Feedback on first time family trip to IT, FR, DE, DK (?)

The priority of what to see is related to your priorities. All of the alternates you suggest are also wonderful. This is the hard part of travel: so much to see, so little time/money. I would start by following you passions/interest, and trust that once you go, you will figure out how to go back (once you see how manageable, accessible, delightful it is). You chose Tuscany for a reason. You chose Berlin over Denmark for reasons. Think about what those were and start mapping your time. What experiences do you want to have in each place? Once you start to envision your time and experiences, you will know if 5 days is too much in Paris, or if you would rather be in the south of France than in Tuscany. What did you envision doing in Tuscany when you came up with that plan?

All that said, I have traveled with kids (last summer they were 14, 12 and 9), and I will say that for the younger two, and especially for the 12 yo only boy, swimming pools go a long way to compensating for adult activities like wandering villages ;) When we were in the south of France, we spent a whole afternoon, for example, swimming at Pint du Gard. We saw the aqueduct in 15 minutes. It was the cliff jumping my kids talk about - lol. Then we went to Vaison la Romaine (northern provence) and after wandering the ruins and village, the kids played in the river/stream that runs through town for 2 hours. You get the idea. In Rome, after touring the Borghese, we rented those cheesy segways and rode around the park. And last but not least, daily gelato goes a long way. So, we always keep swimming opportunities in mind (whether manufactured, like a pool, or some source in the area, like a river or lake), and activities kids might enjoy that wouldn't necessarily be on our list.

hope that helps,
jessica

Thank you, Jessica. I guess my #1 concern is we don't know what we don't know, and what we don't know is a lot! Perhaps my biggest insecurity is spending too much time in cities and too little time in the countryside.

I do not have children, so no help there.

I like your pattern: city - rural - city - rural - city.

We have a number of real experts on Germany on this forum, including some residents. I hope they'll find their way here and suggest how best to spend four days in Bavaria. I know from reading their posts that there are lots of great options. If the weather cooperates (always have back-up plans when traveling in or north of the Alps!), there will be possibilities for walks/hikes around lakes and in the mountains. Perhaps you can incorporate something like a toboggan or luge run, or a zip line.

As to your specific destinations, I'm a bit concerned about the brevity of your time in Berlin, but given your family make-up, it may be just right. Berlin has many very good and very large museums--perhaps generally not of interest to children, but I have a feeling the Pergamon would hold their interest for a while. Then you have all the historical sights from the World War II and Cold War era. I am exceptionally interested in that stretch of time, so it's hard for me to know how other travelers will react, though everyone should see the Berlin Wall Museum. You'll have a better idea after you talk to your Germany expert.

In the time you have allotted, I think Tuscany makes a lot more sense that southern France. But someone else is going to have to comment on the child-friendliness of the two. It would probably be prudent to insert some sort of water feature into that period, either by staying at a pool-equipped agriturismo (requires car rental) or by hitting a beach.

I assume you're planning to travel by train/plane. Renting a car in Italy and dropping it off in Germany would probably be cost-prohibitive. You'll save a lot of money by buying your train and plane tickets early, but of course you have to be absolutely certain of your travel dates/times before doing so.

We have gone to Europe the last 3 years with our kids who are now 14 and 16. Some things we have learned 1. Get the kids involved in planning, you don't have to do only what they want to do, but if they are invested they will enjoy it more. 2. Have a plan but be flexible, part way through our trip in Italy they both were saying too much art/cathedrals and Florence was our next stop, fortunately we were travelling in November (so reservations weren't an issue) and had good weather so we audibled to hiking the Cinque Terra which my older son considers one of the favorite things he did on that trip. 3. Mixing active things in with standard site seeing is good. 4. We are from small town Colorado so my wife and I love to see cities which are different from our normal life, but our kids can get a little overloaded in that environment, so mixing cities and small towns can be good. 5. Don't be afraid to split the family on occasion to make everyone happy. 6. Sometimes kids just enjoy things that are familiar on a longer trip, a "normal meal" down time with a video game etc..7. My kids love European markets where they can buy inexpensive unique things like old coins and posters or unique candies or treats. Great places for lunches too to save $ and everyone can eat what they want.

