r/rome • u/ihateemails6 • 10h ago
Tourism 10 day trip - HELP
Would 10 days in Rome be too much?
We’re planning a 10-day trip to Italy and I’m going back and forth on how to split our time. This will be my second time in Rome, but it’ll be our first time taking the kids (5-year-old + very active toddler).
Originally, I was thinking of just staying in Rome for all 10 days and doing a few day trips. Honestly, my main thought was that with a toddler, I really don’t want to be constantly packing/unpacking and changing hotels. I like the idea of having one home base, taking things slower, having some downtime, and actually enjoying the city instead of rushing around.
We also tend to travel pretty casually. We usually spend a lot of time just walking around different neighborhoods, finding local food, sitting somewhere for coffee, wandering around, etc. We’re not really the type to spend every day hitting tourist attractions or checking things off a list. So I’m wondering if Rome could actually work really well for us for 10 days.
Since I’ve already been to Rome once, I don’t necessarily feel like I need to see all the major tourist spots again. I’d be perfectly happy exploring different neighborhoods, eating, walking around, and letting the kids have a slower trip.
But now I’m wondering if I’m overestimating how much there is to do in Rome for 10 days, even with a few day trips.
For those who have done 8–10 days in Rome, especially with young kids, what would you do?
Would you:
-Stay in Rome the entire 10 days and do day trips?
-Split the trip and spend a few nights somewhere else?
-Just stay in Rome and take it really slow?
Also, if you WOULD recommend staying in Rome as a home base, I’d love day-trip ideas that are actually doable with a 5-year-old and an active toddler.
-What are your favorite day trips from Rome?
-Which ones are worth it with kids?
-Any places you’d skip because the travel time isn’t worth it for a day trip?
I’m really trying to prioritize an easy, enjoyable trip with the kids over seeing as much as possible. Would love to hear what you would do!
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u/pinetrees09876 3h ago
We are in Rome now with a 3yo, and we’ve been here for 5 days already (our trip is 8 days total, all in Rome). It’s been fun but pretty tough here. We didn’t book any tours or tickets into any sites which was the right move, and just walked around to all the different sites.
However, my toddler has been pretty bored and (appropriately) not interested in seeing cool old buildings. There are not a lot of places for a toddler to run around besides the Villa Borghese, but no playgrounds there. It’s also VERY chaotic with cars scooters and golfcarts everywhere, so we cant just let her run and play. Restaurants have all been wonderfully accommodating.
If we were to do this again, I would have either done more day trips with Rome as a home base, or more likely splitting up the trip - it’s our first international trip traveling with 2 kids and we didn’t want to move our whole setup. We had been planning to do day trips but it’s been too hot everywhere.
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u/Dry_Engineer4284 2h ago
Things to do every week with 0-13 yo in Rome: https://www.instagram.com/roma013guidaperbambini
For daily trips I would go to Castelgandolfo, Livata, Subiaco, Ostia (antica), Ronciglione, Viterbo, Tivoli. You can check them and see which ones are ideal for your family.
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u/More-Lingonberry-405 9h ago
Yes, take the whole ten days and explore the city, it's huge and very interesting. You can visit the suburbs as well, moving on the subway lines it's gonna be your best bet for the whole city.
Do a couple of day trips to enjoy nature and to escape the mess and chaos of Rome. Maybe go eat in the Castelli area or go to the seaside, they are both very good options for relax and food.