My husband, 4 children & I will be in Italy for about a week in July. We would like to go to Rome, Florence, Venice, Pompeii, and possibly somewhere along the coast to have some sea time. Would like suggestions regarding an itinerary, and whether we can visit all of these cities, or if some should be cut out. Thanks!

Rome, Venice, and Florence make for a whirlwind, but doable and memorable week in Italy. Of course, you could easily spend a week or more in any of them, but if that's all the time you have, then I say go for it. But I'd definitely cut out Pompeii and any other "sea time". For seven nights, hopefully with an open jaw flight into Rome and out of Venice (or the other way around), I'd opt for 4 nights in Rome (assuming you are arriving there), leave early by train for Florence arriving well before noon. Spend the day, one night, and most of the next day there, then head to Venice in the late afternoon for the final two nights. If doing the trip in reverse, I'd make it 3 in Venice and 3 in Rome.

You cannot possibly have a worthwhile trip visiting those 4 areas (and possibly another one!) in one week. For one thing, just think that the train between cities is at least 2-3 hours. You might want to get out an map of Italy and look at the distance between the cities and familiarize yourself with what each area has to offer. You can easily spend a week in Rome alone. An alternative might be to do Rome for 4 or 5 days, and another 2 or 3 days in another area.<BR><BR>(I would compare your plan to visiting Boston, NYC, Philadelphia and Washington DC in one week.)

Nice recommendation, Patrick. Of course with FOUR children, you might want to simplify and only do two locations -- If so I think Rome and Venice are perfect. Spend 5 nights in Rome, (you can do a daytrip to Pompeii by train, which the kids might enjoy) and the other 2 in Venice. I agree with Patrick that open jaws flights would be the best way to do it.

Thanks for the replys. I should have stated that we are arriving from Austria (I believe taking an overnight train to Italy). We then have about 6 days, and then will have to take an overnight train back to Austria to fly home.

I must admit that I overlooked the four children until I had posted. Depending upon their ages, perhaps you might want to skip Florence completely. I think it would be the least exciting of the three for them. On the other hand, if you got a hotel near the train station to simplify the transportation issues, it could still be a nice overnight stop with the better part of a day on each side of that night in Florence. Kids would love to climb to the top of the Cathedral, and having seen some of those famous tombs at at St.Croce, they will have memories whenever they study those people in school, and will certainly never forget the first time they saw "David".

If your week does not include the days you are traveling to and from Italy, then I think you could squeeze in Rome (4-5 days including a day trip to Pompeii) and Florence (2-3 days). I think Venice would be too much. With four children in tow, I would suggest spending the week in Rome with a day trip to Pompeii. Depending on how you're feeling when you're there, you could even do a day trip to Florence from Rome. At least you wouldn't have to deal with luggage and checking into a hotel. Florence is very small, and you can see quite a bit of it in one day. On the other hand, you could also easily spend your entire week there. It really depends on what you like.

Hi Anne, For what it's worth, we are leaving Friday with our 2 children for a 9 day stay and I feel as if we'll be right on the edge of too much with our itinerary. We've got 6 nights in Rome planned with a day trip to Pompeii, then San Gimignano for 1 night, and in order to see the Cinque Terre, 1 night in Lerici. Since we're flying out of Pisa, the last night is there.<BR><BR>I planned on Pisa for our flight out in order to give us the opportunity to see Tuscany without doubling back. The Rome stay is lengthy because I think the kids will have a lot to do there. And the CT because they will get a train trip and once again, it should be kid-friendly. <BR><BR>If I had only 6 nights, I would take out one of the cities you discussed because it just sounds like too much with the kids in tow. I don't know their ages, but I'm sure you know when kids go on overload, everyone's fun can be compromised. Just a thought. <BR><BR>Have fun!

I'm afraid I have to agree with those who recommend dropping one of the "big three," especially with four kids in tow. If you are travelling from Austria, a first stop in Venice (2 nights) would be a nice way to begin the Italian leg of your trip. You could then over night it to Rome or, as another person suggested, do a brief stopover in Florence along the way. Rome has SO MUCH! Depending upon your interests, you may want to try a walking tour or two in Rome to maximize your time there. Have fun!

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