Help with Itenerary in Rome+France with Kids

You don't say what time of year you're going. That could make a big difference.

We are going to be in Italy July 4th. We have from July 4th til July 16th.

Edith - when our kids were younger we did a mix of accommodations based on price & location. In the big cities (Rome, Paris, Venice) we were able to find quad rooms and slept with all four of us in the same room. Once we were outside though we took advantage of the lower prices in smaller towns and would book two rooms at B&B's - one for the kids, one for my husband & I - we enjoyed having some time "away" from having all 4 together all the time. We also stayed in various places for 3-7 days in self-catering rentals (though we have never used VRBO). The kids really did like having a "home" when we did this and we always booked a two bedroom. And sad to say but Florence was our least favorite city for a variety of reasons, one being that it seemed to handle the heat and summer crowds less well than Venice & Rome (in our opinion). We did not stay in Florence, but were 1/2 hour away in an agriturismo where we could come back after a day of sightseeing, hit the pool, and then head out when it was cooler to dinner in one of the small towns of Tuscany. If your whole trip is big cities perhaps a stay in a small town, or out in the countryside would be a good way to break it up a bit.

Hi Edith! We are going to Italy with our kids this summer too! Ours are 7 and 9 and we have rented apartments in most places with a few hotels mixed in. We are staying at the Novotel in Venice which is very affordable and looks good. Usually if we are in a place for more than 3 nights we stay in an apartment - we found really great ones in Rome, I only booked one in the last week and there were still a lot available. Try Home Away, Friendly Rentals, or Flip Key. As an aside, we have traveled with our kids to Europe a lot and I've always had trouble finding helpful websites (devoted to traveling with young kids) - so I created one! If you're looking for packing advice, how to find rental accommodation or even just about combating jet lag with kids, check it out! www.yourfamilyineurope.com I hope it helps, and have fun!!

There's a couple of hotel groups that cater to families. They are not chain hotels, but independent hotels that are part of a group of hotels which caters to families. They are in various parts of Italy. We've stayed at a few of each and enjoyed them. You also don't say how old your kids are, but the family hotels usually have child-minding included, so you could leave your kids there while you sightsee. If they're old enough to get around on their own, they should enjoy seeing everything, just take lots of gelato breaks. www.kinderhotels.com
http://www.italyfamilyhotels.it/

Wow, that's great Kathy! I had heard of the kinderhotels but not the ones in Italy. Great tip!

I would skip Florence with kids, crowded and hot as hades in summer,,plus kids will likely be bored. On a rick steves tour we stayedabout 25 km outside Florence in an agritourisma ,which had a pool and that was great. I would add time to Rome or Paris and not drag kids around so much. Rome will be hot so get airconditioning, really. I would also consider getting ac in Paris as well . Its not like there are any cooling breezes in either city and after a long day sightseeing there is nothing worse then going back to a hot room or apartment. Leaving the windows open for ventilation is often not a good option as noise can be an issue.
At this late date you will find slim pickings for decent apartments, so you may end up in hotels which is not that bad, I always make sure to get a hotel with a mini or bar fridge and stock it with juices and yogurts for snacks . I have taken my 11 yr old and my 14 yr old to Europe, seperate trips. The 11 yr old loved seeing the Colisuem, St Peters, the Vatican and Trevi fountains in Rome. Both kids loved seeing tons of stuff in Paris,, but Venice was only good as a novel two day stay, although to be fair we didn't get to the beach theer( the Lido) and in the heat that would have been a good idea.

How old are the kids?

Hello all, thank you for your kind advice. My kids are 7 and 9. I checked the hotels for kids and there is nothing available. I would love to stay in a place with a pool but seems like most hotels (that are under 250 euros per night) do not have a pool.

Pat, do you remember the name of the agriculturism where you stayed? There are so many but I am not sure which one is closer (and easier to get to) to Florence.

For hotels try Novotel - we booked the one in Venice for two nights and the rooms are spacious and cost less than $150 a night. (We got the two nights for less than $300 total including breakfast for four each morning). Yes, there is a pool and I only booked the hotel last week - we are traveling in August. They have hotels in a lot of major cities and are worth checking out. You should still be able to get an apartment for Paris, even at this short notice. All of the apartments we've rented have either had air conditioning or good ventilation so we've never encountered too much of a heat problem thankfully. Good luck!