Rome and Bologna with a 3yo

[Anonymous]

Any suggestions for things to do with a 3yo in Rome and Bologna in December? Thanks

[Anonymous]

It won't matter to a 3 year old. What do you want to do? You'll do it at 1/4 speed. There will be lots of naps. Take an umbrella stroller.

[Anonymous]

Pray they don’t ruin your vacation ?

[Anonymous]

Christmas market? We stayed in Monti and really loved that area especially being able to see Colosseum light up at night.

[Anonymous]

I hope your 3yo doesn't need a stroller. Roman streets are not made for strollers. The crowds at all the major attractions are also horrible for 3yo. No suggestions because I can't imagine anything attractive in Rome für a 3yo.

[Anonymous]

I think Rome is great with a small kid because so many of the attractions are outdoors.

You can do the Forum/Palatine hill, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon. Plus places like Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori are a great stop.

A 3 yo might like a visit to Torre Argentina— Roman ruins turned into an outdoor cat sanctuary.

You can also have fun trying a different gelato place every day, and Italians generally love kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Rome is great with a small kid because so many of the attractions are outdoors.

You can do the Forum/Palatine hill, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon. Plus places like Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori are a great stop.

A 3 yo might like a visit to Torre Argentina— Roman ruins turned into an outdoor cat sanctuary.

You can also have fun trying a different gelato place every day, and Italians generally love kids.

I agree. Lots of great places to run around & enjoy. We took a 6 yo & a 1.5 yo. The forum, coliseum, gelato, just walking around, etc. We also did the museums/Vatican/etc. We did not use a stroller (brought a carrier instead).

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I think very low expectations are going to be key here. Personally we didn't do this type of travel till the youngest was 5 or 6.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope your 3yo doesn't need a stroller. Roman streets are not made for strollers. The crowds at all the major attractions are also horrible for 3yo. No suggestions because I can't imagine anything attractive in Rome für a 3yo.

I've taken a stroller all over Rome. Key is to get a quality umbrella stroller that folds up and is easy to carry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope your 3yo doesn't need a stroller. Roman streets are not made for strollers. The crowds at all the major attractions are also horrible for 3yo. No suggestions because I can't imagine anything attractive in Rome für a 3yo.

I've taken a stroller all over Rome. Key is to get a quality umbrella stroller that folds up and is easy to carry.

By "taken" you mean, carried : )

[Anonymous]

I love how whenever these posts come up there's a whole group of people who think you can entertain a child for a week by giving them gelato. Not sure about your kids, but that occupies my kids for about 15 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love how whenever these posts come up there's a whole group of people who think you can entertain a child for a week by giving them gelato. Not sure about your kids, but that occupies my kids for about 15 minutes.

Talking about the gelato/bribing them to endure an activity in anticipation of gelato, getting to the gelato place, etc all fill up time. And for some kids it may be candy, a souvenir, whatever. This tactic and making sure to stop at at least one playground each day helped us since DS was 2. Bonus if you book a hotel with a pool. DS also loved transportation - riding a double decker bus, train, funicular.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I think Italy and Rome are very kid-friendly. My DS was older (10) when we went, but there were plenty of playgrounds, and the Italians seemed very friendly and kind towards my son. I’ll caution you, though, that a co-worker of mine traveled there a couple of weeks ago, and said that many attractions were covered up because they were being renovated in advance of the jubilee next year. So you may not be able to see as much as you were planning. It’s still a great place though!

[Anonymous]

We took a 3 year old to Rome and Bologna and she loved watching street performers, listening to musicians and eating all the pizza, pasta and gelato she could handle. We did all of the things we wanted to do, just at a slower pace and with visits to playgrounds or parks in between.

We brought an umbrella stroller (Summer Infant) and found it useful. I'd suggest bringing something lightweight with a carrying strap you can throw over your shoulder for stairs or bumpy terrain. Even with the cobblestones, we're glad we had it. Our kid was a good stroller napper and we'd often sit outside at a cafe while she was snoozing next to us.

I'm sure there will be lots of lovely Christmas displays and things to do and see!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We took a 3 year old to Rome and Bologna and she loved watching street performers, listening to musicians and eating all the pizza, pasta and gelato she could handle. We did all of the things we wanted to do, just at a slower pace and with visits to playgrounds or parks in between.

We brought an umbrella stroller (Summer Infant) and found it useful. I'd suggest bringing something lightweight with a carrying strap you can throw over your shoulder for stairs or bumpy terrain. Even with the cobblestones, we're glad we had it. Our kid was a good stroller napper and we'd often sit outside at a cafe while she was snoozing next to us.

I'm sure there will be lots of lovely Christmas displays and things to do and see!

We brought lots of sticker books and picked up Italian or Italy-themed coloring books everywhere we went. People in Italy are lovely with children.