Hello All -
I'm planning our family summer vacation (mom, dad, 10 and 6 y/o kids) and we're looking at a road trip through the Dolomites and Southeastern Alps (15 days in July 2020). I roughed out an itinerary and am looking for reactions from experienced travelers. Here's the current rough itinerary:
Land in Venice (overnight flight), stay one night
Drive to Bolzano/Seiser Alm area (Italy), stay two nights
Drive to Lienz (or Villach?) area (Austria) stay two nights
Drive to Bled area (Slovenia) stay two nights
Drive to Ljubljana (Slovenia) stay four nights
Drive to Rovinj or Opatija area (Croatia) stay two nights
Drive to Venice, stay one night before flight home
We prefer natural sites and outdoor activities than major historical sites (not that we're not interested in history but the kids can only do so many museums and cathedrals). We would consider a farm stay or visit and always like to experience local culture, food and wine. The kids would love to meet and play with kids from the countries we visit (we try and find playgrounds everywhere we visit). I've been reading about mountain coasters (mostly in Austria) which sound really fun. And we love driving winding mountain roads.
I included Venice in the itinerary because I thought we couldn't fly to/from there and not see the city, though we prefer off-the-beaten track places. That's why I made Slovenia a focus. And I included Croatia so we could get some beach time in as well.
What do you think? Am I trying to pack in too much? I'm OK with breadth over depth but don't want to overdo it with little kids. Appreciate your thoughts and feedback!
Tom