Family · Ages 0–11

Explora Children's Museum

One of Rome's interactive children's museums — numerous hands-on exhibits inside a restored 1880s tram depot, five minutes from Piazza del Popolo.

1h 45min sessions€12 (adults & kids 3+)Ages 0–11Numerous exhibitsVia Flaminia 82, 00196 Roma RMOpen on Map

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Get Tickets Book a Tour Hotels NearbyBy AllTrips Editors•Last updated: May 1, 2026•9 min read

Explora — Il Museo dei Bambini di Roma is one of Rome's dedicated interactive children's museums. Founded in 2001 inside a restored 1880s tram depot at Via Flaminia 82, five minutes from Piazza del Popolo, it offers more than 100 hands-on exhibits across science, environment, society and communication for kids aged 0–11. Visits run as four daily 1h 45min timed sessions. Online booking is strongly advisable and allows direct entry, though not strictly mandatory — €12 for adults and children aged 3 and above. One of the best indoor activities in Rome for families.

📋 In This Guide

Opened

2001

Ages

0–11 years

Exhibits

Numerous hands-on

Entry

€12 (adults & kids 3+)

Session

1h 45min timed

Metro

Flaminio (Line A)

Why Visit Explora?

Rome is heaven for adults and surprisingly tough on small children: ruins fence them off, basilicas demand silence, the Vatican Museums are a death march of marble. Explora is the antidote. Inside a restored 1880s tram depot five minutes from Piazza del Popolo, kids aged 0–11 get 1 hour 45 minutes of uninterrupted, freely chosen, hands-on play across numerous exhibits. €12 per person. Check the current membership page for annual card options.

Numerous Interactive Exhibits

Hands-on stations across four themes — science, society, environment, communication.

Restored Industrial Venue

A working 1880s tram depot with iron trusses, arched windows and a real outdoor garden.

All Ages 0–11

Dedicated 0–3 soft-play, supermarket and water for 3–6, TV studio and maker workshops for older kids.

Calm, Timed Sessions

Only one cohort at a time — never the chaos of a traditional museum on a school holiday.

What's Inside the Museum

Explora is organised as several themed play areas plus an outdoor garden. Below is what kids will discover during their 1h 45min session — feel free to skip between zones, there is no fixed order.

Water & Physics Zone

Water tables and splash stations — kids experiment with flow, dams and channels
Archimedes screws and hand-pumps — physics through play
Water cycle exhibits — interactive evaporation, condensation and precipitation
Waterproof aprons provided so clothes stay dry

Mini Supermarket (Il Mercato)

Full-scale supermarket replica with mini shopping carts and baskets
Working cash registers — practise counting, weighing and paying
Stock the shelves — colour, size and category sorting
Fresh produce section — talking about healthy food choices

TV Studio & Communication

Working TV studio set — be the news anchor, camera operator or director
Green-screen technology — see yourself on virtual backgrounds
Radio booth — record messages and hear them broadcast
Telephones and message-relay exhibits — how we connect across distances

Science & Construction

Building zone — large soft blocks and construction materials for free play
Simple machines — levers, pulleys, gears and inclined planes
Renewable energy — solar, wind and water power demonstrations
Human body — interactive stations on senses, organs and movement

Piccolissimi (0–3 years)

Dedicated soft-play zone with padded floors for crawlers and early walkers
Sensory exploration — textures, colours, lights and gentle sounds
Discovery mirrors and visual stimulation panels
Comfortable parent seating, changing tables and bottle-warming station

Garden & Environment

Outdoor garden with a working vegetable patch — what's growing today?
Recycling station — sort paper, plastic, glass and organics
Animal habitat displays and small ecosystem exhibits
Sand and water play in the outdoor courtyard (weather permitting)

The 1880s Tram Depot

Half the magic of Explora is the building itself. The brick-and-iron hangar at Via Flaminia 82 was built in 1877 as one of Rome's first horse-drawn tram depots, on what was then farmland just outside the Aurelian walls at Porta del Popolo. Converted to electric trams in the early 1900s, it served ATAC (Rome's transport authority) for almost a century before being decommissioned in the 1980s.

The 1998–2001 restoration by Carlo Andreoli and Maria Margherita Segre kept everything industrial that mattered — the original iron trusses, the tall arched windows, the brick walls — while inserting child-scale exhibit modules, a mezzanine and modern services beneath. The result is a rare working example of adaptive reuse in central Rome, and the only museum in the city where a vegetable patch grows where trams once rumbled.

