Planning on 14-16 days (travel included in that time) to start in London and get used to the time difference, spend maybe 3 days then head to Paris for 3 days, then spend the rest of the time in Italy. I would like to stop first in Milan to see the supper painting then head to Rome to finish up and fly out. I am wondering if it is worth the time/effort/money to go see the tower in Pisa between Milan and Rome. I expect this to probably eat a full day, wondering if you think that is accurate and if it is worth it for a few pictures and to see a landmark. Will have two tween/teen kids with me, not sure if they want to go out of the way like that.

Not out of way much if you take the coastal route to Rome via Genoa and Pisa - put bags in station and take cab or bus to Tower area. But coastal route to Rome is longer than high-speed route via Florence but it's also much more scenic along the coast. You could on this route stop overnight in Cinque Terre.

You must figure in travel time that with relocating hotels consumes most of a day - London to Paris by Eurostar www.eurostar.com - easy to book deep discounted tickets yourself months out - takes only about 2.5 hours all told but you lose an hour on the clock too.

Paris to Rome is an all-day affair - nice to break up or think about flying to Rome. If you plan to take train Paris-Milan and then visit Last Supper - few miles from Milan Central train station and then Pisa and Rome forget it - not possible in one day. Maybe stay in Florence at night - see the famous Duomo and Uffizi or just walk around pleasant center of Florence with copy of David Statue. Then take short train to Pisa Centrale - go to Tower area - not bad and nice walk of few kms - and go onto Rome via coastal route.

You could also take a night train Paris to Milan and have an early start in Milan and then have all day about to go onto Tower in Pisa and coastal trains to Rome. And get a 4-person private cabin and bring any drink or food aboard - kids may consider it am adventure. www.thello.com.

Anyway for lots of train info check www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

For me, stopping in Pisa would NOT be worth it -- and not just because of all the logistics of making the stop with kids, but also because of the opportunity cost. IMO, you have precious little time to spare!

To pick up on PalenQ's comment about the time it takes to relocate, note that you'll need time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting lost/ oriented, etc.) It adds up! Whether this itinerary works for you really depends on what you want to see and experience. For me, it would be too rushed -- too much time in transit for too little time in any of these wonderful places. Overstating to make a point, London, Paris, and Rome each have SO many things to see and do that you are barely giving yourselves time for anything other than photo ops with this plan! Of course, you can pick just a few highlights in each city and have a wonderful time if you plan accordingly.

I hope that helps!

When I was a kid, I always wanted to see the leaning tower. They might even enjoy the silly posing everyone does there. Perfect for Facebook. Then you might head to nearby Lucca and get the feeling of a really charming smaller Italian village and spend a night there.

Everyone is different, but is it possible that the kids will be disappointed with a big mostly modern city like Milan? Only going there to see one painting? And, make sure you have a reservation for the Last Supper before heading in that direction.

Would the kids instead be interested in some coastal hiking (Cinque Terre)?. If this is summer, it will be crowded, but it will be hot and crowded in much of Italy.

Our first trip to Rome was with teens. They seemed more interested in the smaller Italian villages. But again, they are all different.

If you have traveled with your teens before, you probably know your travel style. Some people can see and do more in a short period than others. Some are happy to see a couple sights each day. You can get a lot more than a few photo ops with even 3-day visits to these cities. Google three day itinerary for each city, and you will have lots of options that others have successfully done.

I'll ask them and see what they think, I feel like I have too much time in Rome, Cinque Terre might be a good alternative or another option.