Italy for 5 days in late October
 

Hello friends

I am planning to make a trip to Italy in the last week of October with my wife and 2yr old kid.

We are economy budget tourists and we want to see all the historical spots,paintings,etc...

We are planning to travel by Easy-Jet from Geneva to Rome and back. We plan to see Rome, Vatican,Pisa and Venice in this on week.

Pls suggest an itinerary and info on place to stay,etc...

Loking forward to some great help from Fodorites as usual.

thanks in advance

ST

Do you have 5 days or one week (= 7 days)?

With 5 days, I would suggest that you stay in Rome and take a day trip to Pisa - if you absolutely must. Most people find Pisa a huge disappointment.

If you have 7 full days, I would spend 4 days in Rome and 3 days in Venice. But then book one way into Rome and one way out of Venice to save backtracking.

Have you checked www.whichbudget.com to make sure that EasyJet is your best bet, which includes not only price but airports used (Fiumicino is better than Ciampino, Venice is much better than Treviso).

I don't think it's feasible to do a day-trip to Pisa from Rome, particularly with a 2-year-old. The train alone would take 3 or 4 hours. If you are intent on doing this itinerary, I'd suggest beginning in Rome for 3 days then taking the train to Florence for the 4th day, and then going on to Pisa for the 5th day and then flying back from there (some cheap airlines fly into the Pisa airport, calling it "Florence").

Including Venice isn't really realistic. You'd spend at least 5 or 6 hours on the train from Rome to Venice, and then you'd have---at most---1 day there.

My suggestion is to leave Venice for another trip. You're trying to do way too much with a small child in tow.

Hi S,

Good advice from Doug.

((I))

Hi Doug

I see that there is Ryan Air flight from Rome to Venice which charges only 100 CHF for all three of us, if booked now.
Do you think if we spend 3 days in Rome and then on the fourth day we take the flight to Venice in the morning and then take the train from Venice to Lausanne on the fifth evening would it be still worth it?

One thing still remains, how to fix Pisa in?

Pls suggest some other itinerary.

ST

Even though it's probably less than an hour's flight, you're going to waste at least half a day once you travel to the airports and back. Ultimately, it's really up to you and your stomach for fast travel with toddlers. As I said, if it were me, I'd opt out of Venice and choose a day each in Pisa and Florence. I still see no way to cram in both Venice and Pisa.

I do think a flight to Venice with a 2 year old is preferable to a train trip to Pisa (a place that many people enjoy a great deal for its incomparable archietecture and artwork). Or a train trip to Florence, and then another train trip to Pisa.

There are no cars in Venice, which makes it a favorite of a lot of parents with young children. If it were me, I'd spend all my time there with a toddler.

Before somebody jumps down my throat:

There are a lot of bridges and steps in Venice, which makes pushing a stroller or carrying a hefty toddler a chore. However, Rome is filled with diesel fumes, fast traffic and extremely narrow streets.

I'm not trying to discourage you from going to Rome and many people take toddlers to all 4 cities with successful results. I'm just pointing out that many parents find Venice very child friendly because of the absence of motor traffic.

Oh -- and one more thing.

Many people are disappointed in Rome. Many are disappointed in Florence. Many are disappointed in Venice. And many are disappointed in Pisa.

And the opposite is true as well. Travel is a purely subjective experience.

Hello swiss_tourist, since in the title of your thread you say "Italy for 5 days in late October" I personally would spend the time in Rome. I would fly into Rome, enjoy Rome and fly home from Rome.

I would save Pisa and Venice for my next trip to Italy which I am sure you will have since you are based in Geneva.

Little ones get tired, and as Doug said, it takes time to get to the airports etc. Anyway, that is my two cents worth, especially since you will be travelling with your little one. Best regards.