Age-by-Age Zone Guide

Ages 0–3 (Piccolissimi)

Dedicated padded soft-play zone, sensory walls, mirrors, music panels. Designed with the Bambino Gesù paediatric hospital. Parent seating throughout, bottle-warming and changing tables on every level.

Ages 3–6

Mini supermarket (the universal hit), water play with aprons, dressing-up corner, building blocks, fruit-and-veg sorting. Parents get to sit; kids stay engaged for the full session.

Ages 6–10 (sweet spot)

Working TV studio with green screen, science lab, simple machines, recycling station, human-body discovery, renewable-energy demos. The age band the museum was really designed for.

Ages 10–11

Bookable maker workshops (3D-printing, simple electronics, sustainable craft) on weekends and school holidays. Some 11-year-olds find the standard exhibits a bit young — the workshops fix that.

Tickets, Sessions & Hours 2026

💶 2026 Prices

• Adults: €12
• Children aged 3 and above: €12
• Children 12–36 months: €8
• Babies 0–12 months: Free
• Thursday admission: €8 (subject to stated exceptions)
• Check the current membership page for annual card options
Roma Pass is NOT valid here.

⏰ Session Times

• Four daily sessions: 10:00 · 12:00 · 15:00 · 17:00
• Weekends/holidays add: 09:00 & 18:45
• Each session lasts 1h 45min
• Ticket office Tue–Sun, 09:30–19:00
• Closed Mondays, 25 Dec, 1 Jan, 1 May
• Check the official closure calendar, as seasonal closures can apply
Online booking is strongly advisable — sessions sell out.

Official booking: mdbr.it/en/visit — choose date, slot, ticket types, pay, present the QR at the entrance.

Explora Through History

1877

Tram Depot Built

The brick-and-iron Deposito ATAC tram depot is built on Via Flaminia just outside Porta del Popolo to service Rome's new horse-drawn tram network — one of the first industrial buildings in the modern Flaminio district.

1900s

Electric Tram Era

The depot is converted to service Rome's electric tram fleet through the early 20th century, becoming one of the city's main maintenance hubs until trams give way to buses in the post-war decades.

1980s

Depot Decommissioned

ATAC moves operations to suburban facilities and the Via Flaminia depot is decommissioned. The brick hangar stands largely empty for fifteen years, occasionally hosting markets and exhibitions.

1995

MdBR Foundation Created

The Fondazione Mostra di Rosignano launches the project for a Roman children's museum modelled on Boston's Children's Museum and Paris's Cité des Enfants. The Via Flaminia depot is identified as the perfect industrial-heritage site.

1998

Restoration Begins

Architects Carlo Andreoli and Maria Margherita Segre lead a three-year restoration of the depot, preserving the iron trusses, arched windows and brick walls while inserting child-scale exhibit modules and modern services.

2001

Explora Opens

On 28 February 2001 Explora — Il Museo dei Bambini di Roma opens to the public as Italy's first purpose-built interactive children's museum, with 50 hands-on exhibits across the four founding themes: identity, society, environment and communication.

2006

Garden Inaugurated

The outdoor garden, vegetable patch and recycling station open behind the depot — the first Roman museum garden designed for children to dig, plant and play in.

2011

10th Anniversary Refit

The mini supermarket and TV studio receive a major upgrade for the museum's 10th birthday, with new green-screen technology and a working POS system for the supermarket tills.

2018

Piccolissimi Soft-Play Opens

A dedicated 0–3 area, designed in collaboration with the Bambino Gesù children's hospital, opens for babies and toddlers — filling the museum's main pre-existing gap.

2021

20th Anniversary & Pandemic Reopen

Explora reopens with strict timed sessions of 1h 45min and pre-booking online — a system so popular it has been kept ever since.

2024

Maker Workshops Launch

New maker-space workshops for older children (3D-printing, simple electronics, sustainable craft) launch as bookable add-ons to the standard session.

2026

Rome's Top Family Indoor Stop

With numerous exhibits and four daily sessions, Explora is firmly established as one of Rome's top indoor activities for families with under-11s.

Best Time to Visit in 2026

Tue–Fri 10:00 (best)

Weekday morning sessions are calmest — Roman kids are at school. The exhibits are freshly reset and the museum is quietest during the first session.

