Taking toddler on Rome city break- tips

[WhatWouldFlopDoPlease]

(Please don't suggest we leave toddler at home!) Have a long weekend to Rome booked in April, for me, my husband and our 22 month old DD. It's a long-standing birthday gift delayed due to Covid. When originally booked we had no children! Now we are taking our DD. We have no family to look after her and have never left her. So whilst it might not be the ideal romantic trip originally conceived, we are hoping we can still enjoy it!

Luckily we booked a self catered apartment which has plenty of space, so we will be able to chill out on the terrace when toddler goes to bed, and even pop home for a nap if needs be.

We have a Babyzen yo-yo to take on the plane and round Rome. Our apartment is central.

Does anyone have any tips for this kind of city break with a toddler? Or specifically toddler tips for Rome?

Thank you

Well plenty of children live in Rome!!! As you probably already know it’s a typical very busy city. As you’ve got a couple of days choose the places you want to visit, research online and plan the order of them depending on how you’re travelling around the city. Beware pickpockets, I’ve seen someone robbed ( or attempted) each time I’ve been there.
Then look at the parks, quiet places your dc can potter around. Not sure if there are things like petting zoos or lakes in parks as not something I’ve done. Restaurants and cafes are family orientated and a Italians all seem to love kids.
Take a basic first aid kit with stuff for insect bites.
And enjoy. Your toddler might very well enjoy a tour of the Vatican , including the catacombs. Mussolini’s balcony, the Colloseum.

Great tips, thank you. I'll be alert for pickpockets.

The problem you’re like to have is a lot of the most fun things as a tourist won’t be that buggy friendly. You can still have a nice time but I probably wouldn’t do the big sites but would instead get lots of gelato and enjoy wondering around. Look at some of the things the locals would do with their little ones. It might also be worth looking at which attractions are wheelchair accessible and then prioritising those and avoiding things with lots of steps/uneven ground.

At that age both of mine loved people watching.

when our dc were in buggies on city breaks we would get out early sight seeing, before the crowds and heat, then a leisurely lunch or picnic, then a park or pool to knacker them out, quick dinner then chill or a stroll around while they were asleep in the buggy.
I think the key is to not be too structured, bogged down with their routine.

Some restaurants have high chairs and space for a stroller, but hardly any have kids menus as such and usually cater for kids by making a simple plate of pasta or a half portion on anything on the menu on request.
Rome is not stroller-friendly. At the metro station, we found several elevators to move between the platforms, but to get to the station itself, you have to go down the stairs and lift the stroller.
Explora is a children museum with interactive installations and play areas for children. For toddlers they have a soft play area for kids up to 3 years. The museum has nice facilities and a restaurant on site.
Villa Borghese has lovely playgrounds and an indoor play area called Casina di Raffaello.
While strollers are allowed in the Colosseum, it is a real pain to maneuver them inside such a busy attraction so I highly recommend you opt for a carrier if at all possible. We did find a toilet with baby changing at the Colosseum (which is a rarity in Rome!) However there is nothing in the Colosseum to attract a toddler’s attention so unless you are set to see the inside, the best way to see it is to go to the park just in front: kids can run and the views are spectacular.

I would avoid all the big attractions and go explore all the lovely squares and fountains. The many churches are also beautiful, full of sculptures and art if that's what you like and would be easier to visit.
Villa Borghese is quite spacious so may be worth a visit and it is set in a big park. Eat all the gelato and pizza and have a lovely break.

Do you have a toddler carry backpack? I would take that over a pram as way easier! However the yoyo is a small pram
Isn't it so that might be fine

However your city break sounds lovely. If you are central enough id pop back for a nap at lunch to keep a bit of structure personally.

I also would recommend a back carrier. If you don't have one yet, I would look for one which also has storage capacity.

Don't necessarily think you can't do larger sights. We took DD at that age around a city break and while we obviously didn't do 5 churches and 2 museums in a day we still saw some of the major sights while also spending time in a park and wandering around.

It's about getting them used to things. I would look if you could book tickets online so you don't have to queue for entry, that's the only major issue we always had, toddlers hate waiting.

Op as an aside do you know what current COVID entry rules are?

We did this sort of thing with ours, my tip is to be chilled about nap and bed times, just let them sleep in the buggy, long sleeves to protect from sun and enjoy yourselves. Do work out where there are little parks etc but otherwise at that age you should be able to pretty much do everything. Italians are far more tolerant of children so you won't have issues eating in the evening with a toddler

Btw we saw wheelchairs at many of the main sites, they have installed lifts in recent years!

Hi OP - we took DD to Rome when she was about three, so slightly older, but we spent a lot of time at the park in Piazza Di San Cosimato - there is a lovely ice cream shop on the square and the park is shaded. Worth a look if you are nearby.

I agree with others-probably aim to spend lots of time enjoying parks and just relaxing. We took our toddler to rome for a family wedding, and it wasn't great. It's very busy, the streets were cobbled so tricky with the buggy, and she wanted to walk but couldn't easily. The central restaurants have seating outside-but it's on the road-often no pavements, so very close to motorbikes etc speeding past. I'm probably remembering it worse than it was, but it was pretty tricky!

Where are you staying?

I would do a day of Trevi, Pantheon, Navona, Campo de’ fiori then Trastevere. Graduate from breakfast to snack to lunch etc. that will be nice and will work with the buggy.

If you would like to see the Vatican then spend a Sunday morning at St Peter’s square (but leave the Vatican museums and Sistine chapel for another time). You can get a tour of the Vatican gardens, but need to book in advance.

The forum and Colosseum might be all right with a nearly two year old … I wouldn’t take a buggy, though. The Capitoline museum might be ok with a toddler, too.

I wouldn’t seek out parks. The Borghese is a scrubby affair, and the Galleria would not be easy with a toddler. I also wouldn’t worry about the Spanish steps this time.

Enjoy yourselves!

I spent a day in Rome with my then three year old godson while his parents did their own thing. Plenty of good advice above, especially about it not being a stroller-friendly place, but if there is one piece of advice I'd offer it's this:

Whilst restaurants and cafés are indeed very child-friendly, the touts who operate around them and target tourists are not. I'm not talking about gangs of gypsy kids pickpocketing, but the guys who come up to you when you're sitting at a table or admiring a sight, and hand a toy over to your child uninvited. The child then, of course, wants to play with it... so he demands the €5 he's charging for it, and thinks nothing of making a big song and dance designed to embarrass you in to coughing up.

I found it incessant. In most cafés the staff will chase them away with stern words but if you're on your own it's a different matter. Twice I had to throw toys 20 yards down the street and physically push people away with several helpings of "Vaffanculo!" thrown in for good measure.

Oh, and Rome can also be a bloody wet place in April. Afternoon showers can, and do, come out of nowhere.

Thank you, these are all really helpful!

We spent a week there with our children, youngest was 5 at the time.

Like others said, pickpockets are awful there. Twice I had to stop a woman trying to pickpocket my elderly dad. I clocked her cardigan being held by her other hand close by him. Her fingers were inside the opening of his pocket where his wallet was. She got a slapped hand for her trouble and some lovely English language!!

Eating out: go a couple of streets back from the main roads and you can get the same food cheaper. What you ask for is what you get. My dad asked for chicken breast and that was all he got on the plate
Tourist places, pose for any photo with a costumed person and they want a tip, same as if you try anything on, they will be insistent that you pay.
We went in the May and the temperature never dropped below 30 in the daytime. The vatican has a strict dress code shoulders and knees to be covered.