Where to stay in Rome with kids: best areas, hotels and rentals for families you’ll love

Rome accommodation guide for families: learn where to stay in Rome with kids with this family guide to the best areas in Rome for families and our tried and tested list of family hotels and rentals in Rome.

Picking accommodation in Rome is likely to be most time consuming task you’ll find yourself dealing with, when planning a trip to Rome with kids.

Rome is big, busy, expensive (especially lately) and like all large cities, it tends to elicit a bit of anxiety: when looking at a major capital city, you want to make sure you pick a place that is nice, convenient and safe, especially since the kids are going to be with you.

I am from Rome and I am a mama of two so: I can help!

Rome is my hometown, I know the city inside out and I regularly help families plan their vacation in Rome. I know what areas are best for families with kids, I am very familiar with what is important to visitors and the fears that accompany this type or trip and I now hotels and rentals that can help you feel at home and welcome at all times.

In this article, i distill all I know into an essential, practical guide to the best family accommodation in Rome. I hope you enjoy it!

Please note: this post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase, we might make a small commission.

Where to stay in Rome with kids TL;DR – Best Rome hotels and rentals for families, our top picks

All the accommodation I suggest in this chart is kid-friendly and in family-friendly, beautiful safe areas.

Name	Type	Area	Pro	Con
Palazzo Navona	4 star hotel	Navona/ Pantheon	Central	Busy area, lack of green spaces
Hotel Smeraldo	3 star hotel	Navona / Campo de’ Fiori	Central	Busy area, lack of green spaces
Hotel Lunetta	4 star hotel	Navona / Campo de’ Fiori	Central	Busy area, lack of green spaces
Hotel Mozart	4 star hotel/ apartment	Piazza di Spagna	Central, not far from Borghese Gardens	Busy, expensive area.
Hilton Monti	4 star hotel	Monti / Termini	Central, well connected	Lack of green spaces
Martis Palace	4 star hotel	Navona	Central	Busy area, lack of green spaces
Palm suites	5 star hotel suites	Colosseo	Close to Colosseum	Location is on one end of the center, so some areas require a longer walk
Hotel dei Mellini	4 star hotel	Prati	Residential area, well served	Location is on one end of the center, so some areas require a longer walk
Hotel Re di Roma	3 star hotel	San Giovanni	Residential area, well served, budget friendly	Outside of the historical center, need for public transport
Hotel Santa Maria	3 star hotel	Trastevere	Beautiful, lively area, budget friendly	Busy area, lack of green spaces, a little detached form the center proper
Palazzo Nari	Apartment	Navona	Central	Busy area, lack of green spaces
Le Clarisse Pigna	Apartment	Pantheon / Navona	Central	Busy area, lack of green spaces
Gregoriana Suite	Apartment	Piazza di Spagna	Central	Busy area, lack of green spaces
Casa Roma	Apartment	Monti	Central	Location is on one end of the center, so some areas require a longer walk

Where to stay in Rome: The best areas to stay in Rome for kids

As you can see from the list above, there are two areas that recur the most as my ideal choice for families with kids: the historic center (Navona, Pantheon, Campo de’ Fiori) and the Monti.

These areas are the best located for sightseeing and have all you may ever need in terms of facilities and services. However, they are very busy and there is no sign of tourism slowing down.

So, after giving you more information about them, I also want to share alternative areas i believe you’ll like!

Historic Center aka Centro Storico (Navona, Pantheon, Spagna, Trevi)

• Pros: beautiful, charming, well served, safe, close to to all attractions (many will be waling distance from you)
• Con: busy, expensive, has limited green areas

The historic center of Rome or centro storico, as we call it in Italian, is the part of Rome you are likely to be thinking of when you think of Rome.

Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Romes’ famous cobbled streets are all here and, as the name suggest, the area is the geographical center of the city, which means you are pretty much equidistant from anywhere you may need to go.

In general terms, you can consider the center as the area comprised between the Vatican (West) and the Colosseum (East).

