Susan

We are planning a trip to Italy this February. We will be traveling with our two children, 12 and 15, so we must travel during their school break. The kids have been to both London and Paris and they love traveling in Europe and especially seeing the great museums and historic palaces and churches. I need itinerary help here. We are limited to a trip of 8 nights (8 full days). We want to see Rome and the kids want to go to Venice as well. Should we try to fit Florence in also? How would you divide up the time and what is the best way to travel between the cities. Thanks! Susan.

Rex

Should we try to fit Florence in also? <BR><BR>Yes<BR><BR>How would you divide up the time and what is the best way to travel between the cities. <BR><BR>Train travel is best.<BR><BR>As much as I advocate the inclusion of some countryside on any trip to Italy, this is one very good exception - - limited time, and eager young learners. The countryside is for relaxing and a different kind of exploring.<BR><BR>Allow 4 for Rome, 2 each for Venice and Florence.<BR><BR>And odd as it may seem, I recommend Florence first. Regrettably it does not have any direct intercontinental air service - - but you can get there nonstop from Paris, London, Milan, Rome and many other Europe gateway cities.<BR><BR>It is the best choice of the three (in my opinion) on that first day (or two) when you are adjusting to a new time zone and the sleep-deprived flight to get there.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR><BR>

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Can'tfigureit

Rex's suggestion to hit Florence first... how silly! Just what one would want to do - take a long flight to Venice or Rome (which would make sense)then hop on a train, leaving a place you have planned to visit anyways, to go somewhere else. I would probably start in Venice for the meandering along the canals at your own pace to recover from the jet lag and then head on south by train.

Rex

Quite misconstrued. From a number of cities in North America, it might be possible to get a non-stop flight to Paris (or London) at a good price, but not to Italy at all.<BR><BR>This would be a good reason to fly directly on into Florence.<BR><BR>But even landing in Rome, I might still recommend taking the 93 minute train onward to Florence (of course, you have to get to Termini first).<BR><BR>I have been with someone who HATED the first two days of a trip to Italy - - spent in Rome. Rome is very, VERY intense, and adjusting to the sights and sounds of Italy in Florence will allow much greater enjoyment of Rome ("La Intensiva") or Venice ("La Serenissima") either one as a second destination.<BR>

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Susan

I am replying to my own post because I have more information and now more questions. I decided to have us fly into Venice, then take the train to Florence and then to Rome and leave from Rome. I liked the idea of 2 nights Venice, 2 nights Florence and 4 nights Rome. However, we are using air miles and I am having difficulty getting in and out of Venice. Can anyone tell me if it is Carnival in Venice around the 12th to 22nd of February? So, now I am faced with flying roundtrip to Rome and taking the train to Florence and possibly Venice. Can anyone give me information on train frequency and prices? I am trying to keep my costs down on this trip. At this point I may just fly round trip to Rome and take the train just to Florence for a portion of the time. Any suggestions?

elaine

to Can'tfigureit: just because you can't figure it doesn't mean it's wrong, just not what you prefer.<BR>I, like Rex, am one who usually wants to get the worst of the travel over at the beginning when I'm already jet lagged and won't have a great day of sightseeing anyway. I prefer to keep traveling to my farthest point and get it over with if I can, leaving the rest of the trip with shorter hops.<BR><BR>Susan<BR>I don't have the dates for Carnevale, but it ends the day before Ash Wednesday, so perhaps you can look it up that way.<BR><BR>I can't help but wonder if it would be better due to less wear and tear, to limit your trip either to just Rome, or keep it to Rome which you want, and Venice which the kids want. You know your family best, but three cities in one week is a lot of moving around, packing and unpacking, luggage toting, and a lot of time lost getting from one place to another, checking in and out of hotels, etc.

