My love for Italy has run deep ever since my husband and I traveled throughout Italy prior to having kids. It was the one thing I told him I wanted to do before we had kids and let me tell you…If you haven’t gone to Italy, it needs to be your next vacation.

5 years later and 2 kids later, we finally got to to go back. This time just to Rome. We were planning a big trip for my mother-in-law who was turning 60 and she really wanted to go to Croatia for her birthday. Her fathers side of the family immigrated from there and she wanted to visit where they came from. So we packed up and headed for a wonderful European adventure starting in Rome. Let me just mention…I could not have done this huge trip without my mother-in-law and the best sister ever. Such a big task to take on with little ones and they were a HUGE help. 

There are no direct flights from Dallas to Dubrovnik, Croatia, so instead of hanging out at an airport for hours before the next flight with 2 kids tired, hyper, hungry (insert crying or fussy kids here)…we decided to fly directly to Rome and spend 5 days there. Just in case you were wondering, flights from Rome to Dubrovnik, are only an hour and 10 min long. 
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I am a planner through and through so I researched everything for this trip from restaurants to guided tours. With a full-time job and 2 kids under the age of 4 years old, this was far from an easy task, but it’s something I truly enjoy doing and plan to do many more. 

PLANNING TIP: Create a power point or some form of documented agenda for each day and include times, what you plan to do and where you plan to eat for each day. Again this might seem like a bit much, but this is super helpful in knowing what’s happening each day and makes it easier for you to get out the door with kids and a crew of people. Another added bonus is it helps with predicting your budget for the trip. It is work, but trust me, it will make your trip easier.

Sample of a 1 Day Itinerary

  • 7:00am: Eat fruit or pastry from apt as we walk to the Trevi fountain. See Trevi Fountain before the crowds to get a picture 
  • 7:25am: In route to the Trevi Fountain -14 min walk from apt
  • 7:25-8:00am: Trevi Fountain Pics
  • 8:00: walk to Gingers to eat (7 min from Trevi Fountain) 
  • 9:40am-2pm walk to Campo De Fiori for the Shop, Cook, and Eat Tour class (10-2pm). Booked through Airbnb $92 per person. 
  • 3pm-6pm Begin Heart of Rome Walk Start in Campo De Fiori (10 min walk from Apt)  
  • 6pm Dinner: Somewhere in Piazza de Spagna area

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So let’s get your Rome trip started shall we?

First things first…BUY the Rick Steve’s Rome Travel book on amazon. This will help you figure out where to stay based on his description of each area in Rome. He also outlines what to see, the best time of day to go to places such as the Vatican, Colosseum. He also talks about how to get the most out of your Roma pass and what tours are included with the pass, and more. What I loved the most was he laid out a detailed step-by-step walks to see a lot of touristy and beautiful places. For example, we did the Heart of Rome Walk (see itinerary below) where he explained in detail our walk to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona and more. When doing the guided walks, you’re not just taking main roads or busy streets to get to all those places, you’re given detailed instructions where he takes you off the beaten path to get to each of those locations. Beautiful paths one might miss without following his walk.

Heart of Rome Walk example from Rick Steve’s Rome Travel book:
Sample of start in campo and explore then walk to Piazza Fernese and then walk through Via dei Baullari & corso Vittario (this area has cheap restaurants and cafes), head towards Pasquino to see the “talking statue”, the walk towards Piazza Navona (where its dotted with multiple fountains, outdoor cafes. Next walk to the Pantheon neighborhood, the STOP at Café Tazza d’Oro (Rome’s top coffee shop). Take the shortcut from the book and head to the trevi Fountain, Walk 8 min  to Via Del Corso. This place is known for luxury shopping and the main street in historic Rome. then walk 6 min to the Spanish Steps (Take the free elevator up with the stroller located inside the Spagna Metro stop to the left as you face the steps see pg 128 for location details)

You landed in Rome, now what? 
Definitely book a van or car service to pick you up from the airport in advanced. Let them know if you need car seats and they will provide it for you. This will eliminate the stress of being tired and hungry plus trying to carry bags, push a stroller, and find out how to get to your destination. You can also take the train but since we had our little ones, it was way easier to not worry about anything except finding your name on a sign when leaving customs.

Where we stayed:
We decided to do Airbnb so we can stay in the heart of the city and have our own space to let the kids run around. Very affordable and you can find a lot of amazing places online. This is the one we booked. We were truly in the heart of it all, the Trastevere location. So lively, fun, across the street from the Tiber River, and walking distance to most everything. We cabbed it the Colosseum and my sister and mother-in-law cabbed it to the Vatican. The only downfall of the apt we stayed at was it’s located right above the 2 bars so the music went all night every night until 5am. Bring a sound machine and you should be fine. It’s very loud but if noise doesn’t bother you, or if you have ear plugs, and/or a sound machine, you’ll be fine. Also, a HUGE bonus was there was a taxi stand right outside our door plus 2 restaurants. 
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Where to eat:
TIP: If the restaurants have multiple languages on their menu, the food will be geared more for tourists, slightly overpriced, and not as great. Our good friends Ricky and Roni, who were there the same time as us, took a food tour by a local and she mentioned this to them. So I’m passing that info along to you.

Eggs: hands down the best pasta you’ll eat. My sister ordered a truffle pasta and it was seriously the BEST thing we ate in Rome. Go here and order it if you like truffles, it did not disappoint.

