Venice/Rome/France itinerary
 

Hi all, we're spending a little more than 3 weeks in Italy and France this summer. We're flying roundtrip out of Venice because to do anything else would have cost double. Ideally, we'd spend all of that time in Italy, but because our 13-year old has been in French school since she was a baby, we'd like for her to be able to spend some time in France.

We took our 10 and 13 year old to Paris for two weeks when they were 3 and 6, and of course they don't remember much, but they want to go again. And my husband and I spent a week in room before children, but again, kids would like to see it. We have friends in Florence and Siena, that's why we have a stop there.

I don't think the girls will have a high tolerance for art museums, and day after day of looking at buildings, even as old and as cool as they might be (the buildings, not the kids!) I'd love some feedback on my itinerary and suggestion for the south of France. Also, would you take a car out of Paris to Avignon or ? and then is it possible to take a train from Southern France to Venice?

And yes, I know I'm late in firming things up, but life gets in the way sometimes. Thanks for your help!!

Arrive Venice June 27
June 28- June 30 Venice
July 1 – bus or train to Siena
July 2-5 – Tuscany/Siena/Florence
July 5 - Bus or Train to Rome
July 6-8 - Rome
July 9 – Fly to Paris
July 10-13 Paris
July 13-19 – Southern France
July 20 – leave out Venice

That's Rome, we spent a week in Rome, not room!! LOL

"because our 13-year old has been in French school since she was a baby, we'd like for her to be able to spend some time in France"

For that you don't need to go all the way up to Paris.
What about Venice - direct train (3 3/4 hrs journey) - Rome - slow train - Orvieto - Chiusi - Montepulciano - Siena - Florence - Livorno - ferry - Bastia (Corsica/France) - train - Calvi (Corsica/France) - ferry - Nice/France - Pine train - Digne/France - bus - Sisteron/France - train - Briancon/France - bus - Oulx - train - Turin - Milan - Peschiera/Gardaland - Venice?

Oh my gosh CORSICA. yes. Thank you

Those cities have plenty of things to do/see and not just museum. I haven't entered any museum in Rome or Venice, and still had fun. You can google up "Rome with kid" or "Florence with kid", I often ran into those kinds of lists but I didn't really pay attention to them. For example, in Venice you can give the map to your children and let them navigate themselves - navigating in Venice is a fun task itself. Or going to the islands Burano/Murano and watch glass making.

It is a mistake to count days twice, either in two places or as a travel day and a sightseeing day. That gives you an unrealistic idea of your sightseeing time. Just one example. With getting checked out of hotel, travel time and getting to next hotel in Rome, you won't really have much time in Sienna on July 5, can't count it for both. Also, you are flying home from Venice, so you need to return to Venice the night before. Where is travel time allotted for that?

Normally, I would say Venice is such a great place to get over jet lag, the plan is OK, but having to return for a night before departure means two hotel check-ins, etc. I would also suggest flying on to Paris, but after a long flight and with kids, it would be too much. I am not knowledgeable about plane connections from Rome to Southern France, but I would consider putting that before Paris if connections are good. Train connections are very easy from Venice to Florence, with the Florence station central to everything.

So, here is a plan to consider, adding or subtracting days wherever you want.

June 27, arrive Venice, land and catch the train straight on to Florence. Relax. Walk.
June 28, Florence, rent car when departing Florence.
June 29, 30, July 1, Tuscany area - place with a pool.

July 2, travel to Rome. Drop car in Florence and Train to Rome or drop car in Orvieto and train to Rome or drive to Rome and drop car near airport).

July 3, 4, 5, Rome (perhaps one afternoon at the beach)

July 6, morning in Rome, catch late afternoon flight to Marseille/Avignon airport. This is a very easy to navigate airport. Rent car (lots to see and most is easier by car) and travel to base for Provence.
July 7, 8, 9, 10, Provence by car. (Perhaps Take a boat tour for sailing and swimming, and Pont du Gard).

July 11, early train to Paris from Avignon
July 12, 13, 14, Paris

July 15, fly to Venice - getting to airport and through security will take some time.
July 16, 17, 18, 19, Venice (one afternoon on the Lido, one day seeing the Islands, especially Burano, perhaps one day trip). More time here because by the end, you will need to relax and there are many, many good day trips, though you may not want them.

July 20, fly home.

<<We're flying roundtrip out of Venice because to do anything else would have cost double.>>

That doesn't ring true. Were you checking open-jaw (multi-city) flights?

StCirq - t RT to Venice was 670 per person. We could have open jawed to Barcelona for the same price, but we didn't want to do that. Everything else was at least 300 per person more

I would not stay in Venice twice. Upon arrival head directly to Florence as Sassafrass suggests. Lump all your venice nights together.

Or I might even consider landing in Venice and flying on to Paris a few hours later. Get over the jet lag in Paris. Then either head to southern France for a few days, or fly to Rome. Do Rome > Florence/Tuscany > Venice, fly home.