Eye Spy

Ash Wednesday is March 5th.<BR>Easter is April 20th.<BR><BR>I think you are doing way too much traveling. It's one thing to want to see all those great cities, but quite another to visit all three of them in only 8 days.<BR><BR>I suggest you fly to Venice from wherever. Alitalia flies direct from Newark, for example.<BR><BR>Spend 3 or 4 nights in Venice. Let it sink in (pardon the pun!). Don't be rushed.<BR><BR>Then take the train to Rome for the other nights (4 hours on pendolino). Sure it would be nice to go to Florence as well, but wouldn't you like to have gotten the feel and seen things more leisurely in two cities, rather than a lot in three? Rome is so much in any event (and your kids will love it too), and it would be a shame to dedicate so little time to her. The same holds true for Venice. While smaller, there is a wealth to see and explore, even for children. The weather might not be the best in Venice at that time, but it will be exciting nevertheless, because you'll be there!<BR><BR>Many Fodorites have excellent ideas of things to see and do in all those cities (including Florence, naturally). Ultimately the decision rests with you but remember: less can be more. Don't hurry Europe. She's been around a long time.<BR>

maty kay

I agree with Rex - get out of Rome and de-stress from jet lag in a smaller town. Rome is very intense - like a rich dessert - and you'll want to tour it when you are used to the rhythm of Italy.

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Susan

Thank you for the advice to slow it down. We have taken advance of the kids's February school break and cheap airfares to take the kids to London and to Paris. These were 2 separate trips and we spend the full 8 days in each city. The kids loved it. I was concerned about getting Rome, Venice and Florence all in this year. However, while we all want to see Venice I can't seem to get any flights there using my air miles. So, do you think I should give up Venice and fly roundtrip Rome and take the train to Florence for 3 nights (or more with a trip to Pisa?) or should we fly to Rome and take the train to Venice? I am also wary about the prices in Venice. As for arriving in a big city; no fear, we are from just outside of NYC and spend a lot of time in the city. The kids love large cities!

Rich

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Linda

We just returned from a twelve day trip to Bologna (and a day trip to Venice), Florence, Siena and Rome. Rome is best saved for last, I think because of it's size, many sites and crazy moped drivers. People all have their own opinions of which cities are their favorites. Two days in Florence was plenty for us. And Siena was a bit of a disappointment (too many people on the roads). If you are thinking of flying in and out of Rome, have you thought of doing Rome and the Amalfi coast instead of heading north?

claire

If your kids want to see Venice and you all agree you want to see Rome, I would agree that it is best to begin in Venice and then take the train to Rome. Skip intermediary stops. Having said that, if you can't fly into the Venice area airport, don't give up. If you can fly into an airport within 3-4 hours trainride of Venice (this includes even Milan, Bologna, Verona etc.), you could still manage it reasonably well. A few hours zonked on an easy trainride at the very beginning of the trip when you will be jet lagged anyway may be (only you can decide) a small price to pay for getting to go exactly where you want to be and in the order you prefer with no major compromises. Depends on your priorities.

Carol

Susan, we spent a full week in Rome this past August with our 13 and 15 year old children. It was incredible. On the first day, we walked to the Spanish steps, trevi and the forum, hooked up with a free guided tour of the forum and loved it. Had a quick pizza lunch across the street, meandered back towards the hotel (excelsior), relaxed a a bit and then went back to Vittorio Emmanuel monument and hooked up with the forum tour guide for a walking tour of Rome by night (very good). Had a late dinner and crashed....day two we went to the colosseum which could be a full day in itself; toured Palatine hill and strolled back. You can stop in any of the churches and just relax...all of them are spectacular. Third day was spent at the Vatican -- don't do a tour here as we spent a lot of time on Castle San Angelo and then had to stand in line for over 3 hours to get into the museum. The tour guide was knowledgeable but misjudged the lines. We did grab a quick, cheap tour of St Peter's - look for the guides near the entrance to walk up to the dome. It was less than 15euros for the family and well worth it. There is so much to see, so many little known facts that you'd miss without a guide. Next day, we went back to the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Piazza Popollo, St Maria Magionna(?), etc. Shopped one day as well. Last day (I think) we toured the capitoline museums. The night tour offered a lot of info on the other sites so we were able to go back and appreciate them more later. Lots of gelatto, reasonable food and wine; kids liked Campo d'Fiori for the kitsch. We had dinner at one restaurant twice. Its named Mario's and is near the forum and outdoor opera. Small, really good food and fairly reasonable. The owner/waiter/host is a wonderful man who will &quot;make for you a special dinner&quot; - so don't expect to order what is printed on the menu! Sorry to ramble but it was such a great trip for all!