The Best Family Friendly Tours in Italy
Discover the beauty of Rome, Florence and Venice
A trip to Italy is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people. Italy is a country filled with amazing food, architecture and art, and it's also the perfect place to bring your children to immerse them in Italian culture and history.
However, visiting Italy with kids is different than when you experience an adults-only vacation. It's less about Tuscany's wineries and more about finding activities that appeal to people of all ages. To get the most out of your vacation, it's important to know how to maximize your enjoyment of each city while minimizing the things that make kids tired and cranky.
Finding just the right tour guides is the key for a fun family vacation to Italy. Whether you're heading to Rome, Venice or Florence, read on to discover the best tours to take in each region.
Venice
There's magic in Venice, and going on a tour with Walks Inside Venice will give your family an unforgettable memory that will last a lifetime. This tour guide company specializes in private and small group tours for a unique experience. By opting for a private guide, you'll get to explore whatever part of Venice appeals most to your kids. You'll see the winged lions and golden horses of St. Mark's Square, and you'll meander through the back streets and squares of Castello and Dorsoduro. You can add on a water taxi tour to circle the island as you discover Venetian history and admire the waterfront homes. Of course, there's also time to stop for gelato, where your toughest choice will be deciding on a flavor.
Vatican City
Any visit to Rome needs to include a stop at the Vatican. Just across the Tiber River from Ancient Rome, Vatican City is a unique experience. But the long lines that can wrap around St. Peter's Square can be daunting. This is one of the best places to opt for a tour, if your budget only allows for one tour. And no one does it better than The Roman Guy. There are a variety of tour options at The Roman Guy, but we suggest either the privileged entrance tour with early entry into the Sistine Chapel, or the express tour with skip-the-line tickets. Either way, you'll get to see the best of the Vatican.
Ancient Rome
When it's time to head to the Colosseum, the best tour company is Pinocchio Tours. This private walking tour will help children learn about Ancient Rome and how gladiators fought in battle at the Colosseum. The adventure will give your kids a sense of what it was like to live in ancient Rome. You'll explore the ancient amphitheater and the Roman Forum archeological park with its ruins of the Emperors' Palace, the Arch of Titus and other ancient temples. The tour ends at Capitoline Hill and your family will walk away with a solid understanding of ancient Rome.
Travestere Food Tour
Food is an essential part of life in Italy, and Eating Italy offers some of the highest-rated and most amazing tours available. Consider the Twilight Trastevere Food Tour, which is a guided 4-hour walking food tour of the photogenic neighborhood of Trastevere. You'll end up stopping at 10 different restaurants and food shops and sample everything from the best cookies in Italy to real Roman street food. Once you think you can't eat another bite, you'll end the evening at one of the region's best gelato shops.
Florence
If you've never been to Florence, Walks Inside Italy has the perfect tour for you – the Florence for Beginners Tour is the ideal way to learn about some of the most famous sites of the city. First, you'll visit the Piazza della Signoria and the huge, castle-like Palazzo Vecchio that was built in the 14th century and still serves as the Florence City Hall. You'll also head to the Piazza del Duomo, Brunelleschi's Dome and the Ponte Vecchio. Florence is a city filled with rich architecture and artwork, and it's much more than just the Academy with Michelangelo's David and the Uffizi Gallery Museum.
