canadiangirl5

I am new to this forum and need assistance. My husband and I are off to Italy for three weeks with our three sons (18,9,7). we land in Rome August 8 and plan to stay there for 3 nights, then off Tuscany for 4 nights. We do plan to rent a car for the duration. We want to see Florence, Chianti, Siena etc... after Tuscany we are off to Venice. We are staying at the Crowne Plaza outside of Venice, we will park the car and take the train in. Then the lost part comes in. Where should we go? this is my family's first time in Italy....any suggestion on where to go from there?

would appreciate any help

Jean

Right from the top, I think you need to add time to Rome and Tuscany. Three nights in Rome is only 2 full days, and you'd probably be forced to return to the Rome airport to pick up a car on a Sunday (Aug. 11th). Four nights in Tuscany is 3 full days, and you have 3 big destinations on your list, so there's no time left for exploring the small towns and scenic areas of Tuscany.

It's not clear how much time you have after Venice? How many days/nights in Venice? And why the Crowne Plaza?

Where do you need to end up to fly home?

ellenem

Welcome to Fodors.

To offer the best help, please share your interests . . . love/hate museums, hiking, food, beaches, art galleries, hang gliding, relaxing . . . you get the idea. What attracted you to Italy? What did you dream your trip would be like? These ideas will help us focus our answers.

Also, to what airport do you need to travel to fly home? this might influence our suggestions as well.

Jean

And where are you staying in Tuscany?

bilboburgler

Welcome to Fodors, apart from holidaying in the humid heat of Italy's summer in the busy month things will work out fine. You need all your accommodation sorted by now and you also need to recognise that you cannot take a car into some of the places you may want to, many cities ban the car in the centre, but since they are small you can park up and walk in. Siena and Florence are like this.

The Crowne Plaza is a bit out of town but as you say you can catch the train. Depending on the train you change at Mestre.

As you get out at Venice station you will find all the various travel options in front of you, though i would read up the details at http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm.../IDPagina/1333

If you have money to burn drop off at the airport and take a taxi across the lagoon (it eats a hole in the pocket) but can give you a great view of the place.

Gretchen

More time in Rome and "Tuscany". Why so short when you have 3 weeks? Do you speak Italian? Do you return to Rome for your departure?

neckervd

Count at least 4 full days for Rome, 2 full days for Florence, 4 days for the smaller towns in Southern Tuscany (Provinces of Siena, Pisa and Grosseto) and 2 days for Venice. In between (and immediately after your overnight flight), spend in total at least 1 week at beaches, your children will be grateful.
Check Anzio, Nettuno, Giglio Island, Elba Island, Follonica, Marina di Pietrasanta, Lido di Jesolo .....

mamcalice

You have a nice long time to visit Italy. I would add at least 2 nights to Rome and 4 to Tuscany. The heat is likely to slow you down in August, especially in Rome, so you may have to cool off during the mid days. You probably have reservations at all of your stops so changing your plans at this late date will be a pain, but well worth it in the end.

Depending on what you like to see and do, consider spending the remainder of your time after Venice in the Lakes, Cinque Terre or at a beach location. It might help us to make a more specific recommendation if we knew a) what you like to do and b) what airport you are departing from.

stevewith

After Venice, since you have a car, consider going to the Dolomiti with your kids. This is one of the most spectacularly beautiful areas of Europe, and it is likely to be a bit cooler up there as well.

If you would rather do mountain driving, then I would highly recommend touring the lakes, including a trip to Gardaland on Lago di Garda for the kids (stay near Bardolino).

You can use Booking.com and Venere.com to find places to stay in either the Dolomiti or the Lakes. Be aware that many places with accommodations for families will expect you to book for "half-board", which includes the evening meal. It is not a bad deal, and of the hotel restaurants are excellent. They compete by providing good food.

You don't say if you have already booked your return air tickets, but I am guessing you have, and I am guessing they are out of Rome. I would drop off your car in Northern Italy and take the train back to Rome for the end of your trip. Dropping it off at the Linate Airport in Milan is usually an easy way to get to the train station in Milan for the trip to Rome.

Your kids will probably enjoy taking the fast train.

In general, I would avoid trying to include the beaches since they will be so crowded, and since it requires you crossing the entire country after Venice to get to them. If you really feel like you want a Mediterranean beach, then target the area around Lerici/Portovenere. If you are headed there from Venice, consider breaking up the long drive with an overnight stop near Parma. Leaving Lerici, if you need to get back to Rome, drive down the coast,

One final, easy beach possibility is to get rid of the car in Venice and take the train back to Rome, but then take public transportation to Sperlonga on the beach. Come back to Rome the night before your flight.

Have a great trip!

stevewith

Made a typo so I want to be clear:

If you would rather NOT to mountain driving, tour the lakes. They involve some mountainous roads, but nothing like the elevations of the Dolomiti.

canadiangirl5

wow, thank you so much for your responses. just to clarify we land in Rome August 8th for 3 nights ( do you guys not think it is enough??), then we rent a car and head out to Tuscany ( 11th -14th...which now does not seem enough, I should extend it to 16th). we have a few places on hold.

