3 Days in Rome with Kids: Colosseum, Vatican and Villa Borghese

<p>Three days in Rome with children, one big sight a day: the Colosseum with its children's app route, the Vatican Museums and St Peter's, and the playgrounds of Villa Borghese with Bioparco. With the booking, free-entry and stroller rules from each place's own information.</p>

Last checked: November 2026. Every fact here comes from our attraction pages, which record each place’s own information, checked in November 2026. Prices are as listed there. Opening times change with the season, so confirm before you go.

Rome can feel like a lot with children: big sights, timed tickets and plenty of stone underfoot. Three days is enough if you plan one big sight a day and leave time for a park. This plan puts the Colosseum on day one, the Vatican on day two and the gardens of Villa Borghese on day three, with the booking rules, free-entry rules and stroller points that matter for a family. Every place below has its own page on JuniorTravelClub.

At a glance

• Day 1: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine, then the Trevi Fountain
• Day 2: Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica
• Day 3: Villa Borghese gardens and Bioparco
• Swap-in days: the Tomb of Caecilia Metella, or a theme park day at Cinecittà World or Magicland

Before you go

Book the Colosseum early

Colosseum entry needs a reserved time slot, and ticket sales open 30 days before the visit date. All tickets are in the holder’s name, so bring ID to show at the entrances. Admission is free on the first Sunday of the month, 25 April, 2 June and 4 November, but free tickets can’t be booked and are collected at the ticket offices.

Check free entry for children

• Vatican Museums: children under 7 go free, and entry is free for everyone on the last Sunday of the month, subject to the museum calendar.
• Tomb of Caecilia Metella: under-18s enter free, whether from the EU or elsewhere.
• Bioparco: children under 1 m tall get in free.
• Magicland: children under 90 cm tall get in free.

Watch the winter closing times

From 25 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, last admission to the Colosseum is at 15:30, compared with 17:30 until 24 October. Plan winter visits for the morning.

Day 1: Colosseum, Forum and Palatine, and the Trevi Fountain

Start at the Colosseum. Metro line B stops at Colosseo, and buses 51, 75, 81, 85, 87 and 118 and tram 3 also serve it. The standard Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine ticket is valid for 24 hours, with one entry to the Colosseum (without the arena) and one to the Roman Forum and Palatine. That means you can split the day, or come back the next morning if the children run out of energy. Our page lists the 24h Only Arena ticket at €18 full price.

For children, the Y&Co app has a children’s route with the mascot Vestale Tarpea, in Italian and English. Download it before you arrive. Baby changing stations are listed among the Colosseum’s services.

In the late afternoon, head to the Trevi Fountain. Metro line A to Barberini is about 5 minutes on foot. Non-residents of Rome pay €2 to enter the inner perimeter by the basin, which is open 9:00 to 22:00, except Monday and Friday from 11:30, with last entry at 21:00. Payment at the entrance is by card only, and you can pay cash at Tourist Info Points, Civic Museums or authorised sales points. Pre-bought tickets use a dedicated line.

Two stroller points: there are steps down to the basin, and strollers can be left at the access control point, but unattended. Inside the monumental area, you can’t eat, drink or sit on the edge of the basin.

Day 2: Vatican Museums and St Peter’s Basilica

Give the Vatican Museums the morning. Children under 7 go free. Students pay €10, or €10 plus €5 with Skip the Line booking. Tickets are valid only on the day they are issued, and final entry from Monday to Saturday is at 6pm. If your dates include the last Sunday of the month, entry is free for everyone then, subject to the museum calendar.

Then visit St Peter’s Basilica, with a few rules worth telling children in advance:

• Bring only small backpacks or small personal bags. Bulky objects are forbidden, and there’s no cloakroom inside the Basilica at the moment.
• Eating and drinking aren’t permitted inside, so have snacks before you go in.
• Visitors are asked not to take photographs, even for personal use.

Older children may want to climb the Dome. Our page records that it opens 7.00 to 18.00 in the summer period, which ran until 25 October 2026, so check the winter hours for your date.

Day 3: Villa Borghese and Bioparco

After two days of monuments, give the children a day outside. The Villa Borghese gardens have:

• Playgrounds on viale Madama Letizia (Giardino del Lago entrance), viale Goethe and the parco dei Daini.
• Carousels, the mini-train and the Cinema dei Piccoli, all on viale Goethe.
• Casina di Raffaello, a play centre for children aged 3 to 14.
• Refreshment points at Casa del Cinema, piazzale delle Canestre, via P. Raimondi and Casina del Lago.

The avenues are paved, though there’s no dedicated accessible route, and accessible toilets are only inside the museums. Taxi ranks are at via Mercadante, via Veneto, via Pinciana and piazza del Popolo, and there’s a paid underground car park.

Spend the other half of the day at Bioparco, Rome’s zoo. Fixed-date tickets cost €19 for adults and €14 for children taller than 1 m up to age 10 and over-65s, and children under 1 m go free. A ticket is valid for the whole day, and tickets can be bought at the ticket counter. Bioparco is open every day of the year except Christmas Day.

Swap-in days

The Appian Way: Tomb of Caecilia Metella

For a quieter ancient site, the Tomb of Caecilia Metella day ticket costs €8 full price from 1 July 2026, covering one entry to both the Mausoleum and the Capo di Bove complex on the same day, with no booking needed. Under-18s enter free.

A theme park day

• Cinecittà World: pushchairs are allowed, but pulled carts and wagons aren’t. Toilets in every area have changing tables. Family packages, passes and group tickets are sold online only.
• Magicland: children under 90 cm get in free, both online and at the gate. Changing tables are in the park toilets, and gluten-free food is sold at Pizzeria Belvedere, Bar La Cambusa and Camp Bar.

Check opening calendars before you plan either, because theme parks don’t open every day of the year.

Good to know with kids

• One big sight a day. The Colosseum’s 24-hour ticket and Rome’s parks make it easy to pace the days.
• Carry ID. Colosseum tickets are in the holder’s name, and age decides free entry at several places.
• Plan the stroller. Steps at the Trevi Fountain and bag rules at St Peter’s mean a light, folding stroller is easier. Our cabin-size travel strollers guide can help.
• Bring a card and some cash. The Trevi entrance takes cards only.
• Museum tips: read big museums with kids: 8 tips before the Vatican.

Next steps

Travelling on through Italy? See Northern Italy with kids. Pack from our city break with a toddler packing list, and for another city plan see 3 perfect days in Paris with kids.