Hello,

My husband, my 3 year old and I are planning our first trip Italy last week may to first week June.
Any suggestions with itinerary will be appreciated.

We are flying into Milan and out off Rome.

Thanks.

That's it?

There aren't any travel agents here. We are experienced volunteer European travelers, but we don't just take on the responsibility of planning trips for you. Assisting? Yes. Helping make changes? Sure. But you're the one who needs to sit down with the maps and the guidebooks and the internet and develop a plan.

Heck, we have no idea who you are, how old, what country you're coming from, why you decided on Italy, what your interests are, what your budget is....etc., etc.

People here will be more than happy to help once you've done your own research and developed at least something!

At that time of year I would start in Rome and end in Milan because of the heat. Rome, Florence, and Venice are traditional choices for a first visit but what you choose to do depends on your interests.

Do you like cities, countryside, or water? Some people hate art and want to avoid anything to do with art.

With a 3 year old I would not go to Pompeii as it's difficult to walk and practically no shade.

You do need to read something about Italy and make some initial decisions based on your interests and the constraints of a child.

You don't want to be moving around a lot - 3 or possibly 4 locations. This will enable you to see something of the places you visit rather than spend time in transit.

What is with these responses?

Who are "experienced volunteer European travelers"? Are there people being forced to go to Europe against their will?

And who with any experience of Europe tells someone who has just informed them they will be flying into Milan and out of Rome in the middle of Spring that they should start the trip in Rome because of °heat° ---- ???

I actually don't know many people who "hate" art. Do you? Seriously? Shouldn't the people responding to travel queries at least live on planet Earth?

Sbhatia,

You might want to try another travel forum.

Sorry - but without some info from the OP it's very difficult to make any recos.

What are their interests? Likes/dislikes? Do they want a farm holiday? Have to see the vatican? Why go to Italy if there aren;'t specific things you want to see/do?

What is their budget?

With so few days and a 3 year old I would rent an apt in 2 separate places - much better for sleeping and having at least snack and breakfast with a little one.

But the OP may want to do a road trip to 8 or 9 places. How can we tell?

No problem:

2 days in Milan;

4 days in Rome;

6 days in between.

Sbhatia just tell them you want to see:

Milan
Venice
Florence
Rome
Positano
Capri
Sicily
And hopefully Pisa

And your interests are:

Art
History
Wine
Hiking
A football game
Italian film
A nice beach
Reading
Bridge

And you'll get thousands of pages of suggestions.

You might find this helpful:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/italy/253155



This itinerary is too fast-paced for me (and probably wouldn't work well for a 3 y.o. either), but it might give you some ideas.

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...enaissance-31/

Thanks for your responses. LOL @ StCirq - entertaining, passionate response. Just wanted some initial thoughts to get my research started. Anyway, I was thinking of Milan, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Capri, and Rome. That's a lot, I understand. I was thinking of focussing the bulk of our trip in Milan, Tuscany, and Rome and do other places as time permits (like a limited time in Venice, from Milan).

Thanks.

Well - that is - 6 places in 12 days - way too many places for 12 days. (Once you deduct the 3/4 days it will take to travel from one place to another - it's only 1 and part of a day in each place). And do have 12 full days on the ground or are you including the day land and the day you depart - which would give you only 10 full days in the ground.

Also interested in why chose Milan, which is primarily a business city rather than more typical tourist destinations. (I'm all for people picking specific places to match their interests - just not sure what that is in Milan.

Why Milan? I'm not averse to its offerings, but it's not a place I would choose to hang around on such a short trip. And not really a place I'd enjoy with a 3-year-old, though she won't be absorbing ALL that much at that age and probably won't care much where you are as long as you're there with her.

You need to take the mathematical approach to travel to figure out how much time you have on the ground actually enjoying and seeing things as opposed to being in transit from one place to another. I'm not mathematical at all, so this is hard for me, but plot your preferred route, then estimate at least the time it will take you to pack up from Place A, get to the train station and wait for your train, take the train ride, deboard and get acclimated to your surroundings, get from the train station to Place B, unpack and figure out your surroundings... etc., etc. All of that eats up loads of time. And with a 3-year-old (and trust me, I've traveled all over Europe with young ones...for years), it's even longer because of all the unexpecteds - crying fits, potty stops, squirming-in-the-stroller moments, have-to-find-a-snack-she-can-eat-in-the-next-10-minutes episodes.

Realistically, you should choose 3 places in that short a time and think about exactly what it's going to be like day to day. Traveling with a 3-year-old is all about the 3-year-old, not about you.

And Sandralist might want to find another forum, if she hasn't been banned from them all by now.

Sbhatia,

Are your twelve days total travel time or time on the ground.
Are tickets already purchased?
How do you plan to travel? Train?
Specifically, what are your personal interests: cathedrals, fashion, shopping, architecture, culture, food, art, history, countryside, hill towns, cities, hitting a few major tourists sights with no particular interests?