Late afternoon 17:00

A great option after a morning at Villa Borghese. Quieter than midday, and the café aperitivo afterwards rounds off the day.

School holidays (book early)

Italian school holidays (Christmas, Carnevale, Easter, mid-Feb) sell out 7–10 days ahead. Book the moment the calendar opens.

Avoid

Saturday/Sunday 12:00 and 15:00 sessions — Roman birthday-party rush. Closed Mondays; check the official closure calendar for seasonal closures.

Rome's Top Rainy-Day Stop for Families

Rome's outdoor attractions — the Forum, Villa Borghese, the Pincio — become miserable in heavy rain, and small children have a low tolerance for damp marble. Explora is the single best wet-weather option in the city for families with under-12s: fully indoor, climate-controlled, free lockers for raincoats, on-site café for a warm lunch and the most engaging 1h 45min a rainy Roman day can deliver. The trick is to book the earliest possible session on a forecast-bad morning — slots tend to disappear by 09:00 once Roman parents check the radar.

Explora vs Rome's Other Family Attractions

Attraction	Best ages	Indoor / Outdoor	Visit time	Cost (per person)
Explora	0–11	Indoor + small garden	1h 45min session	from €12
Bioparco (Zoo)	3–12	Outdoor	3 hours	€17
Villa Borghese	All ages	Outdoor park	2+ hours	Free
Time Elevator Rome	8+	Indoor cinema	45 min	€12
Technotown (Villa Torlonia)	8–14	Indoor	2 hours	€8

Explora wins on age range (0–3 friendly), value and rain-proofing. For older kids 8+ who have outgrown play-based learning, Technotown at Villa Torlonia or Bioparco are stronger alternatives.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Showing up without a booking

Walk-up tickets are only sold if a session is unsold — almost never on weekends, holidays or rainy days. Always book online.

❌ Visiting on a Monday

Closed Mondays. Also closed 25 Dec, 1 Jan, 1 May — check the official closure calendar, as seasonal closures can apply.

❌ Bringing teenagers expecting a 'museum'

Explora is play-based learning for kids 0–11. Teenagers and adults without children find it underwhelming — pair with MAXXI or Galleria Borghese instead.

❌ Forgetting socks

Some play areas (especially Piccolissimi 0–3) require socks. Bring a pair per child, or buy them at the bookshop.

❌ Using the Roma Pass

Roma Pass and FrecciaCard discounts do not apply at Explora. The Foundation runs its own pricing — buy direct.

❌ Trying to extend your session

Sessions are strictly 1h 45min and you must clear out before the next slot. Use the café afterwards if you want to linger.

Rome Tickets to Book Same Day

Booking direct on mdbr.it is the only way to secure your Explora slot. If you also want to add a Colosseum, Vatican or Borghese visit on the same trip, here are the best skip-the-line family options for 2026 — book in advance because Rome's marquee sites require time-slotted entry too:

Colosseum Priority Entrance

Best for: First-time visitors

~2 hours

Skip-the-line access to the Colosseum with entry to Roman Forum and Palatine Hill included. Perfect for first-time visitors.

Skip-the-line entry
Colosseum access
Roman Forum included
Palatine Hill included

🎟️ Compare Prices:

Tiqets Klook Trip.com

Colosseum Guided Tour

Best for: History enthusiasts

~3 hours

Expert-led tour with professional guide sharing gladiator history, architecture secrets, and ancient Roman stories.

Professional English-speaking guide
Skip-the-line entry
In-depth historical commentary
Small group experience

🎟️ Compare Prices:

Tiqets Klook Trip.com

Colosseum Arena & Underground

Best for: Unique experience seekers

~3.5 hours

Walk where gladiators fought on the arena floor and explore the underground chambers where they awaited their fate.

Arena Floor access
Underground chambers access
Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
Expert guided tour included

🎟️ Compare Prices:

Tiqets Klook Trip.com

Pair Your Visit

Explora's 1h 45min session pairs perfectly with a walk through the surrounding Flaminio / Villa Borghese area:

Piazza del Popolo

5-min walk south — the grand neoclassical square at the historic gate of Rome, with the obelisk, twin churches and gelato options galore.

Villa Borghese

10-min walk east — Rome's grandest park, with playgrounds, rowboat lake, pony rides and the Galleria Borghese.

Bioparco Zoo

15-min walk inside Villa Borghese — Rome's family-friendly zoo with elephants, giraffes and a children's farm.

