If you girls are headed to Italy this summer I am sure Rome is on your list! The whole family enjoyed it on our Summer trip last year (full Italy Q&A post here). The key was finding an Aperol spritz for us and gelato for the kids all along the way ha! I know there is so much to see and do in Rome so I put together this Rome travel guide with all of my top recommendations. Where to stay, where to eat, what to do, and more! Keep reading for all of my Rome favorites and don’t miss our trip in video here plus all of the highlights that I shared on IG! Even more Italy city guides coming soon…
Where To Stay
We stayed at a cute boutique hotel called Chapter Roma which had the most amazing service and staff members. If you followed along with our full trip last year, you saw that we went to seven (!!!) different places, so we knew we had to pick and choose where we’d be splurging on hotels and where we’d keep it more budget-friendly. Rome was one of the locations where we knew we would not be spending much time in the hotel and instead exploring a ton, so we opted for a boutique hotel. I was a little concerned because it didn’t look too kid-friendly online, but our small group did just fine! The kids were able to hang in the lobby lounge with us and every day went downstairs for breakfast in the café- they loved it! As I mentioned, you don’t spend much time in your hotel in Rome because there is so much to do and see, but Chapter Roma ended up being super charming and I would definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a similar vibe.
Where To Eat
ROSCIOLI
If you’re a foodie, you have to eat at Roscioli! They use the freshest ingredients and the restaurant is a full deli + kitchen combo. It really is a true family affair there and has the best vibes, but make sure you book a reservation in advance because it’s hard to get into! They also have a sister location that is focused on desserts and truly was the best cannoli of the entire trip!
SANTA LUCIA
One of my favorite spots ambiance-wise was the patio at Santa Lucia. We went for lunch but I think it would be equally as charming for dinner! Fun fact… one of the scenes of the movie Eat Pray Love was filmed here!
SANT’EUSTACHIO
This café is super chic and a cute spot to grab a coffee and a little pick-me-up treat.
I also think it’s important to mention that most of the restaurants in Italy don’t have AC so if you’re there during the warmer months, a fan is a 100% MUST. We used these fans pretty much non-stop during our trip.
What to Do
Gelato Making Class at a Gelateria (Gelato Artigianale)
One of the things we did with the kids was a gelato-making class and they absolutely loved it! So much fun and who doesn’t want to eat gelato all day?? I went with the kids to the class and the rest of the adults popped around the corner to have a spritz at the Ritz 😉 and they said it was stunning!
Walk Around Trastevere
Trastevere is one of my all-time favorite neighborhoods so it’s super fun to walk around and soak everything in. There are so many cute restaurants and spots to pop into so if you’re looking to explore different neighborhoods of Rome don’t miss this one!
Colosseum
If you’re headed to Rome during the summer or high season I highly recommend doing a private tour of the Colosseum. We skipped the Vatican this time only because the kids were small in our group and the private tour had a minimum age requirement, but if that is on your to-see list don’t miss it. I’ve also heard several people rave about the golf cart tours and wish we would have booked sooner and done that as well!
Truly, we didn’t want to overbook ourselves for the first couple of days when we got into town as we were jetlagged and really just wanted to see the sights. I ended up being super happy with everything that we got to see and do! The best thing about Rome is you can simply be walking, turn a corner, and suddenly stumble upon some major historic building or art! If you can, I recommend taking some time to just walk around and explore and see where you end up. It’s easy to jam-pack your schedule with tours and activities and all of the things, but some of my fave moments were the ones where we just got to explore.
I know you girls have been asking for all of the Italy recs so I’ll be continuing this Italy travel series every week going city by city… next up: Amalfi!!