I have been searching for hotels in Rome and it is frustrating because it will say sleeps 4 but then you look at the room choices and there is only 3 beds?? I have looked at VRBO as well. Is there a benefit to renting a hotel vs a private rental of an apartment? Since we will be there for 5 nights I was thinking it would be more comfortable to have an apartment. Plus we could have some food on hand there so we don't have to eat out for every single meal. I have been watching a lot of youtube:)) I have been doing endless research it seems but still feel a bit confused about where to go and stay and how to connect the places etc........I can see why some people just book a tour. Maybe I just need a glass of wine to keep going.......teehee

I suggest looking at the rental agency Rome Loft, they have a website. Also look at AirBnb, although I find the site harder to use than Rome Loft.

There are some people who think there are lots of negatives to renting an apartment, above all the absence of a hotel desk, but also they just feel insecure doing it or prefer the "perks" of hotel service. For me the positives hugely outweigh the negatives -- more space, cheaper price, breakfast when I want it & what I want, having a kitchen, etc.

You also need to look carefully at apartment rental listings that say "Sleeps 4" to make sure you get 4 beds of the kind you want.

A great many people find it overwhelming to plan a trip to Italy because it is so hard to choose what to include and what to eliminate. This is especially true if you are traveling as a family with kids. For me, some basic questions to answer are:

Are you comfortable with renting a car for some of the time?

How much does heat bother you?

Do you dislike cities?

Do you dislike crowds?

How much outdoor activity do your kids need? How much goof-off time?

Does your family enjoy museum-going at home? What kinds of museums?

Does anyone have any strong food dislikes/intolerances?

What is the memory of Italy your family would most hope to take home with them?

When we were in Rome we stayed at Modigliani Hotel (http://www.hotelmodigliani.com/en/appartamenti.html). I know they offer quadruple rooms but I think you might be more comfortable in one of their apartments. The hotel is on a small quiet street not far from the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. They have a very good breakfast. Another option would be Hotel Abruzzi (http://www.hotelabruzzi.it/index.php), which is located very close to the Pantheon. The Abruzzi does offer quadruple rooms. I think their quad rooms are a queen bed and 2 twin beds. When you are searching for accommodations do your search for 4 adults instead of 2 adults and 2 children. I found some places offer rooms with sofa beds that are adequate only for small children. Of course you could always check out Airbnb. When I go back to Rome I am going to explore using Airbnb to stay in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome because there are several places there I would like to dine at.

When in Rome consider doing the Eco City Tour offered by Angel Tours (http://angeltours.eu/rome/eco-city-tour). We really enjoyed it. By the way angel Tours offers a free tour of the Pantheon. Another fun thing to do is a food tour. We took the Twilight Trastevere Food Tour (https://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/rome). You learn lots about the food of Rome and get to enjoy some really great food. If planning on visiting the Vatican do an early entrance tour. It will cost more but it's worth it. Walks of Italy has their "Pristine Sistine" (https://www.walksofitaly.com/) and there is The Roman Guy (https://theromanguy.com/) plus there are others who offer early entrance tours.

If you want to do some unique experiences while in Tuscany contact KM Zero Tours (http://www.kmzerotours.com/). We did 2 separate day trips with them. Those 2 days were definitely the highlight of our 17 days in Italy.

I hope you have a memorable trip!

I would like to comment on something you mentioned: trying to use points to fly return.

When searching for flights, be certain you are selecting "multi city", which means "open jaw" flights and fares. Meaning you want to fly into one city and out of another. Don't make the mistake of booking two, one way fares, using $ or points!

Sometimes the airlines limit how you can use your points. On my last trip I couldn't do an open jaw flight using my FF miles on Delta. I had to go round trip in and out of the same major city.

Anyway, check to see if it would make more sense to use your points for some of your family round trip vs. on the return only for all of you if you don't have enough for round trip for all. I have no experience with using points for a group so I'm not familiar personally.

Don't use a tour. You will get more for your money and more of the type of trip you want if you do the research and get help here.

Personally, for a 3 week trip, I would do one less destination.
Overall, I think your plan is very good if it accomplishes what your family wants.

Do a more detailed plan that shows transportation time between destination as well as what you want to do and see in each location and when those sights, etc. are open! That will help a lot in deciding if you have the right amount of time in each place, or if you don't - and need to cut back- for this trip.

I have done 6 trips with the help of Fodorites and all went very well. You can too!

Happy planning - it's half the fun!

Glad you liked my suggestion to take the train. Not everyone is willing to try it. Also not having a car means you don't need to find parking at your lodgings.

In your follow-up post you mentioned some of your frustrations with planning a trip like this. You've already come a long way. You have already brainstormed the key destinations you want to see and you gave us approximate number of days.

For me, the next step is the critical one. I print out some blank copies of a monthly calendar--if possible, I enlarge the boxes. I use that to take notes on at my desk and then I put my ideas onto the computer version. I like the computer version because I often end up emailing it back and forth to the other adults who are helping plan the trip. Even my husband--he may have time to look at it during lunch when I'm not there.