MAXXI Museum

15-min walk north on Via Flaminia — Zaha Hadid's contemporary architecture museum, with regular family workshops on weekends.

Highlights Checklist

numerous hands-on interactive exhibits for ages 0–11Timed 1h 45min sessions — calm, never overcrowdedMini supermarket with working tills and shopping cartsWater-play zone with Archimedes screws and pumpsWorking TV studio with green-screen broadcastingDedicated Piccolissimi soft-play area for 0–3 year-oldsOutdoor garden with vegetable patch and recycling stationOn-site Caffè Explora and free lockers — true rainy-day refuge

Getting There in 2026

🚇 Metro (best option)

Metro Line A to Flaminio, then 5-min walk north on Via Flaminia. Flaminio has lifts — stroller-friendly.

🚋 Tram

Trams 2 or 19 to Piazza Thorvaldsen, 2-min walk. Tram 2 is the easiest connection from Piazzale Flaminio terminus.

🚌 Bus

Lines 61, 89, 160, 490 and 495 stop on Via Flaminia. Bus 490 is convenient from Termini in about 20 minutes.

🚶 On foot

5 minutes from Piazza del Popolo, 10 minutes from the Pincio Terrace, 15 minutes from the Spanish Steps.

Where to Stay Near Explora Children's Museum

Looking for convenient accommodation near Explora Children's Museum? Stay within walking distance to make the most of your visit.

Hotels Near This Attraction Top Rated Hotels Budget-Friendly Options Luxury HotelsCentral locations with easy access to Explora Children's Museum and other attractions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Explora Children's Museum in 2026?

Explora — Il Museo dei Bambini di Roma (MdBR) is one of Rome's dedicated interactive children's museums, founded in 2001 inside a restored 1880s tram depot at Via Flaminia 82, just five minutes' walk from Piazza del Popolo. It is designed for kids aged 0–11 and offers more than 100 hands-on exhibits across four themes — science, environment, society and communication — plus an outdoor garden with a vegetable patch, a family café, a bookshop and a baby-and-toddler soft-play area. Visits run as four timed sessions of 1 hour 45 minutes each.

How much does Explora cost in 2026?

Standard 2026 pricing: €12 for adults, €12 for children aged 3 and above, €8 for children 12–36 months, and free for babies 0–12 months. Thursday admission is €8, subject to stated exceptions. Check the current membership page for annual card options. The Roma Pass and FrecciaCard do NOT include Explora — it is an independent foundation.

How does the timed entry session work?

Explora operates in four daily sessions of 1 hour 45 minutes each. Standard 2026 weekday slots are 10:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 17:00; weekend and holiday slots add a 09:00 early-bird and an 18:45 late session. You must clear the museum at the end of your slot before the next session is admitted. Booking online is strongly advisable and allows direct entry, but is not strictly mandatory — walk-up tickets are sold if a session is not sold out.

What ages is Explora suitable for?

Officially 0–11 years. The dedicated 0–3 baby & toddler area (Piccolissimi) has soft floors, mirrors and sensory play. Ages 3–6 thrive in the mini supermarket, water play and dressing-up zones. Ages 6–10 are the museum's sweet spot — TV studio, science lab, simple machines, recycling station. Ages 10–11 enjoy the maker workshops and special programmes. Teens and adults without children will find it underwhelming.

When is Explora open in 2026?

Ticket office hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30 to 19:00, with four timed sessions of 1 hour 45 minutes each running within the day. Closed every Monday, 25 December, 1 January and 1 May. Check the official closure calendar, as seasonal closures can apply. Special holiday openings are added during Christmas, Carnevale and Easter weeks.

How do I get to Explora?

Easiest by Metro: Line A to Flaminio (5-minute walk north on Via Flaminia). By tram: lines 2 or 19 stop at Piazza Thorvaldsen, 2 minutes away. By bus: lines 61, 89, 160, 490 and 495 stop on Via Flaminia. By foot: 5 minutes from Piazza del Popolo, 10 minutes from Villa Borghese (Pinciano gate), 15 minutes from Spanish Steps. Strollers welcome — the Metro Flaminio has a lift.

Are food, café and lockers available?

Yes. The on-site Caffè Explora serves child-friendly lunches (pasta, pizza, salads), snacks and coffee for parents from 09:30 to 19:00 — no museum ticket required to use it. Free lockers are available at the entrance for coats and bags. Strollers can be parked at the entrance or taken inside the toddler area. Toilets include changing tables on every level.

