Italy Itinerary - Family Vacation
 

Hi, we're making our first trip to Italy in July and I'm working the details of the itinerary so that I can get going on hotel reservations.

Background info: we're in our mid-forties (goodness that sounds old!) and have a 19 yr old daughter and our son will be 17 years old. The kids enjoy travel. Daughter loves art and architecture and spent a summer in Spain with a university program. We are all quite active and enjoy the outdoors. While we want to see art and history, we do tend to get saturated and glaze over with too many museums.

I fear my tentative itinerary is overly ambitious, but there is so much to see and do. I'm using frequent flyer miles for the tickets (already secured) and we're flying into Rome and out of Venice. Here's my initial plan:

Day 0: arrive in Rome 6:30 pm, get to hotel
Day 1: Ancient Rome - may arrange for guide to maximize our visit
Day 2: Day trip to Pompeii (son has his heart set on seeing Pompeii)
Day 3: St. Peters/Vatican
Day 4: Early morning train to Florence. Museums in the afternoon
Day 5: I Bike Italy day trip - bike ride in Tuscany (we need to balance museums with outdoor activity - we love to bike ride)
Day 6: Train to Pisa, see the tower. Take train to Cinque Terra
Day 7: Hike Cinque Terra
Day 8: Take train to Venice; wander Venice
Day 9: Venice
Day 10: Venice
Day 11: Fly home

I'm sure this looks as if we're trying to cram too many things in. Part of what I want to do is get a balance of active outdoor activity with the cultural art and history education. With the kids getting older, there aren't too many opportunities for family vacations in the future and I want to make the most of the trip.

Comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Susannah

In looking at your Day 4: "Early morning train to Florence. Museums in the afternoon".

If your packing up and getting to Florence does not go perfectly well, then the museum opportuity will be gone.

You have a good first trip to Italy - Rome, Florence and Venice. With a few day trips (Pompeii, some towns in Tuscany, possibly Pisa) would be good. You might also mix one or two less hectic days into your trip.

Well, as someone who left Venice, arrived in Florence, and then took a train trip to Pisa all in one day, I don't think it is overly ambitious to leave Rome and plan on museums in Florence. I think your trip sounds great!

I know many will say it's much too crammed, but our trips with our teens are very much like this. They like to be active, and you feel as parents you have little time left with them, so you want to see as much as you can.

Your trip sounds really fun. You can always go back and spend more time in places you really enjoyed.
Be sure to make your museum reservations in Florence.
I also highly recommend a guide for ancient Rome. We did the live audio guide at the Vatican Museum, and it was great--only 5euro more than regular admission.

Have fun planning!
Dina

Well, I do think it is a bit crammed, but if you like to travel that way..... My main suggestion would be to take a day from Venice and add to Rome (and we love Venice!) However, you have very little time in your Rome itinerary to explore, drink cappuccinos, eat gelato and soak it all in. Rome is so much more than the Colesseum/Forum and the Vatican (as amazing as they are) and I think your teens will really love it!

Thank you for the feedback! Perhaps we should do one more day in Rome; I know there is so much to see in Rome. It will only give us a day and a half or so in Venice, though, and I hope that's enough. (Well, I know it won't be enough!)

Thanks again - this forum is so helpful with all the good ideas and the detailed trip reports.
Susannah

I'd skip Venice this trip if you're only going to have 1-1/2 days. Because of its geographic layout, Venice is not the best place for short stopovers--especially during the height of the tourist season.

oh, but how can she skip VENICE? Isn't a taste, better than nothing?

Days 4 thru 7 seemed very rushed, and I don't think you are spending enough time in Rome to truly experience Rome. I think Pompeii is worth the visit, but that only leaves 2 days in Rome. I would add 2 more days to Rome, and for the middle couple of days pick 1 location to stay instead of trying to squeeze in Florence, Tuscany, Pisa and CT. If your daughter is an art lover, a 1/2 in Florence would be a tease.

Keep in mind there will be travel time to get from one place to another, getting settled time, etc. You need some time just to relax and take it all in, at this pace, it will all feel like a blur.

I looked at your itinerary again, and I agree about adding another day to Rome. I think I would eliminate the Cinque Terre piece this trip. I understand that in the summer the hiking trail is absolutely packed. Your trip will still be great without it. In Venice, you can take a ride out to Murano or one of the other islands and explore, and this is a nice non-museum, outside activity.

dina--based on anecdotal evidence from people who have done it, just a taste of Venice (i.e., a day or day and 1/2 stop or less) often turns out to be a negative experience in the high season.

People just don't have time to get away from of the daytripper herds in that short a period of time.

Thank you again for the responses. Skipping Venice is not an option since we are flying out of Venice. So, perhaps we will add a day to Rome and drop CT. This would reduce the amount of hotel shuffling we do as well. I was really looking forward to CT (hiking along the Mediterrean sounds divine), but it might be better to save it for another trip (probably sans kids). I'm undecided whether to stick with the original plan or add a day in Rome and drop CT, but I appreciate the suggestions.

Susannah

Susannah-Your inclination to drop CT and add it to Rome is a good one. I had originally recommended removing a day from Venice just because I wasn't sure what your "do or die" places were. I think the important thing is to add the day to Rome, which could also be done by eliminating the daytrip to Pompeii. Compromises are so hard, I know.

When we started planning our first trip to Italy last March I never thought we would be returning just 15 months later, but we will be returning this June - and doing the things we didn't get to the first time - like CT and Pompeii! However, our first trip we did the 3 big cities in 14 nights and none of us have any regrets about slowing it down.

rufus--
You may be right. I have not been there in the height of tourist season, which I assume is July and Aug. We were there in mid-June and it was neither crowded nor hot.
Dina

For kids in Rome- I'd make sure to do the inside tour of the colleseum if you add time in Rome.. seeing the outside didn't do much. The folks on my trip who did the interior, especially if your kids loved Gladiator would be worthwhile. Personally, I think teens would enjoy other cities more..like Sorrento, where they can shop, bargain and boat over to Capri..but thats heading South, not North..so may not work out for your schedule.