Italy
Italy With Kids: Where to Go, What to Do & How to Plan Your Trip
Italy is one of those countries we could visit over and over again and never get tired of! After traveling all over the country with our three kids, it has become one of our absolute favorite places for family travel. The hardest part isn’t deciding whether to go, it’s figuring out where to go because every region gives you a completely different experience. You can spend your mornings exploring ancient Rome, slow down at an agriturismo in the Tuscan countryside, boat along the Amalfi Coast, wander the streets of Florence, or end your trip swimming in the ridiculously blue water of Sardinia.
We’ve done Italy with toddlers, bigger kids, grandparents and extended family, and we’ve learned A LOT along the way—where we’d go again, what we’d skip, where we’d stay, and the experiences that were actually worth the money with kids. This page brings all of our Italy guides together in one place, including our exact itineraries, favorite family-friendly hotels and agriturismos, tours we loved, day trips, restaurants, transportation tips and all the little things we wish we had known before our first trip.
If you’re planning Italy with kids and have no idea where to start, start here. Pick the regions that sound most like your family, resist the urge to squeeze too much into one trip, and leave plenty of room for long lunches, gelato stops and afternoons with absolutely nowhere you need to be.
That last paragraph especially feels very Jolly Good Travel to me and it sets up the whole page beautifully because what you've built isn't really just a blog post anymore. It's becoming your main Italy-with-kids hub, with Rome, Tuscany/Florence, Sorrento/Amalfi Coast, Sardinia, accommodations and all your individual Italy guides underneath it.
Rome
Rome is one of those places that we think everyone should experience at least once, and it’s such an easy starting or ending point for a bigger Italy trip. There is SO much history here, but what we love is that you can make it genuinely fun for kids too: Gladiator School, golf cart tours, tossing coins in the Trevi Fountain, exploring the Colosseum, and stopping for pizza and gelato along the way. Rome can definitely feel busy, so our biggest advice with kids is don’t try to see everything; choose a few incredible experiences and leave plenty of time to wander, eat and enjoy the city.
What’s the best way to see Rome with your kids? - A Golf Cart Tour
Rome with Kids: The Best 3-Day Itinerary for Families
We’ve been to Rome a few times now, and after lots of trial and error, this is exactly how we would spend three days here with kids. We share the family-friendly hotels we love (and why staying near Villa Borghese makes such a difference), the tours we think are actually worth the money, and how we structure each day so you can see the major sights without everyone being exhausted.
Our itinerary includes our absolute favorite golf cart tour of Rome, the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Gladiator School, the Colosseum and Roman Forum—plus parks, gelato stops, restaurants our kids loved and some lesser-known spots we discovered along the way. We also share our best Rome-with-kids tips, including when to visit the Trevi Fountain to avoid the worst crowds, what we’d skip, what you need to book ahead, and the FREE church we’d visit with kids instead of spending hours at the Sistine Chapel. If you only have a few days in Rome, this is the itinerary we’d follow again.
If you’re looking for something in Rome that your kids will talk about long after the trip is over, Gladiator School was hands-down one of our favorites. Instead of just hearing about Ancient Rome, our kids got to actually experience it—learning about Roman weapons and armor, dressing up as gladiators, practicing battle stances and fighting techniques, and battling it out in a sandy training arena. We did this with a group of eight kids ranging from ages 4–14, and every single one of them got into it (even my 4-year-old, despite the recommended age being 6+!).
The entire experience lasts about two hours, the instructors were fantastic with the kids, and at the end they even received personalized certificates declaring them official Roman gladiators. One of my favorite parts? Parents can watch and take photos without buying a ticket if they don’t want to participate, making this such a fun experience to add between all the walking, museums and traditional sightseeing. In the full post, I share exactly what to expect, what ages we think it’s best for, what to wear, when to book, how to get there and all the little things we wish we knew beforehand.
We’ve done a LOT of tours in different cities, and this was easily one of our favorite ways we’ve ever explored Rome with kids. We booked a private 3-hour golf cart tour with our group ranging from age 4 to 69, and it completely changed the way we experienced the city—especially after already walking 15,000 steps earlier that day! Our guide picked us up right at our hotel and took us to the Spanish Steps, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica, plus a hidden panoramic viewpoint at Janiculum Hill that ended up being one of our favorite stops.
The best part is that the tour is completely customizable, so we could get out when we wanted, take photos, hear the history, and even stop for sandwiches for the kids and wine to-go for the adults. We chose the late-afternoon tour and got to experience Rome heading into sunset, which made it even more magical. In the full post, I share the exact tour we booked, everything we saw, why we think it’s worth the money, the best time of day to go, and all the details you’ll want to know before booking. If you’re visiting Rome with kids and only splurge on one tour, this would be very high on our list.