I like to highlight in yellow the days that I am moving from one destination to another.

Next, I decide where we want to sleep and I start hunting for lodgings. If I am up in the air about whether to stay in Sorrento or Positano, sometimes I find a great lodging and that will make my decision easier.

Regarding those highlighted transit days: There's a tendency to overschedule how much you will accomplish in a day and especially on the transit days. Also you can compare the number of nights you are on the move versus the days you are staying put.

Trains yes for large cities but in that Agrotourismo place for 4 days maybe rent a car and tool around Tuscany - drive over to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower - to other hill towns, etc.

Then return car and hop back on trains.

Parisien apartments are not large - the average is about 35 square meters all told. Someone will be sleeping on a fold-out couch and you'll have to re-arrange the furniture - maybe both teens will have to sleep on the couch.
You will not have 2 or 3 bedrooms if your budget is not a healthy one.
A kitchen in Paris may be an afterthought, because so many people just have a dorm-sized refrigerator (a tiny freezer) and a maybe a sort of electric hot plate. Many people eat out or go to friends' houses.

For just 5 nights' stay, the owner may prefer to have someone who will stay at least a week. You may risk a last-minute cancellation.

Citadines is the best option, if you want a kitchen.

Citadines has rooms that sleep 4 people in real beds, too.

thanks for the replies. I love the calendar idea. I am working on it right now:) Once I finish I think that will help a lot to decide how to make adjustments. Thanks again for the great replies.

For paris we would like to stay somewhere that is a safe area and has lots to do or at least is close to transit. Any suggestions? We stayed in New York on holiday last year and the subway system was a dream and gave more options of places to stay that were more economical. I have heard the transit system in Paris is good. On one hand I like the idea of staying in walking distance to a lot of touristy things but not sure if we can afford it. I am hoping to keep the hotels to under $300 Canadian/night which is about $200 euro.

Metro in Paris serves everywhere -they say no place more than 400 metres from a metro station. But Paris is also very walkable with most famous sights in a compact area. So if farther out a simple short metro ride in then on foot.

Some arrondissement of Paris are better than others for Metro access and being able to walk to most sights found in guidebooks. I prefer to stay in the arr. 1 through 5, others would add 6, but I find both 7th & 8th inconvenient. Never stayed in 9-13, and while I like 14, don't think it is what you are looking for. The 18 is popular but I find it quite inconvenient. Can't speak to the other arr. as places to stay and be a tourist.

Yes the 1st arr is centrally located but practically devoid of real local neighborhoods - I'd rather stay farther out and have quintessentially French boulangeries and cafes and street markets - some of those are close enough to be walkable for folks who like to walk (such as Bastille area).

The 11th or the 12th arrondissements might be good for you, but if you require a quad room, you might have to up your budget, or get two rooms.
Otherwise, I'd go with the chain hotels, such as Ibis, Accor, or Mercure, which are family-friendly.

<i> I have been searching for hotels in Rome and it is frustrating because it will say sleeps 4 but then you look at the room choices and there is only 3 beds?? </i>

How are you searching?

Anyway, if a hotel claims to sleep four, but has only 3 beds, it may mean that one bed is a double bed. This can often be changed, because in Italy a double bed is often two single beds pushed together, so they can be separated easily.

I use www.booking.com to find hotels in Rome (where I go often). If you enter in the options box "1 room" and "4 people" you will be shown only lodgings that actually sleep four people and they will show you which kinds of beds there are. Some will be hotels, and some will be apartments. There is also a category called "suites", which usually have a separate sleeping space and living space, usually with rudimentary kitchen facilities. I would suggest entering your destination as "Rome center city" instead of just "Rome", to avoid lodgings that are far from the center. If you want to be in a specific area or near a specific place, you can enter your destination as, for example, "Rome Trevi Fountain", or "Rome Trastevere".

I can recommend the Citadines at Richard Lenoir - near the Bastille open-air market. A friend stayed there and liked it very much.
Also has individually-controlled air-conditioning, a kitchen and 4 real beds.
Very good transportation options - including 5 Metro stations and a few bus lines.

There are plenty of high quality boulangeries in the 1st arr., as well as the Rue Montorgueil market. And no end of historic or trendy cafes, bars, bistros. One might prefer to be less in the absolute center of the tourist zone, or in a more budget friendly or quieter spot, but the 1st arr. doesn't lack bakeries, cafes or markets, and it is so easy to get to the 2d and other arr. from there, on foot or by metro.

https://parisbymouth.com/paris-bakeries/

http://www.atasteoftravelblog.com/ru...rgueil-market/

http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/par...rrondissements

Sounds like a great trip. You may be interested in my travel blog at https://wordpress.com/view/travelfam.wordpress.com Good information and travel advice from our trips to Paris, Nice, Florence, Venice, Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Austria, Prague and other places.