Italy with a baby or toddler: all you need to know to plan the perfect trip, why you’ll love it [2026 Update]

All you need to know for a perfect family vacation in Italy with a baby or toddler. Practical travel tips for traveling with young kids to and around Italy. [Updated in 2026]

Italy is one of the best places to explore as a young family. Beautiful, safe, very used to tourism and with excellent food and healthcare, it is one of the easiest destinations for visitors from near and far and one often chosen even by first time overseas traveler, and this includes families with small kids.

I guess this is not surprising: we are after all the land of mammas and nonnas, the land of strong families ties and between this and the endless amount of pasta, fresh fruit and gelato we have, it is easy to see why we are an attractive place for families!

However, while Italy is indeed very baby and toddler friendly, this ‘baby friendliness’ may not necessarily come in the way you may expect.

Especially my American friends always seem skeptical about how kid friendly Italy is, when they read about it online, to then change their mind entirely once they get here.

The reason is that in Italy, the family friendly attitude doesn’t necessarily mean you find facilities for families.

What Italians will do is: we accommodate families, and gladly!

Restaurants will move chairs for you, heat up milk, prepare child friendly off-the-menu dishes for your little ones, people will help you with bags and strollers, people will coo at your kids, try make them laugh, sometimes even pat them on the head affectionately (more about it later).

However, usually they do not do it because they have the facilities but rather because the country doesn’t have great ones.

Strollers ramps are rare (this is improving), changing facilities scarce, guaranteed places on public transport non-existent, indoor place centers a rarity in most places – so people make up for it with kindness!

I know this very well. I am a mama of two from Rome and have traveled Italy extensively with them since they were tiny, which meant I have experiences many parts of Italy while with a baby, a baby and a toddler and two toddlers – yes, I am one of those who travelled with two under two!

I know very well how Italy works, what you will find for kids, what is more rare and how to go about things when visiting Italy with a baby or toddlers.

In this post, I share all I believe is useful to plan a trip with this ages. I will cover the best place to visit in Italy with a baby to toddler, things that may be different from back home (I know many of my lovely readers are from the US), what to expect and what NOT to stress about.

I am, confident by the end of this post, you will feel a lot better equipped to visit Italy with a toddler or baby. Let’s get started!

If you are used to family restaurants with plastic cutlery or state-of-the-art facilities, though, you may want to read this article so you know what to expect.

Good to know! You can find more help in our articles: planning your first trip to Italy | 100+ tips for traveling to Italy | Joining my FREE Facebook group ‘Italy travel with kids’ (join here), where you can meet me and other like minded parents planning their Italian family vacations!

The best places to visit in Italy with a baby or toddler: the best Baby and Toddler-friendly destinations in Italy

You can visit anywhere in Italy with a toddler but some places are more baby and toddler-friendly than others. What I mean with this is that some places do not require any special ‘preparation’ or tips, while others can do with a bit of insider info – which I of course am happy to provide!

The easiest places to visit in Italy with little are:

The Dolomites (summer)

Super baby and toddler-friendly, the Dolomites are a mountainous area perfect for families looking for outdoor times, forest walks, playground time and petting zoos.

This is an area has historically a strong germanic influence and is very different from what people think of when they think of ‘Italy’ – this is very much not a ‘colorful houses, lemon trees’ type of place, the aesthetic is quintessentially Tyrolean.

However, the Dolomites are Italy (we are just a more varied country that many realise) and they are one of the best equipped areas for small kids. Here you ca have excellent family hotels (the ‘KinderHotels’ are here, catering specifically to families with kids), playgrounds and child-friendly attractions (hikes, farms, pools etc). Bring an all-terrain stroller and a proper hiking carrier.

The best time to visit the Dolomites with a baby or toddler is the summer for hiking/farms. You can find our guide to visiting the Dolomites with children here.

Lake Garda MY VERY TOP CHOICE (spring, summer, early autumn)

Another baby friendly area, with plenty of flat, walkable towns and easy access to water is Lake Garda. Lake Garda is the destination I recommend most often to families with littles as it has all the conveniences of the Dolomites, plus that quintessential Italian feel so many overseas visitors look for: the colourful homes, the little piazzas with outdoor tables, typical Italian food and for toddlers, lots of cute playgrounds, duck to see etc.

There are many good family campsites and resorts in the area, as well as many local hotels and accommodation options that are great especially for active toddlers.

