Italy itinerary for 9/10 nights?
 

I'm planning a family trip to Italy and France next April and wanted to get some feedback about 1) where to visit near Rome with a couple of available days and 2) and lodging recommendations for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children).

We have 13 total nights and I was thinking of something like the following so that we could spend 9/10 of the nights in Italy:
- Milan for 1 night (day of arrival)
- Florence for 3 nights
- Rome for 3 or 4 nights (Easter mass)
- TBD - countryside or Capri/Amalfi Coast for 2 or 3 nights
- Paris for 3 nights

Any suggestions for the 2-3 nights after Rome? I'm sure I am trying to squeeze in too many places but want to see as much as we can in a short time without losing a lot if time traveling between cities.

Also, any suggestions for lodging in any if the above places would be greatly appreciated.

How old are the children? Have they traveled before and do they handle jet lag well?

If it were my trip, I'd skip Paris. Unless you take a painfully early flight from Rome, it will be mid-afternoon before you've left your luggage at your Paris lodging and can start sightseeing. So, you'd have only 2 full days in Paris plus a couple of hours on the arrival day.

My choice would be to stay in Italy, either in Tuscany, Umbria or in the Naples/AC area. Others might choose Venice instead of Tuscany, etc., but I like a mix of city and countryside. And some prefer Venice over Florence, but not me.

You need to state a hotel budget; otherwise, suggestions will be all over the rate range.

The math doesn't work and you haven't figured in traveling time between places. Forget Paris. And why are you flying into Milan?

Jean,
Children are 10 and 12. They've traveled before but not this far or with this great a time change so I'm sure they will feel it a bit.
We've got freq flier miles so we were limited to city pairs and availability which is why we're flying into Milan. Like Paris too having been there 2 other times.
I could take the extra nights and split it between Rome and Paris but was hoping to try to squeeze something else in.
For lodging, I'd like to stay in the 100 EU to 225EU range per night if possible while still being in a nice area and semi-close to transportatio.
Thanks for your feedback.

StCirq,
I was trying not to bog down my post with too much info but you are correct in that I'll be losing a half day each time I travel between trains (Milan to Flo, Flo to Rome) as well as plane from Rome to Paris.
Flying into Milan due to freq flier miles and the fact that i don't want to waste time doubling back on the same path since we want to fly from Rome to Paris as well.
Thanks for your feedback.

I would not bother staying in Milan unless you plan to do some sightseeing there although you didn't allow time for that in your plan. Since everyone will be a bit jet-lagged arrival day and not up to doing much, you might as well just take the train onto Florence (fast train only takes 1:40 from Milan Centrale).

Two nights somewhere only gives you one day for sightseeing.

I'm with the "forget Paris this time" gang. Also, ! would try not to be in Rome during Holy week - that way lies madness!

I think that I would split my time between 3 places - Florence, somewhere in Tuscany and Umbria where you could tour round a bit and celebrate Easter if not far from the madding crowd then not actually being part of it, and Rome. We were in Rome in the week after Easter with our kids a few years ago and though it was busy, it was bearable.

staying longer in each place will enable you to stay in apartments which with kids is definitely a nicer way to travel than staying in hotels. Even so, with 13 nights and therefore 12 days [your title says 9-10 which is confusing] you lose most of the first day in arriving, travel and jetlag, half a day from Florence to ? and another from ? to Rome, so you're down to 11 days between 3 places. Add in a 3rd place eg Paris, and you'll lose more or less another day getting there, and have 10 days between 4 places. THat looks like the law of diminishing returns to me.

our kids positively preferred holidays where we stayed longer in one place - particularly in Italy they liked the morning run to the bakery for the cornetti, the cafe in the square where we might stop after dinner on the way back to the apartment, the gelateria we found that sold their favourite flavours [and didn't cost an arm and a leg] . Every time you move you lose all those places with which you've just begun to feel familiar and which give you a little feeling of being part of the community, and have to start again.

in neither Florence nor Rome will you run out of things to do in 3-4 days. pick somewhere nice in between to spend Easter and IMO you have the makings of a perfect trip.

Consider Naples with trips to Pompeii and Herculaneum. You might be interested in my trip report that starts with Naples; click on my name to find it.

I agree with the "no Paris" team, that could be a great trip next time. You'll need time to visit Italy and enjoy it properly. I love Milan, but also think that a fast train down to Florence might be a wiser use of your time. My favorite hotels in Florence are the J&J (www.johanna.it), they offer a wide range of B&B's and apartments with classic Tuscan style, comfort and great prices. I think it's a better deal than most hotels, and they have different structures all over the city. We lived in Florence for 6 years and every time we go back, we always stay at one of the Johanna&Jolea B&B's. My favorite gelateria in Florence in on via Ricasoli and it's called "Caribè", they make home-made gelato with genuine products, not the powdered, "add water and mix" kinds that you'll find all over town. And my favorite restaurant in the city center is "La Pentola dell'Oro" on via di Mezzo.
As for Rome, it's packed full of amazing sites, but it's also great to get out of the city and explore places that are near Rome like Ostia Antica, Cerveteri, Tivoli and Palestrina. I have lived outside of Rome for a while and run Altavista holiday home (www.altavistaroma.it), it's a convenient, well-priced, quiet and beautiful place to stay in a town that's older than Rome and boasts the largest pagan temple dedicated to the goddess of fortune (and wonderful national archeological museum). My favorite restaurant here is La Taberna on vicolo del Duomo, but it's also fun to do cheese tasting on a farm like "Marcigliana" which has a vast array of delicious and fresh products; or a wine tasting in Zagarolo at the Cantina del Tufaio where you can visit the antique, tuff-stone wine cellar and listen to the owner's stories about the dangers of making Spumante! Often it's more interesting and relaxing to see Italy outside the main cities, you get a more human and less touristy feel for the country (and much better prices). If you really want to be in Rome for Easter Mass, make plans as far in advance as possible, including the arrangements for "tickets/reservations" for the holiday mass (www.papalaudience.org/papal-mass or more specifically: www.papalaudience.org/easter-christmas-tickets). The Amalfi coast and Capri are beautiful; if you go through Naples, try the pizza at Sorbillo on via dei Tribunali...it's worth the trip!!

So I guess you can't change your arriving and departing flights... I'd still 'skip' Paris in the sense that I'd only spend one night there. Fly Rome-Paris first thing in the morning, and you'd have the afternoon and evening to sightsee. And I agree with kybourbon about skipping the night in Milan.

Unless you think you'd want/need the services of a hotel, I'd look for apartments in Florence, Rome and perhaps wherever you spend the additional nights... which, if it were my trip, would be in Tuscany or Umbria with a car.

How wonderful to travel with your children! We took ours to England, Scotland, and Amsterdam (the latter included due to use of FF miles) when they were about the same age as yours and we had a wonderful time. I was careful to include "kid-friendly" sights as well as seeing the museums and cathedrals.

Like you, I would love to see Paris again, but it will cut into your time in Italy and require a whole new cultural reorientation for your children.

My husband and I are planning our own trip to Italy for next Spring, and on the advice of several posters and based on a lot of good reviews, have booked the Domus apartment at Residenza Il Carmine in Florence. It would be large enough for your family, and is in a convenient location but far enough from the touristy areas to provide a relief from sight seeing. http://www.residenzailcarmine.com/ The price is good, too.

I'll look forward to revisiting this post as you develop your plans.