MU1

flying to Italy mid July for 5 1/2 days [yes, know it is hot] with family including 2 boys, 10 & 13.

Please advice:
1. Rome + Florence
2. Rome + Venice

we definitely want to do Rome but would love recommendations on Venice or Florence as we cannot do both in 6 days.

Appreciate your feedback. thx.

tarquin

I am not sure I want to appear after walteretc above.

I will say that in Venice, the heat is easier to escape. Because you are surrounded by water, there is often a bit of breeze and there is lots of shade. On the other hand, Rome has over 2,000 fountains (see Martin Pulvers: The Fountains of Rome) and you can stage your walks between them, with appropriate ice cream stops. I think I would leave out Florence, which gets stifling in really hot weather.

Zerlina

Ditto what Tarquin said: Florence sits in a bowl and bakes - or stews.

There are very few thieving gypsies in Venice. There are pickpockets, but most are not gypsies. Pickpockets and gypsies are more numerous in Rome but again, most pickpockets are not gypsies.

qwovadis

betterbidding.com

best values for me bidding Priceline

go a lot headed over in 1 week.

Intercontinental Ville Spanish Steps from $180/nt in Rome

Venice-tourism.com prettier more magical than Florence

head there perhaps Hilton Stucky Molino bid Priceline again

from $120/nt

fast train seat61.com between the 2 3 hours or so nice

seat61.com

you can do a quick stop for lunch and walabout in Florence

on your way back to rome...

AC Hotel rooms are a must and avoid central tourist

trappy areas venture off to green watery areas during

the heat of the day... the nights and mornings B4

tour buses arrive are magical maximize your time then.

eurocheapo.com cheap budget city guides great info

Have fun,

Dukey1

If you like art then definitely consider Florence over Venice; if you like art and a very unique environment, pick Venice over Florence

Pickpockets? yeah, they're over there and I'm sure you've figured out that not all of them are "gypsies" and what difference does THAT make? if you want to find out how the nonb-Gypsy <B>Italians</B> learned how to <B>rob</B> people and the fantastic results, <B> definitely</B> go to Venice!

tarquin

Good idea about Hilton Molino Stucky, qwovadis, a rooftop pool would be just the thing for two children that age after a day of hot sightseeing.

Ann1

As incredibly rude walterandperryisback is with his/her comment, I would like to say that in Italy many hotels don't even offer AC so to turn it off when you leave is not unusual. In fact in one hotel in Florence we told the front desk that our AC unit had frozen, they said, "You mean you had it on all night?" In Italy they don't regard AC like we do in the US.

We just stayed in a good hotel here in the US this weekend that the AC automatically went off when you left the room. They had a sign explaining to allow 15 minutes for the AC to cool after you return to the room.

Don't expect a lot of AC in Italy.

AtlTravelr

We took our kids to Italy when they were 10 & 12. They LOVED Venice - I would recommend that in a heartbeat over Florence for this trip. We all really enjoyed Rome as well - be sure to walk to the top of St. Peter's (we like to climb all churches and count stairs when we go up). Sounds like you have 5 nights? Then fly into Rome and do Rome for 3 nights - there is SO much to see and it is a fabulous city. We took the train between Rome and Venice and had 2 nights there. My kids loved: taking the vaparetto as our own "tour" around the canals, St. Mark's square, Doges' palace - maybe it was just the name, but my 10 year old son was disappointed that we didn't get to do the "Secret Passages Tour". One day we did take the vaporetto to a random stop, got off, had the most wonderful meal and just wandered around - it was fun to try to "get lost" on an island. They enjoyed the whole maze like atmosphere and how we did get all turned around at night, only to pop out and into some little square with a lovely setting to eat.

We did go to Florence on this trip as well and my take is that Florence felt very closed in, very crowded, very hot - it was our least favorite city on this trip. Seeing the David was a highlight however, and I'd like to give this city another chance, but overall felt that Rome handled the crowds & heat better. And Venice is very empty at night so that also felt nicer.
About the A/C & heat thing: we had A/C at both our hotels (we too went in July) - we spent more in Rome & Venice than we did in other cities, but we were able to get family/quad rooms to help with the more expensive rate. Don't try to go too budget in those two cities, not worth it with your kids in tow. And yes, it was very hot. Our strategy in Rome was to get up EARLY - we walked all the way to St. Peter's from our hotel near Trevi - it was early morning and the streets were quiet and lovely. We arrived at St. Peter's ahead of the throngs and that was worth the early wakeup. The Vatican museum was tougher for us - long lines, treasure overload, crowded Sistine Chapel, but still something we're glad we did. We would tour for the morning, have lunch at a sit down place (even a pizzaria - just don't make your kids have it on the run, they will be tired!), then returned to our room for 2 hours or so of quiet. The kids read or listened to music, we napped a bit. Then back out in the cooler part of the evening so that we could have a late dinner. And gelato was mandatory at least twice a day!

Italy has been our kids favorite country overall. My daughter made a return trip to Venice when she was 17 and she still ranks it as one of the special places she's been.

franco

What an incredible rubbish about gypsies and pickpockets. Since I seem to be the one on this forum who has probably spent more time than anybody in Venice (at least one entire year, all my visits summed up), I can tell you definitively that there are no pickpockets IN Venice - sometimes, when there are really many tourists around (for Carnival for example), pickpockets come in from the mainland, quasi being tourists themselves, but they're no gypsies (though, as Dukey said: what difference would it make???). The only gypsies who venture into Venice (they're very few) are humble beggars, not obtrusive at all (and many Venetians donate them some coins, so if they don't disturb the locals, why should the disturb you or any tourist?).

And the remark about hotels being "very Jewish with their a/c" is simply leaving me speechless - what a tremendous idiot you are, walterandperry, and what a stubborn racist: what a shame that people like you are on the loose (instead of disappearing into jail for the rest of their miserable lives, convicted of sedition and re-engagement in National Socialist activities). At the very least, people like you should keep to themselves, and stay home - both physically (don't pollute Italy or any other country with your presence) and electronically (stand clear of this forum).

dfourh

[Sacrilege alert]: go to Venice and stay on Lido. I go to Venice once a year, and nearly always stay on Lido. I went there with my cousin when his daughters were 11 and 13, and staying on Lido was their favorite experience of their entire two months in Europe. Why? It has several wonderfully inexpensive 3* hotels with A/C, it has miles of beach, it is a glorious 15 minute vaporetto ride across the lagoon to St. Marks, it has a convivial holiday atmosphere with lots of local Italians - - it is a paradise for kids their age - - with Venice 'proper' right at your doorstep. Those boat rides across the lagoon and down the Grand Canal (and you can even get the best spots on the boat if you start at Lido) are fantastic. It is not the 'classic' Venice experience - - it is twelve shades happier!

nytraveler

Agree that florence will probably be the most hellish.

To save time backtracking = in your very few days - fly into Venice and out of rome.

Make sure your lodging has very good american style AC that you can control in the room - other wise you may end up with the european type which moans and groans - cools the room about 10 degrees - and goes off in the middle of the night.

JLydon

Rome in July? Sounds way too hot for me. But if that's the only time you can go, it's my favorite city in the world.
Happy trails,
Janet

Travels w/ M&J http://web.me.com/jvscully

MU1

thank you, we decided to go to Venice and Rome.

Peter_S_Aus

Your kids might enjoy this in Venice, a treasure hunt:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-teenagers.cfm