Go in summer to avail of the pools and water access or spring / September for the best weather. You can find the best places on Lake Garda for small kids here.

Ischia (summer)

Ischia is a gorgeous islands just in front of Sorrento and is fantastic for families with babies and toddlers and it has the same beautiful aesthetic and atmosphere of the Amalfi Coast but also has something the mainland coastline in that area lacks: sandy beaches!

Ischia and in particular the town of Forio is the ideal summer destination for families: Forio is a pretty town, it is well served, it has a fantastic sandy beach and many options for easy boat tours or local visits to keep you well entertained. You can read here >> all about Ischia with kids

Puglia

Italians have been raving about Puglia for decades and, more recently, overseas tourism has discovered it too and fell head over heels in love with it.

It is easy to see why: gorgeous beaches, stunning architecture and food among the very best in the country makes Puglia a wonderful destination. Add many small and often car-free beautiful towns, plenty of beaches with shallow waters and soft sand, and you can see why Puglia is one top picks for a trip to Italy with toddlers.

I recommend you explore this area with a car: distances are not long, making it perfect for kids, and opportunities for stops abound.

My favorite area for babies and toddlers is that of Monopoli (for cute and family-friendly towns) and also Salento, where you have the toddler-friendly beaches of Porto Cesareo, Torre Lapillo etc. You can find my recommended road trip itinerary in Puglia for families here.

This is a great destination all year round, but very different if you come in summer, when you can enjoy the beaches, or in winter, when towns are sightseeing will get the lion share of your time.

Tuscany (all year round)

Tuscany is often mentioned as the perfect destination for weddings and couple trips, a place of rolling hills vineyards and art but actually, it is also a wonderful, family friendly region with anything and everything you want for babies and toddlers!

Tuscany is a large and varied region and has pretty much anything you may need within a short distance: toddler friendly towns (for instance Lucca), fantastic beaches towns (for instance Viareggio), tons of country stays for kids to be in fresh air and play outside, food among the best in Italy and art is literally all around you, so you can easily enjoy all the beauty the place has to offer without having to plan tours or structured experiences that can be hard for toddlers to handle. You can of course also enjoy wineries as in Italy, you can just bring kids with you!

You can visit Tuscany all year round but the countryside is better in late spring and early autumn. In the heart of winter, many country stays close, to reopen when nature reawakens in spring.

You can find here >> all my tips for a vacation in Tuscany with kids here.

Liguria TOP PICK

Liguria is the coastal region in the North of Italy with Cinque Terre and Portofino and, to the surprise of many, it is one of the best places to visit in Italy with a baby or toddler if you want a local and mellow sea and sun vacation!

While Portofino and Cinque Terre are not traditionally toddler friendly (mostly due to uneven terrain and steps) many towns in Liguria are wonderful and perfectly equipped for little kids with nice hotels, playgrounds, beaches and summer entertainment. They are a fantastic place for a summer vacation, when you can enjoy the sea, and they also have the quintessential Italian feel you want for a summer holiday, complete with beach days, dinners outdoors, strolls with gelato, ferry trips and more.

Some we love are Chiavari, Sestri Levante, Santa Margherita Ligure, Levanto and Diano Marina. Find here >>> our guide to visiting Liguria with kids.

Lake Como with baby

I know many will be surpsised to see Lake Como as one of the best destinations in Italy for babies and toddlers but it really is! While I find Lake Como overall rather boring for older kids, its mellow atmosphere and calm pace is idea for toddlers.

Beautiful, well organized and quiet, Lake Como is one of the nicer baby small toddler friendly places in Italy especially if you are looking for a relaxing weekend with a new baby, the only issue being that sometimes you will have to close and carry the stroller. Just bring a carrier too and problem is solved!

Mellow playgrounds, quaint towns and an upscale, grown-up feel make it perfect for a quiet weekend away from the noise. Find here >>> our guide to Lake Como with kids

Sardinia (summer)

Sardinia is a wonderful sea and sun destination for families with toddlers, ideal if you want sandy beaches and pure relaxation. Sardinia is a very large islands and with older kids it is fun to explore; however with babies and toddlers especially, what really works here in my opinion is staying put in an area and explore locally only. My favorite area of all is that of San Teodoro or that of Alghero. You can find here >>> all my tips for Sardinia with kids.

