>>>3 nights
http://www.hotelscoti.com/index.html<<<

That's a dangerous street to stay on with kids (lots of shopping including high-end).

Thank you, bendigo. Will be interested to hear how it all turns out; sounds like a great trip.

I've stayed in a different apartment on via Monserrato, and Settimo al Pellegrino which is right near there (17 via del Pellegrino) is a marvelous place for gnocchi, only served on Thursdays. Their Monte Bianco dessert is also a rare treat.

If your family is starving, the very inexpensive Trattoria La Moretta (right where Monserrato turns into Banchi Vecchi) serves piles of standard pasta and a pretty good vegetable buffet (and addictive pizza bianca in its breadbasket). It is very, very much a neighborhood trattoria with a very Roman atmosphere. Just don't drink the house wine. Order a bottle.

Sounds fantastic. Please share a trip report when you get back!

What lovely places!! Looks like you really did your research. I haven't heard of London Agent. Will keep them in mind for future trips. Clerkenwell is a great location. Venice & Florence also look excellent. Have a lovely family vacation.

Wow - what a week!
On Monday our eldest daughter was rushed to hospital in Melbourne (2 hours from home) after being diagnosed with swollen optical nerves and some bleeding behind one eye and elevated inter-cranial pressure.

We've had an adventure - not knowing how she would be, or whether our trip would still be possible.
Anyway, after MRI, Lumbar puncture and other tests, this morning she was cleared to fly and discharged from hospital. After a two hour train trip home, we are now seriously getting into packing, doing the last minute things that should have been done over the last few days.

Anyway - need to get into it - in twelve hours from now we should be leaving Melbourne for London via KL and Dubai.

Oh - it's also heading for 40 degrees Celsius (approx 105 F) here today, and I think the London forecast is for about 6C - struggling with the concept of packing thermals to wear, and don't want to put too many layers on to get to the airport!

Anyhow - Up, Up and Away - see you on the other side of the World!

Wow! I'm glad that your daughter appears okay and that your trip will go on as planned. Be safe and have fun!

Have a good trip bendigo. If you miss out on anything chances are it will come to Bendigo anyway - a couple of family members were chuffed to get tickets to the Grace Kelly exhibition at the V&A the year before last, only to be miffed that this year it came to Bendigo! (and not even here to Canberra, where it's only 34C today)

Bendigo - the Cultural Capital of Australia!

Canberra, unfortunately, seems to just be the place where they put on the cheap entertainment for those who enjoy bear-baiting - but at least you'll have a break when Parliament rises tonight!

Karen (Gallery Director) is rumoured to be working with the V&A on the next big thing for Bendigo, so I might try to get a sneak peek at what it may be. If nothing else, I could then feed the rumours with perceived authority!

Yeah, more culture than a penicillin factory and lovely 'old' buildings into the bargain!

For the benefit of others here -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bendigo

http://www.bendigotourism.com/about-bendigo/history/historic-buildings

And bendigo, just in case you can't get enough culture over there and have missed these sites for interesting lectures, walks, and other events, often free of charge -



http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/calendar/


http://www.london.ac.uk/432.html


http://royalsociety.org/events/?type=public-lectures&year=&month=&direction=upcoming&video=False&audio=False&page=1



http://www.linnean.org/Meetings-and-Events/Events

What a fantastic trip!

Arrived back at 2.40am this morning - brain is still addled after the long trip and still trying to get organised for Christmas.

No health problems - we had a ball and managed to spend all of our days seeing and doing some terrific things - which was sometimes to go to the markets and shops to find interesting food to put together for an evening meal in our apartment.

Will file a trip report, but just wanted to thank people for their helpful tips and comments as we planned the journey.

For those planning a trip - we managed to see and do a lot in the three weeks - helped by the fact that it was off-season, we wasted no time standing in queues waiting for anything, and were able to wander at-will in the front row at Mona Lisa, around David a few times and in the Sistine Chapel.
(and the Christmas Markets and atmosphere everywhere was great!)
Perhaps that is the key to making the most of limited time - go in the off-season to avoid wasting time in queues - although there will be some things not at their best in Winter (and it also seems to be peak season for church and museum maintenance).

Anyway, for now, wishing all Fodorites a very Merry Christmas - Santa is well on his way to Australia now, and I hope he has some treats left when he arrives on the side of the World where most of you are!

Rob

Merry Christmas, i could Not agree more, we used to take our 4 children to Europe also in low season, we were living in Buenis Aires at the time, and being seasons reverse had no choice, but it was great as you say no línea, better rates and availability...also I guess owners of small hotels were pleased to welcome us, children and all... To this day I try to avoiding high seasons...
same with your family living also in the Southern Hemisphere, again Merry Christmas and I am sure you will cherrished this trip always.

Glad your daughter is doing well!! I am planning a trip to London mid March and having so much trouble deciding where to stay - five in our group. YOU booked the exact flat we have been looking at for our trip!! and i have looked at tons!! Any issues with London Agent???

Looking forward to your report!

oh2doula


London Agent was terrific to deal with - no problems at all, and our Heathrow Airport pick-up was waiting when we arrived!

The apartment has lift access from ground floor - something that we appreciated more and more as our stair-climbing with suitcases continued across Europe! Fifth bed is a blow up mattress, but was reportedly very comfortable. The apartment was actually larger than we expected - only thing that was missing was a micro-wave.
Also not really a dining area sufficient for the five of us.
Access to the rest of London was great - easy walk to St Pauls area, London Museum, Guildhall, etc, and interesting to explore the immediate local area (Pubs, Meat Market, Clerkenwell Green, Order of St John of Jerusalem buildings, etc - I am a dedicated researcher and love to find out about an area before going there!)

It's on the railway line, but we did not have any issues with noise - double glazed windows , door to small balcony. Less than two minutes walk to the Farringdon railway station which is on the Circle Line (and has lift / elevator access to platforms (an important consideration with kids and luggage) - allows easy access to almost anywhere in London - the connectivity is terrific through the Tube interchanges, and it is only a couple of stops from the Tower of London, and one stop from Kings Cross / St Pancras if you are connecting to / from Eurostar to Paris / Brussels.

Have a wonderful trip!

Sadly that flat is unavailable for my dates but I feel much better about going with them!! Sounds like you had a great trip - looking forward to more details!!

Love the idea of researching the immediate area of where I will be staying!! I LOVE to plan and this will give me one more thing to research!!

"London" by Peter Ackroyd is a great place to start