Figure out which places have those things that are important to you, and make those your priority.
Allow time to see those places.
Carefully calculate travel times (Really important with your little one), and
Allow travel time in between cities and time to check out of hotels, get to train station, time to get to hotel in new city, etc.
Look for some parks and places for your child to play.

Lay out an itinerary to start playing with and planning. Then change according to your needs.
Day 1, arrive Milan - afternoon in Milan
Day 2, morning in Milan, train to Venice in afternoon, sleep Venice
Day 3 & 4, Venice
Day 5, train to ?
Day 6, ? etc.

I would not do Venice as a day trip from Milan. It's 2.5 hours each way on the train plus time to get to the train stations so about 6 hours of traveling. The other important reason not to see Venice as a day trip is it's magical at night so you might consider staying a couple of nights.

12days, into Milan, out of Rome, with a three year old.

I would suggest staying in no more than three places, maybe taking an apartment in a small-ish town for five days.

Milan to Venice is about two hours by train, and Capri is a long way south. I think you need to leave Capri for the next trip. Venice will not work as a day trip from Milan.

Sbhatia,
Hi, Im not a very experienced traveller but did a big trip a in Oct-dec 2011(off season) with a 9 yo and 11 yo. Not as demanding as a 3yo but for what its worth, we really enjoyed Venice; staying at a hotel near St Marco called Mecurio, I think. It was a very good price and location. If your 3yo is a happy walker, that's great, don't know how prams,strollers would go over cobbles perhaps someone else can be more helpful with that!
As for Milan, we didn't stay in the city but in Lecco (on the lake) about 50 mins north by train, it's a pretty little town and there are ferries that seem to go all over the lake which might be of interest to all of you! We spent a few nights in a unit just outside the walls of San Gimignano and that was a beautiful too, not an ideal location for a little one though as the walk into town is a little hilly and almost a kilometre. Staying in the village itself would be easier. Icecream makes most days pleasant! Hope this is some help! PS I like that you're not daunted by the tone, these guys are soooo helpful when you get down to business!

Depending on your interests and how your schedule works out, Luca is a sweet town, and the area inside the wall is flat, so easy walking. It has a nice little square with a carousel and the best gelato I have ever had in Italy. Though very busy and touristy during the day, it was totally different and quiet at night after day trippers left.

Sbhatia,

You've been given some good advice by a few post here. Let me add what I think each poster will agree with. Even if you choose a very limited itinerary of locations and activities, you will make wonderful memories and plans for the next trip!
I am heading to Italy in mid-April, dividing 15 days in the country to 4 locations and except for the fact that is my third trip, it is too many. The time of year of your trip will be warm and crowded so in spite of wanting to soak in the whole nation, find three comfortable apartments with AC and plan your walking and driving from those locales based on your interest. I recommend abandoning Milan immediately and head south to Lucca, use the train for day trips and enjoy that walled city, skip Florence this trip except if you do a day trip, (it will be very crowded), then move on Montepulciano or further south, Orvieto. Rent a car and explore Umbria and Tuscany. leave your car, train to Rome. End your travel in Rome with four nights with an apt around Navona or the Pantheon, (I can make some excellent recommendations for this locale) Walk your heart out everywhere, but treat this trip as if it is for laughing, day dreaming, and relaxing. You'll be saving and planning for your next journey on the plane home. Best of luck with your choices.

You definitely have too many places for 12 days. The main thing I would drop is Capri, which is a long way from any of your other destinations.

Do you have something specific you want to do or see in Milan? It's a big city, and there's a lot to see, but in your short time you won't be able to see very much at all. If you tell us why you want to go there, we can help you decide how many nights to spend there.

A day trip to Venice makes no sense, partly for the reason given above, but also because your next stop, Tuscany, is just as easy to get to from Venice as from Florence, so you'll save travel time by not going back to Milan after Venice. Go there after you've seen Milan, and spend one night there.

Then, you could spend the rest of the time at an agriturismo in Tuscany. If you choose one with farm animals and a kiddy pool, your three-year-old will be happy. You should rent a car for this part of your trip. However, it would be best to rent the car when you get to Tuscany. Coming from the north by train, Arezzo or Chiusi are good places to rent a car.

From either Venice or Milan, it will take you four hours or more to get to Tuscany, depending on where you're going. You can get a direct train to Florence from either Venice or Milan, and there you would change trains to get to a smaller station, where it's easier to rent a car, and especially easier to get out of town without accidentally straying into one of the dreaded ZTLs, and getting a big fine. You'll have to read up on ZTLs, and all drivers will need an IDP, international driver's permit, unless you have an EU license. The IDP has to be carried along with your regular license.

If you haven't already bought your plane tickets, you should get a multi-city ticket, flying into Milan and out of Pisa or Florence. You could also change the order of your trip, going directly to Tuscany after Milan, and finishing your trip with a night in Venice, flying home from there. This might actually be even better.

Another thought: there are lots of charming little towns and lovely countryside, and vineyards and olive groves in other parts of Italy besides Tuscany, so you might want to consider some other rural destination, a little closer to Milan or Venice.