Slightly more challenging destination in Italy with toddlers

Going though the list above you may have noticed I have not included places such as Rome, Venice, Florence, Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre, but this doesn’t mean you should skip them and they are not toddler friendly.

They are, but you do need to go about them a certain way.

Rome

Absolutely gorgeous and a must see in Italy, Rome with a toddler can be tiring like any big city, yet it can also be wonderful!

The infamous cobbles streets many fear are not half as big a problem as you may think (I am a Rome mama and all cobbles do is make the stroller ride a little bumpier. They are not everywhere either!) and Rome has many kid-friendly attractions and very beautiful parks that make strolls during baby nap time and toddler playtime a delight.

The top attractions are mostly toddler friendly and the Colosseum is even equipped for strollers!

Like all big cities, you must expect traffic and a more chaotic vibe than in a small village yet it is still exceptionally easy to enjoy Rome with little ones.

You can find all my tips for visiting Rome with a baby or Toddler here (Rome is my hometown, you can trust me!) and our essential guide to Rome with kids here.

You can also find here >>> my tips for visiting Rome with a baby.

Venice with a toddler

Venice is wonderful at all ages and Venice with toddlers is magical but the canals and the bridges do require extra attention.

If traveling to Venice with a baby who’s not walking yet, your main issue will be stroller-unfriendly bridges. To tackle them, just make sure you have a strolelr you can easily lift and make sure you have sufficient time to enjoy the city.

If you only have a day, the annoying bridges will occupy a lot of your memory. If you stay longer, the may flat areas of Venice will make up for them big time!

If visiting with an active toddler, of course you will need to pay attention to water but you’ll be happy to hear there are many protected and completely dry areas in Venice with no access to open water, where you can let your little one tot around with no risks.

You can find here >>> all my tips for Visiting Venice with a baby and here >>> my tips for visiting Venice with kids (any age)

Florence

Florence gets a pretty negative feedback from many parents of toddlers and, to an extent, I can see why. Florence city center is very busy, many streets have small or non existing sidewalks and the city center is not very green. However, this doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy it.

First of all, Florence is not only its center: if you stay in areas like Santa Croce, Oltrarno or even Le Cure, you find local atmosphere, quiet and and a very toddler-friendly pace. Also, Florence is small so you can easily stay here a couple of nights and then reach more nature oriented areas, should you not like big centers. I have here >>> my guide to Florence with a baby or toddler.

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is the classic example of a place that is not stroller friendly, but very kid friendly! The vertical cliffs of Cinque Terre make this area challenging for strollers, but not everywhere here is stroller unfriendly and anyway, if you bring a carrier, the problem solved itself!

Of the five villages, the most toddler-friendly is Monterosso, but I am even more fond of Levanto, wich is the next time over and lovely with little ones.Find our tips for visiting Cinque Terre with young kids here

Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Coast is another area of Italy that gets wrongly labelled as toddler unfriendly but is actually not! It just depends on what we mean with ‘toddler friendly’ and where on the Amalfi Coast we go.

The Amalfi Coast for the most part is not easy with strollers, with the exception of some of the towns such as Maiori, that does have flat areas and is my favorite place in the area for toddlers and Sorrento, which is a fantastic base to explore the Amalfi Coast. If you stay in Maiori or Sorrento, you will solve the stroller problem and you will also have playgrounds and easy access to the beach.

What you do not have here are waterparks and indoor attractions, so this is very much a seasonal area to come and swim and sightsee/

We adore this area and highly recommend to visit with kids but some tips are useful: find our guide to the Amalfi Coast with babies and toddlers

Sicily

Sicily is a world of wonders but it is a funny one with little kids on a couple of account. The first one is that Sicily is big and full of thing to see, therefore coming here is best done when you have and kids who can take being in a car and change location every few days.

The second thing is that facilities in Sicily sometimes are lacking and you won’t find here state of the art waterparks or changing stations; in Cefalu’ you don’t even have drinkable tap water. So while I absolutely adore Sicily, I find for this age range in particular, it is best suited with older kids.

We are especially fond of the area of San Vito Lo Capo for summer (lovely sandy beach), and the area of Siracusa, which is a beautiful, well-served town easy to negotiate with small kids

You can find our recommended itinerary in Sicily here and our tips for visiting Sicily with kids here.