Do adults need a ticket too?

Yes — every adult accompanying a child must hold a paid ticket (€12), even though the activities are designed for children. Children may not enter without an accompanying adult. The maximum ratio is roughly 4 children per adult; school and group visits use separate booking channels.

Is Explora a good rainy-day option?

It is arguably the single best indoor activity for families with young children in Rome on a rainy day. The whole museum is undercover, the temperature is controlled, lockers are free and the café is on-site. Book the earliest possible session on a rainy morning — slots tend to sell out by 09:00 once Roman parents check the weather forecast.

Is the museum accessible?

Fully accessible. All exhibits are at ground level or reachable by lift. Wheelchair and stroller routes are signposted, accessible toilets are on every floor, and the Foundation runs regular sessions designed for children with autism-spectrum disorders, sensory sensitivities and reduced mobility. Service dogs are welcome. Reduced tickets for visitors with disabilities; carers enter free.

Related Attractions

Quick Planning Guide

⏱️ Time Needed

1h 45min session + lunch

💰 Cost

€12 per person (children 12–36mo €8, under 12mo free)

🎫 Reservation

Online booking strongly advisable, not strictly mandatory

♿ Accessibility

Fully accessible — lifts, ramps, sensory sessions

📅 Best Time

Tue–Fri 10:00 session

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Friendly

Designed entirely for kids 0–11

🌡️ Weather

Indoor — perfect rainy-day stop

Nearby Attractions

Piazza del Popolo

5-min walk

Pincio Terrace

10-min walk

Villa Borghese — Pinciano gate

10-min walk

Bioparco Zoo

15-min walk

MAXXI Museum

15-min walk

Spanish Steps

15-min walk

Featured In These Itineraries

Rome with Kids One Day Rome with Kids Rome Rainy Day with Kids

Essential Tips

✓ Book your session online — strongly advisable and allows direct entry, though not strictly mandatory
✓ Arrive 15 minutes before your slot
✓ Bring socks for the play areas
✓ Free lockers for coats and bags
✓ Caffè Explora open without a museum ticket

Explora Children's Museum

Plan Your Visit

📋 In This Guide

Why Visit Explora?

Numerous Interactive Exhibits

Restored Industrial Venue

All Ages 0–11

Calm, Timed Sessions

What's Inside the Museum

Water & Physics Zone

Mini Supermarket (Il Mercato)

TV Studio & Communication

Science & Construction

Piccolissimi (0–3 years)

Garden & Environment

The 1880s Tram Depot

Age-by-Age Zone Guide

Ages 0–3 (Piccolissimi)

Ages 3–6

Ages 6–10 (sweet spot)

Ages 10–11

Tickets, Sessions & Hours 2026

💶 2026 Prices

⏰ Session Times

Explora Through History

Tram Depot Built

Electric Tram Era

Depot Decommissioned

MdBR Foundation Created

Restoration Begins

Explora Opens

Garden Inaugurated

10th Anniversary Refit

Piccolissimi Soft-Play Opens

20th Anniversary & Pandemic Reopen

Maker Workshops Launch

Rome's Top Family Indoor Stop

Best Time to Visit in 2026

Tue–Fri 10:00 (best)

Late afternoon 17:00

School holidays (book early)

Avoid

Rome's Top Rainy-Day Stop for Families

Explora vs Rome's Other Family Attractions

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Showing up without a booking

❌ Visiting on a Monday

❌ Bringing teenagers expecting a 'museum'

❌ Forgetting socks

❌ Using the Roma Pass

❌ Trying to extend your session

Rome Tickets to Book Same Day

Colosseum Priority Entrance

Colosseum Guided Tour

Colosseum Arena & Underground

Pair Your Visit

Piazza del Popolo

Villa Borghese

Bioparco Zoo

MAXXI Museum

Highlights Checklist

Getting There in 2026

🚇 Metro (best option)

🚋 Tram

🚌 Bus

🚶 On foot

Where to Stay Near Explora Children's Museum

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Explora Children's Museum in 2026?

How much does Explora cost in 2026?

How does the timed entry session work?

What ages is Explora suitable for?

When is Explora open in 2026?

How do I get to Explora?

Are food, café and lockers available?

Do adults need a ticket too?

Is Explora a good rainy-day option?

Is the museum accessible?

Related Attractions

Villa Borghese Gardens