossible. And whilst we did manage to take our daughter to the fountain and get a happy snap, the amount of stress in the 15 minutes it took to wade through the crowds still has me questioning whether it was worth it. Still, perhaps if you have a baby who is a bad night sleeper, you could creep out in the wee hours for a walk past the Trevi Fountain and see if you can actually enjoy the view without the craziness.
Baby friendly score: 1/10
Visiting the Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps are a little less crowded than the Trevi Fountain and they’re a nice free thing to do in the city. As the name suggests, the Spanish Steps are a set of staircases, so this is one to either babywear on or take it in turns with your travel buddies to climb the steps.
The Spanish Steps were built in the 1700s to connect the Spanish Square with the church on the hill. Tourists are no longer allowed to sit on the steps, so simply stand at the bottom and admire the view, then head up to the top of the steps to enjoy the view from the opposite direction.
Baby-friendly score: 5/10
Visiting the Pantheon
The Pantheon is a temple that dates back to the year 27 BC, though the building today is one from the era of Hadrian in 118 AD. You can book online to visit, which I definitely recommend as the lines can be long and the area outside is rife for gypsys and pickpockets to roam.
The main attraction of the Pantheon is the huge dome in the middle of the building which has a small circular opening in the centre letting the light in called the Occulus. The Occulus is the only source of natural light in the entire building. The Pantheon is a little different, too, to the other spiritual sites in Rome that overwhelmingly represent Catholocism. Because this structure was originally dedicated to the gods of Rome, statues of Jupiter, Mars and Venus all feature inside the building. The artist, Raphael, and King Victor Emmanuel II are both buried in the Pantheon.
The Pantheon is stroller friendly and is all on one level. There are accessible ramps allowing for easy access for prams and wheelchairs. There are no baby change facilities in the Pantheon, which did make it hard for us as we had an unexpected need for one, but we made do in an alley nearby once we had exited.
Baby friendly score: 7/10
Eating out with a baby in Rome
Honestly, Rome was one of the most family friendly countries for dining that I’ve visited. It certainly makes it easy that most kiddos love the food in Italy and mine is no exception. She’d live on pizza if she could. Every restaurant we went to had a high chair and every restaurant either had a kids size pasta on the menu, or they would make one especially for her.
One thing to note is that Italians eat late. So navigating a 7.30pm dinner time when restaurants were opening up with a baby used to being in bed for the night at 7pm had its challenges. We eventually found a rhythm which involved a late nap around 5pm, but it took a few days to get into the routine.
We found there wasn’t much in the way of baby-specific meals in the supermarket as in Italy babies and toddlers tend to just eat the food the adults eat. For younger babies there was plenty of fruit puree and we also found plenty of toddler snacks and fresh fruit.
Final thoughts on visiting Rome with a baby
Putting aside the very long travel time by plane from my home in Australia, it is hard to imagine a better holiday destination to visit with a baby than Rome. The Eternal City has it all – great food, lovely people and so much to see and do.
Most places are very family conscious, including making sure babies aren’t stuck in long lines in the summer heat and baby change facilities are plentiful at most of the main attractions. I would definitely recommend Rome to any parents wanting a European adventure with their little one.
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