Rome Vespa Tour with Kidsfrom age five — two ways to do it
A guide rides, you both sit behind
€144 per person · no licence needed
One seat per person, your child included.
You ride, your child sits behind you
€180 per Vespa · licence and riding experience
Choose 2 people per Vespa at checkout.
Not sure? If you haven’t been on a scooter in the last year or two, take the first one. Riding in Rome is manageable once you know it — riding it for the first time with your own child on the back is a different thing, and we would rather say so now than at the meeting point.
Free cancellation up to 48h on both.
Can children come? Yes, from five.
Helmet sizes, what the law says and how we handle children →
One condition, and it is the only one: they have to reach the footrests and be able to hold on for two and a half hours. Most five-year-olds manage; some don’t, and that is about height more than age. If your child is small for their age, message us before booking with their age and height and we will tell you honestly.
Four things decide it, and it's better to know them now than at the desk.
What decides it
- Five years old is the floor, and it isn't our rule. Italian law forbids carrying a child under five on a motorcycle or a scooter, anywhere in the country, with no exceptions for tourists or for short rides.
- Your child has to reach the footrests. The law asks for a passenger seated stably in the position the vehicle provides, and on a Vespa that means both feet resting on the pegs. Height decides this, not age — some sevens manage, some nines don't.
- A helmet that actually fits. We carry children's sizes and a fresh disposable liner for each one. An adult helmet on a small head is worse than useless, so tell us your child's age when you book.
- You drive, your child rides behind you. That makes this the self-drive tour: you need a full licence, real scooter experience and a €500 hold, exactly as any other rider.
Under five, or a child whose feet don't reach, and we have to say no — at the desk, with the booking already paid. If that's your family, take the walking tour instead: same city, same guide, no age limit at all. Tell us the ages before you book and we'll say straight away which one works.
How many Vespas does your family need?
- One adult and one child: one Vespa, booked as two people per Vespa, €180. Only the rider needs a licence.
- Two adults and one child: two Vespas. One parent rides with the child behind, the other rides alone.
- Two adults and two children: two Vespas, a child behind each parent.
- Only one of you drives? Say so when you book. The other adult and a child can come along as passengers with our own drivers, and we'll tell you what that costs for your group.
What you’ll see
Eight stops in two and a half hours, engine off at each one — long enough for a child to get off, look, and ask something.
The route, stop by stop
Francesco leads, you follow with your child behind you, and the group pulls over together at every stop.
- Start Via della Madonna dei Monti 57Helmets on, a short loop round the block so you get the feel of the bike and Francesco sees how you ride. Then out through the Monti backstreets, the old working-class quarter the coaches never reach.15 min
- Stop ColosseumA viewpoint above the arena, engine off. How it was built, filled and emptied, and what stood around it before the ruins.10 min
- Stop Circus MaximusSix hundred metres of chariot track, still there under the grass. The scale only lands when you're standing on it.
- Ride through TrastevereCobbled lanes barely wider than the handlebars, ivy and laundry overhead. The stretch where a Vespa earns its keep, because nothing on four wheels is getting through.
- Stop Janiculum HillThe whole city below. Francesco names the domes one by one, so the skyline stops being a postcard and starts making sense.15 min
- Stop Castel Sant'AngeloBack across the river, with Bernini's angels lining the bridge.
- Stop Piazza NavonaWhy the piazza has that long oval shape: it sits on a Roman stadium, and the buildings still follow the old grandstands.
- Stop Trevi FountainWhat the figures represent, and where the water still comes from — an aqueduct running for two thousand years.
- Return Spanish Steps, then back to MontiThe last stop before the ride home. Helmets off six minutes' walk from the Colosseum, with the rest of your day ahead.
What’s included
Included
- 125cc Vespa and fuel
- Sanitised helmet and disposable liner
- Children’s helmets, in the size your child needs
- Licensed guide, English or Italian
- Third-party liability insurance
- Parking sorted at every stop
Not included
- Damage to the Vespa — that's what the hold covers
- Food and drinks
- Entrance tickets — nothing on this route is ticketed
To ride, you need
- Real scooter experience — Rome isn't where you learn
- A full driving licence. A car licence is fine for a 125 in Italy, and the original card has to be with you
- An International Driving Permit if your licence is non-EU. Get it at home — it can't be issued in Italy
- 18 or over, and a credit card in the rider's name for a €500 hold per Vespa
- Your child’s age, told to us when you book, so the right helmet is waiting at the desk
Please sort this before you book, not at the desk. If you arrive without the right documents we can't let you ride, and the deposit you paid to reserve isn't refunded — the Vespa was held and the slot has gone. Cancel or move your booking up to 48 hours before and you're covered in full.
