Bizzle606

Hi, my family is planning a trip to Italy and Sicily next spring but we are limited in time. We have 8 nights total and would like to hit the highlights of Sicily and Italy. We know we want to hit Rome and Florence. Sicily is up in the air as far as where to go and what to see...Palermo, Etna, ?
We have 3 kids ages 6, 9, and 16. With 8 nights, we need help with what highlights to hit. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Whathello

Forget Sicily. Or forget Roma and Firenze.
That is one or the other.
4-5 days in Roma. 3-4 in Firenze. And you don't have time to cover it.

kja

I agree with Whathello. Most people find it hard to visit the highlights of Sicily in 2 weeks. With 8 nights, you have just barely enough for Rome and Florence.

I recommend that you consult some good guidebooks, perhaps at your local library, and if possible, get your children involved in helping to plan.

Good luck!

Leely2

I travel faster than many here, but I don't think your itinerary will work, especially with three kids. I guess you could go to Rome and Palermo, five nights Rome, three Palermo. Or five nights Rome, three nights Siracusa. Could take a day trip from Rome to Florence if you must.

But if it were me I would choose either mainland Italy or Sicily. It takes a while to get around Sicily. I did an eight-day Sicily plus five in Rome trip once, and it was great, but face-paced, I had 14 nights, and I wasn't carting children around.

Sassafrass

8 nights = 7 days.

You have to allow travel time from place to place, especially with 5 people, one who is only 6.

Now, important to know if you can do multi-city flights - into Rome and out of Florence or do you need to return to Rome?

If you do RT to and from Rome, you need to go straight to Florence, and put Rome at the end so you are in your city of departure the night before. Change this around however you want, but it is basically what you have.

Day 1, Arrive Rome, straight to Florence, walk and dinner. Does not count for sight seeing.
3 nights Florence, 2 & 1/2 days. Do one day trip.
Day 4, depart Florence mid-afternoon (That is your 1/2 day Florence), Arrive in Rome in time for dinner and walk
5 nights, Rome (4 days)
Day 9, depart for home.

RonZ

FCO to the Termini Station in the Rome center, Trenitalia machine tickets to Firenze SM Novella, 1.5 hour journey. You may wish to post the name of your home airport.

kja

@ RonZ: Just curious -- why would it be helpful to you to know the name of the home airport?

Bizzle606

Thanks for all the replies. We will consider dropping one. With the kids, would you all recommend Sicily or Italy?? My wife really wants to see Sicily (where her family came from).

For the home airport, we are flying from the US east coast. Flight time is around 10 hours.

Mimar

I don't think your kids would be much entertained in Florence, which is best for lovers of Renaissance art and architecture. Consider Venice instead: no roads, trucks, cars, just water buses and water taxis and so on.

As for Sicily, seeing the island is a linear experience, moving from one stop to another. The consensus here is kids like to stay in one place, get acquainted with the neighborhood, with the baker, gelato seller, etc.

Another consideration: Sicily is best seen by car. For Rome and another mainland city, the train is best.

With just 7 full days, 3 kids, and the possibility of jet lag, I'd stay the whole time in Rome and maybe do a daytrip out of town.

Sassafrass

If you consider Venice in the mix, my kids, when they were 6 & 8, and then my teen students, loved Venice. So, with kids, I would probably fly into Venice, stay 3 nights (two days, one for Venice, one for the Islands), then train to Rome for 5 nights (four days, could do a day trip somewhere, perhaps Ostia Antica). Fly home from Rome.

Actually, I would split the nights equally and do a day trip from Venice, but there is so much to see in Rome, most would say more time there.

annhig

a few years ago, we did 3 separate weeks in Venice, Florence and Rome with our kids and of the three, they liked Rome the best, with Venice a close second [but Florence was good too!].

you could easily spend the whole time in Rome but Venice would make a good contrast if you want to spend your time in two places.