One of my favorite cities worldwide is Rome, Italy—and it’s not just because of the gelato and pizza! Rome is a city rich in history and culture. It is home to iconic landmarks such as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon, which can provide a fascinating educational experience for both children and adults. Rome offers a ton of fun experiences, beautiful parks, fountains, and, yes, delicious cuisine that will delight the entire family. Rome is today’s Friday Family Vacation destination!

 

Flights

Because Rome is a major European city, you will find many ways to get there with points and miles. Our family of four comes from Dallas (DFW), which is an AA hub, so we will look at some amazing deals with AA cards to get them there. First and foremost is the Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red card, which could be the best credit card deal ever as you need to only make ONE purchase on it to get the welcome offer! While everyone who flies AA should have it at some point, you want to remember that it will take a 5/24 spot.

Our family lives near an AA hub, so it makes sense for them to get it early on in their credit card points and miles journey.

 

I can find flights as cheap as 22.5K AA miles each way if they can go in the spring. They will be 30K miles each way in the summer. Always check the AA calendar view to see the cheapest dates.

 

 

Each parent would need to get another AA card to fund this trip, and here are some ideas:

 

 

 

Hotels

The biggest problem when booking hotels in Europe is occupancy limits. Not every hotel will allow a family of four to stay, so sometimes you need to get a larger room which will cost more points, or two adjoining hotel rooms. You can also always rent an Airbnb or VRBO and use a Capital One Card to “erase” that purchase.

 

 

Here are just a couple of family-friendly hotels in Rome. The Tribune, bookable with Hyatt points, has suites that will sleep four starting at 21K points/night. It is part of the JdV by Hyatt brand, which would get you another spot with Hyatt Bingo!

 

Because Hyatt offers such outsized value, it is cheaper to book two Hyatt rooms at many luxurious properties than one hotel room at other properties like Marriott or Hilton. Here is a nice option at the Babuino 181 Hotel (our family of four would need to book two rooms at this property).

 

 

 

These credit card bonuses would help them fund these stays:

 

 

 

Bottom Line

Friday Family Vacation to Rome is a great example of how points and miles can help educate your family and create wonderful family memories. And since you are already in Italy, why not take the train to Lake Como, Florence, or another wonderful Italian city (using points and miles, of course)? Eat some gelato for me while you are there!