The area is 4km long and you can walk across it in about an hour, furthest point to furthest point.

The area is exceptionally convenient for sightseeing and due to the large number of tourists it has adapted to cater to their needs.

Here, for instance, you find shops open on Sundays and restaurant serving food almost non stop all day (this is not the traditional Italian way and you do not find it i more local areas).

Within the center, you find different areas, each with a slightly different vibe and feel.

Pantheon / Navona / Campo de’ Fiori are busy and casual; Spanish Steps is more upscale and grand (think designer shops etc); Trevi is tourism central.

In terms of use of stroller: like everywhere in Rome, you will be able to use a stroller yet you will need to close it occasionally and be ready for bumpy rides on the cobbles (not all streets are like that but you’ll enounter them)

For families with kids, the historic center is good if you:

• Have a short time in Rome and need to limit transport time
• You have the budget for it
• You don’t need a lot of green space nearby
• You have older kids who may enjoy a lively city on their doorstep
• You don’t mind a potentially very busy area

Top family hotels in Rome Centro Storico: Palazzo Navona | Hotel Smeraldo | Hotel Lunetta | Top Family apartment: Palazzo Nari

Monti – top pick!

• Pros: beautiful, charming well served, safe, close to several attractions (not all) and the station
• Con: expensive, longer walk to parts of the center and the Vatican

The area of Monti is the historic and charming district beside the Colosseum and one of my very favorite areas to stay in Rome with children.

Monti is very walkable, it has beautiful cobbled streets, stunning churches, many restaurants, independent shops and it strikes a great balance between an area for tourists and one with local life: you still have many Romans living here, making it an authentic, pleasant neighborhood to experience.

Compared with Pantheon / Navona area, Monti lies towards one of the edges of the center and it is therefore further from the Vatican.

Yet it makes up for it with the presence of lovely playgrounds and a nice green area (Parco del Colle Oppio) which is brilliant for families: here, you can have a drink while kids play and you even have views over the Colosseum!

The area of Monti has some graffitis, which means photos often suggest it is grittier than it is: this is just how Rome is but Monti is safe and pleasant for families, don’t let them put you off!

In terms of stroller use, this area has cobbles and some uphill streets yet you will be able to use the stroller in most occasion: just be ready to fold it and lift it occasionally (this is the case everywhere in Rome)

Top Family hotel in Monti: Double Tree Hilton Monti

You can find here >>> my guide to the Monti neighborhood (this is my site about Rome, if you are planning a stay in Rome even just for a few days, you’ll find all you may need!)

Other kid friendly areas to stay in Rome with children

Until a few months ago, I was adamant the best area to stay in Rome with kids (or without, actually) was the city center, an in particular the area around the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.

As mentioned above, this is still very much the case, if we look at the convenience in terms of sightseeing and overall beauty of your surrounding.

However, Rome city center lately has become so busy, so overrun and so expensive the advice to stay near the Pantheon as a family is less good than it used to be.

This is exceptionally true for 2025, Jubilee Year, which is expected to bring to the city even more visitors (especially around Easter)

Celio

The Celio neighborhood of Rome is just beside the Colosseum, on the opposite side of the road and the amphitheater from Monti, mentioned above.

Celio is a slightly newer neighborhood in term so urban development, so you find fewer cobbled streets here; yet , it is a lovely area to live and use as a base for exploring, as it is pleasant, walkable, well served, super close to the Colosseum and reasonably local in feel, despite the big attraction beside it!

I particularly like this neighborhood for families as it has shops and restaurants on your doorstep and a couple of nice parks: Villa Celimontana and Colle Oppio.

The area is slightly more gentle on the budget than Rome and would suit particularly well families who don’t mind a longer walk to parts of the center.

The areas is reasonably stroller friendly but you need to be prepared for the occasional bumpy cobbled streets and you may have to fold it for the occasional step / pothole (this is the case everywhere in Rome).