Playgrounds in Italy for babies and toddlers

In Italy of course we have many playgrounds but do not expect state of the art, fancy ones. Most towns have small playgrounds, with basic climbing frames – you usually find them in parks, on beaches and in residential areas. You can find local ones by putting ‘playground’ or ‘parco giochi’ on google maps.

Indoor play centres are not super common and usually only available in bigger towns / cities

Swimming pools and babies / toddlers in Italy

Swimming pools are mostly a summer thing in Italy. Power is extremely expensive in Italy so we don’t have many heated pools and those we have are often in hotel spas and not particularly geared towards kids. While this of course depends on the hotel, do not expect them to be ubiquitous and do not expect to be a able to swim outdoors outside of the warmest months.

In general pools do not have fences so if you are renting a private home especially, make sure you look at the exact logistics of the place as you may find there is access to open water. Equally, most pools in private properties are not wading pools – always check photos before committing.

Italy with a baby: useful baby gear to bring and what to buy here

This is what we found most useful when traveling around Italy with a baby:

>>> Baby Carrier – amazing for museums, localities with steps or very uneven terrain (see below), busy attractions

>>> A stroller: must have! I will be honest with you: there is a lot of scaremongering on the web about strollers in Italy, mostly pedalled by writers who want to convince you to buy a new one for the trip. This is absolute nonsense! Of course, there will be times when you will need to fold and carry the stroller, just like you would on any trip. In some places this will happen more often, some towns will be less suitable than others for strollers (hence my specific guides for families with babies and toddlers on this website) but you will absolutely want one for naps, for keeping them safe while not on you, for longer distance and for yourself, to have time whiteout a little kid on you. Bring the stroller: just make sure it is a lightweight one you can fold easily

>>> A comfortable changing bag – of course, you will want to bring all your essentials including diapers and wipes for the journey, sippy cups / feeding equipment, essential medications etc. We have all essentials here of course, so you can buy more diapers etc as you go but having familiar things that work for you for the first few days is handy. Please note that restaurant won’t necessarily offer you plastic cups or cutlery for babies, they are not as common a thing here so if they are important to you, make sure you bring a feeding set. I find the best changing bags are not changing bags but simple backpacks – easy to carry on shoulders and more versatile than anything ad hoc.

>>> A harness chair – many restaurants have high chairs now but they are often the Ikea type with no straps (for hygiene reasons). Bringing your own harness can therefore be handy.

>>> Baby car seat – the use of car seats is compulsory in Italy in private cars with the exception of taxi and taxi-like services which do not require not carry car seats. I recommend you read here > all about car seats in Italy as the options are not all ideal so you will want to pick the best one for your specific circumstances.

Good to know: you don’t have to bring everything from home! Find here >>> where to buy baby essentials in Italy.

Buying diapers in Italy

Diapers in Italy are sold in two main types of shops: supermarkets and farmacie (pharmacies, see below).

Supermarkets come in all shapes and sizes and usually have a baby aisle with diapers, wipes, baby weaning foods, small baby items such as soothers and some budget baby toiletry brands.

Good to know: opening hours of supermarkets vary wildly from place to place and shop to shop. Do not assume you will have access to late shopping if you are running out of baby supplies!

You can find here >>> my guide to supermarkets in Italy.

Farmacie (Pharmacies/ chemist shops) are the great ally of families in Italy.

Usually more expensive than supermarkets, even when stocking similar brands, they are the place where you get diapers/nappies, industrial and natural baby products, high-end baby toiletry products, small baby items and of course baby and toddler medication.

Pharmacies follow specific opening hours and take turns on weekends/nights/public holidays, usually pinned outside of the shop.

You can find here >>> my full guide to Farmacie in Italy (pharmacies)

Going grocery shopping in Italy for baby food, snacks and staples

If you are staying in self-catering apartments or even if you just want to get some additional food and essentials for your baby or toddler, you can count on the many food shops and grocery stores available in Italy.

Grocery stores in Italy come in all shapes and sizes but are, usually, smaller than what you may be used to for instance, in the US.

However, they tend to stock all you need, including fresh produce, bread, crackers, toddlers’ snacks such as yogurt and rice cakes, basic weaning products (the bigger ones only), pasta, formula etc.

You can find here >>> our guide to grocery stores in Italy.

Outside of historical city centers you also have supermarkets, which tend to sell all your daily essentials.