As for your plan it depends on you and your kids interests. My kids love the Roman Empire things in Rome and the markets. They enjoyed Paris, if you think its too much time there my kids loved our day trip to Normandy to see WW2 sites, but you could easily do an overnight or 2 there to be less fast paced. My kids were not impressed the palaces as much as real castles, palaces to them seemed more like giant art museums and they don't love that. They prefer walls and cannons with some history.

So, ask your kids and use your experience with what they will like or not like.. Most importantly have fun.

I am going to make a suggestion that will tighten up your trip ( reduce travel time) and add an outdoor element: skip Paris, and do a three-night stop in the Dolomites or the Bavarian Alps.. A main north-south train route goes from Rome through Tuscany, to Bolzano ( detour here to get to the nearby Dolomites) and then through Austria to Munich. If you do not stop in the Dolomites, you could head to Garmisch-Partenkirchen or nearby Mittenwald for your mountain time.

At Bolzano you can take a bus, or rent a car and drive, into the Val Gardena area or to the high Meadow of Alpe di Siusi

https://www.valgardena.it/en/hiking-biking/walking-trekking/

I know you said you do not want to repeat experiences you have had in the US, but a mountain village in Europe is unlike anything we have in the US ( including Colorado).

In the Dolomites you will find trails leading to lovely little huts for lunch, often passing through pastures with Haflinger horses, or milk cows. There are cablecar you can ride up or down if you don't want to hike both ways. Or rent bikes to ride up on the Alpe, or go horseback riding.

At Garmisch you will find gorge hikes that kids ( and their parents) love, an Olympic pool they can swim in if they like, and lots more hiking trails. Stay in Partenkirchen or the outskirts of Garmisch and you may have cows parading down your street in the morning and evening.

In either place you will be among European families at play in nature. These places and others (in Switzerland) were our kids' favorites on our numerous trips to Europe. The only city they really liked (until they got much older) was London.

Just a thought. . .

If you should decide the Dolomites are a good idea: The museum housing the Iceman is in Bolzano. It is a very modern museum that I think would appeal to just about anyone. There were many children there on the day of my visit, and they seemed very engaged. Bolzano has a very, very pretty historic district. Be aware, however, Bolzano and the other towns along the rail line are not up in the mountains, so they don't benefit from the cooling effects of altitude and so not seem to be any cooler that Padua or Venice. Unfortunately, a lot of moderately priced hotels in that part of Italy think they do not need air conditioning. It was very hot when I was there, and I heartily disagreed.

Not a bad plan, but Rome deserves more than three nights.

Three nights in Tuscany is not enough. Even 3 nights in Florence is insufficient for that city. Are you not going to Venice. The city is special, don't miss it.

I suggest eliminating Berlin (save it for another trip), since Bavaria has so much to see and you probably haven't planned on seeing the Romantic Road. Have you planned to go to Salzburg, Austria (and nearby Berchtesgaden, Germany) or Garmisch and Fussen Germany? Do all of this and you need about a week.

Just to clarify: I am not suggesting they stay in Bolzano, which is indeed beastly hot (and humid) in summer. They would need to leave the rail line there and head into the mountains, staying either in Val Gardena or up on Alpe di Siusi. They could even hike to the Refugio named for Bolzano (Bolzanohütte or Refugio Bolzano) and overnight there, which would be a great experience.

I didn't think you meant for them to stay in Bolzano, Lola. But sometimes transportation schedules, especially when dealing with children, limit how far you end up going before stopping for the night. Wanted to be sure they understood that Bolzano doesn't have mountain weather in the summer.

Fwiw, we were in Italy and France last summer with kids and spent 5 nights/4 ½ days in Rome, and 3 nights/2 ½ days in Florence, and both left us totally satisfied. I think we could have spent 4 nights in Rome if We'd arrived early the first day (so 4 full days). I have spent 5 nights/4 ½ days in Paris as my longest stretch (of 3 visits with kids), and that was 'enough'. There is definitely a balance to be achieved between art/museums/culture and outdoors/activities. We tried to accomplish this, as I said, by finding kid-friendly outlets, and like you have described, alternating city-country-city-country. Hence, while 4 ½ days in Paris may seem like too few for some people, with 3 kids, my husband and I were ready for some mental and physical space (our next destination was the Loire, where there were many more outdoor options). I also agree that having kids help with planning is not really a help (or hasn't been in my experience) because if anyone doesnt know what they don't know, its the kids! ;p But I do make a point of making note of all the outlets for them in various places, down to researching public pools in Florence, and choosing one and writing down the info (times, location) so that if they/we needed that outlet, I had something in my back pocket. As it turned out, we didn't need it there...