Best tour to do in Rome with kids- Gladiator School
Tuscany/Florence
The Tuscan region, including Florence is probably what most people picture when they dream about a trip to Italy…rolling hills, vineyards, tiny medieval towns, incredible food and afternoons that somehow turn into long dinners outside. We absolutely love this region with kids, but we’ve learned that where you stay can completely change the experience. Instead of spending the entire time in a city hotel, stay at a family-friendly agriturismo in the Tuscan countryside, where the kids can run around, swim, see farm animals and have space to play while you actually get to relax. I cannot emphasize this enough: staying at an agriturismo will make your Tuscany trip 10,000% better, especially with kids. Use it as your home base, then head into Florence and explore the surrounding hill towns during the day.
The Best Way to Spend the Full Day in San Gimignano with Kids (Tuscan Village)
Where to Stay in Italy With Kids: Why Agriturismo’s Are Perfect for Families
After traveling around Italy with our kids, staying at an agriturismo has become one of our absolute favorite ways to experience the country—and I truly think it can make your family trip 10,000% better. Instead of squeezing everyone into a small city hotel, you can stay on a working Italian farm surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and countryside, often with family apartments, kitchens, pools, huge gardens, farm animals and incredible farm-to-table food. The kids get space to run and swim after a busy sightseeing day, while the adults get that dreamy, slow-paced Italy experience we all picture when planning a trip.
And you don’t necessarily have to choose between the countryside and seeing Italy’s major cities. We’ve stayed at agriturismos close enough to Florence to spend the day exploring the city and be back at the pool in the countryside that afternoon, and there are similar options just outside Rome. In this guide, we explain exactly what an agriturismo is, why we think they’re SO good for families, and share some of our favorite family-friendly stays near Florence, Rome, Montepulciano and Matera—including places with animals, cooking and farm experiences, nature trails, pools and some seriously beautiful views.
Our Favorite 5-Day Tuscany Itinerary (Perfect for Families)
One Perfect Day in Florence with Kids: Our Family-Friendly Florence Itinerary
After spending several months living in Tuscany with our three kids, we can confidently say this is one of our favorite places in Italy for a family trip—and we learned pretty quickly that the best way to experience it is NOT by trying to see everything. Tuscany is meant to be slow. We recommend giving yourself at least 5 days, renting a car, staying at an agriturismo in the countryside outside Florence, and using one home base to explore the region. Think one adventure each day followed by afternoons at the pool, long dinners overlooking the countryside, and plenty of time for the kids to just run around and play.
In our full 5-day Tuscany itinerary, we break down exactly how we would plan the trip: a day exploring Florence(including the interactive Leonardo Museum our kids LOVED), a full day wandering medieval San Gimignano, biking along the historic city walls in Lucca, and—just as importantly—an entire day with absolutely nowhere to be. We also share where we recommend staying, our favorite family-friendly agriturismos, when to visit, why we think you need a rental car, what to book ahead, and all the little things we learned from actually living here with kids.
If you want the Tuscany you’ve pictured in your head—rolling hills, medieval villages, vineyards, incredible food, sunset swims and long dinners outside—this is exactly how we’d do it.
If you’re staying in Florence or anywhere in the Tuscan countryside, San Gimignano is one of those day trips we would absolutely add to your itinerary. It’s a beautifully preserved medieval town surrounded by rolling Tuscan hills, and with its cobblestone streets, ancient towers and huge piazzas, it honestly feels a little like stepping back in time. We got there early before the crowds and spent the day wandering through little shops, climbing Torre Salvucci Maggiorefor some of the most incredible views of the Tuscan countryside, eating pizza and pasta outside in Piazza della Cisterna, and walking along the old town walls.
In our full guide, I share exactly how we spent the day, which tower we recommend climbing instead of the more popular Torre Grossa, where we ate, our favorite hidden spot for a break with kids, what to know about strollers and parking, and why we highly recommend staying into the evening after the tour groups leave. If you’re looking for that quintessential “we’re really in Tuscany” kind of day, this is it.
Florence has a reputation for being all art museums and Renaissance history, but after spending several months living in Tuscany and making lots of trips into the city with our kids, we’ve found SO many ways to make Florence fun for the whole family. It’s compact, incredibly walkable, and you can see a surprising amount in just one day without feeling like you’re racing from one attraction to the next.
Visiting the Leonardo da Vinci Interactive Museum, where kids can actually touch, build and experiment with Leonardo’s inventions, riding the antique carousel in Piazza della Repubblica, and Boboli Gardens are just some of the best things to do in the city.