1. villa II Fedino - (Chianti)
2. villa pitiana ( near Chianti)
3. Palazzo San Niccolo ( chianti)
4. Palazzo San Lorenzo

then drive to Venice for a few days. Crowne Plaza sounded convenient with a car. thought we would leave it there and take the train in...but now I don't know...sigh.

that's were the planning stopped. Maybe we should leave the car in Venice and take a train to Capri?

we are not too active....we love to walk and explore. we love to eat...

Gretchen, I may not be planning this right...no we don't speak Italian. my husband and kids have never been to Italy...

I think we should venture to Capri, and Almafi coast.

stevewith

Most people responding to your post are going to have a hard time understanding why you would go all the way to Venice and then turn around and try to get to Capri, which is south of Rome. It is island, so you will have to get off the train in Naples and taxi to the docks to catch a ferry. Check to train and ferry schedules to see if that is doable in one day.

Also, do be aware that you will be heading into the absolute peak of the tourist season for Capri and the Amalfi coast. Unless you are planning to pay top dollar, you are not going to find space on the beaches.

Are you flying out of Rome?

How about landing in Rome and taking a train to Venice right away, spending several days there, and then heading south to Tuscany? Then you could drive south of Rome and get rid of the car in Sorrento, have your seaside stay somewhere, and then end your trip in Rome.

stevewith

Sorry, I just noticed you want to see Florence. So I suggest instead:

Land in Rome, go directly to Florence. Rest up, rent a car, tour Tuscany, drive to Venice. Lose car, see Venice, train to Naples, ferry to Capri, eventually get to Rome.

Be prepared for thick, thick crowds wherever you go except rural Tuscany, especially if your reason for going to Rome, Florence, Venice and Capri/Amalfi is to see famous sights.

KTtravel

I don't know where you are flying in from, but I would think twice about taking a train right after arriving. When I have flown to Rome for the San Francisco area, I am too tired to do anything but head to the hotel but perhaps your flight will be much shorter.

The last time I flew to Rome, the flight was delayed and we were then delayed further (another two hours) before getting through customs. I then stayed another two hours at the airport waiting for my luggage to arrive that hadn't made my connecting flight. I finally made it to the hotel about 6 hours later than originally planned.

greg

Two crucial info are not yet stated causing recommendations in many different directions.

Where are you flying out of?
What time are you arriving in Rome?

Many first timers do: land in Rome, tired, stay in Rome. The implicit assumption is that it makes sense to go straight to hotel in Rome if tired. Is this assumption valid? Is this realistic if you plane arrives at 7am in the morning? Can you really check-in at 9am? Do you have to "kill time" until about 2-4pm? Would you rather have used this "kill time" to travel to the first destination?

If your arrival in Rome is early, before noon, you can travel to Venice or Sorrento on arrival. I landed in Rome just before noon and checked into my Sorrento hotel around 5pm.
If your arrival in Rome is in the afternoon, you can make it to Florence on arrival. If your arrival in Rome is in the evening, you would have to stay in Rome.

If you are flying back from Rome, would you not have to stay at least one last night in Rome? Then it makes even more sense not to split the stay in Rome. Why check-into a hotel in Rome twice?

Mimar

If you want to go to Venice, why are you staying way out there? Not even in Mestre.

You're really cheating yourselves of the Venice experience, for which you should stay in Venice proper. If you must keep a car, you can park it at the giant parking garage at the end of the causeway into Venice.

If you can't find a hotel in Venice at this late date, skip Venice, save it for another trip.

And you don't really want to drive along the Amalfi coast in August. The road itself is challenging and it will be very crowded. There will be many buses. Buses can't make the tight turns on the road in one go; they have to back up (hanging out over the cliffside).

Except for Tuscany, most of your itinerary would be better suited to train travel. Train tickets can be quite cheap if bought early.

As for your flight home, in Italy in particular, you need to be in the city of your departure the night before. Too many things can go wrong: strikes, breakdowns, traffic jams. If you miss your flight, what will it cost to buy new tickets? And it might take several days to find a flight with seats for 5.

Delaine

I think Stevewith had a great idea for a logical itinerary.

I also agree with all those who say you need more time in Rome.

In my opinion it is a huge mistake not to actually stay in Venice. You waste a lot of time traveling to and from your hotel, and you miss being in Venice at the best times of the day -- early morning and evening.

annhig

mmm - my major question is - what do the boys like to do?

my experience of lads is limited to one, and that a while ago, but IME they like a lot of activity. Sitting around in cars is not so popular. so rather than go to Capri [not much for active boys there] I'd head for lake garda [lots of windsurfing at the top of the lake] and the dolomites where they can walk their energy off.

I'd also make sure that anywhere I was staying in Tuscany had a pool.

johnnyomalley

I find what helps is to write out each day, like this

Day 1 Arrive Rome @
Train to Termini Station
Train to Florence @
Check into hotel
or
Day 1 Arrive Rome @
Check into hotel @ 3:00pm

So you can see Day 1 - is taken up in part with the business of arriving/settling into hotel etc.