We've traveled with children from the age of 7 - youngest is now 23. I agree with Lola for the most part, and would leave out Paris, but really it does depend on your interests. My observation through traveling with children is that they get tired of big cities and museums pretty quickly. I would try and incorporate some outdoor activities such as biking or hiking. Switzerland and Germany are both great for this. I would also add that boys that age would really have fun on the Rhein exploring castle ruins. I can attest to the fact that the mountains in Switzerland are nothing like the mountains in Colorado and it is a completely different experience.

Do you have the RS best of Europe book? If not I would highly recommend it.

ETA: - if you do decide on Paris / France I would spend a day or two going to Normandy and Mt. St. Michel. My sister in law has 12 children and lived outside London for 10 years. All of her children say this was their favorite place in Europe. My kids loved it also:)

A suggestion of a fun activity for Rome. TopBikes does bike tours in and outside Rome with electric assist bikes. While I am intimidated by the idea of biking inside the city, this is an option. I elected instead to take the tour along the Appian Way to the catacombs and aqueduct park, which I enjoyed tremendously. There’s a stop along the way for a sort of picnic at a goat farm with cheesev, bread and wine (for the adults). It’s no terribly expensive and I found it a lot of fun.

My experience has been that listening to our daughter resulted in some great experiences we would never have done otherwise. We stayed in Fussen because she(not me) wanted to see Neuschwenstein Castle and Fussen is one of my favorite places(I loved their museum-she didn't go to it). We went to the zoo in London and it has animals that our zoos don't we're guessing is because of its history as an empire. Let the boys watch Rick Steves videos of areas where you're going and see what appeals to them. Even now with our daughter in college, we ration the number of cultural sights we require of her-Chartres but we didn't make her go with us to the concert at Sainte Chapelle, for example. For your boys, the Sistine chapel but not the Uffizi in Florence.

Hi,

It's all a matter of priorities and interests. On your questions: I don't think Bavaria is "worth it." You have to decide if places there are worth your time. If you do choose Bavaria instead of avoiding it all together, then I recommend visiting Munich

Skipping Berlin for Denmark? I would say "of course not"...I spent 5 nights in Berlin my first time in Europe since I wanted to see specific sites in Berlin, aside from just being there.

What particular sights are you after in Berlin? Consult with your Germany expert and the travel guides.

Wow, thank you everyone for the great advice! This is very helpful.

On Venice specifically, I get really mixed opinions of it. Even those who like it, when confronted with "is it a tourist trap", they pause and kind of agree. I am not sure what to think.

Some of you said skip Paris. You're not the only ones who said this. Can you share why you say this? I am open to skipping it, just want to understand why. As above, I do not have a huge agenda here. Sure, Paris has Eiffel Tower and some other iconic stuff, but it's also a big, old city, and there could be better choices. Very open to steering the trip to do Rome, then Florence/Tuscany, then northeast to Bavaria or Austria or Switzerland, perhaps ending up in Berlin or Copenhagen.

As for the Dolomites or Bavaria: I am used to a lot of day hikes in the Colorado Rockies. We brought a bit of equipment with us, like hiking boots and daypacks and water bottles. Are we able to source them locally?

"RS best of Europe book"
I have the RS France, Italy, Germany, and Europe Through the Back Door books. Does Best of Europe provide more?

Authorized Customer - I can't say for the dolomites, but the trails in Switzerland for the most part are much more manicured than anything you would find in Colorado. Most trails here tend to be pretty rocky and I wouldn't attempt them without boots, but we always wear hiking shoes as our one shoe we take on trips as we always do some biking and some hiking, and biking is no fun in a boot. If you end up doing Austria / Bavaria I would recommend the Erhenberg ruins as a great hike exploration! We took our son there on a long trip when he was 11 and he really enjoyed Both Erhenberg and Rheinfells.