Forno Roscioli Bakery: the yummiest and most popular bakery in all of Rome. We got there right when it opened and got everything super fresh. 

Gingers: want something fresh and light to eat? Go to Gingers. There are 2 locations. They have Acai bowls, fresh smoothies and juices, omelets, etc. Super healthy breakfast and very delicious if you’re looking to give your stomach a break from all the carbs.

Carlo Menta: OMG. OMG. OMG. This was was recommended to us by our cab driver. It was literally 5 min from our apt in Trastevere in a lively place. This is where a lot of locals like to eat (we did see some tourists there), but the food is sooo cheap and SOOO good. Probably one of my favorites places in this area. The service was great, food was on point, location was perfect. This will not disappoint. 

Restaurante Di Rienzo: Right in the Pantheon Square. Great views of the piazza and very lievely. Food was expensive but good. You pay more for the views and location. Good to go to for drinks and apps or as they call it… appertivo ☺

Gelato: not all gelato is created equally. My friend went on a food tour with a local in Rome and told me that if you buy gelato that comes in a rectangular container, it is NOT real gelato. I never knew that since that’s how you see it served in most places including the states.

                      Things you MUST see and do

Vatican and Sistine Chapel:
You can’t go to Rome and not head here. Doug and I did this a few years ago when we visited but skipped it this time as it would be very difficult to do with the little ones. Their attention span would give us maybe 45 minutes. My sister and mother-in-law did a private tour with our friends and they LOVED it.  You can also book through Tickitaly. I recommend paying the 55 euros and going at 7:30am with early access so it’s not super crowded. Book a private guided tour. Either way, the earlier the better. 


​Colosseum: 
Another must see when you’re in Rome. Again, Doug and I did a big guided tour prior to having kids, but we still wanted to see it and we also thought it would be something the boys would enjoy. We booked our ticket through here and chose the Colosseum, Forum, Palatine “Gold-Fast Track” and audible package. It was basically a Skip-the-Line package with an audio to listen to for a guided tour. We booked the 4:30pm slot and let me tell you….Mid-June and no line to get in because most people try and go right when it opens. It was so perfect. Plus: if you buy a tix for the Colosseum, it includes the Forum Palatine for free as well. But you must use it all on the same day.

Campo De’Fiore:
Foodie heaven!!! Campo is the best farmer’s market in Rome. So huge and gorgeous and they sell just about everything. You can even sample a lot of the oils, fruits, vinegars, etc. We were only a 10 min walk and I was there 3 out of the 5 days we were there because I loved it so much. We grabbed a bunch of fruit, wine, and cheeses to take with us to Villa Borghese Gardens for a picnic with the kids. They best thing EVER were their wild strawberries. I bought 3 and my boys gobbled it all up within 20 min….not joking.

Take a shop, cook, and eat class.
This one was through Airbnb and it was MY highlight of the Rome trip. Why you ask? I did all the other touristy stuff on our last trip 5 years ago. This time around, I really wanted to experience how the locals shop and cook their amazing pastas and tiramisu. Plus, I am happiest when I’m eating and cooking so this was right up my alley.

The way this class worked:
You start in the BEST place ever, Campo De’Fiore to meet your guide Silvia (the sweetest Italian woman ever). She takes you to a famous bakery near the market to grab items to make during the cooking class. Then she walks us through the market. We sampled fruits, tomatoes, cheese, vinegars, and oils. From there, you walk about 20 min to her apartment located up the hill and has the most amazing views of Rome. You seriously feel like a local where she lives because it’s quiet, not a touristy location at all, and we saw so much beauty there. See pics below… then  at her apartment, her and her cousin who she lives with both prepared the BEST bruschetta I have ever tasted. They served us the wine and cheese we bought at the market and then we got our hands dirty. We made 2 different types of pastas, and my favorite dessert of all time… tiramisu. Best part of this tiramisu was we added wild strawberries which are now my favorite fruit. I wish I could find them here in the states. ☹ Honestly, this is a MUST for your agenda. Great experience with this amazing guide/chef.

Trevi Fountain:
Honestly…see this both day and night. Night is pretty crowded but gorgeous to see it all lite up. This is a VERY popular fountain to see so my suggestion to avoid crowds is this….TIP: Wake up super early to get there. Hardly anyone is there. We did this since our boys are early risers and it was so amazing getting to walk right up front and take pics with no one in the background. Plus, you will avoid pick-pocketers because it’s not crowded. Double the perks!

Spanish Steps:
The Heart of Rome walk will outline the best way to walk to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. My advice is to go to the Spanish steps right around sunset for the best views. We missed it this time around but at night it was also gorgeous, not crowded and you see the city lite up. STUNNING! If you follow that walk, you can avoid walking up the 138 steps to get to the top.

Villa Borghese Gardens: These gardens are Rome’s version of Central Park. You can rent bikes, have picnics, and there’s a playground for kids to run around in. The best part are the gardens themselves are FREE. You can definitely tour the gallery which I heard is amazing, but we opted into grabbing food at Campo Di’ Fiore and heading here for a picnic with the kids. We wanted to give the boys a chance to run around and give them a break from my crazy OCD schedule LOL. The Rick Steve’s book has a lot more info about what the gallery entails, so look that up for more details. The gardens are beautiful and I’d highly recommend this.
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Hope this was helpful. I plan to do another blog on what to pack for a European vacation so stay tuned for that!

Hope you enjoyed this travel guide. Stay tuned for the Croatia and Paris guides next.

Xo,

Natalie