Two on one Vespa, and which departure to pick
- Two sharing costs €180 per Vespa, so €90 each — the cheapest way to do this. Only the rider needs the licence.
- The 19:00 rides into the golden hour and the traffic has thinned. It's the one photographers pick.
- The 9:30 is the quietest, and the only one where the Colosseum viewpoint is close to empty.
- Rain? We'd rather move you than send you out in it. Message us and we'll find another slot.
Which departure works best with children
- The 9:30 is the one to pick in summer. The city is still cool, the Colosseum viewpoint is nearly empty, and a child on the back of a scooter at two in the afternoon in July is not having a good time.
- The 19:00 is the one they remember. Rome turns orange, the traffic has thinned, and the Janiculum stop lands as the sun goes down behind St Peter's.
- Two and a half hours is the real length. Eight stops break it up and the engine goes off at each one, but it is still an afternoon out — bring water, and something on their head for the sun between stops.
- Nothing on this route is ticketed or queued. We park next to each landmark, so there is no line to keep a child standing in.
What our guests say
4.9 average from 1,400+ reviews on Google and Tripadvisor
Book the ride
Two ways, same route, same guide. Tell us the children’s ages in the booking notes so the right helmets are ready.
As passengers — €144 per person
A guide rides, you and your child sit behind. No licence, no test.
Book one seat per person, your child included.
You ride — €180 per Vespa
Your child rides behind you. One licence per Vespa, the rider’s.
Choose 2 people per Vespa at checkout.
FAQ
What people ask before they book.
How old does my child have to be?
Five. Italian law forbids carrying a child under five on a two-wheeler, and it applies to everyone on Italian roads, residents and visitors alike. There is no way around it and no exception for a short ride, so if your child is four we will say no at the desk — better you know before you book.
My child is five, but small. Is that enough?
Height decides, not the birthday. Your child has to sit properly with both feet on the footrests, which is what the law means by a stable seated position. Send us their height along with their age and we will tell you honestly. If it is borderline we would rather say so now than at check-in.
Do you have helmets for children?
Yes, in children's sizes, each with a fresh disposable liner. Tell us your child's age when you book so the right one is waiting. An adult helmet on a small head moves around and offers nothing, so we do not improvise with one.
Do I have to drive, or can my child ride with the guide?
You drive, with your child behind you. That is the tour: the guide leads the group and sets the pace, and each Vespa is ridden by one of you. It also means the usual rider requirements apply to you — full licence, real scooter experience, and the deposit.
We are two adults and two children. What do we book?
Two Vespas, each booked as two people per Vespa, with a child behind each parent. Both adults need a licence and the experience to ride in Rome. If only one of you drives, say so when you book and we will arrange drivers for the rest of the group.
Is it safe with a child in Roman traffic?
Roman traffic is slow and constant rather than fast, and the route avoids the big arteries. That said, this is a scooter in a city, and the honest answer is that it asks for a parent who already rides confidently. If you would not carry your own child on a scooter at home, this is not the day to start.
Our youngest is three. Is there anything we can do together?
Not on a Vespa — under five it is simply not allowed. The walking tour covers the same city with the same guide and has no age limit, and it is the one we suggest for families with toddlers.
What's the cancellation policy?
Free cancellation up to 48 hours before departure, with a full refund. Inside 48 hours the booking is not refundable. If you are unsure whether your child meets the requirements, ask us first — a booking cancelled in time costs you nothing.
What happens if it rains?
Light rain does not stop us. If we have to cancel for storms or an official weather warning, you choose another date or take a full refund. With children on the back we are quicker to move a booking than to ride through weather, and that move is free.
What should they wear?
Closed shoes, and long trousers if you have them. Sunglasses and sunscreen in summer, something warmer than you think in the evening — a child sitting still on the back of a scooter feels the wind more than you do.
★ 4.9 from 1,400+ reviews · Free cancellation up to 48h
They will remember the scooter, not the queue.
Your child behind you, a local in front, and eight stops where the engine goes off and Rome is at their height instead of above their heads.
Ask on WhatsAppFour departures daily, English or Italian • thinking of renting instead? →
Cancellation policy
All times are Rome local time. For self-drive bookings, the €500 security deposit is released after the ride and is completely separate from this policy.