As far as skipping Paris - 1. It's just not my favorite destination and it was not somewhere my son really enjoyed. He enjoyed Normandy and Mt. St. Michel much more. 2. Geographically your trip makes a nice north south line with the exception of Paris.

BTW - my son really enjoyed Venice. We made sure we hit the fish market one day, and also went out to Murano for one afternoon.

hiking boots ... Are we able to source them locally?

Lots of shops sell hiking boots, but if you plan to do any serious hiking they should be broken in and you can't do that on a vacation. I would stick to shorter / more manicured routes and use hiking shoes for travel as suggested by a previous poster.

I second Lola’s excellent advice on the Dolomites.

The reasons I would say to skip Paris is that while 5 nights is a decent length of stay, it is a bit of an outlier with the rest of your itinerary. Also, you are not spending enough time to do justice to Rome. I would add one night to Rome then 4 nights in the Dolomites. Light hikers/sturdy walking shoes are sufficient, the same athletic shoes you would wear everywhere else on your trip. You can pick up cheap trekking sticks locally for about 10 Euro each and just abandon them when you leave.

The Berner Oberland if Switzerland is also an excellent choice for 4 nights. I have not examined the difference in traveling between Bolzano and Bavaria versus Lauterbrunnen and Bavaria so you might factor that into your decision.

As far as planning with kids, we make it an active process. We don't just ask them where they want to go. We get videos or movies about the general areas we are going and do a family movie night. We get books, the Eyewitness series seems to work for the kids with its great photos so they can see what you are talking about. We also give different itinerary options and tell them various options. When they come up with things we ask them why they are interested and the effect it would have on the itinerary. Sometimes they want to do something, but because of time or location or expense it cuts out something else they want to do and then they understand better why. But, everyone has to do what works for their family.

The thing about Venice, is that, yes it attracts too many tourists. But there's a reason for that: its authentic, not a Disney World / Las Vegas re-creation. Venice has a history that spans centuries, has art and architecture you won't see anywhere else, and is unique in a way thats hard to describe. Some people find it too different to be comfortable. Too bad.

Every time you change locations, you lose at half to a whole day just in the logistics and transportation. A flight may be only hour, but that doesnt include the airport check-in time, transport to and from airport, hotel check-in and -out, etc. So to me, your plan, even with trims, looks too stressful.

Its worth watching some of Rick's videos to see what grabs the families interests. Visiting a big city mainly for restaurants and stuffy museums isn't really appealing to me. Take a look at the itineraries for RS tours here at this site and see how they piece together their tours. Following those itineraries is doable on your own.

In Tuscany, along with the beautiful hilltop villages, these may appeal to not only your boys, but to the whole family.

http://www.maremmaguide.com/saturnia-thermal-springs.html

https://www.wanderingitaly.com/blog/article/1066/bagni-san-filippo

We took our 15 year old Grandaughter to these last year and had a great time.

We prefer not to do things that are simply European variations on what the USA already offers. Europe's scenic vistas aren't what most people go to Europe for. Yes the Alps are stunning, but the Rockies (especially the Canadian Rockies) are even more so, and have wildlife. The Alps have cows. You won't find "backcountry" wilderness, just lots of other tourists. Tuscany is rolling hills and quaint villages. I haven't traveled much in Bavaria, but the German Alps are the least spectacular of the Alpine countries.

Look for the things you absolutely will not find in the U.S. I really like the idea of staying in Venice. It's unique and it's pretty easy to avoid the tourist crowds most of the time. Instead of a pricey gondola ride, you can take a gondola rowing lesson, which I'll bet the boys would love. Rome and Paris have sights that were already standing for centuries before there were any cities is the Americas. Berlin is a city of contrasts - modern and classic, Eastern and Western. I'd to with those 4 for 18 nights. Rome (5N), Venice (3N), Paris (5N), Berlin (4N) - add 1N to one of them. Consider flying into Venice - it's a good place to get over jetlag and just soak up the atmosphere. Rome is a big, bustling city with major sights. It could turn out to be too much to take in if some of you are in a fog. Other than that, since you have to fly between Italy, Paris and Berlin, it doesn't much matter which order. Or you could go to Frankfurt instead of Berlin - it's only about 4 hours by train between Frankfurt and Paris. Frankfurt has quite a bit to see and do. Its city center is well-preserved and more like the typical German town most people imagine with half-timbered buildings, and centuries-old city hall and cathedral. Also are good day trips to smaller towns (Mainz, Weisbaden) and the really charming un-touristy village of Büdingen. With more time in fewer cities you can take day trips as the mood strikes you.

