When looking to fly in/out of two cities, are you using the multi-city search tool or looking at two one-ways?

Are you arriving on March 28th - so you only have a part of a day? And is the 7th a day for touring - is that the day you leave? If so, you really omly have 9 days.


If so you can spend 3 days (4 nights in Rome), 3 days in Florence (see Pisa one half day by train and see part of the countryside one day by train or bus - leaving you two hald days in Florence) then 3 night (2.5 days in Venice).

IMHO this trip is rushed but doable for adults. Not at all sure I would do it with two kids. And have you asked them what THEY want to see? They're at an awkward age - a little too young to spend the day by themselves bu told enough to be vociferous is they're bored.

We took our 11 and 14 year olds to London and Paris - but 15 days - and made them responsible for putting together a list of places to see and eat. And a couple of days they went off and did their teen/tween stuff while we gallery-hopped - and it worked much better than all 4 of us being joined at the hip 24/7.

Really short trip. Really. <<Would this be too much?>>

Yes, way too much. Especially with two young kids.

Go to Rome. Do daytrips.

Being vegetarian isn't going to be a hamstring in Italy.

As you are probably aware, Easter Sunday is March 31. Rome will be very crowded and many sites are closed on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Do you have 10 days in Italy, or 10 days including 2 travel days to and from Italy? Where are you coming from? You will need to allow for travel time, and possible jet lag.

In such a short trip, IMO you should stick to 2 cities, and maybe plan a day trip. Unless its important to you to be in Rome for Easter, make Rome your last stop.

Decide what you would like to see the most, and what would be the most fun and interesting for your girls. Also check the websites of the places you want to go to, and see if they will be open or closed during Easter. Schools are out all over Europe, so it will be crowded anyway.

If you go to Florence, you can take a half day trip to Pisa, or a day trip to Venice. The train between Florence and Rome takes about 2 hours or less, and there are reduced fares or some times free fares for a child under 12 who travels with an adult.

Or you can stay in Venice and take a train to Rome. I would avoid changing hotels and traveling every 3 days, as it eats up a lot of your time.

Once you know what sights are your "musts" purchase tickets in advance so you wont be waiting hours in line to get tickets.

Vegetarian is fine.. lots of pasta and vegetable dishes in Italy.

look at itasoftware.com and then click on the matrix for air fares. Depending on where you are flying from you may find better priced multi-city fares.. this site just shows the fares you cannot book but its an easy comparison. Airfares often change on Tuesdays.

Add in the cost of backtracking to Rome from Venice when you figure flight costs. I would start in Venice and depart from Rome. I think kids that age will like Venice. Dress warmly though. It can still be cold/rainy in March.

Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions. we might just cut out one of the destinations and go only 2. I absolutely love the suggestions to include the kids in the planning. Knowing my kids that will help tremendously

If I get to see only two places, which ones are the best ? Venice and Rome ? or Rome &Florence oe Veneice and Florence ?

Which ever ones offer the greatest glimpse of history and oppurtunity for day trip might be the clincher.

Thanks again !

All three evoke very personal responses. You will get an opposite response from others, but IMHO, Venice is the most unique, most beautiful, most mysterious and most romantic place on the planet. It really is beyond imagination. Good day trips would be vaporetto out to the islands or quick train to Padova or Vicenza.

Florence is all about art and architecture - some of the finest art and most magnificent architecture in the world. It is also a great walking and shopping city. Good day trips would be Siena for a day or train to Pisa and Lucca for a day.

Rome is everything: Roman ruins, Sistine Chapel, Pantheon, Colosseum, Borghese, St Peters, and on and on and on. Ostia Antica is a good day trip, perhaps even Orvieto.

I can't imagine your girls not loving Venice. Rome, I think, would be ahead of Florence for them, but if they are into art and know about the things they will see, maybe Florence would be their choice.

Litepacker,

A lot of people who tell you that being a vegetarian isn't a problem in Italy aren't vegetarian themselves and think that you will be ok with a steady of diet of carbs and cheese for 12 days, and that you just won't have any problem so long as you don't know that pork fat was used to make your "vegetarian" pasta. If you do have a problem with hidden meats in dishes, or are hoping for some variety other than non-stop pizza and pasta loaded with cheesy sauces, then you will need to do some research about locating a really enjoyable experience of Italy as a vegetarian. There are many vegetarian dishes, and good and affordable restaurants serving them, but the country and its cuisine is really not vegetarian, so the research pays off if you care about food.

When you figure out where you will be going, the Chowhound website has a message board for Italy that has good guidance on regional dishes and best restaurants, and understands vegetarian eating. You especially might like to know about what will be in season when you are there, wherever you go, so you don't miss out on the best places to eat asparagus dishes, or the last of the artichokes, and some quite unusual spring vegetables that only appear once a year.