Initial Florence/tuscany/Venice itinerary - pls advise...
 

I've so far booked the family as follows:
3 nights in Florence - hotel academia (this includes our arrival day/night); 3 nights in Montalcino at Hotel Bellaria and 4 nights in Venice as Hotel Les Bains. My reasoning has been that the first couple of days will be busy sightseeing, getting over the usual jet lag,etc. The Tuscany portion will be more relaxing and lower key - especially for the teenagers since we'll have a pool and be able to rent bikes. While there is a ton to see in Venice, I also hope to make those days less hectic - initially that was a three day interval but I added a day to the trip to slow things down. we'll also be on the Lido and have the beach/pool to keep it relaxed. Does this all make sense??

Hi cm,

It looks good except for the staying on the Lido part.

Are you sure that you want to spend your time in Venice on a beach?

((I))

Ira - yes, we want to be on the beach - the water taxi is right next door to take us over to the city. We're usually 'water' people so this allows us to combine both the sightseeing with the relaxation...and it gives our teenaged boys something to oogle!!!

If you're talking about a water taxi, and not the vaporetto, that's going to be very expensive getting to and from Venice. Just a thought.

Our family stayed at the Hotel Des Bains on Lido and were quite happy with our choice. Our teenage son loved lounging around the pool, especially since it was quite hot during our 5 day stay. We loved visiting the beach across the street and people watching the Venetians and their beach scene, but still had plenty of time to visit the museums, churches and just wander the wonderful streets of Venice.

Do want to warn you that the courtesy water taxi you speak of is not at the Des Bains. It is a short shuttle bus ride away located at the Excellsior.

thanks KayJay - it says that on their website as well. How old was your son when you were there?

Hi cmeyer54,

My son was 17 and enjoyed our vacation so much he ended up spending a semester of his junior year in college in Florence.

We are water people too and that is one of the reasons we chose Des Bains. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.