On rereading the thread, I understand why some might think Paris won't appeal to the kids. Adults love the art and architecture, the cafes and the churches. However, it's not so hard to tailor a trip to appeal to everyone. There is a fine army museum (Les Invalides) along with the over-the-top tomb of Napoleon, there are Gothic churches with gargoyles, Egyptian mummies in the Louvre, a huge park (Bois de Boulogne) where you can rent bikes and/or a boat.

My suggestion is to limit the number of countries. It's hard to absorb and enjoy rapid changes of culture and language. My own preference would be to visit one country and mix up city and rural experiences. You will also save a lot of time, money, and stress by eliminating the long travel distances you are currently planning.

I vote for including your sons in the travel planning. Involve them in choosing activities and give them some responsibilities such as learning some key phrases in the local language and researching costs and opening hours for things you plan to do. If you plan to use local public transportation, maybe they could learn the basics of how that all works.

Build in some activities that are simply for fun and relaxation. You're planning just enough time in each locale to hit the "must see" sites. That can be exhausting and after a while, non-stop tourism might feel like an obligation. Try to build in some activities your boys would enjoy.

Finally, keep in mind that you will be in Europe during the World Cup and many of the cities you visit will be wildly enthusiastic about the games. Your boys might enjoy following the matches, learning about the favorite players, and so forth.

On Paris: my advice to skip it for this tripmwas based in the first instance on the distance it is from the axis of the rest of your trip. I like a reasonably compact trip, without a lot of (or Ny) long travel days. Paris is well off the north-south route from Italy into Germany ( Munich).

But I was also influenced by our daughters' dislike of Paris. We took them on a London-Paris trip over spring break when they were 12 and 16. They loved London, It not Paris, even though both had studied French and were looking forward to it. I think this was based in large part on some negative experiences they had. Our younger daughter was yelled at when she touched the strawberries in a street market to choose them for purchase. Our fault for not warning her about this. Then there were the bracelet guys at Sacre Coeur. We did warn them, but they were impossible to avoid. And the museums were too crowded to be enjoyable. At Musee d'Orsay, which they were looking forward to, we could not get anywhere close to the art. Then it was lunchtime, and we went and lined up for a table in the cafe. The line moved reasonably quickly, but just as we reached the front our older daughter fainted. They wanted to just hustle us out of there, but my husband (a doctor who speaks fluent French) insisted that she just needed to eat and we wanted to be seated.

There were other negative experiences but I do not need to go on. The girls are good travelers and loved Switzerland when we went there the next year. And loved Italy the year after. But Paris, not.

As for the Dolomites, I will say that I am a connoisseur of mountains, having hiked the whole John Muir trail in the Sierras in my youth, and many mountains most summers since. The Dolomites are my favorite. They are like anything we have in the US, as beautiful as the Rockies and Sierras are.

A bit more. As far as hiking boots and daypacks for the Dolomites or Alps: the Dolomites trails are rough and rocky, but mNy people younger than I happily hike them in trail shoes. Including my "little sister" who is 62. Trail shoes are so good these days there are few locations that mandate full-on heavy hiking boot.

Daypacks are a good idea if you are going hiking anywhere, but you do not need one per person. My husband and I each take ours as our carryon, it we are generally doing strenuous hikes each day, sometimes with hut overnights on a multi-day trek. For simple dayhikes in the Dolomites or Bavarian Alps you could share daypacks within your family if younwant to limit weight on the plane. Of course you will carry water but huts for lunch stops are everywhere.