In the full guide, I share where we’d stay, what we’d book ahead, our favorite family-friendly cooking class, and what we’d add if you have more time—including a golf cart tour, a boat ride on the Arno, climbing the Duomo and even a horse-drawn carriage ride. If Florence is part of your Tuscany trip but you don’t want to spend days sightseeing in the city, this is the itinerary we’d follow.
Sorrento & Amalfi Coast
Sorrento is such a great addition to an Italy itinerary, especially if you’re already visiting Rome or Florence and want to mix city sightseeing with a few slower days by the water. We love it for families because you can stay in one place and easily explore Capri, Pompeii, Positano and the Amalfi Coast, without constantly packing up and changing hotels. There are beautiful family-friendly hotels with pools, a walkable town for dinner and gelato, and so many fun experiences for kids. From boat days and swimming to kayaking and pizza making. It gives you a completely different side of Italy and is the perfect way to balance out the busier sightseeing days in Rome or Florence.
Guide to Sorrento with kids
If you’re dreaming of the Amalfi Coast with kids, we think Sorrento is the perfect place to call home. We spent a week here and loved being able to unpack once, wander into town for dinner and gelato, swim at our hotel, and then take easy day trips to some of the most beautiful places in Italy.
From boating along the Amalfi Coast and swimming beneath Positano to kayaking into hidden coves, exploring Pompeii, and taking the ferry to Capri, this was one of those trips where every day felt completely different. And somehow, it still felt relaxing.
In our full guide, I share where we stayed, our favorite things to do with kids, the tours we’d book again, and exactly how we’d plan a week in Sorrento.
Sardinia
Sardinia is the perfect place to add to an Italy itinerary when you want to slow things down and trade busy sightseeing days for beaches, boat rides and unbelievably clear water. We absolutely loved it with kids because the beaches are calm and shallow, there are tons of family-friendly resorts, and you can fill your days with swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, exploring little seaside towns and, of course, plenty of gelato. It feels completely different from Rome, Florence or Tuscany, more laid-back, less crowded and still very Italian—which is exactly why we think it makes such a magical ending to a bigger Italy trip.
Everything feels easy here. The beaches are calm and shallow, perfect for kids to play safely while parents relax. The sand is soft and the water changes from turquoise to clear blue—it’s truly beautiful. But it’s not just about the beach. Sardinia offers fun for the whole family: boat trips to hidden spots, snorkeling near shore, spotting wildlife, exploring cute seaside towns for gelato, and short hikes with views that wow everyone.
Many Sardinian resorts are made for families, with kids’ clubs, playgrounds, baby pools, beachfront rooms, and staff who love little guests. The island is spread out, so it’s never crowded. This is THE PERFECT place to add to your Italy itinerary!
How we spent a magical week in Sardinia - The most amazing Italian island
Sardinia completely surprised us. We originally chose it because we wanted somewhere beautiful, relaxing, and a little less touristy—but it ended up being one of our favorite family trips we’ve ever taken. Think crystal-clear water, quiet beaches, incredible sunsets, boat days, gelato runs, and that slow Italian pace that makes you immediately want to stay longer.
We spent a week near Villasimius, and before we even left, we were already talking about when we could come back. In our full Sardinia guide, I share where we stayed, everything we did, our favorite family-friendly experiences, and exactly how we planned our week. If you’re looking for a beach destination to add to an Italy trip, put Sardinia on your list.
Our favorite places we’ve stayed in Italy with kids
We love Rose Garden Palace for families visiting Rome because it gives you a peaceful, elegant place to recharge while still being close to all the major sights. The hotel is just a short walk from Villa Borghese park, so perfect for letting children run around, rent bikes and get a little break from the city or the sun. Also, we were only a short walk away from many major attractions like the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain are nearby without needing to take a bus or taxi. We like to be close enough to walk but not in the super busy spots so this location was PERECT!
The staff were very accommodating and friendly, they offered family-sized room options, the most amazing beautiful indoor pool and spa, & even with a sauna! We only spent a weekend here but the kids used the pool multiple times to cool down after walking around in the heat!
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Just about 20 minutes outside of the city of Florence! A relaxed Tuscan farm stay that is ideal for families who want both the quiet countryside and easy access to the city attractions. This property is a working farm has a seasonal outdoor pool, spacious botanical gardens and safe green areas for free play. They have farm tours, olive groves & nature paths. As we walked the grounds we saw donkeys, chickens, peacocks, and ostriches.
They offer family-friendly activities like farm workshops, guided tours, animal experiences, nature walks, olive oil tastings, and even safari-style tours around the estate. The restaurant serves traditional Tuscan food, using the ingredients from the farm!