Good to know: I often hear parents in a panic because they don’t find snacks for toddlers but have no fear: of course we have them! We just present them differently so they are not where many look for them. In supermarkets, we have baby food aisles and these are usually jars, but we don’t have dedicated areas for snacks as we don’t look at snacks as a specific category of food, so you need to look of them in whatever category the snack you’re looking for belongs: yogurt, cheese, milk are in the dairy fridges; freshly bakes breads and pizzas, meats, additional cheeses etc at the deli counter; fruit and veggies are in the fresh produce aisle; biscuits, cakes, etc are in the breakfast aisle; rice cakes in the ‘free from’ aisle. Basically, don’t think ‘snack’, think ‘food’ and you’ll find all you want. Of course, packages brands will be different so don’t expect the same things you find back home.

Using public restrooms in Italy

While traveling around Italy with a baby or a toddler, you will have to stop for toilet breaks and diaper changes.

In this case, you will want to find a public bathrooms or a baby changing station and you are likely to notice they are not easy to find.

Unfortunately, public bathrooms are not common in Italy. However, there are ways to use the toilet while on the go. These range from looking for a public toilet to asking the closest cafe to use the facilities to using the stroller as a changing surface. Read here >>> all you need to know about public bathrooms in Italy + tips for changing your baby in Italy on the go

Eating out in Italy with toddlers

Children of all ages are welcome in most restaurants in Italy however, not many offer high chairs or a standard children’s menu.

While some do, in many cases restaurants cater to children by offering smaller portions of whatever is on the menu or will be able to offer a simple pasta.

Staples of a children’s menu abroad are often Italian specialties so if you have a standard menu and want to make sure your toddler finds something familiar, you can order:

Pasta al sugo – pasta with simple tomato sauce (parmesan served on the site)

Pasta al Ragu’ – pasta with minced meat, what abroad is known as ‘bolognese’

Cotoletta alla milanese – fried chicken

Good to know: a request for plain pasta with absolutely nothing on top will occasionally get you odd looks and they will double check you don’t want neither butter nor oil, the default for an Italian ‘plain pasta’. If that’s what your toddler wants, stick with it: it is an unusual request for Italian kids but they will make it for you no problem.

Restaurants are getting more and more equipped with high chairs. However, they do not always have them and they are not always suitable for very small kids as they are often the type with no straps.

Plastic cutlery for kids is not usually offered however, paper cups often are. You can find more info about eating out in Italy with kids here.

Baby and toddler sleeping arrangements in Italian hotels

Hotels in Italy come in all shapes and sizes and the facilities you get vary widely between individual establishments.

The one thing that is true across the board in Italy is that hotels abide by very strict occupancy rules and can only accommodate a certain number of people per room – that includes babies.

So if you are booking a double room with the plan of getting baby to sleep in its own baby bed you brought with you, make sure you tell the hotel at the time of booking so they can give you a suitable room.

Dealing with affection towards kids

In Italy, people are very warm towards kids, especially little ones. It is very normal for people to compliment your child, possibly even touching their head with a gentle stroke and it is not at all unusual, for the older generation especially, to offer them food.

This can be very stressful for parents who are not used to it so I feel knowing this may be a thing and it is normal here already helps putting this in context.

However, this doesn’t mean you have to accept it. If you or your kid is distressed by this: voice it. It is very possible that the person will react by being taken aback and may take it as a sign of you not being friendly, but you know your boundaries so, if the gesture is friendly in nature even if inappropriate for you, politely but firmly say no.

Traveling in Italy with toddlers by car or train

Children’s car seats are compulsory in private cars in Italy and are usually available from car rental agencies at a fee.

Make sure you book the seat for the right age range: often, the default is a booster seat which is unsuitable for babies. If in doubt, especially with very young children, I recommend you source your own.

You can find here >>> our guide to using car seats in Italy, which includes how to source them and what you need to know if bringing your own

Please note: car seats are not compulsory in taxis and not provided. To avoid riding with your child on your lap, the best way is to book a private transport company with car seats. My go-to is Welcome Pickups.

Young kids travel on Italian trains for free.

Babies and very young kids usually do not get their own seat unless you pay for one and strollers must be folded and stored in the overhead rack or the luggage racks near the doors.

You can find here >>> our complete guide to train travel in Italy

I hope you found this overview and tips for visiting Italy with a baby or toddler useful. Safe travel planning!

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