And now Venice. It is neither a tourist trap nor "Disneyland ". It is a real city that once was a major player in the western world. There is, as the saying goes , " nothing like it in the world". But it like other beautiful places such as Yosemite and Grand Canyon, is a victim of its own beauty. It is on everyone's "bucket list" ( hate that term) and draws visitors from around the world, including the cruise ship crowds. Leading inevitably to overcrowding.

So while Venice is my favorite city in the world, starting with our honeymoon there in 2003, and continuing to the month we spent there in 2013, I would not go there in summertime. Too hot, too crowded. We go in April or October.

Should you include it in your trip? Since it is not in your original trip plan there must be a reason. Think about why you made that choice and then come back with questions. Or PM me.

Thank you, everyone for the awesome advice. We've decided to axe France from the trip. I don't think we'll target the Alps as we do the Colorado Rockies a lot, and sounds like the Rockies are generally better. We will probably also axe Denmark just due to time constraints. Our trip plan is now about 60% Italy and 40% Germany. Here's the number of nights in each destination and highlights, in order:

• Rome: 3 nights, do the "Caesar Shuffle" and Vatican City
• Florence: 2 nights, full day to take in the central sights and museums
• Cinque Terre (Monterosso Al Mare): 3 nights
• Venice: 2 nights
• Fussen: 2 nights, castles and countryside by car
• Munich: 3 nights
• Berlin: 2 nights

I may cut Munich entirely and instead add 1 night to Rome, 1 night to Berlin, and 1 night in either Venice or Fussen. Reading the RS Germany guide, it seems that Munich is a nice place to be but that Rome, Berlin, and Fussen will give more Europe-specific authenticity. Plus that removes a lodging change. Thoughts on that?

Your plan looks fine. I do have to say though as someone who has lived in Colorado most of my life and LOVE the Rockies - they are not better than the Swiss alps. Nothing compares to the Swiss Alps IMHO.

Authorized,

To begin with, as this is your first trip to Europe I would highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip. It provides a lot of good advice on how to travel in Europe. I gather you're already using the RS country-specific guidebooks, which is also recommended. Your profile doesn't indicate where you're located, but also keep in mind that you'll generally arrive in Europe the day after you leave your home airport.

I haven't looked at your Itinerary in detail, but a few thoughts based on the last version that you posted, which looks very reasonable......

• Rome - 3 nights is a bit short, as there's a lot to see there. However it should be enough to allow you to see the main sights. I you have the RS Italy guidebook, be sure to have a look at the section on skipping the lines at the Colosseum and other attractions.
• Florence - I'd recommend a change in the order of cities - go to Monterosso after Rome as it's a reasonably short trip and a more efficient route. There are direct trains from Roma Termini to La Spezia Centrale that only take about 3H:45M, and the train from La Spezia to Monterosso is only about 15 minutes. Three nights in Monterosso is good but I would highly recommend getting accommodations booked soon! Is there any way you could add at least one night to Florence? It's a great home base location for day trips in Tuscany, such as Siena, Lucca, etc.
• Monterosso - three nights is about perfect. It will give you time to not only enjoy the five towns, but also do a bit of exploring to other nearby towns such as Porto Venere, Levanto, etc.
• Venice - two nights should allow you to cover the main sights, but be prepared for "hot & crowded" in July. Don't sit down at the posh cafes with highbrow orchestras playing around Piazza San Marco and order a coffee or whatever, as it will be extremely expensive!
• Füssen - rather than stay two nights there, I'd suggest adding one night in Munich and one night in Berlin. You can easily see the Castles on a day trip from Munich, either on your own or with a firm such as Radius Tours. Visiting the Castles requires a time-specific reservation and if you go on your own, you'll have to take care of that.
• Munich - this is a great home-base location for sightseeing in that part of the country. It's a very scenic city with lots of history, and you could also take a day trip to Salzburg or Berchtesgaden. If you think your children could deal with it, you could also take a tour of the Dachau memorial. The Deutsches Museum in Munich is incredible, and one could spend a full day there!
• Berlin - there's also lots to see here, so I'd definitely recommend adding at least one night.

I agree that skipping Denmark would be a good idea for this trip. It's somewhat of an outlier, and going there will reduce your already short time in the other cities. Paris would be nice to see, but I'm not sure you have the time.

