gazza1888

Hello all,

My wife & I along with our 2 young kids are in discussion about a 10 day trip in August. The boss (wife) would love to see the Dolomites, Venice & Florence, so we are trying to figure out what the best route/options would be.

We thought maybe we could fly into Verona the head straight to the Dolomites for a few days, then Venice followed by Florence, then fly back to the UK. I would love to hear any thoughts on this route or what would be the better option.

Jean

Luckily, your flights in and out are short, and jetlag won't be an issue. If it were just you and your wife, I think your plan would work. However, when you add two "young" kids, I think it's too much. How young is young? Will either/both kids need a nap or some down time in the afternoon?

You might have trouble finding lodging in the Dolomites that fits your needs and budget, esp. if you'd only be staying a couple of nights. I'd look into that first as it might determine where you could base your time. Personally, I'd want more than 2-3 days in the mountains to really enjoy the variety of scenery and activities. You'll need to rent a car unless you want to make only the shortest of explorations beyond Bolzano. Check the possibility of flying into Bolzano.

Florence is my favorite Italian city, but I wouldn't enjoy being there in August. But that's me. Too hot, too humid. In August 2023, there were several days at or above 40C.

If the Dolomites stay in the itinerary, I'd drop Florence and spend time somewhere on Lake Garda.

bvlenci

Do the 10 days include travel to and from the UK? If so, you have 8 full days in Italy, of which at least two would be taken up with internal travel.

Do you plan to drive in Italy or will you travel by train (and bus)?

With such a short time, if you don't drive, I would advise flying in and out of Venice. Cortina d'Ampezzo can be reached by express bus from Venice airport. The bus makes other stops, but I don't know which would be best. The current timetable goes only to the end of June.

https://www.cortinaexpress.it/en/timetable/

This option would give you a few days in Venice after your trip to the Dolomites. I think this would be the most effective use of your limited time.

If you prefer to fly into Verona, and if you prefer to drive, you could reach various parts of the Dolomites in a few hours by car. Then you could drive to Venice, but drop the car before arriving in the city. You could even drop the car in Verona and proceed to Venice by train.

You could conceivably take a day trip to Florence by train from Venice, but I think it would be better altogether to drop Florence, which is unbearably crowded, and often also unbearably hot, in August. I wouldn't want to be there in those conditions, especially with children. (As a matter of fact I avoid Florence from about April to November.) Venice will also be hot and crowded in August, but it will probably be a few degrees cooler than Florence.


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janisj

Welcome to Fodors. How old are the children? As the others posted -- I'd personally be reluctant to take children to Florence in August. Especially if they are young - Very hot, very crowded (as Venice will be as well - but there are beaches, and boats that help a lot). And if the 10 days include your arrival and departure days you really only have 8+ days free for seeing/doing. The flights may only be 2-ish hours but adding in traveling to/from the airport checking in etc., travel will eat up more than half of days 1 and 10.

Sassafrass

Any way you could do this trip a bit earlier or later in the year? Avoid mid-Summer In Florence.

neckervd

All depends from where you will come.
London, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Notinghams and Newcastle have direct flights to Verona and partly to Innsbruck, the two handiest airports for the Dolomites.
From Stansted you can furthermore fly to Bolzano/Bozen.