INterested in suggestions for 10 day trip to Italy with teens. What should we do/how should we travel, i.e. train or car rental. Been to Rome and Florence 25 years ago.

Hello,

For a 10 day trip, I would pick 2 cities. Maybe Rome and Venice or Florence.

I would stay 6 days in Rome, take a daytrip to Pompeii and spend the remaining days in Florence.

The daytrip to Pompeii is really easy to do. You can catch the train from termini station to naples. From there you catch the commuter train to pompeii scavi. The sight is a three minute walk from the station. The train ride to naples takes about 2 hours and the commuter train takes a half hour. This is a full day trip but it is well worth it.

Going to Florence is easy too. It is about an hour and a half from Rome.

There is so much to see in Rome that it is hard to know where to start. You will want to see all the "usual" sights. These are not to be missed! You might also want to see the Crypt of the Capucchin Monks, the Knights of Malta Keyhole and the Sancta Scalla. These are just a few of the really cool sights that are in Rome. A visit to the vatican is a must and could take an entire day (or month) to see.

My best advice would be to decide what it is you want to see, pick a city or two and then start with the hotels. Don't rent a car, use the train system, it is quite good and rental cars are really expensive in Italy. After you have made those major decisions it will be easier to build an itinerary.

Donna
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If you click on my name, you will find my trip report from our trip to Italy this summer with teens.

You need to narrow down the region or cities/towns you want to visit based on your family's interests and budget.

Some possible itineraries:
1. Assuming after 25 years you wouldn't mind repeating Rome and Florence, you could do: Tuscany (incl Florence) plus Rome. You might want a car then to wander in Tuscany.
2. Venice/Rome (fly into one, out of the other, no car necessary or advised).
3. Rome/Amalfi Coast/Pompeii (probably no car needed)
4. Milan/Lakes area/maybe combined with Ticino area of Switzerland (might be a little cooler in summer?)
5. Rome/Sicily.

If you're forced to travel in summer as we were because of the school schedule, plan on lots of heat and insist on good AC wherever you stay. #1 & #2 are probably the closest to must see tours, but any of these would fill up a wonderful 10 days.

Are your teens guys or girls? I know when we took our teen girls to Germany they really enjoyed the cities and seeing fashion. If yours are girls I'd say Milan should be one.

I agree with poster who said to fly into Rome and out of Venice or vice versa.
I would do:
Days 1-2 Venice (St. Mark's Basilica, Doge Palace, wonder the street, ride a touristy gondola.
Day 3 Early Morning Train to Florence
Day 3-4 Florence (Uffizi, Accademia to see David, Pitti Palace, wonder around shop...make reservations for Uffizi and Accademia ahead of time.
Day 5 Train to Rome
Day 5-10 Rome
or...
Day 1-3 Venice
Day 4 Train to Rome
Day 4-7 Rome
Day 7 Train to Sorrento via Naples
Day 8 Visit Pompeii
Day 9 Boat to Capri and explore Capri
Day 10 Amalfi coast
Depart from Naples

I do not recommend renting a car. Train travel is comfortable and excellent. First class travel on trains are excellent (Venice to Florence or Rome) and Florence to Rome is a short trip so second class is also excellent and comfortable.

This February we are going to Rome for a week and plan a day trip to Orvieto. My daughter keeps requesting we go to Florence because it is one of her favorite cities. I suggest that you also include the teens in the planning. If they have special interests or have studied certain periods then they might really enjoy picking some of the itinerary. My daughter has studied the Renaissance over the past few years and different artist so Florence is a city that she can relate to (and shop in).

Hi,

A couple of suggestions....When I was a teenager, my parents rented a car and we drove through France, Switzerland, parts of Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria and southern Germany. It was a great experience, but long hours of touring and riding in cars was too much.

You might want to consider taking a family escorted tour (there are several excellent companies) that visit Italy, offer activitiese and tours that appeal to kids, teens and adults, take care of transportation, most meals and make all hotel arrangements. The tours have a different pace, tour directors specialize in family travel. All of your arrangements are made for you and all you need to do is enjoy the trip. These tours are quite different from the typical escorted tour.

You might also consider renting a private home or villa. You can sleep in the same bed at night and use it as your base for day trips. Many of these places have swimming pools. Many of my family travel clients invite other families and then, the kids have buddies and adults can enjoy their evenings.

Best Regards,
Julia