Keep in mind that each change of location will require about half a day and sometimes a full day, depending on the specifics. Checking in & out of hotels, travel to the stations, waiting times, etc. all adds up.

You'll have to do some research on using the various rail systems. Especially in Italy, there are some potentially expensive caveats to be aware of when using trains and other public transit. If you need any information on using the trains, changing trains, buying tickets, etc., the group here will be able to provide lots of information on that.

Have you researched things like travelling with electronics or appliances, Plug Adaptors, using credit or ATM cards in Europe, etc.?

Good luck with your planning!

Thank you, @Jill. I appreciate what you say about the Alps. I am thinking I may reserve Switzerland and the Alps for a future trip and focus on the cities.

@Ken, more great advice! I agree with your logistical recommendations. Right now, the only lodging reservation I have is in Monterosso al Mare. I am seeing if I can push that stay to start/end one day earlier. If that works, I will add another night to Rome and get cracking on reserving hotels everywhere else.

I hear you on making Florence one day longer. I think to make things fit decently, I'll need to stick with two nights. The trip from Monterosso to Florence isn't bad, so I may have some time that evening to hit some stuff, then a full day the next day to grab the main sights.

After two nights in Venice (assuming I can find affordable accommodations!!!), I think I'll do three nights in Munich and four nights in Berlin.

Definitely researching rail systems. I do understand the low value of expensive, high-speed rail for short trips, for example.

"travelling with electronics or appliances, Plug Adaptors, using credit or ATM cards in Europe, etc.?" We will have three Google phones (Nexus 6P, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL), so I expect the main question to be Google Fi vs. getting a European SIM. We are on T-Mobile, so we can do (slow) data and texting for free. The nice thing about the Pixel 2 and 2 XL is we can use the ESIM to switch at will between Fi and T-Mobile. The 6P requires a SIM swap. If we were to do European carrier, we'd have to switch SIMs to get between that and T-Mobile. Plug adaptors--aware of that, just pushing that to later step. Will get credit card with no foreign transaction fee. Haven't thoroughly research ATM yet; my major American bank ranks poorly on fees. Like like Charles Schwab Bank may be where I need to go.

Hey authorized
Yes I agree with you to get cracking!! On your hotel/apts for high season June/July. Check booking.com, put filters (A/C, beds, bathroom in suite/outside, what floor, climbing steep stairs with luggage, lift, read fine print if security deposit needed and cash euros only, cancellation cost, linens extra etc) also cross-pollinate.com another site to check. What are you dates? Check times to check-in so you don’t wait for hours unless arranged ahead for early check in. It’s a lot to think about, but you’ll be happy travels when it’s all done and runs smoothly. Don’t stress, keep sane haha we pack a bottle of wine in checked bag, when we finally reach first place it’s a celebration we made it. Happy travels
Aloha

Authorized,

Hopefully you'll be able to get your hotel room in Monterosso adjusted by one day. Are you planning to stay in the old town or new town areas?

If you plan your touring carefully in Florence and Venice, you should be able to get to the main sights. Check the guidebook for information on getting reservations for whichever Museums you want to visit (Uffizi, Accademia?).

For the trip from Venice to Munich, the easiest solution will be the direct train departing Venezia Santa Lucia at 13:50, arriving Munich Hbf at 20:47 (time 6H:57M). There are numerous other trips, mostly longer and with changes. The direct train currently has Saver fares of €59.90 PP listed.

I'll have to leave it to others to comment on the merits of Project Fi vs. T-Mobile. I use an iPhone so my choices are different. If you can tolerate 2G data, T-Mobile should work fine and the cost will be reasonable.

Obtaining cash from ATM's will be less expensive than using currency exchange booths are airports or whatever. I've found that it's a good idea to have at least two ATM cards on different accounts, in case one card malfunctions (I've had that happen). One important point to mention is that you'll have to be careful to avoid Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), whether using ATM cards or making credit card transactions. If the POS terminal asks if you want the transaction processed in your home currency or in local currency, always choose local currency. If the terminal processes in your home currency, they will tack on a couple of percent for the "convenience".

I'm sure others on the forum will be able to provide information on the best credit or ATM cards for your trip. Given my location, my choices are different.