Top family hotels in Celio: Hotel Capo d’Africa | Hotel Mercure Centro Colosseo (with pool)

You can find here >>> my guide to Rome’s Celio Neighborhood

Trieste – Salario

The area of Trieste Salario is not well known to tourism yet is one of the very best for families with kids.

The area is immediately outside of the city center and many discount it as it requited a short bus ride into the main Rome attractions.

However, those who stay her usually love it: this is a family area and it has schools, local kids, shops, restaurants, parks and it very much feels like a small town in its own right, while only being about 20 mins by bus form the city center (I am from this area and walk in regularly in, in about 45 mins!)

The area is relaxed and a little upscale: due to to the proximity to two big universities, lecturers, intellectuals, doctors etc often live here.

The area is wonderfully suited to families who do not mind a bus ride into town and want to see Rome for the local living and breathing town it really is.

This areas is more stroller friendly than the historic center.

Top family hotel in Trieste Salario area: Hotel Mercure Corso Trieste | Hotel Fenix

You can find here >>> my guide to the Trieste Salario area of Rome

Prati

The area of Prati is a beautiful and upscale part of Rome, developing across the river from the city center, between the river Tiber and the Vatican approximately.

The area is often overlooked by tourism but it is beautiful local well served and very well located for sightseeing especially in the part that is closer to the center

The area developed at the start of the XX century and is beautiful and upscale in feel, with a mix of private homes and offices (the area is historically chosen by lawyers and judges!).

Within Prati, the most convenient area for sightseeing are close to Lungoterevere dei Mellini, which allows easy access to the city center, and the area of piazza Risorgimento / Via Cola di Rienzo which is close to the Vatican.

The area is great to experience a more residential neighborhood in Rome yet it exceptionally well served with shops, restaurants and even tourist activities like cooking classes, making it a handy choice for families. A cure playground below Castel Sant’Angelo adds to the convenience!

This areas is more stroller friendly than the historic center.

Top family hotel in Prati: Hotel dei Mellini

You can find here >>> my guide to the Prati district of Rome

San Giovanni

The area of San Giovanni takes its name from the stunning Papal Basilica of San Giovanni that dominates this area and is a local, lively very well served Rome neighborhood, juts outside the city center roper.

San Giovsnni is a large neighborhood that developed over the 19030s – 60s and is therefore different in terms of architecture e from the more ancient areas: yet, it makes up the more modern feel with excellent services and a plethora of shops, restaurants, market, professional services and more.

The area is more gentle on the budget than many others in Rome yet is still close enough to the center to be convenient for visitors.

I recommend this area for families who want to experience Rome on a budget and who enjoy experiencing Rome as a local real city, away fro the most touristy spots.

This areas is more stroller friendly than the historic center.

Top family hotel in San Giovanni area: Hotel Re di Roma

And what about Trastevere with kids?

A list of the best areas to stay in Rome with kids wouldn’t be complete with a mention of Trastevere, an area I am often asked about in terms of suitability for families.

Trastevere is a beautiful area worth seeing. Yet personally, I do not recommend Trastevere with kids anymore or anyway, not as a first option.

While there is nothing family-unfriendly about the area in general, Trastevere is overrun at night by crowds flocking here for the nice food the area is known of and watering holes popular with students.

It is the perfect place if you want to go out and mingle with a young crowd (in this sense, it can work well for families with older teens as the atmosphere is buzzy but not threatening) but if you are hoping for a quiet night sleep and local atmosphere, this is very much not it anymore.

Trastevere stopped being ‘local’, ‘authentic’, ‘off the beaten track’ many many years ago, so while the area still have many merits and some good addresses to stay, I look at it as a place to visit rather than a base.

Within Trastevere, my favorite area is near Santa Cecilia or I like going a little further, to Monteverde, which now has many of the charms that were typical of Trastevere before it became trendy.

Best family hotel in Trastevere: Hotel Santa Maria

I hope you found this overview of the best areas to stay in Rome with kids and addresses I like handy. Safe travel planning!