belkis

Hi,
Please help! I'm taking my 11 and 15 year old kids to Europe next month.
We arrive in Paris April 7th until the 13th, then fly to Venice.
On the 17th we go to Florence with day trip to Pisa, then
Cinque Terre from April 21 to 24
Rome, April 24 to 30, with day trip to Pompeii
Fly to santorini until may 3
Duly to Athens
On may 6 fly back to Paris to return home on the 8th.

Is there an easy day trip from Paris or Venice to see snow? My kids have never seen it and daughter will turn 12 in Venice (she really wants to do this for her birthday)
Any advice on itinerary, trains, etc is greatly appreciated.
I'm unsteady due to brain surgery removing balance nerve. Will I need a cane or sticks to hike in cinque Terre and Greece? I'm flying wow air with backpacks only so I don't think I can take one with me, will need to buy in Europe.
Thanks for helping a wobbly mom show her kids the world.

Dogeared

You can buy sticks before leaving home quite easily. Either a 'cane' type or 'hiking sticks' type.

https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid...walking+cane&*

https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid...hiking+poles&*

Generally, if you have a 'cane', you are allowed to walk onto the plane using it. It does not need to be in your bag. Hiking sticks on the other hand are not considered in the same way and would have to fit in your bag, but that's possible to do.

belkis

Thank you for the links. Love the folding hurry cane and will be buying it.

Tabernash2

Research the Cinque Terre trails. They vary wildly in difficulty. I walked the one from Vernazza to Corniglia. It is constant stair steps the entire way up. Not recommended for you.

Also, be aware that the trails are not maintained regularly, and can be slippery, full of scree, and dangerous if you don't have good footing.

http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/footpaths-cinqueterre

Easiest: MANAROLA - RIOMAGGIORE
Difficulty: easy
Length: 1,5 km
Duration: 30 minutes

The famous Via dell’Amore, "Lover’s Lane", starts at the railway station of Manarola with stairs.

jamikins

Hasn't the Via dell’Amore been closed since 2011?

Tabernash2

It doesn't say so on the CT website, jamikins.

isabel

This website has the path still closed
http://www.parconazionale5terre.it/E...ri-outdoor.php


Re snow: There could still be some snow in the Dolomites in mid April but it's at least a couple hours drive from Venice, longer if you wanted public transportation. If seeing snow is a really high priority I would take a couple of days from somewhere else (Paris, Rome) and then instead of flying Paris to Venice, take the train to Zermatt and then on to Venice. You'd need at least a couple of days for this. And if you already have all your hotels booked it would require a lot of rearranging. But for best chance of snow in April you need high mountains.

isabel

Forgot to add - the mountains above Zermatt, reached by a cog railway - have snow year round so they would definitely have snow in April. And if you want to show your kids 'the world' a little side trip to Switzerland wouldn't be a bad idea. You do have a generous amount of time in Paris (and Rome) so taking a day or so would not really diminish the experience there.

http://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p482768889 photo of snow in July

Southam

Put the kids on the keyboard for Internet research. They will enjoy the experience more if they have helped with the planning. Especially if you take their advice.
An old street in an old city is likely to be rough under foot. At a minimum take a solid pair of walking shoes.

bvlenci

If you're unsteady on your feet, I wouldn't advise hiking in the Cinque Terre. The higher trails, which are mostly open, require a certain level of fitness and agility, as well as good hiking shoes. Three of the four lower trails are now closed; two of them have been closed since 2011, and probably won't be opening any time soon. A third trail has been closed for a few weeks; I don't know why, nor whether it's likely to open again soon. The one open lower trail is from Vernazza to Corniglia, and that's the one with all the steps.

Maybe you should skip the Cinque Terre and spend that time, as suggested above, in Switzerland, which is the only place you're likely to see snow in April.

Dogeared

You can find snow in April in any of the higher Alps and in any of the countries the Alps are in, not just Switzerland.

While I am in fact a big fan of Switzerland, I would look at where would fit in best with the plan. For example, if you were taking the train to Venice from Paris instead of flying, I might suggest a bit of a side jaunt to Chamonix where you could probably see snow and might even see snowfall in town. It is not unknown in April.

From Pisa if you skipped 5Terre, you could head north to the Italian Dolomites or take a train into Switzerland to somewhere. I'd take the Bernina Express from Tirano in Italy to Davos. As train routes go, this is one of the most scenic in the world and if you don't see snow along the way I would be very surprised.
https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid...nina+express&*

Depending on snowfall, you may even be able to get into the snow in the mountains above Davos for some activities like tobogganing.
http://www.davos.ch/en/winter/activities/tobogganing/

Even if there is no snow, there is a summer toboggan run.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj159AWBGQc

belkis

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I really appreciate it.

belkis

After Venice.
Any other tips on the rest of the itinerary?